Day 263-265 -6/23-25/24

Starting location: Tied to floating dock just after lock at St.-Ours, Quebec, Canada.

Weather: 62 am, 73 pm, cloudy, steady rainfall, thunderstorm, then partially sunny – Sunday 6/23. 58 am, 78 pm – cloudy to mostly sunny – Monday 6/24. 61 am, 83 pm, sunny – Tuesday 6/25.

Ending location: Moored in Montreal Yacht Club, Montreal, Quebec, Canada for two nights, then motored along the Lachine Canal in Montreal to tie onto the dock after lock 5 overnight.

Statute miles: Approximately 60, then 0, then 14 through Lachine Canal.

General summary: There was concerning weather (strong winds and thunderstorms) slated to arrive in the afternoon, but the morning forecast looked ok and we had marina reservations in Montreal. So, we left St-Ours by 8am and experienced pelting rain off and on, but the winds and waves were minimal. We had heard there was a strong current approaching Montreal and found this to be very accurate. Probably 5-6 mph coming at us. Our boat can handle that, but it did slow our progress for the last mile or two and we were jostled about some by eddies. Once past the breakwater to the marina, however, things calmed nicely and the dockhand helped us tie up. The Montreal Yacht Club has concrete walls on 3 sides and a slanted tall wooden breakwater at entry, so we were well protected.

The lightning and thunder arrived about an hour later, then cleared, and some blue patches opened in the sky. We walked about lovely pedestrian-friendly Old Town, which reminded us of a European City, then got dim sum for dinner in Chinatown.

There is an amusement park nearby and a large tent where there are Cirque du Soleil performances.

On a stretch of land to the East was a strange looking building, named Habitat 67, which was built for the 1967 World’s Fair. It is a series of interlocking prefabricated concrete forms arranged in different configurations with moulded plastic bathrooms and modular kitchens. This was supposed to be an architectural design for the future that allowed for urban density while preserving privacy, fresh air, and gardens. People do still live in them and there are tours. The Biosphere, another remnant of the fair, is on St. Helene Island. I couldn’t get a good picture of it.

The following day was June 24, which is a federal holiday in Quebec, so many stores were closed. It is traditionally the feast day of the nativity of St-Jean-Baptiste, brought to Canada by French settlers, but most people here refer to it as the “fête National du Quebec”. It appears to be more of a recognition of the origin of Quebec, similar to the fourth of July in the US, rather than a religious holiday. There is a subtle flavor of political Quebec separatism (from the rest of Canada) that was explained to me by a local. Quebec flags flew prominently.

From Montreal, there are two ways to safely progress up the St. Lawrence River to the South and then West, bypassing a large area of rapids. For larger boats, you must cross to the East side and take the St. Lambert portion (2 locks) of the St. Lawrence Seaway. These are large (600+ feet long) primarily commercial locks that are separate from Parks Canada, so there is a fee of $30 for each. You have to sign up on their web site and book a time slot, but commercial traffic is prioritized. We have heard some boats had to wait up to 8 hours to lock through each one.

There is a second option, the Lachine Canal, which starts on the East side, less than a mile from our marina, and was covered by our pass. It has 5 locks and follows the Southern contour of Montreal. The caveat is there are fixed bridges, the lowest having only 8 feet of clearance. We measured our boat and it looked like our highest point was about 7.5 feet above the water line, with our antennas down. We had walked to the first lock the day prior and talked to the lock operator, who advised us they measure all boats before locking them through. We decided to give it a go. On the way there, we passed this “spa on a barge” (Bota Bota) that provides saunas, hot and cold soaking pools, massages, and a bistro. Maybe next visit…

At the first lock, we were measured with an L-shaped PVC pipe and were assured we would fit just fine. In the first lock, there was an electrical problem with the exit door opening. We were briefly concerned we might have to spend the night in the lock, but they got the door to work after about 30 minutes. On weekdays, due to staffing issues, you can’t stop at any of the inside docks to go exploring, so we went through to the end and tied off on the dock after lock 5. It was in a nicely shaded area next to a public park with walking and cycling trails. Had it to ourselves overnight.