August 13 – Chateau Montebello
45°38′37″ N 74°57′5″ W

We left Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue at 9:00am, with the first lock operation of the day. Our destination was the marina at Chateau Montebello, but first we had to go through one more lock at Carillon- the BIG one!

We were in luck as the lock was preparing to bring boats up just as we arrived & the lockmaster instructed us to enter first.

Photo below: the lower side of the powerdam at Carillon with the entrance to the lock on the far right.

This lock rises 60 feet. It has a floating dock inside it where the boats tie up with the help of Parks Canada lock staff. Boat also “raft-up” to the ones tied to the floating dock.

The stairs to the bottom of the lock submerge as the water rises.

Almost at the top!

After passing through the lock we continued on our journey & arrived at Montebello at 7:00pm. A long day but there was a nice reward for us at the end of the journey.

After relaxing for a while we each had a refreshing shower & then headed off to the restaurant/bar for dinner.

When I was here a few days ago with Angelia & John & Levi, I was envious of Levi’s choice for dinner that night – so tonight I had one of my own!

After dinner we wandered around the main lobby area of the hotel.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we head to Ottawa & then on towards Smiths Falls.

Cheers!

August 12 – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
45°24′13″ N 73°57′8″ W

Today was our second day in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. August 12 is also Angela & John’s wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary to you both.

We started the day with breakfast at a small restaurant that was right beside where Santosha was docked.

I had “threatened” Levi that I would cook him a special fried Spam & egg breakfast but decided that since it was his last day on the boat he should get a reprieve. Plus I wanted Angela & John to have a nice start to their day. There will be other opportunities in the future to treat my crew to Spam.

We had a relaxing breakfast & then moved Santosha to the other side of the canal beside a shade tree. Relocating also gave me space to set up the Honda generator & charge up the boat’s batteries. This side of the canal was like a charging station as about 5 other boats also deployed their generators.

It was pretty quiet along the canal so Mr Jet Boat made a few runs along the rapids to liven things up a bit.

Today was also a day of departures & arrivals. It was the last day of Angela, John & Levi’s holiday with me. Later in the afternoon they headed to downtown Montreal for a few days of sightseeing before flying back home to Western Canada. We had a lot of fun together but now it was time for them to move on to the next phase of their adventure. I wonder if downtown Montreal will be too quiet for them after all the excitement yesterday & last night?

My friend Ed Creaser from Saint John, NB arrived early in the evening. Ed will travel with me back to Ottawa – and a bit beyond – if time permits.

This was a reunion for Ed & I as he spent a couple of weeks with me last summer helping to bring Santosha up the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW). On that trip Ed joined me in Myrtle Beach & came all the way to New York City. We had a great time & I am looking forward to more of the same this year.

Ed & I had a relaxing dinner at a German schnitzel restaurant beside the canal and discussed our cruising plans over a nice cold beer.

Tomorrow we will head for Montebello. We will be going against the current on the Ottawa River so it will be interesting to see how much that affects our speed.

Cheers!

August 11 – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
45°24′14″ N 73°57′12″ W

This morning (Saturday) we were leaving Oka & headed to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. Our destination was only an hour away but this was still a VERY eventful day!

To start with, Angela, John & I were sitting on the flybridge having coffee. We were going to leave the marina in about 10 minutes. A small sailboat went past us, coming into the marina. I had my back to the marina so I could not see the boat as it passed by. Angela commented that the boat’s name was “Navasana” & questioned me “didn’t you used to have a sailboat named Navasana?” I turned around quickly to see & sure enough, that was our old boat – a 2004 Catalina 25’.

I hopped off Santosha & tracked down the owners at their slip. They were from the Oka area & have owed the boat since 2014. They were intrigued that I was in the same marina. Ten minutes earlier & we would have missed them! We had a nice chat about the boat & I wished them well.

Photo above: the current owners of Navasana. They have done a great job caring for & improving the boat.

That is the 2nd time I have encountered Navasana since we sold her in 2008. A similar meeting happened in 2010 when I was taking Ananda down the St. Lawrence River to the Bay Of Fundy. We were just getting ready to leave the marina in Quebec City & I saw the owner (from Montreal) pulling Navasana up the boat ramp. He said “what are you doing here in Quebec City?” & I asked him the same question. We had a great laugh about the coincidence. I’m thinking that I should run out & buy some lottery tickets after these chance encounters.

Photo above: Oka Marina is loaded with sailboats. This area is awesome for small boat sailing & their yacht club facilities are top notch.

The trip from Oka to the lock at Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue was very short but there were a lot of boats on the water. That focused our attention even more because even though the “lake” we were in was several kilometers wide, the navigation channel was less than one kilometer wide. As we approached the lock a jet boat went roaring by. That would not be the last we saw of him!

The lock drop down to the town was less that two feet but similar to Carillon, the lock was packed with boats & it was party time!

It was only 1:00 when we exited the lock & we were in luck! There were still a few spaces left on the overnight dock walls. I told the crew about my plan & we made a beeline for the first available space. It was a prime location on the boardwalk. Close to canal-side restaurants & shopping.

We were just settling in nicely & the “show” began around 3:00pm. The kickoff was on a 40 foot trawler on the other side of the canal with about 15 young people on board. They cranked up their stereo. The party was underway & it continued until around 11:00pm. Thankfully the music was worth listening to – but the truth was – we had no choice & neither did the rest of the people in the canal area.

There were hundreds of people on the boardwalk & hundreds more on the canal-side restaurant & bar patios. Everyone was bopping to the music. Through all of this there was a constant parade of boats of all kinds & sizes going up & down the canal. Massive cabin cruisers, speed boats, jet skis, kayaks, cigarette boats & party barges (i.e. pontoon boats).

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any weirder another large express cruiser came up the canal with about 20 men on board. It must have been a stag party because they were slowly towing a fella holding onto life ring (he was wearing a life jacket) & they were teasing/taunting him in a friendly way. Meanwhile, the fella in the water was pretending to be in a water ballet & was pointing his leg & toes in the air to the hoots of laughter, applause & encouragement of the crowd watching from the docked boats & on the boardwalk. I can only describe all of this as a complete circus! As my former work colleague from North Carolina says “you can’t make this sh*t up!”.

Photo above: Angela & John seek shelter from the mid afternoon sun. John’s chest & back were approaching the same colour as some of the (red) panels in the umbrella!

Angela & John & Levi were mesmerized by all the action. Levi thought that he might be bored trapped on a small boat for several days with his parents & his grandpa but this was a grand finale to his boat trip that simply cannot be topped! His friends back home will have a hard time believing this!

I was exhausted by all the action & headed to bed around 9:30. The remaining crew hung in there until 11:00 & then they packed it in too. The rest of the canal & the all of the people on the party boat were still going strong. My snoring was not going to bother anyone on board tonight!

Cheers!

August 10 – Oka, Quebec
45°27′37″ N 74°5′40″ W

We left Montebello at 9:30am & headed towards Oka, Quebec, which was about 4 hours away. This part of our trip would also take us through the single lock at Carillon.

Photo above: powerdam headworks beside the Carillon lock.

This is one massive lock! The change in elevation is 20 meters (65 feet) and the lock can hold many boats at once.

We had to wait about 45 minutes before we could enter the lock so we put John to work on the BBQ to cook some hotdogs for lunch.

When our turn came to “lock down” there were 17 boats (including Santosha) along for the ride. And it was party time inside the lock!

Many of the boats going through the locks were locals out for a day on the water & several were traveling together.

People were hopping from one boat to another & passing drinks around. These folks know how to have a good time!

After exiting the lock we continued on our journey. Oka is on one side of the Ottawa River & Hudson, Quebec is on the other side.

Photo above: Levi chillin on the way to Oka. Somewhere on my laptop I have a similar photo of Levi doing the same thing – but he was about 10 years younger & 3 feet shorter! 😉

This part of the river really widens out to become part of a group of lakes & the whole area is thick with sailboats – the majority of them 30 feet or less. It was great to see so many of them out on the water on a sunny Friday afternoon.

We arrived at the marina in Oka around 4:30. Just in time for G&Ts. I looked after the arrangements at the marina office while Angela & John tended bar.

We finished the day with a fantastic sunset.

Cheers!

August 9 – Chateau Montebello
45°38′37″ N 74°57′5″ W

Today (Thursday) we started our journey down the Ottawa River to Montreal. Our first stop along the way would be at Montebello, Quebec.

This was Angela & John & Levi’s first “real” trip on Santosha. Going down the 8-step locks & a 15 minute crossing of the Ottawa River yesterday hardly counts as a voyage. 🙂

It was a beautiful day & there was virtually no traffic on the river.

Traveling on the river was quite a change for me after spending over a month on the (much narrower) Rideau River & Canal System.

Levi had a turn at the helm for a while & he handled the boat like a pro.

His mom did a pretty good job too!

John found a comfortable chair & focused on some relaxation. His turn to steer was coming. This is the way to travel!

We arrived at Montebello about 4:00pm. Over the years I have heard lots about this famous hotel/resort but it was my first time here. All I can say is “Wow”.

Photo above & below: the boaters lounge at the marina.

The hotel was opened in 1930 & it is the largest log building in the world. The logs used to construct it came from British Columbia.

This is not an inexpensive place to stay but our cost at the resort’s marina was reasonable as we were on the “BYOB” (bring your own bed) rate plan.

Photo above: full house at the marina – Santosha is out there somewhere.

We had a great dinner in the hotel lounge (Levi was especially happy with his choice) & then we explored the rest of the main lodge area.

Photo below: Outside one of the wings of the main lodge

Photo below: the main lobby/reception area.

Photo below: I think I know these people.

Photo below: the swimming pool. Catherine would really like this 🙂

This is most definitely a place that I will have to come back to with Catherine. (Note to self: better start saving up now).

Cheers!