In Montreal - wet and exhilarated! (Mr. Frei)

A feast in Montreal for Brian and Mr. Frei

Greetings, gentle reader,

We have arrived in Montreal wet and exhilarated after a 31 mile downwind run from last night's Quasi-emergency bail-out point at St. Placide. This afternoon we ran into quite a squall and were intercepted by the Canadian coast guard (three young guys in a high powered orange boat) who simply wanted to confirm that we were not in distress. They hinted that in 30 knot winds and high waves, it would be prudent to wear life jackets. Then they bid us a good day and drove off into the rain. Good guys. Our sense is that they have seen more inexplicable sights than us.

So....we are at the top of the Lachine canal and will row through Montreal tomorrow morning. The row through Ottawa was as if we were strolling through the park with the joggers, bikers, and roller-bladers, and transiting Montreal may well be the same. I hope so; one could not hope for a more relaxing way to see a city than by Adirondack guide boat.

We're holding up well. Yesterday (Tuesday) was especially tough with the wind on the nose all day, so today's change of wind was welcomed and appreciated. Last night Brian rolled out of his boat onto a pitching dock as if he was taking the ball in off tackle from the two.  I signaled "touchdown" to an amused couple on the dock. We were tired.

Tomorrow we should be in the St Lawrence, enjoying a strong current and dodging the ocean-going ships that ply those waters. We'll hug the shore and use our wits and wiles to make good time safely.

I am in Brian's debt for being able to use his Internet machine...as well as for his wonderful contributions to the blog. And, truth be told, he brings a kind of refinement to the journey that I might not have been inclined to seek were I alone. As I write this, we dine at la strada, a white table cloth italian restaurant across from the park. We can see out tent homes across the street. 

I'll be in mine soon, wet and satisfied with a good day, with garlic on my breath.

Mo Latah.

Thanks for moving the pledge paddles. They are moving, right???

Big ups,

Mr Frei

Day 9 - Saint-Placide, QC to Montreal, QC

Lock 1 on the Lachine Canal

For those of you who guessed Wednesday in the poll, pat yourselves on the back, as Brian and Mr. Frei have made it to the first lock on the Lachine Canal in southwest Montreal.  They are camping in a park by the lock, and will be ready to go at 9 AM when the lock opens tomorrow.


They were on the St. Lawrence for a while today and said that it was a roaring current. In fact, they were stopped by the Canadian Coast Guard, who wanted to make sure that they were okay. Brian (Felix) was wearing a life jacket and Mr. Frei (Oscar) wasn't!  Where the Ottawa River hit the St. Lawrence the water was "confused" as Mr. Frei put it, but it added some excitement to the row.


Tomorrow they will do the rest of the canal, and be on the St. Lawrence again, with the expectation of reaching the Richelieu Canal on Saturday.


Brian was given the access code for the wifi, so hopefully he will write a blog tonight!


Lachine Canal Information from Wikipedia

The Lachine Canal (Canal de Lachine in French) is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine, Lasalle and Sud-Ouest.

The canal gets its name from the French word for China (La Chine). The European explorers dreamt of finding a route from New France to the Western Sea and there on to China and hence auspiciously the region where the canal was built was named Lachine.

The canal is situated on land originally granted by the King of France to the Sulpician Order. Beginning in 1689, attempts were made by the French Colonial government and several other groups to build a canal that would allow ships to bypass the treacherous Lachine Rapids. After more than 130 years of failure, a consortium that included the young Scottish immigrant John Redpath was successful. John Richardson was Chairman of the Committee of Management of the canal project and its chief engineer was Thomas Brunett. The contractors were Thomas McKay and John Redpath, plus the firms ofThomas Phillips & Andrew White and Abner Bagg & Oliver Wait.

Since 1848, the canal has had 5 locks: Lachine, Côte-Saint-Paul, Saint-Gabriel and 2 locks at Old Port of Montreal. But initially it had seven locks:

• Lachine (1 lock),
• Côte-Saint-Paul (2 lock in 1825, 1 since 1848)
• Saint-Gabriel (1 lock)
• Old Port of Montreal (3 locks in 1825, 2 since 1848).

The lovely Lachine Canal in Montreal