Through an evening of increasing winds that swirled in every direction, our anchor held strong. When I pulled it up this morning it was obvious that the Rocna had buried itself deep into the muddy and grassy bottom. Our 88-pound anchor had about 50 pounds of mud caked on it. We dangled it at the surface of the water for a while to wash it off to a point of pulling it up onto the bow roller. The rest of the mud shown was removed by boat hook and washdown hose as we made our way into the last section of Lake Champlain.
We traveled by the Windmill Point Lighthouse with its dark tower blending into the landscape. We passed under the Route 2 bridge with Fort Montgomery looming on the northern side, right at the US/Canadian border. At this point we left Lake Champlain and entered the Richelieu River.
A small sign in the middle of the water directed us to see a Border Services Officer at Richelieu Wharf. Time to clear Customs. Barry went up to the flybridge and hung our quarantine flag as the wind continued to increase. Just in time to tie up to the Customs dock, it was gusting over 20 and had stirred up the water into an unnerving chop. We managed to get Crossroads tied up by ourselves with minimal effort (no dockhands at the Customs office - LOL). Barry took our papers to the office, then summoned me to join him. All was good and we were cleared to enter Canada with just a few questions and without a vessel inspection. I'd like to think that the way we handled Crossroads in less than ideal circumstances led to an easier pass. If we had crashed into their dock while screaming at each other, I'm sure the process would have been a bit more involved. Both of us were disappointed, however, that our passports were not stamped. Guess that's so 20th-Century. We changed out our quarantine flag in favor of the Canadian courtesy flag and were on our way.
The miles clicked off and we took in the sights. The Ash Island Range Front Lighthouse was spotted on the eastern shore. We saw several herons that were enjoying an effortless glide on the stiff breeze. There were also plenty of marinas and gorgeous waterfront houses to enjoy. As we entered Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu we veered off the river an into the Chambly Canal. We waited for one bridge to open for us then tied up to the lock wall and powered down. We watched a few boats lock through, visited the ATM to get a bit of local currency, and walked down the tow path to see some of the rapids in the river that canal bypasses.
The wind was still whipping around, but otherwise it was a nice warm afternoon. We sat in the park across from Crossroads and checked our emails and texts before heading across the street for dinner. Storms are supposed to roll through the area all night and into the morning.
We will stay here tomorrow, get a few chores done, and wait for the wind to lay down before starting our journey through the locks. We have been told that all nine locks on the Chambly Canal can be done in a span of about five hours.
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