Friday, May 18

Dinner on the "blue wall" St. Ours Lock

Flight lock on the Chambly

There were three sailboats and four powerboats waiting for the bridge opening to the Chambly Canal
this morning.  It seems we were not the only ones ready to move on.  We also were not aware that priority is given to all boats located on the "blue wall".  In Canada boats are allowed to tie up to these walls on either side of the locks the night before so that the next day they will be the first to lock through.  Needless to say we had major delays to our start.
The fourteen mile long Chambly Canal opened to commercial traffic in 1843 and played a big role in the export of Canadian forest products to the United States.  This historic canal has changed little since its beginnings.  The locks are very small and hand operated by cranks.  Only two to three boats at a time can fit into them.
There are a number of rotating, rolling and drawing bridges along the canal.  It was interesting to pass through the stepped locks (five total that are about one city block in distance from one another).  The final three locks had a combined vertical lift of thirty five feet and are known as flight locks - once you enter a lock, you must complete the remaining two.
Although there were long delays getting into the locks, once inside they were remarkably efficient.  Luckily it was a beautiful day and the scenery engaging - many small villages and lots of people on the pedestrian/bike path that runs along the canal.
We left the Chambly Canal and entered the St. Ours Canal that will take us to the St. Lawrence River.  Along the channel a number of navigational aids which appear on the charts were not in the water as of now.   Gotta pay attention.

Hand operated lock on the Chambly Canal

Twelve hours from our start, above the St. Ours Lock, we tied up to the "blue wall".  (We've got this program figured out - #1 in the pecking order with three others boats tied up behind us for the 9:00 am opening.)