Richelieu Canal System

Arriving at Canadian customs

Tom and custom's official

Buddy Boat--Carried Away
Joyce and Bill Craig

   Canadian Border sign in  French!


Sunday, June 24^th we entered Canadian waters in the company of Carried Away.  We arrived at the customs’ pier before it opened, so we tied up and made the mandatory phone call from the dock phone.  Just as Tom had received our clearance number, the customs’ officer appeared.  He asked the usual questions (Are you carrying any weapons? How long are you planning  to be in Canada?   Where are you going? Etc.), glanced at our passports and said we were good to go.  We took down the yellow quarantine flag and replaced it with the maple leaf.                                                                                                           

Putting up the Canadian reciprocal flag

The area we were traveling mostly followed the Richelieu River and used the Chambly and St. Ours Canals. At the first lock of the day, we paid our locking and docking fees.  Since we will be using locks for the next two months, we bought season passes which allow us unlimited docking and overnight stays on dock walls and Canadian parks this season.  We are accustomed to the Mississippi and Tennessee River locks, so these locks were an eye-opener.  For starters, they are very small—barely 100 feet long and 25 feet wide—a tight fit for two boats our size. 

First Lock is actually lock #9

To lock through, the lockmaster cleated lines on top of the wall and threw the free ends to people standing  fore and aft on the boat.  We then cleated the lines loosely on the boat and hung on to the free end.  As the water went down, we had to let out slack.  The normal drop was less than 10 feet.  The really interesting thing about the locks is that (other than Lock 9—the first one we went through at St. Jean sur Richelieu) the sides and doors are wooden and they are hand operated.  After securing the boats, the lockmasters crank the doors shut.  Then they crank the gates open to release the water.  Fascinating.  I kept thinking what great shape their arms were in!  The lockmasters were both male and female, very friendly and all spoke both French and English.

The traditional cranking mechanisms
still being used today.

bike path between canal and river

At times we were higher than our
surroundings.

Lockmaster preparing to lock us through

Not only were the locks narrow, the canal and the channel within the canal were also.  Check out the clearance on the sides of the opening below.  Yikes!  We kept fenders on both sides just in case, but Tom did a great job of maneuvering in the tight spaces.

Not much space to spare!

Narrow passage

We went through six locks Sunday and tied up on the lock wall above Chambly lock #3.  At times we were paralleling the Richelieu River with a bike path in between the canal and the river. This path was at one time used by horses to drag barges through the canal. This was the extended week-end of the holiday, Quebec Day (a.k.a. St. John Baptiste day), so lots of people were out bike-riding, walking, picnicking and watching at the locks. The mooring spaces at the lock walls were quite full because of the holiday, so Carried Away rafted next to us.  As you can see, Tom got in the spirit of the holiday and bought a Quebec flag!  After dinner that night we walked to Fort Chambly—a 1700’s French fort.  Back at the boat, we were entertained by the happenings at a children’s fair taking place in the park across the canal.  The culmination of the celebration had a fire theme—fire-twirling, fire-breathing, and a large bonfire.  Luckily the wind was blowing away from the boats!

Fort Chambly

Children's fair in honor of Quebec Day

In lock 6, lock 5 ahead.

Most signs are in French and English

Story of the fort
(click on to enlarge)

Monday we left Chambly going through locks 3-2-1.  The door from lock 3 opened into lock 2 and lock 2 into lock 1.  The whole process took about 45 minutes.  Carried Away went first with a sailboat, so I was able to get pictures of them going through.

Carried Away entering lock 3

Locking down in lock 3

Doors opening into  lock 2

Moving into position from lock 3 to lock 2

After the Chambly Locks we were back into the Richelieu River, so it was much wider.  Ferry boats traverse the river drawn by cables.  We had to wait until they docked before continuing so as not to catch the cable.

Waiting for the cable ferry boat to complete crossing.

The church steeples fascinated me on this leg of the journey.  We passed many little towns with these beautiful church steeples.

Monday night we stayed on the lock wall above the St. Ours Lock.  We were actually on Darvard Island surrounded by a very park-like setting.  The hiking paths had signs telling the history of the lock and dam and also identifying the native trees.  The conservation department built a fish ladder here in 2001 to provide the fish (including the endangered copper redhorse only found in this area) with a passageway around the dam in order to reach their spawning grounds.

Dam on other side of island

Tied up to lock wall for the night

Tuesday we went through the lock as soon as it opened at 8:30 a.m. as Bill and Joyce were going all the way to Montreal—about 60  miles and much of it against a current.  The St. Ours locks through by attaching the boat fore and aft to a floating dock.  We just attached lines to cleats on the boat and lockmaster did the rest.  Nice!

Easy locking with a floating dock

The wind was from the north quite strong for a while.  We pushed on and reached Sorel, an industrial port at the confluence of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Richelieu River,  around 11 a.m.  There we were met by tankers headed to and from the Great Lakes.  Carried Away scooted ahead as they had miles to go, and we left the main channel to anchor behind Le Grande Ile about 35 miles from Montreal.

Carried Away entering St. Lawrence River

We are back with the big boys!