Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17. Our stop at Canadian Customs was easy – just a matter of pulling up to a dock flying our yellow “quarantine” flag. Then Bob stepped into a small building and showed the customs agent our passports and boat documentation. No boarding; no search for firearms and booze! It took less than 15 minutes. When we finished, we raised a courtesy Canadian flag as expected, but Old Glory still flies too, of course. We are now in Quebec, where the official language is French. I wish I had brushed up before we left home. As we pulled out into the Richelieu River, we began to enter the series of 10 Chambly Locks and pass through several low swing bridges. A steady stream of pleasure boats was heading south for the weekend, but very few were heading north. What do we not know?

The Chambly Canal runs along the Richelieu River for about 12 miles. Often the only thing that separates the canal from the river is a well-used bicycle path running along a grassy park-like strip. At other times, little towns separated us from the river rapids. We were surprised at the small size of each lock, which could hold two boats at the most and have a relatively short rise. A lock tender typically throws you two lines, one for the bow and one for the stern. Bob and I held tight as the lock tenders manually open and closed the wooden gates with a rotary wheel. The water level changed only 3 to 8 feet in each lock. Fascinating! After a short bicycle ride to the town of Chambly, we spent a restful Saturday night tied to a complimentary dock between Lock 5 and Lock 4.

We finished the remaining Chambly locks on Sunday morning. The bilingual lockmasters were universally cheerful and helpful, giving us directions to a pharmacy (allergies still!) and an ATM (Canadian money). These locks each charge a toll, but we had already bought a seasonal pass, both for the locks and for mooring.

The gentle, pastoral landscape of the Chambly Canal is dotted by old sliver-tinned church steeples and the distant outline of Mont St. Hilaire. Every town seemed to look like something on a Christmas card, with the tall church steeple. Our final destination for the day was the Marina of Sorel, located along the St. Lawrence River, still in Quebec. After the rural scenes of the past few days, the ships looked huge! Sorel is the farthest point north we are going on the entire Loop. From here we will be going south or west as we make our way toward the Great Loop Rendezvous in Penetanguishene, Ontaria (called simply “Penetang by those in the know). Between now and then, we will go to Montreal, then travel down the lovely Rideau Canal, experience the Trent-Severn Lock system, and take a week’s break in Huntsville (July 5-13).