To say everything was eerily still this morning is an understatement. We departed along with Carolina at 5:30 and the only ripples that disturbed the mirror-like qualities of the water were created by our slow movement through this no wake zone.
We followed the Richelieu River to Sorel, where it fed into the St. Lawrence River. There we were met with industry and commercial barge/freighter/tanker traffic. The 49-foot Carolina looked mighty small as it passed by the bulk carrier docked in front of Sorel Forge (steel mill).
Canada Day was officially yesterday, but was observed today and many businesses were closed. A group of five large ships was anchored at Sorel this morning providing us a more relaxed passage. We passed by an eastbound trawler and recognized it to be Sugarfoot, with whom we had spent a couple of weeks earlier in our trip. They were coming up from the Erie Canal and it was great to chat briefly on the radio and catch up. We moved over to the more scenic small vessel channel and avoided some of the current we had been fighting. We passed an island that had thousands of squawky seagull inhabitants and then this sailboat, that obviously had seen its better days.
The approach into Montreal was marked by the presence of miles of cargo terminals which were operating today. Several ships were in the process of being unloaded. Anchored across the way was a ship transporting wind turbines. At another terminal was what appeared to be a brand-new tanker. Quick research showed the Mia Desgagnes was indeed less than a year old and is unique in that it is both dual-fuel powered (either LNG or oil) and is an icebreaker.
Just beyond the terminals, Montreal's skyline began to appear in the haze. I could pick out a few landmarks, mainly sports arenas and features from the 1976 Olympics.
We cut across the St. Lawrence and entered our marina home for the next few nights -- Port de Plaisance Real-Bouvier. First item of business was to wait our turn to get the holding tank pumped out. Then we had to pull into a temporary slip and wait for our reserved slip to come clear. After three successful dockings we were finally tied up and were able to plug in and turn on the air conditioner. I checked the temperature while we were first waiting and it was 96 with a heat index of 102. Both numbers probably climbed higher.
We chatted with locals John and Kat while at the pumpout dock. They later stopped by to offer suggestions for travel, tours, and restaurants. We were most grateful and will visit their area on Wednesday. Tomorrow, we will take the ferry to Old Montreal, meet the crew of Carolina for lunch and spend the day as tourists.
I fixed dinner onboard and started a load of laundry. When the evening cooled down, we went out for a much-needed walk in search of the ferry dock. As we returned to Crossroads, the sun was setting colorfully over the St. Lawrence. It was a long day, but all was good. I hope to sleep well tonight.
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