June 25. Day 32. While we could theoretically make the 140/45 miles from Chambly to Quebec City for our target date of July 3 in only 3 or 4 days, it would take having the appropriate weather on all consecutive days (light winds, i.e. 10 knots or less, from the Southwest and with no thunderstorms), stopping further down the Richelieu near Sorel, and at Trois Rivieres and Portneuf.
But if we left today, we would likely be running into contrary weather by the time we were crossing Lac St-Pierre, and one doesn’t want to do that. It is extremely shallow outside of the channel, and is subject to rough waters appearing very suddenly if the wind shifts, and there are threats of thunderstorms about. Besides, there is a nice spa/resort/restaurant/marina not too far downriver at St.-Marc-sur-Richelieu, and Michel fancies a massage and pedicure. Perhaps two nights there?
So we do a slow shuffle down river so we can spend Canada Day weekend in the city of Trois Rivieres, third largest in Quebec. We leave Chambly on a very windy Monday, the breeze giving us extreme challenges in the three locks which step down to the river, but we survive that. Shortly thereafter, we are tying up at the Auberge Handfield, just beyond Beloiel, as the wind keeps on shifting around us.
Continue reading “A Tale of Two Cities, a Lake, and The Van Doos.”