Lake Champlain > Hudson River > Home

Courtney drove up from Burlington, left her car in Champly, Quebec, and Ubered in Montreal to hang out with us for a few days. We left Montreal on June 28 with a favorable 2 knot current and cruised down the St. Lawrence - basically due north - only to turn almost 180 degrees and head basically due south toward Lake Champlain.  When we made the turn, we were at Latitude 46°. That's north of Moosehead Lake in Maine and Prince Edward Island in Canada. Nice job, Egret. We dropped Courtney off in Champley and looked forward to meeting her again in Burlington.  

You never know what you're going to see when you're cruising.  Here's a line dancing class in Champly, Quebec.

We love Canada, but we also love getting back to the US.  Sadly, the US was not as excited to have us back as we were to be back.  It took almost an hour to activate a flawed App, be told that I needed to delete the App and reinstall it,  and upload all the information that I had just deleted.  After all of that, it was time for a little celebration.  It might also be time for Roger to get a haircut.

I have a rule that I never have a Cheesesteak when I'm outside Philly.  It's just not right. It can't be the same. It might be unhealthy. Wait, a cheesesteak, by definition, is unhealthy. Well, I obviously broke down, biked 23 miles on our collapsible boat-bikes, and had a cheesesteak.  I have to say, they were very legit. But the 11.5-mile ride back to the boat was not fun.  

It was fun to catch up with nephews, Andrew and Kyle, while in Burlington.

Coming down the Hudson River, we wanted to cut across the top of Manhattan through the Harlem River.  The railroal bridge tender at the beginning of the river had other ideas.  The bridge would be closed for the rest of the day.  No problem, we'll go around Manhattan. It always provides such iconic views. 

When we finished the Great Loop in May 2023, I never finished the blog entries for the Loop.  I think I left everyone off in South Carolina. 

Here is the conclusion to our Adventures on Egret 2.0. We traveled approximately 1400 miles at an average speed of 9 knots through 4 states and two countries.  We transited 102 locks (ok, it should have been an even 100), rising a total of 713 feet.  We spent 4 nights on anchor, 20 nights on free walls at the locks, and 25 nights in marinas. We saw one child, two nephews, one Philly neighbor, and one college buddy, and met lots of new friends along the way. That's a wrap - thanks for reading!!

Ottawa and Montreal

After 126 miles of rivers, canals, and lakes, and 47 locks, the Rideau ends in Canada's capital, Ottawa.  It's a stark contrast from the rural setting of the Rideau to the urban setting of Ottawa.  Horns are honking, sirens are blaring, and bridges need to be raised to let us through.  After our quick trip down the flight of 8 locks in Ottawa, we decided to stay across the river in Gatineau. It's a bit easier on Millie as there isn't a constant stream of people walking by the boat whom she feels compelled to introduce herself to.  

One more picture of the Ottawa flight of 8 locks, this one from the perspective of a tourist.

"Maman" (French for Mom) is a thirty-foot-tall spider who greeted us upon our entrance to the National Gallery of Canada. 

Parliament has been under construction for 24 years and should be finished by 2032 - no rush.

Cheers! From Chapteau Laurier.

Halfway down the Ottawa River, we came across Chateau Montabello, the largest log cabin-style building in the world. 

The foyer to the Chateau.

And they serve a pretty nice dinner.

Our first lock on the Ottawa River is a giant guillotine-style door.

We were very thankful that it didn't have a mechanical failure at the wrong time.

Thursday, June 25, was a super-long day for us.  We had reservations at two locks on the St. Lawrence River, 4 PM and 6 PM, but before we got to those locks, we needed to transit two other locks and travel about 75 miles. If we made it through the first two locks, we would have time to spare and could pull over to grab some fuel.  As we approached the guillotine lock, they told us it was being inspected and that we would need to wait three or four hours. Ouch! We don't have that kind of time.  Just as our contingency plans were being finalized, we were given some good news. The lock would be open in an hour.  We would need to rush, skip the fuel stop, but we could make it to the reservation.  Everything worked well - we didn't make any wrong turns! And, we made our reservation on time.   

After our mad dash, we are happy to be on the lock wall of St. Lambert's Lock.

Fun to walk around Old Montreal.

Also fun to have Courtney on board.

The Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal is the oldest canal system in North America. Built by the British in the early 1800's to avoid those pesky Americans from harassing them on the St. Lawrence, the Rideau Canal starts in Kingston, Ontario, and meanders through rivers, lakes, and canals as it rises 164 feet with 14 locks to the Upper Rideau Lake before descending 273 feet with 33 locks to the city of Ottawa on the Ottawa River.  The canal is maintained by Parks Canada. All the lock stations have areas to tie off the boat, restrooms, and some have showers and electricity to plug in the boat. 

There's a rhythm to moving through the locks. As we exit one lock, the lockmaster will call ahead to the next lock to alert them.  Generally, the next lock is waiting for us with the lock door open, and we simply motor in and tie off.  When it worked smoothly, we were able to travel forty miles with 6 locks on an average day.

Update on Millie: When people hear that we're going on Egret for a month and a half, there's usually great concern for Chrisy, but there's also great concern for Millie.  Let me say that Millie is thriving. Although she's not a big fan of traveling at 20 knots,  as soon as we shut the engine off, she grabs a toy and insists on some playtime.  She loves her walks through new communities and enjoys meeting new friends along the way.  She also likes greeting everyone who walks past Egret on the dock.  

Millie with her pack

Chrisy "in" Kingston at the start of the Rideau.

The Rideau is a system of rivers, canals, and lakes. Here's a typical river on our way to Smith's Falls.

The lock system in the Rideau is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Most of the locks are operated manually, rain or shine. 

Locks aren't the only obstacle; occasionally, we come across a swing bridge - again, manually operated.

On anchor at our Flourtown neighbor's house.

An intrepid family we met along the Rideau. You would never know that she is very pregnant, and they endured a pretty nasty rainstorm the night before.

Entering Ottawa

The Rideau wraps up with a flight of 8 locks that's very popular with tourists.

Goodbye Thousand Islands - Hello Rideau

After Sackets Harbor, it was time to take a little break.  We have been moving the boat for eleven straight days, so we needed to take a Chrisy day - any given day that Chrisy declares "the boat is not moving today." Cape Vincent proved to be the perfect spot.  The town dock was ideal. With nice proximity to town, it offered 30 amp power and pretty good protection from the waves coming off the freighters in the channel.  We broke out the bikes again and had a nice ride down to the lighthouse. One Chrisy day turned into two as we decided to stay put and ride out a pretty good storm. We were thankful for our dock when we heard a few days later that the storm caused some serious damage in a nearby harbor. 

Egret hanging out at the Cape Vincent town dock - the calm before the storm.

The basic Thousand Island strategy is to explore the US side - cross over the border - clear customs, and then explore the Canadian side.  We're pretty big fans of the Canadian side, as there are well-maintained parks/islands that have moorings and docks.  We also get to meet all the nice French Canadians who are always welcoming and fun. Before we crossed over, we stopped at Wellesley Island,  a New York state park, and we anchored off of Picnic Point on Grandstone Island.  

Cruising around these waters, it's always possible to get stopped by a combo operation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the US Coast Guard. They cruise along the boarded in these massive inflatable boats and sneak up on you from behind. You hear them first when they turn their siren on. We were stopped four years ago, and you guessed it, it happened again this year.  With their bulletproof vests, pistols, pepper spray, and a bunch of other stuff, these folks are pretty intimidating. They're actually more like puppy dogs.  They ask you for a few papers and ask a few basic questions about life preservers, etc., and then send you on your way.

They even pose for a selfie at the end of it.

That wasn't the end of it.  Two days later, when we were pulling out of Gananoque, Canada, pronounced Gan-an-ah Quay, we were stopped again. This time by a group of Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We showed them our paper verifying that we had passed a previous inspection, and we were on our way. Sorry, no selfie this time. 

Our anchorage at Picnic Point, Grandstone Is. US

At our dock under the bridge on Georgina Is. Canada

When you have cocktails on a dock, it's obviously called "docktails." Camelot Is Canada

One of our cruising buddies was a professional photographer - out for a walk on Camelot.

After a quick reprovisioning stop in Kingston, Ontario, we are off to the Rideau - the whole reason for the trip.   The bridge that we pass under to get to the Rideau is under construction and only opens on Sundays. We have perfect timing, but we will be traveling in a group of folks who have been waiting for the opening.

Off to the Thousand Islands

We made all of the correct turns, and Egret made short work of the Erie and Oswego Canals. After traveling 10 straight days, we arrived in Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario and breathed a sigh of relief.  It feels great to be out of the rivers and canals and let Egret free without worrying as much about logs and depths.  

Egret hanging on a lock wall before the doors close.

A view off the stern after being dropped.  All of these locks work with massive pipes and valves. After everyone enters the lock, the doors close. If we are dropping, a valve is opened on the downstream side of the lock to release the water in the lock. If we are rising, the valve on the upstream side of the lock is opened, and water is introduced into the lock. On the Erie, we took 20 locks that lifted us a total of 420 feet, followed by two locks that dropped us a total of 50 feet.  There were seven locks on the Oswego Canal for a total drop of 118 feet.

A gorgeous day on the Mohawk River section of the Erie Canal.

Lock 17 is the only lock on the Erie that has a massive "guillotine" gate that slides down once you're safely inside the chamber.

This lock was followed by a road with a drawbridge that needed to be raised once we cleared the lock.

Egret resting on the lock wall after Oswego Lock 6. We're in an aqueduct three feet higher than the river.

Millie got a chance to get off the leash and run around at the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Park, and we got to ride our bikes.

Dinner onboard: spinach pasta, sundried tomatoes, spinach, and a drizzle of fetta cheese. Mom always said that the chef gets an extra 10% when a meal is presented onboard. This meal didn't need the 10%.

A coastal freighter getting ready to leave the St. Lawrence River.

Our route through the Erie, up the Oswego, and out into Lake Ontario. Our first stop was Sackets Harbor and then on to Cape Vincent.

Oops

Yesterday will be a day that Chrisy and I will talk about when we are in our nineties, sitting in rocking chairs, can't remember each other's names, but we will remember what happened on May 29, 2026.  

The day started innocently enough. Hoping to make it 80 miles from Kingston up the Hudson, left on the Erie to Schenectady, we departed at 7:40 AM - twenty minutes before Roger's panic time.  The trip also involved seven locks, which, at 30 minutes per lock, adds a chunk of time.  We buzzed up the Hudson to the Albany Yacht Club, where we took on more diesel and headed to the Troy Lock.  They were ready for us, and we made it through in great shape, getting out of the lock at 11:30.  

To set the scene for the next leg of the trip, one needs to imagine Chrisy and Roger cruising at 20 knots up the Hudson. Our focus moves from the buoys, to the water - to make sure there are no logs or other debris, to the chart, and then we start over again.  It's not very relaxing, but there is a rhythm to it. Sadly, there is one major disadvantage: we are focused on the chart in a very micro sense - no big picture when you're going 20 knots.  

I've been telling people for months that our itinerary is up the Hudson and left on the Erie, right on the Oswego, etc.  Well, you guessed it.  We missed the Erie. Nose in the charts, eyes on the buoys, we blasted right past it.  Wait, that makes it sound like we recognized our mistake and turned around in a quarter mile.  No - No. We continued on in this state of blissful ignorance for another half hour and even went through a northbound lock.  In fairness, the lock that we went through is called the Waterford Lock, and the first lock on the Erie is also called the Waterford Lock.  Shortly after going through the Waterford Lock on the Hudson, we FINALLY realized our mistake, which meant that we needed to turn around and go through the Waterford Lock - again.

The VHF conversation with the lock master went something like this:

Waterford Lock, this is  Egret - we would like your next opening to get a southbound drop.

Waterford Lock - didn't you just come through northbound? 

Egret - well yes, but we seem to have missed our turn on the Erie Canal.

Silence. I'm not sure, but I might have heard some gut-wrenching laughter.

To add insult to injury, we had to wait about half hour to allow another southbound boat to catch up and go through the lock with us.  Well, we finally made it back to the town of Waterford (the junction of the Hudson and the Erie) where we were greeted by boaters who left Kingston after us, traveled slower and and arrived hours before we did.   

Enough of our wows of 5/29!! Chrisy and I have spent hours reflecting and our rocking chairs await for more hours.  We have pledged not to make the same mistake again, otherwise, if we would miss the turn off of the St. Lawrence River onto the Richeleu River we will end up in the Atlantic Ocean and never be heard from again.

First - some pre Oops pics:

On approach to NYC 5/28

We had never been through the Harlem River. NYC never disappoints!

Heading under the Tappen Zee.

Sunset at Halfmoon Bay

West Point

The Admiral

Our buddy boat on the Hudson.

Finally, our track on our Oops day - up and down the Hudson.