Fort Lennox, Quebec to Safe Harbour Marina Gaines in Rouses Point, New York, USA

 It was a peaceful and still evening anchored on the Lennox Channel and we were the last boat to leave in the morning headed out of Quebec and over the border on Lake Champlain to the United States. We used our Roam App to clear US Customs and were emailed our permission to cross back into the United States from Canada. We went through some major construction operation at the bridge right near Safe Harbour Marina Gaines in Rouses Point, New York. We got our inside slip right by the Captain's Lounge and checked out the free laundry before walking downtown by the suggested lunch places. Instead we headed the other way to Cornerstone Pharmacy to get a prescription transferred and filled and had a great pizza at Angelos Pizza and Grill for lunch. We ended up waking about four miles so headed back to the boat to relax.

Along the channel were colorful trees

Close to the border crossing at the bridge

Several barges at the railroad bridge to pass 

Looks like a nice hike for tomorrow

On Thursday morning we walked to Best Friends Family Diner which took us along Lake Street to the end of the historic downtown area. We came back to the boat and enjoyed doing laundry and sitting at the picnic table outside using the internet. Glenn walked to O'Reilly's Autoparts Store for oil and filters while I finished up laundry. We walked back downtown to Frenchies Cafe for lunch and had the best salad and enjoyed the nostalgia of the seventies decor. The rain started in the afternoon so that cancelled our walk to the civic center for their summer concert series. The rain continued overnight as we got the remnants of Hurricane Debby.

In front of Best Friends Family Diner

Montgomery Wharf with marina in the background

The church across from the marina which rings bells daily

A gate to the marina gangplank to the dinghy dock for mooring field

The library and set up for farmer's market that got rained out

The town center

On Friday, the rain let up for a bit so we walked downtown to Lakeside Coffee Roasters and had their spinach burrito breakfast bowl which was delicious and different. We waited out the rain and then walked down to the Dollar General which appears to be the only grocery store in town and it was well stocked and had more hardware than most stores as well. The rain and wind picked up. I waited for it to let up and then did more laundry while Glenn changed oil in one engine as he had done the generator engine yesterday. More boats flocked in yesterday and we have 4 workboats from the construction project picking up and transferring crew so they wake us up around 6 am. The wind is howling this evening and we heard they pulled up the flood gates on the New York State Canal System in the Erie Canal to drain the canal because of anticipated flooding and hopefully that won't trap any looper boats for long. The weather should clear by Saturday morning and we head out on Lake Champlain.

Saint Jean sur Richelieu to Fort Lennox Channel, Quebec Canada

 We enjoyed the evening on the lock wall and woke to a chilly morning of 60 degrees as we headed down the Richelieu River and turned off at the For Lennox Channel to anchor off the Parks Canada Dock to visit the fort by dinghy. We were the only folks on the site and it had been recently mowed so we walked to the other side and saw a bigger dock and then a path that circumnavigated the fort which we took. We wandered around the entire grounds and it appears you must come by ferry with a tour group to enter the locked fort. We headed back to the boat and had several other boat anchored with us overnight. We grilled out on the flybridge and realized we have missed anchoring out on this trip.

Not much to see from the water

Entrance to Fort Lennox grounds

Over the moat to the locked gate

Our hike around the fort

Quite a few buildings hidden from view of the fort

These marked the four corners of something

Passing the fort as we departed Lennox Channel

Chambly to Saint Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec, Canada

 We went back to our favorite breakfast place and then back to the dock to wait for the Lock tender at Lock 4 to hail us through. We had been the only boat on the dock for Saturday night and on Sunday night in the rain, the Parks Canada lock tenders brought in six more boats. Two boats rafted in front of us, three rafted in front of them and then one huge motor yacht took up the rest of the dock. We headed to Lock 4 at 9 am following Sky Blue from Charleston and we shared the lock throughs for Locks 5, 6, 7, and 8. We had to wait for one drawbridge for three boats to pass through and then had to pull over at a wide spot in the canal for another three boats to go past in the other direction. Right before Lock 9, Sky Blue pulled off to the dock for the night and we went through the last lock and swing bridge on the Chambly Canal solo. We stuck with our original plan to pull up to the dock on the wall after Lock 9 across the canal from Saint Jean sur Richelieu. It started to rain and continued to rain until night fall. A Canadian sailboat with their mast down docked in front of us. It got chilly overnight so we slept under a blanket which was a switch from running the AC in Chambly.

Happy Hour docked in front of us

Across the canal at Saint Jean lock wall

The last swing bridge leaving the Chambly Canal

Leaving final Lock 9 of Chambly Canal

Art along the canal path

Birds in the adjacent Richelieu River

We followed Sky Blue along the narrow canal

Narrow stretches between Locks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Narrow bridges we had to follow close behind and stay as a pair

Lock 4 dock where we ended up with 6 more boats

We walked across the swing bridge into town and walked through the neighborhoods to Oeu Plus Diner and had a fantastic French toast covered with blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries and cream and goat cheese. We walked back by the bike path to cross over the canal at Lock 10 and walk along the canal with the Richelieu River on our left. The boat traffic picked up with the lock walls filling up with boats and boats headed in both directions. We took off deciding to head to the anchorage at Fort Lennox for a change of pace.

The Park alongside where we tied up

Walking across the drawbridge

Downtown Saint Jean sur Richelieu

Wonderful French Toast

Lock 9 Park

Looking back to Sky Blue who docked before last lock

Mural at base of drawbridge

The Chambly Canal

The adjacent Richelieu River