SAINT OURS, QUEBEC TO MONTREAL, QUEBEC

Sunday, June 21st to Monday, June 22nd, 2015

Day 321-322  

Miles Traveled on Monday: 55

Total Miles Traveled: 4745

  Sunday we stayed another day at Parc Bellerive Marina.  The weather forecasters predicted an all day rain and cooler weather.  Although it did not rain all day, most of the day was very cloudy with misting conditions.  We took advantage of the down day and did some trip planning.  In the afternoon, the sun came out for a little while, and, we took a walk around the nice campground. 

  Monday morning presented a challenge.  We were docked on our port (left) side a with a dock in front of us and a boat behind us.  To our starboard (right) was another short dock (without a boat).  With the current running swift on our bow, it would have been difficult to swing the boat out, back up, and miss the boat behind us.  We rigged some lines to the short dock and pulled "Seahorse" over.  This maneuver got us clear of the boat behind and a straight line back to the river with no obstructions.  After releasing the lines, WHOOSH, we were off and headed down the Richelieu River towards its end at the St. Lawrence River.  As we entered the St. Lawrence River, just south of Sorel, Quebec, we started getting a "shove" on the bow rather than a "push" on the stern.  We were headed upriver, going south, towards Montreal, Quebec (our planned stop for the day). The river current on the St. Lawrence River can be very brisk running from 1-3 knots (2-4 mph).

  At first it was a cloudy day, but later, the sun peaked out and gave us some sunny skies with clouds.  There was very little wind which made the river almost flat.

beginning of our Saint Lawrence River journey headed south - a little cloudy

Saint Lawrence River

flat water on Saint Lawrence River with blue skies and fluffy clouds

  After about six hours of cruising, the city of Montreal began to come into view.

approaching Montreal

  The current dramatically increases closer to Montreal and can get up to 5 knots (6mph).  Boats with smaller engines and some sailboats are not able to overcome the swift current of the river approaching Montreal.  At one point, before revving up the engine, we were actually starting to go backwards.  Our top speed with no current is about 14mph, but, at almost full throttle, we were struggling to go 3mph.  Below is a picture of one of the marker buoys in this section of the river.  Notice how it is leaned over with the water rushing around.  Fortunately, this extremely high current area only lasts for about 1 mile.

buoy getting pushed due to heavy current

  The Port D'Escale Marina is located in the Quai (means dock in French) King-Edward basin.  The basin is protected from the swift current, so docking was not a problem.

approaching Port D'Escale Marina at Old Montreal

  After getting the boat secured and checking in, we set off for a "walkabout" around Old Town Montreal.  The marina is right in the middle of this tourist location, full of history, shops, museums, restaurants, old buildings, etc.   We got a good lay of the land and picked out some places we would like to spend more time seeing.  We ended our walk on Rue Saint-Paul (St. Paul Street).  This cobble stone street is the oldest street in Montreal and is pedestrian only.  It is lined with shops and boutiques, restaurants and cafes, and art galleries.  We picked a spot and had some dinner.

Rue Saint-Paul pedestrian street with shops and restaurants

  That evening we enjoyed the lights highlighting some of the great buildings in Old Town Montreal.  Below are some of our favorites.

City Hall

Notre-Dame Basilica