CHAMBLY, QUEBEC TO SAINT OURS, QUEBEC

Saturday, June 20th, 2015

Day 320

Miles Traveled: 36

Total Miles Traveled: 4690

  The morning began with a bit of trouble.  The generator water cooling system was not cycling any water.  After a quick check of the strainer to make sure it was not plugged (which it wasn't), Dan decided he would have to look at it in more detail later.  Fortunately, our plan was to be at a marina for the evening and the generator would not be required. 

 

 Our first action of the day was to complete the Chambly Canal and lock through its Locks 3, 2, and 1.  These are stair step locks.  One lock is literally right after the other.  In the picture below, the green awnings mark each of the locks.  This series of locks dropped us down 35 feet in total.

looking up at Chambly Canal Locks 1, 2, & 3

  After exiting Chambly Canal Lock 1, we entered the Chambly Basin which took us to the Richelieu River.  The skies were blue with a few clouds, the winds were mild, and the sun was shining.  We couldn't have asked for a better day to be on the water.

cruising along the Richelieu River

  Mont St. Hilaire was in our view for many miles.  This mountain, which is 125 million years old, is the result of volcanic activity.  It provides the source for more than 250 different minerals.  Pretty impressive.

Mont St. Hilaire

  During our travels today, we passed by many Quebec towns.  They all had at least one beautiful church right near the waterway.  Several had more than one.  This one was seen as we passed by the town of Beloeil.

church along waterway at Beloeil, Quebec

  Our second locking experience for the day, Saint Ours, was different than the first one on the Chambly Canal.  In the Chambly Canal the lock workers hand you lines fore (front) and aft (back) to hang onto as the lock's water level changes.  The Saint Ours lock has a floating dock within the chamber that you tie alongside.  The lock workers even help you secure your boat.  This lock only dropped us five feet.

Saint Ours Lock - notice the floating dock we are tied to inside the chamber

  Just 5 miles further brought us to our final destination for the day, Parc Bellerive Marina.  It is associated with a very large campground.  After docking, Dan began to tackle the generator problem and Angie went to the office to pay for WiFi, did a load of laundry, cataloged photos from the day, and worked on the blog.  We both were successful in our tasks.  After checking many things on the generator, including the impeller, Dan finally found a leaking water hose.  After removing the bad section and reattaching the hose, the generator seemed to be working fine.  This may seem like a simple task, but, given the location of the generator and the contortionist positions to get to the problem, it was not so simple.

  Our reward for getting some jobs done was going out to eat at the onsite restaurant.  We both ordered poutine, a specialty of Quebec.  Poutine is french fries covered with cheese curds and special gravy sauce.  We both choose the restaurant's special Bellerive Poutine which adds chopped beef, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers.  It was delicious!

Bellerive Poutine - YUM!