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Esther on the bow, Mooney Bay
This is the final chapter of our summer of 2005 cruise. See earlier chapters for details on how we got to here.
August 15, 2005.
We are no no particular hurry, so we are planning a return to Vermont at the same slow pace as was our earlier practice. Among our all time favorite anchorages is Mooney Bay, abut 20 miles north of Kingston. This time we venture all the way up to the head of the bay, about 1.5 miles, and anchor in near seclusion.
Andrew and Patti on restored Sheperd
When leaving in the morning, we are hailed by Andrew Atkins, of Peck's Marina as we approach the Jones's Falls Locks. Andrew and Patti have cruised their restored Shepherd runabout up here yesterday (a 3-4 day trip for us!) and were having breakfast prior to returning to the 1,000 Islands.
We enjoy coffee with them and remark about what a small world it is.
A day later finds us in Smith Falls again, the famous site of the Chocolate Factory, an irresistible temptation for Dennis! Dennis spends part of one morning mounting his new electric horn purchased in Clayton, and renovating other parts of the electrical system on Sadie B. One day there, the 19th of
Mecca for chocolate Lovers
August, was the first really cool and rainy day we've had in months. The next day we were proceeding to local tennis courts on bikes when Dennis makes a serious mistake. Looking ahead and planning the route, he misses seeing a stop sign and is nearly into an intersection when he realizes his mistake as a crossing automobile is just about to hit him. Jamming on all
Goose and Gridiron Pub, Merrickville
brakes, he nearly stops, but goes head over heels, and over the front of the falling bike, landing on his side, knees, and hands. The lady in theautomobile was even more shaken up than Dennis as she thought perhaps she had hit him. Other than his dignity, the only after effects were a few sore muscles and scrapes. Luckily we had a large supply of chocolate stashed away to fuel his recovery.
Merrickville stone home
The next twn of consequence is Merrickville, Ontario, where the local architecture and nice weather allows us to to anice walk, combined with photographing details of the brick and sto0ne work, log cabins, smaller cottages and older homes. We also got to see some of the US Open Tennis tournament in a lovely Inn, and tried out our new WiFi card, a gift from Andrew Atkins, at Peck's Marina. It turned out the difficulties we have been having with our card and connecting to WiFi signals were due to the card itself being defective. Dennis had "sticker shock" at the bar when presented with the check for two draft beers.
Merrickville Cottage
Again, he repeats his mantra, "Money has lost its value". Leaving Merrickville the next day we pass through seven locks andseveral swing bridges in less than seven miles.
Shortly below here we ventured up Kempville Creek several miles to the town of Kemptville. The creek empties into a marshland delta, and the chart shows shallow water near the mouth of the creek, but we see no depths of less than 8-10 feet, so some dredging
Merrickville Log Cabin
must have taken place recently. Kemptville, although off the beaten path, mostly due to the charted shallow water, is a nice town with a small dinghy dock as well as good shopping and exploring. We have to anchor several miles away from town, as a
Detail in brick
low bridge and shallowweedy water require dinghying to town the last two or so miles.
Kemptville Stump Sculpture
In this area we also found a large new marina, Pirate's Cove, and take on a bit
of fuel, just enough to get back to Vermont. The price was $.99 Canadian per liter, working out to around $4.00 US per gallon. Another quiet night was spent in Mahagony Bay, near the town of Manolick, another quiet anchorage not far from a town with easy grocery shopping and a wonderful historic downtown, complete with a working grist mill, still grinding grains into flour. The next day we arrived at the outskirts of Ottawa, and decided it would be quieter to stay on
Kemptville City Landing
upper Dowe's Lake, rather than right downtown as we have done in the past. That evening a spectacular flight of hot air balloon pass right over us, and the same thing happens in the morning.
Ottawa Balloon
Earlier we had seen a tennis court at the Central Agricultural Farm Research Center nearby. This farm has always been of interest to Dennis as he used to manage a similar research facility for the University of Vermont. This time we accepted their invitation to stop by and play a bit of pickup tennis. The group of 20-30 players was very friendly and welcoming, and for $5 each we could play as much as we liked, and then havea hot shower when finished. As usually happens, these folks were very interested in our travels and very much tried to make us feel welcome. We returned three days in a row and were glad to have the opportunity to play for several days, until Esther rolled an ankle. Her new tennis career was over for several weeks!
Rideau Canal and Parliment Buildings
By Flight of 8 Locks
The weather continued clear and moderate, so the next several days were spent in Ottawa limping, applying ice packs, sightseeing, and photo taking. Downtown, we rediscovered Dunn?s Deli, the famous home of Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwiches, a local delicacy. With Esther layed up, Dennis biked to Home Depot and Wal-Mart stores some distance out of town, discovering a bulk foods store as well. A source of more chocolate, as the Smith Falls supply is already running low.
August 28.
Ottawa Balloon
With Esther limping badly, we decide we might just as well be under way, as it would perhaps keep her off her feet more than when we are tied up to a lock wall. So, early on Sunday morning we head into the famous By Flight, the series of 8 locks, this time going down in elevation. With only one other boat with us, we set a record for us, 8 locks in 1 hour and 5 minutes. A short distance downstream is Duck Island, a nice peaceful anchorage. We enjoyed several nice anchorages on the Ottawa River, although
there are not many interesting towns. And, we had been there just a couple of months prior, so we mostly just pushed on, giving Esther?s ankle a rest., We actually put on 25 miles one day and 40 the next, a long push for us lately!
One Wednesday, August 31, we were nearly at the downstream end of the Ottawa River, where is passes into the Lake of Two Mountains. We were feeling the after effects of hurricane Katrina which had so devastated Louisiana and Mississippi. We were about half way across this lake when the
ceiling dropped abruptly, heavy winds and seas on our beam developed, and we hastily made the decision to turn tail and run back to protection behind a lee shore. At the time it was raining heavily and we had our bimini deployed. As we turned our stern to the winds at perhaps 30-40 miles per
hour, the bimini picked itself up off the stainless hoop which is supposed to contain it at the aft of the boat, and a couple of cable ties securing it to the wheel house roof let go, leaving us with a flapping mess, full of water. Esther took the wheel while Dennis used a knife to quickly cut the rigging to get the whole thing down and under control. We beat feet back to a marina in Oka, a small town on the north side of the lake in a fairly protected area. Luckily, the winds predicted to turn around to the south
that night at 50 mph or more did not show up. We had a chance for a nice shower that evening and Dennis got a couple of walks in while Esther continued to nurse her sore ankle.
Here too, we saw a rather unique ferry. Small gas power runabout boats pull from a long cable barges filled with automobiles and small trucks. When the pulling vessel approaches the dock, it slows, gets out of the way of the barge, turns 180 degrees, and ends up at the other end of the barge, and backs the barge into the slip. Great boat handling on the part of these skippers! In the heavy winds we watched a couple of abortive landings.
Oka Ferry Pulling Out
Oka Ferry Backing In
The next day, it was a short cruise down to St. Anne de Belleview and the junction of the St. Lawrence River, then another short jaunt to Lachine and the newly rehabilitated Lachine Canal. We had been here as well a few months ago and really enjoyed the atmosphere of downtown Montreal.
Lachine Canal Welcome Center
With Esther lame, Dennis did most of the sightseeing, including biking to the top of Mount Royal, the top of the city, then downtown, Chinatown, Old Montreal, etc., etc. Compared to Ste. Anne, the Atwater Market area of Montreal where we stayed is very quiet at night. Esther filled her days with working on a scrapbook of digital photos from her trip last summer to Scotland with Dennis' mother, Vivian.
Rowers on Lachine Canal
One morning, Dennis awoke to find both his locked bike and helmet missing. Bad luck with bikes, as this is the second bike Dennis has had stolen in less than six months! The other was right off the carport of our Kissimmee, FL home. Good thing they were Wal-Mart cheapos.
In Old Montreal we run into Paul, the filmmaker who produced the nice DVD we purchased on the Rideau Waterway.
Old Montreal Boat Harbor
He had just completed filming his trip up the Ottawa River several hundred miles above Ottawa. This was supported by Parks Canada, and includes several portages on hydraulic trailers for boats up to 30 feet. We are seriously thinking about this trip another year, and were eager to hear details of the trip from Paul.
Old Montreal Street Scene
On Monday, Labor Day we leave Old Montreal and cruise down the fast moving St. Lawrence River right below downtown Montreal to a nice anchorage in the Boucherville Islands. Being Labor Day, we expect to find some company, but nothing like what we saw; literally 100?s of boats of all sizes filled the narrow creek. By dark, all are gone and we have the place to ourselves, but earlier it was a zoo, although most were careful about their wakes.
Canadian enjoying the last boating day of the season for many!
Labor Day crowd at Boucherville Islands Park
Clock tower Leaving Montreal Harbor
The next day we make 38 miles in just over 5 hours to Sorel, passing several "Salties", very large ocean going ships sized so they can just fit into the St. Lawrence Seaway locks. At Sorel and the junction of the Richelieu, we head upstream again, after 160 miles of downstream cruising. Twelve miles later finds us at the St. Oar?s Lock, the first of several on
"Salty" Freighter on St. lawrence
the Richelieu.
Heavy Tug on St. Lawrence River
About this time we get a phone call from Dennis? mother Vivian, relating that his younger brother has passed away from complications of bone cancer. It was expected, but not nearly so soon. We make plans to
expedite the balance of our trip, so as to be able to drive Vivian to near Rochester, NY for a memorial service on the weekend. Then begins a comedy of happenings, proving that when you are in a hurry, everything turns to mud (or worse). 
While waiting for morning and locking up in the St. Our?s Lock, several other boats join us, most particularly a 40 or so foot commercial boat towing a large flat decked party boat. This insures that clearing this lock will take more time than usual. At around 9:40 AM as we clear the lock, the staff person tells us that there are only two lockages up in Chombly, at 0830 and 1230, some 25 miles away. There is no way we can get there in the time available. When we do arrive in Chombly, we find the commercial boat and towed deckboat also missed the last lockage in afternoon, and they are first in line for the next day, and, as they are so large, that only they will fit into the lock. So, we cool our jets until 1230. By then, three other boats are also in the cue. There are 8 locks here in just a mile or two, and having four boats insures considerable time waiting for each to get tied up and ready to go up, then more time to leave the lock slowly. And, around 11 AM it has started raining, heavily, with lots of thunder and lightning. By around 3 PM we are through the flight of locks and have 10 miles to cruise to St. Jean and another lock, where we are assured they will get us out of the system this afternoon. Of course, the two sailboats are very slow on this part of the trip, and we have to wait for them at each of the four swing bridges along the way. Finally, at around 5 PM wehave to wait for an opening of another swing bridge to let us into the Richelieu River proper, and the gateway to Lake Champlain, 25 miles away.
 I am still thinking if we can get to Lake Champlain, I would be comfortable cruising in the dark. But, the current, short days, and rainy weather combine against us and we find ourselves in the dark at Fort Lenox, where there is a large concrete dock for tour boats, as well as anchored sailboat showing no anchor light, right near the middle of the channel. Saner heads prevailed, and we tie up for the night there, call Vivian and tell here we will be there in late morning tomorrow, rather than late tonight. Around this time I am thinking ?How did we do all this prior to cell phones?? In the morning, we leave the dock in the dark with Esther reading the chart plotter well behind Dennis? helm station so as not to disturb his night vision. All goes well until daylight when we get to Rouses Point and have to stop to clear US Customs.
There is no one and no phone available at the Customs Dock, and Dennis is all for leaving and then trying to clear when we land in North Hero, 20 miles away. Esther prevails, and we find a Customs telephone number and clear via cell phone after explaining why we are in a hurry. Then, about 15 miles down the Lake we are greeted by a lovely white helicopter, which comes VERY CLOSE, and circles us several times. Dennis is concerned enough that he radios the local Coast Guard in Burlington, 20 miles away. They say they will investigate, and will get back to us. Twenty or so minutes later, the chopper is still circling and the radio relays that a USCG vessel will be soon be in sight. They board us for an inspection, and it turns out that someone who overhead us saying we were not going to wait for the Customs Dock to open, thought we simply left without declaring. (The photo is actually a Mexican Coast Guard helo doing the same thing a couple of years ago on a Nordhavn delivery)  When all was sugared off, it was a memorable story; Esther was right, we needed to be sure to follow the rules, but all turned out OK. We parked the boat, hopped into our car with luggage for the automobile trip, picked up Vivian and drove 400 miles to Rochester for a memorial service the next day. As a recommendation for anyone arranging such a service I can offer the following. Try about 30 minutes of memorial service, and then adjourn to a local tavern for stories and drinks.
 The next week we did several projects on Sadie B, including removal of the holding tank for future replacement with a considerable larger one, painted the engine room and adjacent spaces, and winterized her, staying at my mother's home.
Shortly, we are off to Florida by automobile for the winter season. We are already studying options for 2006. Dennis leans toward the "Downeast Loop" from the St. Lawrence to Quebec City, the Gaspe, the Maritimes and the New England coast back to the Hudson River at New York City. We will spend thewinter planning.
Some statistics for our 2005 cruise follow;
79 days of cruising
40 nights at Parks Canada facilities
30 nights anchored
6 nights in marinas
2 nights at free docks
217 engine hours
1005 miles traveled
126.4 gallons of fuel purchased
$367.68 US spent of fuel
Gallons fuel burned per engine hour 0.58
Miles traveled per gallon of fuel 7.95
Miles traveled per day 12.6
Fuel expense per day $4.65 US
Locking fees and mooring fees paid per day $4.95 US
Total fuel cost average $2.91 US per US gallon
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