Whales and Seals and....

 ...Penguins can FLY!!!! 

We knew we would see many new things on this years trip but we had no idea we would see penguins! We began seeing these small duck like birds below Quebec city but they are very shy and will dive and swim away or fly off on short stubby wings after beating the water for several yards to get airborne. I told Jill that they look like penguins with black backs. white chests and short wings. Sure enough, after some research we found that they are indeed penguins and can indeed fly! You can also take a cruise to see them.

We were also able to sight seals.

But the star of the trip and by far Jills favorite has been the Beluga whales.

We also saw what we believe was a Minke whale but did not get a picture.

The highlight stop on this section has been the town of Taddousac and cruising the length of the Seguenay Fjord. The scenery in this section if very rugged and picturesque (when it's not foggy). We are still in an area of large tidal changes as you can see in the following pictures.

Chasing 80 at low tide.

Same area as seen from the boat at high tide.

We traveled up the Fjord to the town of Le Baie and the scenery was amazing.

Tour boat below Our Lady of the Saguenay

Closer picture

We saw several spectacular waterfalls which are called chutes in this area.

I thought the scenery was great but I think Jill was less impressed without the Belugas...

As we have traveled this section of the St Lawrence we have seen many ski areas...

And lighthouses...

Turn left here for Taddousac

And humongous churches....

Sometimes we even saw churches and lighthouses....

So that's it for this quick update. We are currently in Ste-Anne-des-Monts for an extra day to let the water calm down after a very windy day yesterday. We are definitely in a part of Quebec where it is harder to find an English translator but we're getting by with Google translate and pointing at the menu...
 

Quebec City

 We left our last update with our stay in Montreal, Quebec. Before we left there was one last event, the Formula 1 race. As I took a video of our marina the race took over the audio...volume up!

 

Our second stay in Montreal was as enjoyable as the first but it's time to move on. We left on a perfect weather day but had decided to cut the trip to Quebec city into 2 days instead of 4 as planned. Cold weather and rain was in the forecast. It was easy to travel longer days as we had a nice push headed down river.

So Long Montreal.

Not much photo worthy along the way as we made 2 days of about 80 miles each. We arrived in Quebec City a day before the temps dropped and the rain set in...

 Our stay in Quebec City was longer than planned as we got in 2 days early and had to wait for a favorable tide to leave. On a slower boat like ours it's important to leave 2 hours before high tide to have a nice push going down river. The tide range was almost 18 feet while we were there and the marina basin is protected by a lock to enter and exit.

Once again we were treated to a marina in the heart of town.

We were within an easy walk to shopping and the old town of Quebec. Where Montreal felt like an international city, Quebec feels more European and French in particular. It's charming and wonderful to visit, just different. While French is the primary language we were able to get by easily once we parly-vood a bit of anglaise. 

After a couple of days of rain we were able to get out and explore the city.

Where's Waldo?

The old town has a very nice walking area with shops and restaurants. Also a nice square around a church.

Notre Dame

Above the old town is the fort that protected the city (not well) and more shopping and eating areas. The area has a prominade overlooking the river and lower town as well as the famous Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

We spent our last day taking a bus out to the Montmorency Falls which most boaters see from the river but it's impressive to be there and hear the roar.

Above.

We chose not to do the Zip Line...

We also had a treat towards the end of our stay as the RCAF Snowbirds did a fly-by of the city. This is the Canadian version of the Blue Angles or Thunderbirds in the US.

So after 10 days it's time to head on down the river. We're leaving the city's and heading into the small towns and wide open expanses of the St. Lawrence.

Good By Quebec.

The last pictures is the falls as we head down the river. Quite impressive but you don't hear the roar!

Until next time...

NY to Montreal

 Our plan for the Down East Circle adventure got off to a great start this year. As usual, we try to make it a fun trip when traveling to or from the boat. We'll avoid the interstates where possible and see some interesting places. This year we found a place I'm sure many are familiar with...

Another clue at the end of this post.

 Our ride was pretty well packed since we brought extra provisions and warm clothes this year.

 We were fortunate that we were stored where we were this winter as the Erie Canal is having some issues that are preventing the full opening just yet. It seems that as one thing is worked out heavy rain closes another section. 

 We were launched as planned on May 27 and after a few days getting the boat in shape our friends Paul and Melissa flew in to spend the beginning of the trip with us. Paul got a great shot of Chasing 80 the night before we left.

 The first day went fairly well as we traveled to Oswego, NY. to stage for our crossing of Lake Ontario. I say fairly because a slight air leak in a fuel filter caused the port engine to shut down at a most inopportune time. Oh well, it was an easy diagnosis and fix the next morning before heading across the lake in perfect weather. Before we quite cleared the harbor in Oswego, it finally happened...

 We were boarded by the Coast Guard to check our documents (which were all in order). They were very polite and professional and we were on our way in no time. 

 The crossing was very smooth when compared to last fall and we were tied up in Kingston, Ontario by mid afternoon. This was our first time checking in with guests on board but it all went smoothly thanks to the friendly agent on the other end of our phone call. 

  After an extra day in Kingston to see some friends and provision we were on our way down the St. Lawrence River and through the 1000 Islands area which I was really looking forward to. Unfortunately the air was thick from the Canadian wildfire smoke so the sights were a bit subdued.

Bolt Castle

Singer Castle

We did see eagles...

    It was an easy run to Brockport which has a nice marina and downtown area. They also boast the first railroad tunnel in Canada which connected the railyard to the river terminals. It's been transformed into a walking tunnel with a great light show. It was amazing how much cooler it was compared to the outside air temperature, almost like a cave system. They also have a really big chair!

 After this stop it was a working trip where we had to deal with the big seaway locks that control the river as it drops toward Montreal. There are big Lake Freighters that travel this route and they have priority at the locks.

We knew we were getting farther north when we passed a Canadian icebreaker...

 After a couple of long days we arrived in Montreal and get to be tourists for a few days. The Formula 1 circuit is in town this weekend so the city has an even more international feeling than last year. 

Paul and Melissa in tourist mode.

The YC Montreal is very welcoming and in a perfect location to explore town.

As you approach Montreal from the North (heading upriver from the locks) you are faced with a swift current coming down from the rapids that the locks bypass. Here is a short video to give you an idea. The police boat is practicing touch and go's with the buoy.

 

  So that's it for this episode. Our friends left today for home and we can't thank you guys enough for all the help (and beer). We'll be here through the weekend before heading further north to Quebec City for next weekend. I'm not sure how cell coverage will be for the next few weeks but I'll get out updated when I can. For those that still need help figuring out the first picture...

Mt Airy (Mayberry) NC!

 

2024 Wrap Up and 2025 Plans

 So the last few weeks of our 2024 trip were a bit less interesting than the first 3/4 of it. With the Covid delay we ended up traveling a bit less than anticipated. Upon leaving Trenton, ON we only had 3 more travel days till our return to winter storage. Our insurance company also wanted a survey prior to renewing our policy for 2025 so we were in a bit of a rush to return and have that done. Good news on that was that we have no issues to report. Before we left we went to the fuel dock to top off and the local Harbor Host got a nice picture of us that looked like we were continuing north!

We went a bit of a different route by leaving Trenton via the Murray Canal and running across Lake Ontario to Rochester NY. We spent an extra day there to check out the town since we've never been and managed to find a couple of breweries including one I remember from long ago.

Genesee River

Two more travel days brought us back to Brewerton NY and our winter storage location. After a few days cleaning and packing up the boat it was time for one last cocktail on the front deck before heading home to Florida.

Totals for 2024 travels were right around 943 miles and a whopping 99 locks! That's like one lock every 10 miles as Jill pointed out!

Once back at the house we got to dodge a couple of late season hurricanes before Jill was able to get her second knee replacement. She's better than new now so we'll be doing some mountain climbing here soon! Well...maybe a bit of hiking.

2025 plans...

This year is finally going to be the trip we've been planning for 3 years, The Down East Circle Loop! The original plan had been to do the trip in 2024 but we decided to wait for Jill to get the 2nd knee done so she is able to enjoy the adventure pain free. Instead of trying to describe the trip I'll just direct you to an article in Passagemaker magazine from a few years ago that gives a nice overview as well as a map. The trip is around 3000 (statute) miles and the most adventurous we've ever done on Chasing 80. Much of the mid part of the trip is in fairly remote parts of Quebec where English is most definitely not their first language. Marinas and repair facilities are also few and far between until we get to Nova Scotia or back to the US in Maine. Needless to say we both have a bit of apprehension going into the trip but are really looking forward to it. We hope to see whales along the way as well as the occasional iceberg....

Jill got me a drone for Christmas 2 years ago and I've finally been practicing with it here at the house. Hopefully it will get some good use on this trip and I can keep it out of the water!

Well, that's about it for now. I promise to try and get updates out in a timely manner this summer. We will be getting back to the boat after Memorial Day and will be moving in early June. As always, the In Reach (Locate us link) and NEBO (search Chasing 80 on the app) will be live whenever we are underway. The Locate Us link is on the right in the web version but doesn't show up on a mobile device without switching to web version...hopefully that makes sense....

Rideau Canal

 The Rideau Canal runs from The Ottawa river in Ottawa to Kingston on the north shore of Lake Ontario. It was opened in 1832 and built to insure commerce could continue in the event those pesky Americans to the south decided to shut down the St. Lawrence river. There are 45 locks over a distance of about 125 miles. We took 2 and a half weeks traveling this waterway.

As seen in the last post we started the trip by going up a flight of 8 locks which puts us on a Parc Canada wall right in downtown. Unfortunately just as we started up the locks the remnants of Tropical System Beryl decided to arrive and stayed for our 2 day visit. We still had a good time but didn't get many pictures.

Canal Wall

Leaving Ottawa

All but 2 of the locks are still hand operated so the process can take a bit of time but the staff is very efficient, Below is a short video of opening the lock gates.

In many areas the desired depth for the canal was reached by building dams to raise the water level versus having to dig or blast a channel through solid rock. Considering that these dams were built in the early 1800's they are truly impressive. You can see the boat below tied up to the wall with the entrance to the lock on the far left.

We had bought two passes before the season that cover locking and mooring. The mooring pass becomes a better deal the more you use it and we used it a bunch. I'll give you a cost per night at the end of the season when Jill gives me the numbers. They usually limit you to 2 nights at each stop to make room for others. Below is a picture of us below the lock at Burritts Rapids where we were able to stay a 3rd night. 

We didn't stay because it was so nice but because we really wanted to stop in the next town of Merrickville. The lock wall there had been closed due to high water since Beryl came through. We're glad we waited the extra day as the town was very nice. Below is a video of the spillway and dock. I don't think I'd want to be there with it flowing more!

A couple of shots of the town.

The next town is the "largest" along the waterway between Ottawa and Kingston but still a pretty small town. We paid for a slip at the town run marina as it was a weekend and this is a very popular stop.

The town also has a very nice, small railroad museum worth an hour or two. Smith Falls was a railroad hub when the railroad replaced the canal as a major form of transport. They have 3 caboose's that you can spend the night in.

Up until the early 70's CP rail had a traveling dental car that made yearly visits to small towns that didn't have one. 

The long time president of the railroad had a 47 Cadi transformed into a rail car so he could tour the line in comfort.

Up until Smith Falls the waterway is mostly a combination of canal and narrow river. 

It was at Smith Falls that we first saw the tour boat Kawartha Voyager. This boat is not one you want to meet in a narrow pass.

After Smith Falls the Rideau becomes more a series of larger lakes connected by narrow canals.

Next stop was near the town of Perth which is reached via the Tay canal. We decided to stay below the locks and ride our bikes into town. Below is Chasing 80 tied up below the lock as seen from the bridge. Keep the lake in the background in mind...

These locks don't get as much use as the Rideau so can take on a bit of a swamp monster persona.

That evening after coming back from town we received the following....

We went up to the stone lockhouse incase we needed to take cover and were able to watch the tornado pass from right to left out in the lake...too close (again).

We spent an extra day at this lock to let the weather calm down and then went to the very nice town of Westport. Its small but has many shops and even a brewery close to the town marina.

After Westport we had a few more stays at lock walls before reaching the town of Kingston. One example of Parc Canada lock walls is actually the floating docks we found occasionally.

Just before the above dock we passed through one of the more narrow places and someplace you don't want to be surprised by the Voyager. Another plus for AIS.

 Luckily the  tour boat happened to be just behind us when we traveled this stretch. We were safely tied up when they passed by in "short lock mode".

Next we were on to Kingston. When we started the trip this year we didn't really know if we would be able to get there or would have to make a big U-turn. The lift bridge just before town had broken in the spring during some maintenance. It took them some time to determine it couldn't be repaired and they would have to remove it. Look up LaSalle Causeway removal for a good video. Below is how we found it.

 We spent a few days in Kingston to restock and hit a couple of breweries before moving on to Trenton where we are now. This beautiful 1929 Commuter stopped by the marina while we were there.

The plan had been to spend a week in Trenton and get some waxing done on the boat. Well, it turns out I picked up something else in Kingston...Canadian covid...I didn't loose my tastebuds but now everything tastes like maple! I guess my luck ran out after successfully dodging it for 4 years. So far Jill is clear and I'm on the upswing but there hasn't been any waxing done. We'll stay here for another week and see if we can catch up. 

So that's how you get 2 blog updates in the same week...you're welcome bro! Probably won't get another one out till we get home as I plan to return to having fun soon!