Monthly Archives: July 2013
Tadoussac and more
A full day and two nights in this beautiful place and natural treasure is definitely the highlight of this trip, or at least one of them for sure.
Our first day ended with a rainy night and some cool air that lowered the temperature down to 48 F. Very pleasant to sleep in such cool settings, especially coming from 94 F the previous days.
After breakfast which was partially complimentary to our dockage at this marina we took a walk visiting with some captains that were readily loading their boats with visitors that went out to see the wales. The morning is cool, rainy and the fog is slowly rolling in from the big river. Quite a sight to see. A blanket of gentle smoky substance is wrapping itself around anchored boats, covering the now exposed beach at low tide, and than finally reaching up into town and the neighboring hills secluding them all from our view. There is something magical in that occurrence and my thoughts carry me off into ferry land of things unseen yet present, and I decide to take a walk along the rainy path and around the peninsula along the rocky shore.
As the day progressed and the fog lifted blue skies emerged and after tiding up the boat and doing some laundry we decided to explore the town, see the museum and whatever else there is to see of Tadoussac.
The little chapel by the cemetery originates in it’s early stages from mid 1600 and has been established by the so called ‘black coats’ as the Innu Indians named them. The Innu were a nomadic tribe that inhabited this area and they were highly spiritual people that lived by Spirit and saw Spirit in all things. They did not take on to Christianity till they were divested by plagues that the white people brought with them. Than their lives changed and the old traditions gave way to newly acquired ones.
Our visit to the Maritime Museum was a very educational one indeed and brought the awareness of pollution that is affecting the existence of these ancient giants but particularly the beluga whales that live in the area of the St. Laurence river all year around. Their friendly faces and the white skin enamors us a great deal and we feel compelled to do what we can in order to contribute to their preservation. What a special gift these ancient and so loving beings are to humanity and what a beautiful smile they bring upon each face that has an encounter with them if only by sight. Thank you God for this beautiful and so peaceful and refreshing day!
Quebec City to Tadoussac
Here we are on the go again. What a perfect morning this is, clear skies, cool and almost no wind. We rush to get ourselves into the first opening of the lock of the marina and be on the way to catch the tide going east to our next destination Tadoussac. As we enter the great river of St. Lawrence we are greeted by a mirror like surface of the water. What a sight to see! The river splits around the island and we are choosing the big ship channel. By doing so we are passing by a few early moving giants of the commercial oceanic transport ships. They look so out of place in this tranquil waters of a river yet very colorful within themselves. 
When choosing the big ship channel we have bypassed the scenic way of a great waterfall which we so wanted to see and experience. That we did not know at the time given and in the eagerness of the morning rush. ah well, I am sure we will see some other waterfall along the way.
As the morning is winding on and mid day is approaching we are slowly but surely moving along this incredibly large body of water that they say is the St. Laurence river. The day is simply stunning and has not changed much, yet the temperature remains in the lower sixties. The mountain ranges, peaks and valleys as well as the occasional small towns remind me of Switzerland with it’s ski slopes readily awaiting their turn of the year. The air is fresh and clear and the water has that deep green color yet clean and clear. The further east we go the more pristine the environment is getting. The proof of that is our first siting of a while beluga whale. It swam way ahead of us and kept on coming up for air simply announcing his presence. What a blessing and a confirmation to my prayers this is!
I asked and I did receive a sign of good things to come. A sign from heaven manifested here on earth. Thank you God for your constant and watchful presence in our lives and on our journeys!
Beautiful lighthouses along the shore and now rare encounters with boats of any size or any sorts. Change in current while the expansion of the waterway turns more and more into a big sea.
Mid afternoon we have reached our destination of Tadoussac town and marina. It is a quaint small marina but fully supplied with fuel (diesel) power, facilities and food (restaurant).
It is well protected and the most of the dock masters are speaking English which makes things much easier. The French spoken here and in the entire region of Quebec is a dialect of the original French language and not easy to understand, at least not for me since I haven’t had much of contact with that language in the passed 30 years. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant experience and we are looking forward to some up-close encounters with the beluga and other wales visiting this area at this time of the year.
An interesting fact to this area are the tides which average 14 feet. Yet twice a month there are extreme highs and lows which I would think are connected to the full moon scenario and can add a couple of feet to that average for sure. The main source of income is from tourism and as proudly displayed has been for the past 100 years.
The city of Tadoussac has a beautiful hotel, Hotel de Ville right in the center of town and as all the towns along this region, a beautiful richly decorated church also situated in center of town.
Trois Rivieres to Quebec City
A new day has begun and it is an overcast one which I am sure will change as the day goes along.
Our day starts at 7 am right on the dot for we want to catch the tide since our trip is taking us further east across an area called the rapids and into Quebec city where the tide difference is 15 feet.
Going through the rapids was an interesting feeling of confused current that still was pushing us rapidly through the area. All around us were exposed large rocks and occasional hills shaven of trees and vegetation, seemingly through mudslides, that is covering the rest of the shoreline. The current is strong and fast and the tides are extreme giving us a taste of things to come.
“Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul.” — Napoleon Hill
Just came across this beautiful picture and quote on Facebook and needed to incorporate it into our blog for this is where we are at this point and stage on our passage through life!
We arrived at the Quebec City Marina at the peak of the day. The temperature was in the 90-ties and there was this haze over the city indicating the heat factor. Definitely not the right conditions to go sightseeing or even have the desire to be outside but there was this sense of something to come in the air. Most certainly it did come and brought thunder, lightening and lots of rain with it. Tom went to explore and send out our oil samples but returned soaking wet and no mission accomplished. Oil sample is considered hazardous material and can not be shipped! Ah well, it’s not the end of the world!
Our intention was to go and explore the city and have a nice dinner at a good restaurant but our plans got canceled and we had dinner at our own 5 star restaurant on the boat. 
Eventually the rain subsided and a peace filled night with much cooler air emerged. Ah what a relief! Let’s take a walk and see the city at night! Well, just across the lock to our marina and right at the part by the river there was a free Cirque du Solei live performance. What a treat! I video taped it till my arms got tired of holding the mini up in still position. What a show! Just as that ended and we started our way back to the marina a moving picture presentation emerged on the walls of the silos bordering our marina on the east side. What a treat after all! Great night and unexpected gifts blessed our almost disappointing visit to Quebec city. 
We need to rest now in preparation for an early departure to catch the tide and the first opening of the lock of the marina at 7 am.
Montreal – Trois Riviere, Quebec
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We spent a couple wonderful days in Montreal and in preparation to our next leg on this journey we commissioned Stephan to come out with his dive gear to check the bottom of the boat as well as the propellers, rudders and anything that possibly could have been affected by any encounters along the way. Stephan came fully equipped and ready to go. With our GoPro camera and his detailed visual checking he was successful in discovering a minor chip on the port propeller. Capt. Tom reviewed the detailed video Stephan took and just as we were hoping all was well he discovered a dislocated spur cutter at the same slightly injured propeller. Now since we had this info it was necessary to attempt and fix it right then and there. Before you know it Capt.Tom joined the well equipped diver with only a mask and snorkel and one bag of weights but all the tools necessary in order to fix what was fixable. It was a sight to see but they as a team sharing Stephan’s oxygen got it done and the mission was accomplished. Thank you to both for their effort and dedication.
The same morning we moved from our marina of two nights, La Ronde to the Montreal Yacht Club, a clean, deep water marina filled with big boats, we were stopped right in our tracks. La Ronde was shallow and full of sea grass reaching the top of the surface which as we discovered affected our water intake for the generator. The filter was completely clogged with that same grass that we could easily reach by hand. It did not just clog our filter but also totally destroyed the r/impeller for the generator. Thank God for Capt. Tom who tediously but successfully cleaned out the remnants of that same impeller from the tubes feeding the generator.
These were two major technical setbacks but by the grace of God and the two capable men were successfully removed and we are able to move on to our next stop along our journey now going east towards Quebec and Saginaw River.
It is very peaceful here in this marina. As the sun is setting the peace of the evening and the night is moving in bringing rest and recuperation with it.
May the spirits of sky and sea bless us with a glorious day tomorrow as we move forward into Quebec City!
Montreal
Yes, it was a long day and on top of it all Saturday in the middle of holiday season for many Canadians. Everyone who had a boat of any dimension or even just a wave runner was out drinking, driving, smoking and dragging their children of all sizes and ages on floating tubes in the middle of waterways or wherever they could. Most favored thing to do seemed to be rushing up to our wake and jumping over the waves created and having the thrill of their life doing it repeatedly. We watched in disbelief and waited for some to get lost in the waves of barely 70 or 72 degree water temperature and hoped no one got hurt.
It was a relief getting into the vast St Laurence River and finally give our choked up engines a free range of speed to breath.
It still took us a few hours to reach our destination being Montreal and on the way we passed by enormous cargo ships and even a huge cruise ship. Finally, the great city of Montreal emerged in front of us and our guest for the day, Stephan eagerly named every church, town and any city or building of importance. What a delight to have this wonderful young man on board with us and be able to converse with marinas, dock masters etc. in French. Thank you Stephan!
It was just about 8 pm once we arrived at our dock and were greeted by the not so happy dock master who had to wait for us two hours beyond his working hours and a very happy Sabrina who happily embraced us and welcomed us to Montreal with a basket of fresh strawberries. Thank you Sabrina! You truly are a gem and we treasure your and Stephan’s friendship dearly!
A quick dinner at a bistro in town was all that we could muster for we all were exhausted and barely could keep our eyes open. Great dinner and beautiful company made it all better.
Sunday morning we rested and mid morning our friends returned with bags full of croissants and orange juice to enjoy breakfast with us on the boat.
Than they took us for a tour of the city and all the way to little Italy for food and shopping. The magnificent cathedral of Notre Dame is truly a gem of the city and they say there are a thousand churches in town of which one is the oldest church of the northern continent. Lunch at Stephan’s friends deli was superb! Thank you Stephan and Sabrina!
Afterwards we walked through an open farmers market which brought me right back to my days in Croatia and Germany where going shopping at the farmers market was a regular routine.
We replenished with fresh organic produce and later on ended up having a superb dinner at Stephan and Sabrina’s. Their apartment building is so unique and fascinating that now we understand their love for it from previous conversations. On one side they are overlooking the city and on the other side there is a tropical atrium which stretches out over the entire eastern side of the building. Each apartment has a large deck within the atrium with big planters in which bougainvillea and hibiscus flourish and ponds with waterfalls grace their living space with the calming sound of falling water, tropical plants, palm trees and fish ponds down below. On the roof of the building they have a roof garden where they barbecue and enjoy the sunsets over the city or fireworks crowning special celebrations.
Great day filled with wonderful memories, great food and special people! Can it get better than this?
Saint Jean to Montreal
It is Saturday morning and such a lovely morning is welcoming us while prompting us to continue our journey towards the big city of Montreal. Last night we were visited by our dear friends Stephan and Sabrina who live in Montreal. For them it was as a short 1/2 hour drive to our marina and for us it is 6-7 hour boat ride to get to our next marina in Montreal. It is Stephan’s Birthday and we celebrated in a French Italian way while consuming a delicious meal and tasting some lovely wine at Bistro Pasta Viva.
We are first in line for our next lock #9 right after the bridge which presents itself next to our resting spot for the night. There are seven locks and moving bridges ahead of us but we are first in line which should make our day a bit easier. Yes we are moving at idle speed but we don’t have to wait which is a great advantage for it could take hours more if waiting for the locks and bridges to open.
Saint Jean is an interesting town in the suburbs of Montreal. It has two universities of which one is a military one and the other a good old Catholic one. Both are highly rated and well attended and liked.
As we move on through the canal we have to pass 9 locks of which some are a short distance apart with a basin of water in between them, and than there are three that open lock to lock to lock just as a terraced garden would look like. Fascinating to see and each of them was a drop of 10 to 18 feet with the last one opening into the Chambly lake graced with a fort and rapids on the starboard side and an abundance of happy boaters all over the lake and waterway. After all it is a weekend and the summer weather is fully present. All these old locks are manually operated and extremely narrow but just enough for our beautiful Contessa to fit in by herself.
Finally after a long and tedious ride we have reached the great St Laurence River. What a relief for us and our engines for they want desperately to stretch their legs! Montreal here we come!
Yes it is a relief yet it also means that we have entered a vast body of water fully open and operational to big freighters and lots of commercial traffic. Industry all around us. Where is Montreal?
Essex, NY to Canada, Saint Jean Sur Richelieu
It is a glorious morning and the sun rise is simply spectacular. The waters are calm and the skies are slightly overcast with a sheer veil of clouds promising a great day for crossing and reaching our goal for today. It is the first day of reaching Canada, clearing customs and seeing beautiful new sights. May the God and spirits look upon us favorably and give us a safe passage!
A beautiful ride along the lake with pristine sights everywhere. We visited Valcor Island with it’s protected coves where sail boaters anchor and enjoy the beauty of it all. Some seem to even camp out on the island that only seems to have a lighthouse and no other homes or buildings. Perfect setting for those that love nature and serenity of nature.
Whitehall to Essex, NY
The starts of as a rainy day with light clouds over the marina. It has rained earlier too and the boat is wet and damp. New challenges we are facing while entering the lake region and going into the Canadian waters. Our sewer system is not allowed in those waters so some adjustments need to be made to accommodate these regulations. We are also using the pump out station of the marina to prepare ourselves for the protracted period of time while navigating in those waters.
Our friend and dock master is very helpful in accommodating our needs and supplying us with some needed adapters for the new process of discharge. All is set and we are on our way through some prestine
Now we are in areas where there is no house and no boat in sight, just water, trees and mountains in the distance. The water level is so high that all the trees along the river are standing in water. With the fog lifting and the clouds subsiding the calmness of the morning presents itself in mirrors on the surface of the water around us.
We pass by Ft. Ticonderoga standing proud on top of a hill and cliff looking over the oncoming traffic from south and north. Good strategic point, I’d say!
Slowly but surely as the canal widens we are closer and closer to lake Champlain. As we approach the lake we go under the bridge connecting the two states, NY and Vermont at the Crown Point Ft where the beaut6iful statue of St. Frederick overlooks the magnificent lake Champlain.
The afternoon has become a bit choppy and windy on the lake as we push our way through towards Essex. The scenery is beautiful and the air smells so clean, not to forget the clean waters of the lake. It is so refreshing to be in such a serene setting! Just about lunch time we have reached our destination and are surprised to see what we see. Most docks of the marina are under water and the navigation to our designated dock is very tricky to say the least. It’s like threading the needle through the eye. Capt. Tom succeeds in getting us docked safely and soundly. These pictures will give you an idea of what we had to encounter in this marina.
A lovely lunch was a great reward that followed all the troubles of the day! The Essex Inn is quite a pleasant surprise in this small town of Essex.
A nice walk after lunch and after dinner as well gave us a better idea of this quaint small town and it’s inhabitants.
Statuesque trees crown every street and each property while the blooming ones fill the air with the sweet scent of their blossoms. The wind has laid down and it is a peace filled night.
May the next day arise even more magnifiscent than today!
Schuylerville to Whitehall, NY
We have by now passed through 5 locks and have 6 more locks ahead of us! It has been a long day and the nature of this environment makes it a slow and tedious ride. At the same time it is very enjoyable too for we are passing through pristine country every inch of the way.
Schuylerville is our stop for the night. It is barely a town but it has a marina with power and water. Pretty place and unique docking for the Contessa. She is seems to be communing with trees today.
Tomorrow morning as the arise and the fog lifts off of the river we gently depart from our resting point and move onward towards Whitehall, NY. There are 6 locks ahead of us and just outside the 12th lock lies Whitehall Marina. It is a transient marina welcoming all that pass through here on their way to lake Champlain or back from the lake region.
As we pass each lock there are particularities to each one of them whereby the principal is the same. Up to lock C8 we have been rising some 140 feet and once the plateau was reached we started our descent. On this section of our trip we encountered a lot of dredging work going on asking for idle speed and caution.
We passed by cornfields and cow pastures, abandoned barns of which one was slowly descending into the river, yet it had a for sale sign on it.
Just as we reached the C12 lock and emerged 16 feet lower on the other side which will lead us into Lake Champlain we were engulfed by torrential rain fall. For tonight we are staying at the Whitehall Marina where Joe had to perform some fancy maneuvering of the boat to accommodate the beautiful Bernadette that needed more power. It was scary for me to watch and partake in but thank God it all worked out fine and the boat was situated safely looking into the opposite direction from before, being north.
Whitehall as we learned was quite an important city in late 1700 and 1800. It is the birthplace of the US Navy. Benedict Arnold created his own fleet of 12 navy ships that were manufactured right here in Whitehall from local lumber by craftsmen from Rhode Island, Newport and Main. The famous Saratoga vessel is preserved in the local museum and has it’s own honorable place of rest. The magnificent mansion built way up into the Severe’s mountain was the home of a man by the same name that created the dam system and made the Hudson navigable. The transportation of goods coming from Lake Champlain and the local regions of the Hudson and Upstate NY were now transported via barges on the river in some areas pulled by mules and horses from land. Many pleasure boats and transportation for travelers was now available by boats as well. That was the time when this area’s economy was at it’s high point. The remnants of those times gone by are still present in old buildings now mostly vacant but still show their old glory. 
Kingston, Albany up to Troy, NY and beyond
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On the third day up the Hudson we are starting an early day of adventure in order to reach our destination for today, being Schuylerville, NY. It is a gray and fogy day with a slight ray of light in the distance. I seem to see such a day as magical filled with opportunities not yet visible.
Our trip takes us past some pretty country of rolling hills, quaint little towns and marinas, as well as by the powerful city of Albany, the capital of NY state. In it’s vicinity is a well known university second to MIT named Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
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As we get closer and closer to lake Champlain we have to pass through a number of locks which are bringing us up to higher and higher grounds, meaning that while resting in each lock the water level rises starting with anywhere from 10-19 feet taking the Contessa up with it. What an ingenious idea this was in creation and making this waterway easily navigable. Each lock is affiliated with falls and rapids, actual spillways that would make the navigation impossible otherwise. The spillways are control methods to the level of water rising or falling at each level. Thank you to the inventor and all those that tend to the functionality of each lock!
As I understand we are to pass through 10 lock all together in order to reach our destination. Interesting, challenging, yet invigorating!
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We have gone through 4 major locks today and are on our last leg to the resting point for tonight, being Schuylerville, NY state. Each lock had it’s own characteristics and layouts making it an interesting adventure. The first challenge was with our 1st lock just north of Troy where a barge making repairs was located at the entrance to the lock making it a challenging one after all. I wonder how are the rest of them going to be?
At Lock C4 we had to wait for beautiful Bernadette to arrive and make the same crossing with us. She certainly was a beauty and worth waiting for. 
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