Irish Attitude's Adventures: Canadian Customs, Chambly Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway

Friday, July 12 - Monday, July 15, 2013

At 7:00 a.m. Irish Attitude pulled out behind Carried Away with Harmony and Journey (Cat) to our aft. Last night Mike and double checked all our customs paperwork; i.e. passports, permits. We shut off the data on our phones and Mike raised our Canadian flag. (As a show of respect when traveling in a foreign country.) We expected to dock 2 boats at the Canadian Customs post but one dock was submerged due to high water. Carried Away went in first (since they were they had experienced this last year). The rest of us cleared by 9:00 but not without an issue. We learned later that the customs agent noticed the single basil plant that Journey had on their aft. Customs told Margi they had to return to the U.S. to dispose of the plant on U.S. soil. After some discussion Customs agreed to allow them entry if Journey promised not to dispose of the plant in Canada, even if the plant died. I guess when Harmony pulled away from the Customs dock with Janet's herb garden fully visible they thought, 'Oops, we forgot to ask this group about plants.' Our little plant was inside!! Whew, another milestone passed!

Our group continued up the Richelieu River towards the chain of locks along the Chambly Canal. 'Narrow' has a new meaning in Canada. Journey (Cat) was really feeling squeeze.We traversed 6 locks and 10 bridges on route to the city of Chambly. Following protocol, we pulled up to the 'blue line' along the exterior wall and waited instruction from the lock master. The lock master tells us the order he would like us to enter. We are not the only boats on the canal. Smaller pleasure boats were tucked in to make the most efficient use of space. We moved along at only 6 mph for a 9 hr day.

A little history: Construction of the Chambly Canal began in 1831 and opened in 1843. The canals were dug by shovels with many an Irishmen having a hand in it! Originally the canal was used to transfer barges loaded lumber. The system has been updated but kept its charm and original dimensions. The narrowest lock is 21' wide! (Remember, Journey is 18.5'!)

Bienvenue au Canada!
Welcome to Canada!

The River Runs Along
the East Side of the Canal

Peaceful

Churches are Prominent in Every Town

The Canal System is Part of Parks Canada

A Bike Path Follows the Canal

This Canoe Waited for us to Pass

Bike Traffic Passed Us

Journey (Cat) Maneuvers into a Lock

Some Bridges Swing,

Other Bridges Lift

Each Lock has a Small Building that Once Housed the Lock Master

Opening the Valves

All the Locks Along the Chambly are
Hand Cranked. Some Crank Assemblies Open
and Close the Gates (above). Still Others Release the
Valves the Fill and Empty the Locks.

Eight of the Ten Bridges are Hand Crank Operated.
The Other Two are Hydraulic

It's fascinating to watch!

Capt. Mike

Many Canadian College Students Work the Locks in the Busy Summer Season

These Canals are a Mechanical Feat.

Carried Away's day did not go so smooth. While entering the first lock Bill was unable to shift and even turn the engines off. Their boat drifted back into a small boat pushing it into the lock gate. Thankfully no one was injured. There was no damage to Carried Away and minimal to the small boat. Joyce said the lock master was very professional and the Canadians involved were understanding. Bill fixed the problem but they ended up spending the night in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. With limited staffing and hours of operation this year the Canadian Canal System is forced to operate more than one lock. This can result in delays as the attendants travel to and from locks. Time constraints are put on boaters. If you do not lock though in time to finish the series then you must wait until the next day to begin or continue on. They Quebecers (or Quebecois) we spoke with are quite bothered by this. As Loopers, we are not limited to a 2 week vacation schedule so it should not be an issue. This trip is about the journey after all! At 4:00 p.m. we pulled along the wall in Chambly. It's a free wall. No electricity here so we ran our generations. We let Joyce know we would spend an extra night so they could catch up. The rest of us enjoyed dinner at an Italian Restaurant where the waitress spoke both French and English. Whew! Returning to the boat we passed an outdoor concert and of course the obligatory ice cream stand!

A Free Concert (Not Only Were the Good, They Sang in English!)

Bike Trail that Follow the Canal

Zoom In!

Another View

A Close Up of the Locks....

After Working Hours

Sneaking a Peak at Our Next Lock and

What Awaits us on the Other Side

Saturday I woke up with a pounding headache. It evolved into a 24 hr flu.(?) I spent the entire day and night in bed (and the head!). Bill and Joyce had pulled in safe and sound around noon. The women picked me up a pastry at the bakery but it was 2 days before I could eat it. We planned to remain at the wall Sunday but around 2 p.m. the lock attendants said some of us had to move on because more boats were coming along the canal and would need docking. It's a 48 hr. limit and our time was up. They would have allowed us to stayed (because I had been sick) but I wanted to stay with the group. Keep Calm and Carry On!

The peaceful scene from Friday night is not what greeted us the Sunday afternoon. It was a warm, sunny day and the water was busy. It's hard to explain the sight.Rather like a demolition derby (minus the crashes). Boats of all size raced across the river. Some hauled tubers and other bounced passengers on their bow. Their legs hanging over the front and not even a bow rail or lift jacket to save them! The pinnacle was passing underneath a bridge in a bottleneck section of the river. Rick on Journey blocked on coming traffic giving us enough time to make it through. It was a very stressful experience or as Mike would say, 'An adventure!'

High Traffic Area! *

Bottleneck. No One Bothered to Slow Down*

* (These 2 pictures are from Carried Away's blog. Thanks Joyce!)

We traveled on reaching St. Ours (pronounced Oars) around 6 p.m. It was a quiet night and we had dinner aboard the boat. I was still whipped. This lock is unusual because the attendant are on floating dock within the lock.

The next morning, Monday, was a sad day.We were parting paths with Joyce and Bill, our friends from Carried Away. They will be continuing the Down East Loop through Nova Scotia around to Maine and down the Atlantic Coast. Joyce is a little nervous but is always up to the challenge and the chance to do some whale watching! Remember they were the first Loopers we met. The thought that saves the day is knowing we will cross paths again.... someday!! It's the Looper way.

Entering the St. Lawrence River we were in for a change. The river is much wider and the winds made the water rougher. An added bonus (sarcastically speaking) is we are traveling up stream! Pleasure boats are replaced by cargo ships and freighters. The St. Lawrence Seaway is a major shipping thoroughfare as it connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Our days travel would lead us to Montreal Quebec!