Integrity Cruise

Day 83: Ste. Anne de Bellevue to Carillon, Quebec

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Day 83: Thursday, July 7th: It was time to leave the Village of Ste. Anne de Bellevue and continue cruising. It had been several days since we had taken on fresh water so we got underway and went a few hundred yards back downstream to a little marina and begged some water; they were happy to accommodate. Just as we started out, we encountered this big river tour boat, Canadian Empress. It was the only commercial vessel (other than a tugboat) we saw anywhere on the Ottawa River system:

We went through the lock and were raised five feet. Above the lock we could see the two markers that make up the "range". Boats maneuver to align one above the other to be sure they are in the center of the channel:

A few miles up the river we caught up to new friends Dennis and Esther Brucknel aboard Sadie-B. They must be using the autopilot!

It was a pretty day, though windy, and we quickly made the 25 miles to the tiny village of Carillon and the Carillon Canal with its big lock and dam. It is interesting that they still call the waterway through here a canal, although it is less than Ľ mile end-to-end. We decided to take a walk and explore the area near the dam. The dam was quite large - hard to get it all into one picture:

Since the 1800s there have been three different canals built in this stretch of the river to allow navigating around some rather severe rapids. The current facility was built in the 1960s. Parc Canada has preserved some of the old buildings and parts of the old locks. The old Collector's House has been turned into an exhibit center:

The docent on duty volunteered to take our picture:

This is a section of the second canal and the remains of one of its three locks:

A short distance downstream there is a ferry (one of several on the river). We watched as it came in:

In a matter of seconds the docking is complete, the ramp is lowered and the cars start to offload. You can see the captain sitting sideways in the pilothouse:

In less than a minute the waiting cars are loaded, the ramp raised and the ferry is underway:

The entire trip across the river including load/unload takes five minutes:

Here is a first for us: this sign was at the edge of an area where some equipment was sitting. Rather graphic and clear:

In the little village of Carillon (one tiny convenience store and a hot dog stand), Ruth was able to get a close-up of the strange silver roof of a church. All the roofs look as though they are made of sheets of metal painted silver:

The Carillon lock is indeed large - the largest in Canada, we were told. The chamber doors are unique in that they lift rather than swing. This is the lower door and canal wall where we were tied for the night:

We enjoyed a peaceful night compared to the nightlife at St. Anne de Bellevue.

Position tonight: N45 34.133 W074 22.762

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