Today was a day of locks and bridges for Captain Mark and Sidekick Sue. Yesterday, we left our Explorers at Chambly Bridge 12, waiting for a 9:00 AM opening. The Chambly Canal parallels the Richelieu River which in not navigable through this 12-mile section because of a series of rapids, so the locks have to lower the boats 80’ to the level of the Richelieu River on the other side of the rapids.
Shortly after 9:00, the bridge started opening and the Explorers were called on the radio to pass under the first bridge and into the first Lock (Lock #9). They were joined by another trawler (much more modern) and a small sailboat. The three boats pretty much filled the capacity of the lock. Throughout the day, they travelled with the same partners as two teams of lock tenders moved along the lock system opening the bridges and locks. Each team handled “every other” lock so that the next team could advance together and be ready for oncoming boats. After Lock #9, there was scenic ride to the next one (Lock #8), although there were several lift and swing bridges that our travelers had to pass under. A few were stationary, and tall enough to pass under, but several had to be opened for the small group of boats. As Captain Mark was in the lead, he took the role as “lead communicator” to let the bridge tenders know when the three boats were assembled and ready to pass. The distance between Lock 9 and 8 was only about 8.5 miles, but it took about an hour and a half, travelling through the canal, which got very narrow in places. There was a bike path along the entire length of the canal, which the Explorers noted for a great afternoon activity. The scenery was beautiful, lots of countryside with occasional clusters of waterfront homes.
When the Explorers reached Lock 8, the activity level increased. Locks 8-4 (counting backward) where spaced only a couple tenths of a mile away from each other, so by the time the Explorers got through one, they were approaching another. The locks are still manually operated. After the three boats were in the lock, the lock tending team (3-4 people) hand-cranked the doors shut behind them. In this particular lock, the lines were thrown to the boats from the sides of the lock (in other locks, we have had to use our own lines to attach to cables or cleats). Once the boats are ready, the locktenders move to the front of the lock and hand-crank open hatches that allow the water to flow through. One the water level in the lock matches the water level on the other side of the doors, they move with their crank-handles to another piece of machinery to hand-crank the lock doors open. Most of the lock-tenders were young and in-shape. They were friendly, and happy to practice their English with the Explorers. When Captain Mark inquired about the labor involved, one cute young locktender commented “the ladies like it” and gave him a “Popeye pose”. This was quickly followed by one of the young female locktenders giving him what sounded like a tongue-lashing in French.
The final three locks (#3-1) where in fast sequence, each lock opened into the next. They were basically “water-stairs” that lowered the boats the last 30-40’ feet to the level of the Richelieu River. The view from the top was both exhilarating and frightening. After getting through the locks, there was a huge dock and mooring wall, and the Explorers decided to stop for the day. They were eager to get out the folding bikes and ride back along the walls of the canal. Captain Mark got the bikes ready, while Sidekick Sue prepared a salad to enjoy on their return. It was a beautiful day, and they biked 6-miles, about halfway back along the canal, before turning around and heading back. They noted that there are far more bike-riders enjoying the canal than boats… it had a very European feel… biking is clearly a part of every day life in Chambly. After returning, they cooked up some chicken, first trying a new inverter to pull power off the batteries (needs a bigger fuse), and then resorting to the backup generator. After dinner, the Explorers walked through the town of Chambly, picked up some ice, and decided they need to get some beer to go with it. They randomly picked a lager they had never heard of, and made their way back to the boat. The evening ended with a few drinks up on the fly-bridge, watching the activities in the surrounding water (jet-ski’s, pontoon boats, fishing boats, etc.) and the numerous people coming out to stroll the long dock. The Explorers agreed that their beer choice was perhaps not the best…. they may have inadvertently found the “Schlitz of Canada”.
Hoping to find some free wireless to upload pictures. Our Verizon plan that “includes Canada and Mexico” also includes serious “throttling” after only half a gig of data each day, making uploading pictures near impossible if we want to save data for navigating and exploring 🙁
