Montreal to Saint Anne de Bellevue, QC. The Lachine Canal. Lac Saint Louis.

It was a sunny morning after a comfortable evening aboard Dragonfly. We made eggs for breakfast, filled our water tanks, then went a half mile west to the entrance to the Lachine Canal, a small vessel shortcut through Montreal around the Lachine Rapids. The nine-mile canal has five locks, and is limited to boats under eight feet in height, which is verified by lock staff before you are allowed to proceed. Vessels taller than eight feet must go through the Saint Lawrence Seaway and its two commercial locks, with reservations required for pleasure boats and waits guaranteed. Dragonfly is actually over nine feet with our mid-ships grab bar and anchor light up but they are easily removed, so we made the cut. The boat in front of us did not, and had to turn around between Locks 1 and 2.

The Lachine Canal was relaxing and enjoyable, except for the two or three spots where there were large numbers of rental kayaks and pedal boats behaving unpredictably. After the first three locks, which we did with five other boats, we stopped at Marche Atwater, a large public market with specialty foods, farmer’s market and a food court. Map Link: Atwater Market

The first thing we did was haul a jerry can to the nearest gas station and back, since marina gas in Montreal was hard to find. Our outboard gets about 8-9 mpg, so each five-gallon tank gives us 40-45 miles of range. Our total fuel capacity is 28 gallons, for a theoretical range of 225-250 miles. After fueling, we had lunch from the food trucks (falafel salad for Kathleen and pad thai for me), then picked up some provisions from the farmer’s market (yes, that is the Cheese Paradise below—ooh la la!)

Back on the canal, we got stuck behind a gaggle of kayak beginners at Lock 4, then sailed through Lock 5 and were through the canal and on Lac Saint Louis. The lake is actually a widening in the Saint Lawrence River, so we had the current against us again, and a 10-15 mph headwind kicking up a nasty two-foot chop, which sent spray over our bow and into the cockpit. After about 12 miles of uncomfortable seas, we got some protection behind an island and made our way to Saint Anne de Bellevue, a western suburb of Montreal. The busy waterfront was hopping on a lovely Friday evening, and our spot on the wall was along the popular promenade, with many passersby stopping to ask us about our boat and travels. We explored the town, found an ice cream store (so far, there’s been at least one near every lock in Quebec) and watched the crowd until after dark. The noise didn’t stop until midnight, but the town eventually fell silent and we slept well. Tomorrow we plan to leave the Saint Lawrence and start up the Ottawa River. Map Link: Saint Anne de Bellevue, QC