Chambly to Saint Ours, QC

Today we checked in with the lock staff when they opened at 9:00 AM—actually, they are so efficient here that they came to us on the dock to tell us the locking plan. Another boat would lock up the flight of three to start the Chambly canal and then Dragonfly and Kittiwake, the American boat in front of us, would lock down together to finish our canal trip. For us it meant waiting an hour, but the time passed quickly and soon we were holding up traffic when the swing bridge opened and on our way down 35 feet and back on the Richelieu River. The river here is wide and shallow, and lined with beautiful homes, some lovely churches, and a float plane launch ramp, a first for us.

We traveled 31 miles in four hours, mostly with a following current of 1-2 mph. At the Saint Ours Lock, the last on the Richelieu River, we met up with All In, the Quebecois boat that we transited the Chambly canal with yesterday. This was a new type of lock for us, with a floating dock inside the chamber. Parks Canada staff take your lines, tie you off and ride the dock up and down with you. It was one of the easiest lockings we’ve ever done. 

We’re spending the night at the Parks Canada dock downstream of the lock, with four other boats. It’s in a pretty park, with a couple of short trails and a half-dozen camping cabins. It’s still hot and humid, and we were able to take a shower at the camper’s bathrooms for $3 each. It was money well spent, along with the $5 we payed for a bag of ice at the small store, located in the restored lockmaster’s house. We walked across the top of the nearby dam to see a fish and eel ladder that was constructed to give migratory aquatic species a way to travel up river to their spawning grounds. Map link: Saint Ours Lock, QC

We grilled dinner onboard before the evening rains came, then Kathleen played music under the cockpit enclosure until the sun went down. Tomorrow we plan to finish up the last 12 miles on the Richelieu River and turn south onto the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Bonus Question: Can you identify these common Canadian coins? (Answer below):

Bonus Question Answer: The gold “Loonie” is a one dollar coin and the bicolored “Toonie” is worth two dollars.