I
returned from the town laundromat this Thursday morning, a brisk-weather
multi-block walk from Gaines Marina, to find a marina mechanic and fix-it man
aboard to install the new Pro Mariner (I have no idea what it does even tho
I’ve been told a few times; something to do with protecting the zincs). Clay,
of course, found a few other tasks for the fella to accomplish. Although I had
left Clay in cleaning mode (a pollen layer had accumulated to justify spending
time dusting, mopping and swabbing the inside deck), I found Clay’s focus to be
more on assisting the fix-it man than on cleaning SaSea’s interior. So be it.
Tonya’s
weekly email with mail scans attached arrived via internet this afternoon
(thanks Tonya, Shannon and gals!), so I busied myself with some office chores
in paying bills, logging to-do’s for now and to-do’s for later, printing and
filing. I also completed and emailed my previous SaSea Sally Adventures to YOU
and continue to try staying current with my updates. Because we are soon to
enter Canadian waters, I was making the necessary preparations to cross the
border; there are lots of i’s to dot and t’s to cross. We have found an
affordable AT&T cell plan (thanks, Mike Locherco!) which enables us to keep
our current cell phone numbers active while in Canada with unlimited
data/talk/text, so don’t hesitate to call or text or email us. We have
connectivity! We also continue our Verizon hot spot (Jet Pack) subscription and
have upped the data allowance a bit as we are anticipating less hot spots on
the canal walls where we will often dock overnight. But all of these communication
plans had to be activated for international travel. There’s a lot to think
about! Division of responsibility: Clay handles the travel plans, a monstrous
task itself; I handle pretty much everything else (food planning and prep, bill
paying, laundry, etc.) We do share the cleaning details, but he usually handles
outside and I handle in.
Friday
morning dawned sunny but chilly. During our morning walk, clouds set in to
guarantee another chilly day. But Captain Clay mandated we depart so depart we
did, bidding adieu to our last American marina for a couple months. We set
‘sail’ just before 10 a.m. to arrive at the Canadian Customs Wharf a short
twenty minutes later, greeted by two uniformed border agents who were a lot
friendlier than first appearance suggested. They agreed to catch our lines then
asked that we bring documentation papers and passports/ID into their office for
inspection. We’d heard ‘horror’ stories that all of our produce would be
confiscated and wine/beer duty-taxed; we’d also heard that the process was a
‘piece of cake.’ There must be some recognition/clout attached to the AGLCA
(Looper organization) because our processing was the ‘piece of cake.’ The only
question asked of us was, “How long do you plan to be in Canada?”
Now
on the Richelieu River in Canadian waters, we cruised to the port town of
St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu where we made our first attempt to ‘become Canadian’ for
two months! We were thrown into the Canadian culture quickly when our dock hand
spoke to us in French, and we followed him to the office to pay dock fees in
Canadian money (actually we paid by credit card but noted the exchange rate).
Most of our dock mates were French-speaking, but we didn’t let that stop us
from chatting a bit. Many of these folks are bi-lingual or at least understand
some English. And, Clay and I can both speak a word or two of French ‘ici et
there;’ plus, we have a French-English Translator app on our phones. Yay! We’ll
do tres bon!
We
traversed the harbor streets to find an RBC (Google Maps app to the rescue) to
exchange some money; our Looper friends suggested it be to our advantage to
have some cash Canadian on hand for various large locks and other miscellaneous
expenses. Ya gotta laugh…Clay and I don’t routinely use ATM’s and certainly not
ATM’s that ‘speak’ French. So, we had two strikes against us going into the
batter’s box. Mais (but), we did fine! It wasn’t a homer (we had one
transaction negated on us), but we made it to second base when two transactions
were successful! And, I’m a much happier camper when I understand the exchange
rate (which is approx. 0.8, meaning 100 Canadian is 80 American). We used the
Google Maps (app) again to find the Tourism Office, then we made our way back
to the boat for some R&R before dinner on the town.
Due
to the lateness of the hour this Friday eve (it’s still Friday?), I was really
glad when our dock mates suggested the marina restaurant as having some of the
finest cuisine in the area. This ole gal was tired, and if the captain were to
be honest, he was, too! A short dock-walk away was Le Bleumarin which offered
both inside and outside dining, the outside of which featured conical
floor-to-ceiling heaters which were warm and welcoming in the evening chill!
And, tiny twinkling lights added to the ambience! We treasured our little
waitress who helped us interpret the menu to the extent that we knew at least
some of what we were ordering. And, I was pleased to be able to convert a $20
entrée to $16 American (I kinda like knowing what I’m eating and what I’m
spending). Payment for dinner was tableside with a small hand-held credit
card processor. Our waitress informed us that in Canada the tip is not
included, but can be added in dollars or in percent. We chose the percent and
gave her a sizable tip due to her pleasant personality and very helpful
demeanor. But, my, how quickly our moderately-priced meal became quite large in
cost. I later learned of the Canadian tax structure which adds a quick 15+% to
everything. Our waitress expressed appreciation at having been assigned us as
she’s headed to England next semester and loved practicing her English; we did
give her a workout.
We
enjoyed a pretty walk along the Chambly Canal Saturday morning before an early
launch from our marina to await the 9:30 a.m. bridge opening for the first lock
beyond. The 10-mile long Chambly Canal bypasses the rapids in the river and
hosts a series of nine locks to rejoin the Richelieu at the wide, shallow
Chambly Basin. The man-made Chambly Canal was quite narrow with rock banks; the
schedule was timed to accommodate the passing at critical points along the way
of northbound and southbound vessels. Speed limit guarantees a long day as does
the distance and the workout given the Parcs Canada crew who often handled at
least two sequential locks and possibly a bridge opening between. The Parcs
Canada folks were quite friendly and accommodating and extremely helpful. These
lock chambers measure 21’x100’ so can handle only two boats our size cuddled up
stern-to-bow to each other. Often there is a stretch of space between locks;
yet, often one opens right into the next as is the case with the last three
‘flight locks’ #’s 3, 2, & 1 in the system which open onto the Chambly
Basin.
Because
it was quite chilly with enough wind to make the narrowness of the Canal a
concern, Clay had doubts initially about leaving St. Jean Sur Richelieu
(marina). (It was actually 50 degrees with overcast, some wind, and storms in
the area.) But I urged him on, and we fell into line at the wall of the first
south lock (#9) and digested some of the terminology which would become quite
familiar as we traveled the Canadian waters. For example, a blue painted
horizontal line on the wall meant you are awaiting locking through; if docked
outside the blue wall, you are merely tied to it enjoying the amenities offered
at that location (often free ‘parking’ for day or overnight for a hike or
sightseeing possibly). Because these locks would be single-file for our boat,
we weren’t exposed to other terms which I’ll relate later as they become
relevant. We got bumped to the third group because of the pairing of boats to
fit into the 100’ length of the chambers. So we waited…and waited…and waited.
We were especially thankful for our interior space (salon and fly bridge); we
saw gals huddled in blankets aboard 16’ open runabouts awaiting their boats’
turns.
We
traveled without incident to stair step down the final three locks, dump into
the Chambly Basin, curve around the breakwall/pier to enter the fairway of
Marina de Chambly and dock without incident after a pretty nifty pirouette by
Captain Clay in a rather small protected pool of water. He does have the
advantage of bow and stern thrusters which give him and crew (me) confidence in
these types of maneuvers in cramped quarters. Once tied to terra firma, Clay
insisted on exploring (that fella is certainly a curious one), so off we went
despite the despicable conditions (I’m sure I was grumblingly compliant). Once
back to the boat for wine and beer, I simply refused to go back out again.
Leftovers to the rescue, a quick clean-up, and off to bed we went to sleep off
any ill effect the day may have laid on us. (Julie Jenkins, this one’s for
you!)
We
awakened Sunday morning to an awesome blue sky which rapidly clouded over with
22 mph winds and barely 50 degrees of warmth. Captain waffled in his decision
to go vs stay as we transacted our morning walk around the reconstructed,
historic Fort Chambly. His decision was made for us as we ducked into the quite
crowded and obviously very popular Dame Tartine for breakfast. We giggled and
laughed like a couple of teenagers as we tried to interpret the French menu. As
I texted sister Susan, “My French is much better than Clay’s! At breakfast, I’m
guessing pretty good!” And, “I think they throw words in occasionally just to
throw us Americans off.” And, “This is hysterical & boy do I need funny!”
And, “Flawless blue sky at 6 a.m. became total overcast by 8 a.m. Winds are
howling at 21+ mph. Clay was debating travel vs no travel. Non-issue in my
books.”
Post
breakfast, we went back to the boat to hibernate. It seemed the weather was compromising
the plans of many of us boaters including Tim and Noreen (Alcyone) who
were neighbors to our bow aboard a Mainship 400. We hopped aboard at their
invitation mid-afternoon to share stories and compare notes of past, present,
and future. Back to our boat, I once again stoked up leftovers for dinner,
refusing to brave the weather for anyone to cook for me. I’m ever thankful for
leftovers and for available space to stow them. And further thankful Clay
doesn’t complain. Note: I think Tim told me Alcyone is the Greek god or goddess
of good weather. Hmmm….
Monday
morning, still at Marina de Chambly, the day dawned windy but sunny. Sun helps
a lot, not only the attitude, but warming the ole bones with a direct hit! We
detoured our morning walk by way of Maxi (grocery) and stocked up on that which
we could carry. Prices were pretty good; quality good as well. We’ve noted in
Canadian (Quebec Province) grocery stores, wine varieties are blanc, rouge, or
rose; only at liquor stores (SAQ) can one buy such as pinot grigio, cabernet
sauvignon, etc. Once stowed and breakfast in our bellies, Captain called it a
‘go’ and off we sailed under sunny skies and an additional 10 degrees advantage
predicted over yesterday; winds still brisk at 16-18 mph but to calm to 11 mph.
We will travel the remaining stretch of the Richelieu River today through the
Saint-Ours Lock to Sorel at the mouth where the Richelieu enters the St.
Lawrence River.
On
that note, I will send this ‘chapter’ of our travels on its way for your
reading enjoyment. We welcome news from our friends on your adventures as well.
Please feel free to reply to our updates. We are enjoying our travels but do
miss our friends! Lois, keep those replies coming! I do love them!
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