August 4-5                           Montreal, Canada

Great to return to the boat!  I had a fabulous trip to Belgium with the Kimbell group and David enjoyed being with the family in Texas and going to Vegas to celebrate the 70^th birthday of long-time friend and client, John McCormack.  We were both ready to come home to The Bottom Line.  With the exception of spiders on the exterior, all was well.

David worked diligently to install the new part for the bow thruster, which had quit working after prolonged usage during our long waits at the locks when we were entering Montreal.  Unfortunately, the new part did not correct the problem.  Prolonged conversations with the manufacturer presented other alternatives but none were successful.  This meant docking would be more difficult but David was confident he could manage without it.

We were pleased to have a surprise visit from Robert Williams, a fellow boater from Fort Worth and two of his friends.  Robert, a very experienced sailor, had also planned to complete the Down East Circle Cruise.  We had visited with him and his wife, Nancy in Fort Worth before departing.  He left New York after we did and we were keeping up with his progress via e-mail.  Enroute to Cornwall, he hit an uncharted rock and severely damaged his boat.  He reported the boat had been left for repairs in a facility about fifty miles from Montreal.  He would leave for Fort Worth the next day to await completion of the work.   We were saddened to hear about his experience and empathized with his disappointment.

Before leaving Montreal, we went again to Café Nelson for dinner.  We had a great table observing the outdoor scene.  David had a fabulous duck cassolet and I enjoyed my Asian salmon salad.  We have been fortunate to experience Montreal in a leisurely manner.

August 6                   Trois Riviere, Canada

We left Montreal with blue skies and sun.  We were ready to move on.  After passing by numerous commercial docks, we finally were in the main stream of the St. Lawrence.  The shore line was banked with a variety of palatial homes and small residences.  The river was crowded with fishermen and commercial tankers.  The scenery gradually changed from level to hilly.  Navigation was straightforward to Trois Riviere.

Our marina at Trois Riviere was behind a breakwater.  We docked with excellent help.  One of the guys owned a mobile home in Donna, Texas where he went every winter.  He was eager to talk (in broken English) with “fellow Texans.”  The town required a taxi ride.  We had no need to leave the marina so we spent a pleasant evening on the boat. 

August 7                               Quebec City, Canada

The sun was receding behind the clouds as we prepared to depart Trois Riviere.  As our dock help was removing the ladder from the side of the boat, she dropped into the water a mount connection critical to the ladder installation.  Unfortunately, we had already utilized our spare.  This meant we could not install the ladder on our preferred starboard side and would cost almost one hundred dollars to replace.  Accidents will happen!

Rain began as we left the marina.  Fortunately, it was light but visibility was impaired.  We were riding a good current which increased our speed about 3 nautical miles.  The shores were lined with lovely homes, small villages, and impressive steepled churches. 

After several hours, the rain stopped and the skies gradually began to clear.  Richelieu Rapids is an area where the current dramatically increases.  Our usual 10 nm speed quickly became more than l5 nm without any change in engine speed.  With our strong engines, David easily maintained control as we sped along down the river for several miles.  After the rapids, the journey was uneventful and straightforward.  Beautiful homes lined the hillsides leading into Quebec City.

The Port Marina de Quebec was entered via a short lock and a swing bridge.  We were fortunate to arrive in high tide when both were opened and we easily entered the marina. With excellent help, we were securely docked.  After a quiet evening on the boat, we plan to explore tomorrow one of North America’s oldest and most beautiful cities.