Well, that's it. The grand adventure is done. Since I have idea how to feel about this I'm going to be a real engineer and ignore my feelings and resort to numbers instead.
Days on board:
400
Nautical miles traveled:
6231
Locks traversed:
110
Countries/States/Provinces visited:
3/16/2
Nights at anchor/on free walls:
134
Total marina costs:
$18,137
Total fuel costs:
$3,297
The Adventures of SV Binary
Sunday 19 August 2018
Friday 17 August 2018
The Home Stretch
We made it to Lake Ontario a few days ago and with that the trip begins to wind down. Everywhere we go is now somewhere we've already been. Even though this signals the end of the adventure I was still quite excited to see my home waters. So many of my sailing firsts have been on this lake. First sail on a keelboat. First championship regatta. First regatta helming the boat with Dad at crew. First big lake crossing (on a CL 16 with no radio, no compass, no cell phone - the 80s were a dangerous time, kids). It is also where we left from a year ago (has it really been a whole year?)
Here's a few shots of the past week:
Here's a few shots of the past week:
Not having the kids on board means way more space on the BBQ for us. We've been eating like kings! |
The southern end of the Rideau canal was particularly weedy. This bunch ceased our prop completely and required an emergency docking on the side of the canal. |
In a crowded lock we picked up a new crew member. This kid was particulary precocious and took himself of a tour of the boat. |
A real life Tom Thompson painting |
The mast went back up in Kingston. They all had hard hats but they didn't offer me one when they asked me to help! |
That's all, folks. Look for the "We're home" message in a few days after I've had a chance to dry my tears.
Tuesday 7 August 2018
The Rideau
After the war of 1812, the British felt they needed a secure way to move people and goods between Kingston and Montreal in case of an American blockade of the St. Lawrence River. Construction of the Rideau Canal was completed in 1832. The canal was never needed for its military purpose but it sure makes a great recreational route.
The canal is virtually unchanged from 1832. Almost all of the locks are hand operated and the route is still mainly rural - the largest town between the end points is Smith's Falls with a population of approximately 9000.
When we hit the first Parks Canada lock in Quebec we bought seasonal locking and mooring passes. The mooring pass allows us to spend up to 48 hours (although many allow more) at almost any lock in the Rideau or Trent and also at docks in the Thousand Islands. I estimate that by the time we reach Kingston the pass will have worked out to 42 cents per foot per night. That is an amazing deal. Some lock walls also have power for an extra $10 per night but we only used that for one night in Ottawa as it was cloudy and our solar wasn't keep the batteries up after 4 days with no motoring.
Anyone who wants to visit without a boat (or with a boat too small to sleep on) can find places to camp at many of the locks.
We are now two travel days from Kingston. Once we get there the mast goes back up for the final push home. Hard to believe it.
The canal is virtually unchanged from 1832. Almost all of the locks are hand operated and the route is still mainly rural - the largest town between the end points is Smith's Falls with a population of approximately 9000.
When we hit the first Parks Canada lock in Quebec we bought seasonal locking and mooring passes. The mooring pass allows us to spend up to 48 hours (although many allow more) at almost any lock in the Rideau or Trent and also at docks in the Thousand Islands. I estimate that by the time we reach Kingston the pass will have worked out to 42 cents per foot per night. That is an amazing deal. Some lock walls also have power for an extra $10 per night but we only used that for one night in Ottawa as it was cloudy and our solar wasn't keep the batteries up after 4 days with no motoring.
Anyone who wants to visit without a boat (or with a boat too small to sleep on) can find places to camp at many of the locks.
Even some of the bridges are hand operated,. This one moves out of the way with a simple push. |
Thursday 2 August 2018
Ottawa
Our last lock between Ottawa and Montreal was Carillion. It is the only lock we’ve been through that
uses a lifting gate instead of 2 opening doors.
It was quite imposing.
Carillion lock |
On our first night in the Ottawa area we were surprised to
find a quiet anchorage on the Hull side of the Ottawa River. By carefully following the chart and slowly
making our way in we found a small spot in a side stream that was large enough just
for us and the kayakers going by. Our
last spot for peace and quiet for a while.
Our first full day in Ottawa was spent climbing the Rideau
Canal flight locks. It takes almost
three hours to get through and is surprisingly tiring. Luckily, we had help in the form our friend
Tonya from University that we haven’t seen in 20 years and her family. Having so many hands to grab lines and fend
off from other boats whose captains didn’t know what they were doing was a real
treat. As it was a summer Sunday the locks were lined with onlookers using us
as their afternoon entertainment. I am
pleased to report that we performed like champs and didn’t do anything
embarrassing.
Flight from the bottom... |
... and the top |
Once through the locks we went back to Tonya’s house and
were treated like royalty with a home cooked meal, free laundry, and – gasp – a
bath! Reg brought me a cup of tea while I soaked with a bath bomb the colour of
blue Gatorade. It was a close to heaven
as I’m likely to get.
Not me |
For the next few days we were serious tourists visiting the
National Art Gallery, The Museum of History (formerly the Museum of
Civilization, formerly the Museum of Man), and the changing of the guard at
Parliament Hill.
In high school Reg worked at the National Art Gallery as a
security guard. Actually, as a guy who told people to back away from the art and where to find the Voice of Fire (more
on that in a minute). Any serious threats
would have been taken care of by whoever was at the other end of his radio.
Just like in New York at the Guggenheim I was a fish out of
water. Some of the art I could
appreciate. What Canadian doesn't appreciate the Group of Seven?
Some of the art I didn’t get at all:
Lexier's practice explores universal concerns about aging and mortality, measurement and accumulation. This work reflects the artist's interest in comparative relationships. |
??? |
Among the art I didn’t get was the aforementioned Voice of
Fire. Anyone who was in Canada in the
late 80s must remember this work. It was
incredibly controversial at the time as the gallery spent $1.8 million on it
and it was painted by an American! While
doing a little research for the blog I learned that it hung upside down for 3
years before anyone noticed which suggests to me that even the curator didn’t understand
it. The painting’s value is now
estimated at $40 million so I guess the gallery shouldn’t have been criticized
so much after all.
Worth 1.8 million? |
Next up in the tourist tour of Ottawa was the changing of
the guard on Parliament Hill. We wouldn’t
have known about this if the new guard hadn’t proceeded down the canal past our
boat every morning at precisely 9:45. We went to the hill with our American friends on
Darwin. I imagine they knew Canadians
had pretty strong British ties but I’m not sure they really got it until we witnessed
this spectacle:
OK, so I had a bunch of better photos of the guards but this puppy was too cute to not include. |
The final stop on our tour was the Museum of History, particularly
the Franklin Expedition exhibit. The expedition, named for its leader Sir John
Franklin, left England with 2 ships in 1845 in search of the North West
Passage. They never returned home. For 20 years more than 30 expeditions searched
for the crew of the 2 ships and, while they were able to trace their route up
until they were forced to abandon their ships in 1848 after 18 months stuck in
the ice, they found no sign of the vessels. In 2008, Parks Canada began a fresh
search for the ships. HMS Erebus was
located in 2014, HMS Terror two years later. Apparently, there is an AMC series
about the Terror but since they added a monster to the story I don’t think
I’ll be checking it out.
The monster AMC inexplicably added. |
We also did a little shopping since we were moored right
downtown. Somehow, I was actually able
to resist this:
Fluevog
x
Monday 23 July 2018
Montreal, Allez!!
We have just completed a ridiculously cheap week in Montreal. For 5 out of the 7 days we were tied up to the wall at the east end of the Lachine Canal right in the Old Port. When we arrived at our first lock in Canada we bought an annual mooring pass for $333 which allows us to stay up to 48 hours at a time at almost any of the locks in the Parks Canada system. So far that has worked out to $0.75 per foot and that will keep going down as we travel through Ottawa and the Rideau Canal.
'
Even though the Expos are long gone there are plenty of opportunities to watch sports.
I also got to check out some real Montreal landmarks as featured in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TncdhLGjFTE
The giant freighters are back, we must be in the St. Lawrence. This is probably the prettiest one I've seen all trip. |
Getting to downtown Montreal was tough. The current runs as fast as 5.7 knots and we top out at 6 knots. We were worried we weren't going to make it. |
Reg was excited to pass by the home of the Expos but he is still pretty bitter about the '94 strike. |
Even though the Expos are long gone there are plenty of opportunities to watch sports.
We also got a chance to go and see some Derby. Gotham (#3 in the world) vs. Montreal (#7). I was so excited to see the refs (yes, I'm pretty nerdy, but they are my people) |
I also found plenty of time to relax. |
Although it is hard to fully relax when someone is staring at you the whole time. |
Monday 16 July 2018
Oh, Canada!
Immediately before we crossed the border we came across a fort for sale.
A few minutes later we passed this monument and arrived back in Canada:
This was a much more significant monument:
How cool would this be? |
A few minutes later we passed this monument and arrived back in Canada:
A little underwhelming I thought. |
This was a much more significant monument:
Of course, we aren't really home - we are in Quebec which is even better because the food is amazing especially after the rural US where pate and decent cheese are hard to find and Applebees is haute cuisine.
A fancy wine box full of cheese. Oh, my |
At Chambly, we visited the fort and got to mix some Canadian history with all the American history we've been getting over the past year. Some of my favourite exhibits:
Frontenac to the Western Indians: "I am strong enough to kill the English, destroy the Iroquois and whip you if you fail in your duty to me". Good pep talk. |
"New France entrusts itself to God and its Engineers". No wonder France lost in the end. |
Our first few days in Canada have all been back in canals and locks.
Very narrow canals and very small locks. Just took one other boat to fill the lock completely. |
The Chambly rapids - the reason for the locks. |
Next up - Montreal.
Tuesday 10 July 2018
Lake Champlain
How unfortunate to be on Lake Champlain with our mast down. What a great place to sail - there are cruising sailboats in every direction and filling every marina. But, alas, we are pretty ugly, very slow powerboat at the moment.
Our first stop on the lake was Port Henry, NY. We stayed in a marina so we could be close to a town/have power to ensure we could watch the World Cup.
The highlight for us on Lake Champlain was the 2 nights we spent anchored at Valcour Island.
The landscape was so much like home I felt really homesick for the first time. The east side of the island was just like being in Georgian Bay or the Thousand Islands which I guess makes sense as we aren't too far from that neck of the woods now. The island is even set up with rustic campsites like the ones in Ontario's National Parks.
On the rest of the island, the landscape varied wildly:
Lake Superior?
Next up? Canada!
We didn't mind the lack of sails on this calm day. |
Our first stop on the lake was Port Henry, NY. We stayed in a marina so we could be close to a town/have power to ensure we could watch the World Cup.
World Cup Fever in Port Henry |
The highlight for us on Lake Champlain was the 2 nights we spent anchored at Valcour Island.
It was mid week so we had an anchorage to ourselves |
On the rest of the island, the landscape varied wildly:
Beachy areas on the west side |
Grasslands closer to the center of the island |
Lake Superior?
We spent hours hiking on the island which was rewarding when we stumbled across ruins of the various camps and cottages which once dotted the shores.
The hike was less rewarding on the many parts of the trail that were not maintained:
Yes, that's the trail. |
Next up? Canada!
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