Triangle Loop – Week 18 (Back In The USA)

Aug 24th to Aug 30th, 2025

Day 119 – Sunday, August 24th, 2025 – In: Quebec City, QC

Today is our last day in Quebec City. It rained pretty hard until about 10:00, and I was feeling the effects of last night’s Bangers and Mash, so we just hung around the boat in the morning finishing up the Blog and getting the boat ready for travel tomorrow.

In the afternoon, when the rain let up, we walked to the Museum of Civilization. We figured that this would be a good indoor activity in case it started raining again. So did a couple of hundred other families with small screaming children! The museum was featuring a Titanic exhibit with lots of artifacts recovered from the ship and from the bodies of passengers that had been recovered after the sinking. A bit grim, but interesting. We had to wait in line for about 20 minutes to get into the exhibit, but it was worth it. The exhibit hall was quite dark, making it less conducive to taking photos. There were numerous artifacts from the Titanic’s sister ship, the RMS Olympic, which was built to almost the exact specifications, allowing you to get an idea of the ship’s elegance. One of the more interesting displays was a large chunk of ice representing the iceberg that the Titanic hit, which you were encouraged to place your hand on to feel the temperature of the water that the passengers were subject to. Another interesting display was the listing of all passengers by ticket class. The names were placed in a silhouette of the ship, with those that survived above the water line, and those that perished below. Very poignant. I found a LAHY, T_41, with a name similar in spelling to ours, and my initial (his name was Thomas), in the crew section. Unfortunately, it was below the waterline.

After the Titanic exhibit, we visited some of the other exhibits in the museum. There were many historical artifacts from Canadian history, including one of the first snow machines, a trolley transformed into a famous roadside food stand, and a very ornate horse-drawn hearse. One of the exhibits on labor in Canada referenced how children from Canada were used as Child Labor in the mills in Manchester, NH, the town where Brenda and I grew up.

After the museum, we walked back through the old financial district and found a few more of the small figurines sitting on ledges; in all, we found 27 of the 45!

We were pretty resturanted out, and we heard that one of our fellow Loopers had non-commercially packaged meat seized when they re-entered the US. We still had one of our friend Michael’s dry-aged steaks in the freezer, and no one was going to take that! We grilled it up on the boat with the corn and vegetables we had purchased at the Saturday farmers’ market. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Thanks again, Michael!

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Day 120 – Monday, August 25th, 2025 – To: Trois-Rivières, QC
Trois-Rivières Marina

Today is the day we head back south! Our next major stop is Burlington, Vermont. Between Quebec City and Burlington, we have four stops scheduled. The Canadian Canals went into an abbreviated schedule on September 17th, when the college students who normally staff the locks returned to school. We have two canals, the Saint-Ours with one lock, and the Chambly with 9 locks between us and the US Border. Additionally, we will be traveling upstream on the Saint Lawrence River, which in certain areas has a current ranging from six to eight knots (7-9 mph). So, if we are at an engine speed where we usually travel 10 mph, we would only achieve 1-3 mph going upstream!

We timed our departure from Quebec City to take advantage of the push from the rising tide. The tidal surge runs on top of the current, so you can actually get a 3-4mph push upstream! Very helpful.

It was just reaching high tide in Quebec City, so the lock was open on both ends and the bridge was up to let boats pass. We were able to cruise right through without waiting. As we entered the port basin, a large tug was entering from the river, so we slowed to let it pass and then proceeded out into the river. A large grain ship was just outside the port entrance, unloading grain into the large silos next to the marina. This is the ship we saw on our way to Quebec City with the large Canadian Goose on the superstructure.

A cruise ship had come into port during the night, and we moved out into the river to pass it at the cruise terminal. They want you to stay at least 1,000 feet from the ship. We got one last look at the Chateau and the fort on the hill. It was pretty cloudy and dark, so the pictures aren’t great.

As we had hoped, we got a good push from the tide and made good time to Trois-Rivieres (Three Rivers), our stop for the night. There was almost no traffic on the river. We passed two sailboats that were heading south, and we met a cargo ship heading north. The farther south we went, the more the skies cleared, and by the time we reached Trois-Rivieres just before 2:00, it was only partly cloudy. The wind had kicked up a bit, and we saw gusts of 25 mph, but fortunately, it didn’t generate significant waves.

We passed the Portneuf Marina, where we stayed, on our way to Quebec City at about the halfway point in the day. At Portnuef, there is a section of river where the current runs as high as 9 mph. We had been running conservatively at 1800 rpm for most of the way, but we noticed that we were slowing down due to the opposing current. So, we pushed the throttles up to 2600 rpm and ran up on plane for the rest of the way to Trois-Rivières. When we arrived, we stopped at the fuel dock to empty our waste tanks, and then backed into our slip on the next dock.

Three Rivers gets its name because the Saint-Maurice River that flows through the city splits into three arms as it meets the St. Lawrence River. This creates the appearance of three rivers, thus the name. Between the three arms, there are three islands. Ile Saint-Christophe, which features a golf course, Ile Caron, which is home to a large paper mill, and Ile Saint-Quinten, a public park that also serves as the marina’s location. There are bridges that connect the islands to the main part of the city, but it’s a 2 to 3-mile ride to any real business area. Because of this, the restaurant at the marina has a pretty captive audience.

After checking in, we went to the restaurant for a snack and made dinner reservations while we were there. Even though it’s relatively remote, they are a popular eaterie and quite busy in the evenings. After our snack, we walked along the St. Lawrence River bank for a bit, then went back to the boat to relax and make reservations for our next set of stops.

At 5:30, we went back to the restaurant for dinner. The servers had places reserved for us at the bar and chatted with us as they made drinks. It was a lovely meal! Brenda had gnocchi, and I had a shrimp puttanesca.

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Day 121 – Tuesday, August 26th, 2025 – To: Saint-Ours, QC
Bellerive Parc Marina

The next leg of our journey back to the US was to Saint-Ours, Quebec. When we woke up, we checked the winds first thing as we had to go the length of Lake Saint-Pierre. The weather apps looked good, but they can get it wrong, so I walked up the bank to look at the river and be sure. There were only small ripples and 7 mph winds. Excellent!

We cast off at 8:30 and headed back upstream in the St. Lawrence. Today, we did not have the benefit of the tidal push. In fact, it was working against us somewhat along with the current. Yesterday at 1,850 rpm, we were cruising along at around 14 mph. Today, at the same engine setting, we were doing 7 mph, half!

As we went under the bridge, the current really picked up, and so did the wind. By the time we reached the lake, the winds were blowing at around 18 knots from the south, and the lake had waves of 2-3 feet. We ran at 18 mph for most of the way, skipping across the waves. It was a big, rough, but tolerable. Halfway across the lake, we met a northbound dredge, but that was the only traffic until the end of the lake. As we got further south, the wind and waves decreased, and as we neared the far end of the lake, it was just a light chop. We passed another pleasure boat heading south, and an Ocean Tug heading back to Quebec City after helping a ship dock at the grain silos in Sorel.

Once out of the lake, we were just a few miles from Sorel-Tracy, where the Richelieu River, which leads to the Saint-Ours and Chambly canal, meets the Saint Lawrence. We passed the Sorel-Tracy marina, where we had stayed, on our way to Quebec City. Then, after slowing to let the car ferries cross, we turned south into the Richelieu .

At the junction of the river, there is a grain silo. Two large ships were there loading grain (we can tell they are loading because of the dust coming up from the holds of the ships). We skirted around the ships and were off the Saint Lawrence! Just after turning onto the river, we had two bridges in quick succession: a road bridge that was being repaired and an old, unused railroad bridge. We still have our mast up, and this was our test for Air Draft to ensure we would fit under the bridges until we reach Burlington, Vermont. After Burlington, we will enter the Champlain Canal, where the bridges are as low as 16 feet, so we will have to lower the mast.

We only had 9 miles to get to the Bellerive Parc Marina. The speed on the river is 10 mph for most of the length, so we just idled along. When we reached the marina, we couldn’t reach anyone either on the radio or by phone, so we just tied up to the fuel dock. We called back by phone, and got an answer, and they said, “I will send one peoples down.” in a heavy French accent with a baby screaming in the background. A few minutes later, a dockhand came down. Since we were already at the fuel dock and their diesel price was pretty good, I decided to top off, even though we still had three-quarters in both tanks. After fueling up, we moved to our slip and settled in for the evening.

Once we settled in, we walked up to the office/restaurant at the top of the hill overlooking the marina to check out the menu for dinner. Bellerive Parc is both a marina and a campground. From the appearance of the outbuildings, built on porches, and the landscaping surrounding the trailers, it seems that most of the campers are permanent residents. We had a snack of chicken wings and decided that there wasn’t anything on the menu we wanted for dinner (we’ve had too many burgers and have successfully avoided Poutine for the entire trip). We went back to the boat and pulled some chicken out of the freezer for dinner. We have to eat what we have before we cross so that it doesn’t get confiscated.

Around 6:00, we cooked the chicken on the grill, had dinner, and settled in for the night.

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Day 122 – Wednesday, August 27th, 2025 – To: Chambly, QC
Marina Chambly

We are back into Lock mode. Today, we only have one lock so that we can get back into the groove before tomorrow’s nine lock day. The locks in Canada are in fall mode, so there are only two lockings per day on weekdays, one at 9:00 and one at 1:00. We didn’t know how many boats would be waiting for the 9:00 locking, so just before 8:00, we left Bellerive Parc Marina for the 3-mile trip to the lock. When we arrived, the waiting area already seemed full. There were three boats already tied up there. We found a place at the front of the boats on the Blue Waiting Line and pulled in to wait for 9:00 when the lock opened. As it turned out, only one of the boats was waiting for the lock; the others were just camping there.

While we were waiting, we walked around the lock, checking out the lock house and some interesting signs and sculptures around the lock. Just after 9:00, the lock gates opened, and we went in, followed by a large sailboat. This was another lock with a floating dock, and after tying off, we chatted with the lock keeper while we were lifted about 5 feet.

Chambly, our stop for the night, was 33 miles ahead. Most of the river is speed-restricted at either 6 or 10 mph, so we just kept a steady pace and enjoyed the scenery and the many interesting homes. As we get closer to Vermont, the relatively flat landscape (except for the cliffs along the river) is being replaced with hills and mountains in the distance. It’s been getting steadily cooler, nights in the mid-50s and days in the mid-60s. Fall is in the air, and we’ve even seen a few trees up in the hills showing some fall colors.

We kept our eyes open for the three cable ferries that cross the river. We only had to slow up for one of them and wait for it to dock before we passed over the cable. About 5 miles from Chambly, there is a railroad bridge that gave us some trouble on our last Loop trip in 2023. When we came through, it was spring, and the river was in flood. People were fishing their docks out of the river. This railroad bridge, when heading north, was not clearly marked as to where to pass, and a very stiff current was pushing us along. By the time we could see the opening, we were a bit outside of the channel, and ended up running over a marker buoy as we scrambled to get to the opening of the bridge. Our hearts were racing!

This time, the water is actually a bit low, and we were going against the current, which wasn’t much at all. Heading south, you can see it from quite a distance, and the channel is clearly marked. Still, we paid close attention as we passed under the bridge and its narrow opening.

By 1:00, we arrived in Chambly and docked at the Chambly Marina. The last time we stayed here, we didn’t arrive until almost 8:00 at night, so we didn’t have much of a chance to explore the town. After checking in, we walked down the main street to a microbrewery for a docking beer and a snack. The brewery Délires et Délices (Delusions and Delights) had a very interesting selection of beer. They utilize natural coloring techniques, often using fruit skins as coloring agents. They even have a blue beer colored with seaweed! We had a snack of a charcuterie board, and chatted with the bartender, who gave us some tips on the local area.

After our snack, we just wandered back down the street toward the boat, stopping into some craft shops and galleries, and checking out the menus at the restaurants to see where we might go for dinner.

As we were walking up the hill from the boat to go to dinner, we saw an Orange UFO flying up the street! It pulled into the marina parking lot. It was an electric recumbent bicycle in an aerodynamic housing. A “Velomtek”. Quite the little gadget! I looked it up later and found that the company was located in the next town over. Sadly, it appears to have gone out of business.

We had selected “La Cochonne Rit,” a casual restaurant with a meat-centric menu that included burgers, ribs, and steaks. We had a 6:00 p.m. reservation, and as usual for us, we sat at the bar. I’ve been seeing “Soupe à l’oignon Française” (French Onion Soup) on menus ever since we arrived in Canada and have been hankering for some. On the menu, it was listed as being made with local beer, locally baked rye bread, and Quebec cheddar. Since this is one of our last dinners in Canada, I decided to have that and a small salad. Brenda opted for their 1/2 rack of ribs.

While we were waiting, I became curious and translated the restaurant name on my napkin using my AI Translator App (the same one that advertised ‘hedgehog’ on the menu in Quebec). The name “La Cochonne Rit” was translated to “The Slut Laughs”! Too funny! Actually, it’s “The Pig Laughs”. Dinner was delicious, and the Soupe à l’oignon Française was excellent. Brenda’s ribs fell off the bone, and the smoky flavor was fantastic.

After dinner, we walked back to the boat and selected one of the many ice cream shops along the main street for dessert. When we got back to the boat, the sun was setting, lighting up Fort Chambly across the lake.

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Day 123 – Thursday, August 28th, 2025 – To: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC
Natique Marina

Today we do the Chambly Canal. It is nine locks over just 10 miles. When we got back to the boat last night, there were already two boats waiting on the Blue Line. The sailboat we locked through with yesterday, and a Down East Cruiser, Errante, that we had met back in 2019 in their home port of Niceville, Florida. We have a mutual friend and met them at docktails on the Nickersons’ boat.

At 7:30, we moved from the Marina to the Blue Waiting line for the 9:00 lockthrough. Just before 9, the lock keepers came around and gathered some information from us. They then informed us that the sailboat and Errante would fill the lock, and we would have to wait for the 1:00 locking. Okay, so much for getting up early! At least we would be first in line for the 1:00 locking. Yesterday, when we arrived, no boats were waiting for the 1:00 locking. Oh, well. The joys of boating. Never have a schedule!

It rained intermittently all morning. During one of the breaks, Brenda went up to the lock and found a Geocache, #541, and I stayed on the boat working on the blog and answering some emails. I got up to make a cup of coffee and saw a little furry head peek out from under the dock. It was a mink! I watched as he ambled over to the boat, and it looked like he was going to climb up our rope and come aboard! I moved to get my camera, which spooked him, and he ran back under the dock for a few minutes. Then, he came back out and started slinking down the dock. He made a couple of passes back and forth, then ran to the far end of the dock and vanished. We saw him pop out from under a ramp now and then as fish rose in the water to check them out.

Just before 1:00, we saw the lockies start getting the locks ready. It looked like we would be the only boat going through, but just at 1:00, we saw a three-engine cruiser racing across the lake. It was a delivery from one marina to another. The Lockkeeper asked if we minded waiting a few minutes while one of the guys from the delivery boat ran to the store to get lunch. “Sure, no problem.”

At about a quarter past, the gates swung open, and we moved in. Usually, we like to use a mid and stern line, but they insisted that we use a stern and bow line. When the water comes into these locks, it really rushes in and pushes the boat around quite a bit, so Brenda took the bow position, and after stopping the boat and shutting down the engines, I took the stern position.

The first lock took a bit for both boats to get settled and figure out how to tie off and position. The locks are 110 feet long, but you must leave room for the lock doors to close, so the usable length is approximately 90 feet. We are 47 feet long, and the other boat was 42 feet long. Also, the locks are 33 feet wide, we are 15 feet, 17 feet with fenders out on both sides, the other boat was about the same width, so we could not go side by side. They fit us in by overlapping our stern with the slope of their bow. It was important that we didn’t drift over or backward!

The first and second locks were together, then a short 1,000-foot cruise to lock #3, followed by a 2,000-foot cruise to locks 4, 5, and 6. Locks 7 & 8 were another 2,000 feet apart. Eight locks, in less than 2.5 miles! Very tiring! Also, as we were entering Lock 6, I attempted to use my stern thruster to swing the back of the boat toward the wall, but it didn’t work. I tried a quick reset and using my second controller, but it was dead. The bow thruster worked, but not the stern. Fortunately, we only had three locks to go.

There were two groups of four lockies, and they alternated the locks as we went, riding along on the tow path in their golf carts.

After lock 8, the next (and last) lock was 7.5 miles ahead, so we had a break from locks. However, in between, we had to deal with seven lift and swing bridges. There was one bridge tender who would open the bridge to let us through, close the bridge, then race to the next bridge in his car. On the canal, there is a strict speed limit of 10 km/h. The canal’s width and depth frequently change. With our boat, which is quite heavy, when we enter a narrow, shallow section, the boat gets sucked down by the water flowing past it in the narrow space. This causes us to slow way down; then, when we reach a wider, deeper section, we speed back up.

We did pretty well at keeping to the speed limit up to the first bridge, and when we arrived, the bridge tender had it open and waiting for us. The next bridge was a couple of miles ahead. When we got to that one, it was closed, and we had to wait for a few minutes for it to open.

Again, the next bridge had a couple of miles to it, and the canal was a bit wider, so we sped up a bit to about 12 kph. When we got to the bridge, again it was closed. This time, the bridge tender came on the radio and said, “You are going too fast. You have to wait 7 minutes before I open the bridge.” Hummm…. The wind had come up, and both of us were having a hard time not getting blown into the shallows on the edge of the canal, which was less than 30 feet from bank to bank. I guess the bridge troll saw that we were having trouble, so he said he would open the bridge now, but would time our arrival at lock 9.

We made it through the bridge and ensured that we stuck to the speed limit. We reached Lock #9, just before 4:30, and got settled in quickly. The back doors closed, and a few seconds later, the front doors opened. Total lift, 3 inches! The water levels in the river and Lake Champlain are very low right now, so we hardly need to lock at all.

We went through a railroad swing bridge that is open unless a train is coming, and up to our last lift bridge, a spectacular lift bridge in Saint-Jean-de-Rieheleau, was less than a quarter-mile from the lock. This bridge opened as we approached, and when we went under, the bridge tender thanked us for visiting the Chambly Canal.

Our marina for the night, Le Natique Marina, was just after the bridge. The dockmaster had called while we were in the lock, and we told him we would be there in a few minutes. When we arrived, he was waiting for us on the dock, and we were quickly tied up.

We finished shutting down the boat and hooking up power, then hurried to the office to check in before it closed at 5:00. After checking in, we returned to the boat to clean up before dinner.

Some boater friends of ours that we’ve met on both loops, Rene and Pierre, live in town, and were home, so we arranged to meet them for dinner while we were passing through. At 6:00, we met them at the marina restaurant, Les Berges de Saint-Jean. The last time we saw them was in Marathon, Florida, in 2024. We had a great dinner and caught up with them on their plans, which unfortunately is selling their boat. However, they plan to continue wintering in Florida, so we hope to meet up with them when they come down.

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Day 124 – Friday, August 29th, 2025 – To: Rouses Point, NY, USA!
Safe Harbor Gaines

Today is the day! We cross back into the USA and see if they let us back in. We have only 21 miles to go to Safe Harbor Gaines, which is just 1.5 miles from the border. The weather was cool and cloudy, but there wasn’t much wind. Water levels on Lake Champlain are low due to a lack of rain this summer. The Richelieu River is the sole drain for Lake Champlain, so if the lake is low, the river is low. When we did our last lock yesterday, we only went up 3 inches. As we headed south down the river, there were a few spots where we had less than a foot under the boat. Needless to say, we took it nice and slow.

Just before the border, a US Coast Guard boat passed us heading into Canada. We are not sure where they were going, but they waved as they went past. When we came into sight of the border markers, we used the CBP Roam App to check into the US. This app is designed for boaters, allowing you to check in while underway. We’ve used it on all of our trips, and it’s great. Essentially, you provide details about your boat (which requires pre-registration and a sticker), passport information for everyone on board, your arrival location, and a few customs questions regarding what you are carrying on board (including alcohol, fruits, meat, and tobacco products). Then, you submit it, and a CBP officer conducts a video conference with you. They ask to see everyone, ask you to pan around the boat, and a few questions about products you purchased and how long you were there. Everything went smoothly, and we received our clearance number in about three minutes. Woo Hoo! They let us back in! Or so we thought…

We passed the marker buoy that shows the border, cruised past Fort Montgomery, also known as Fort Blunder (more on that later). Just before the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge, the first road bridge in the US, on the New York bank, is the Customs and Border Protection dock. Essentially, it’s a converted horse trailer parked on the bank, with floating docks in the lake. Because we checked in with the CBP Roam App, we didn’t have to stop, so we cruised past and under the bridge. There was a Coast Guard boat at the dock, and five or six guys in uniform just standing around.

Brenda went out to prepare the fenders for docking and noticed that the Coast Guard boat, which was at the CBP dock, was coming up behind us, fast. We slowed down, and they pulled alongside. We thought that they probably hadn’t gotten the message that we had checked in with the App, so we slowed down and told them we’d check in already. “That’s nice,” the CBP officer said, “would you mind turning around and following us back to the Customs Dock?” I believe this is what they refer to as a rhetorical question. Saying “No” was not an option. “Sure! No problem.” I said, spun around, and went back under the bridge, pulling up to the dock.

There was a six-person “welcoming committee “waiting for us—a mix of Customs & Border Protection officers and Coast Guard. As soon as we were tied off, four officers came on board, and another started asking questions. Money, food, passports, how long were we in Canada? Where were we going? It was friendly but official. While I was answering questions, the three CBP officers were going through the boat. They opened all of the cabinets and drawers, poking around. They opened the refrigerator and freezer. They wanted to see our cash and asked lots of questions, most of which were casual, such as “Where are you from, How often do you travel to Canada?”, and questions about the boat. While they were doing this, the guys on the dock were feverishly typing our passport and boat information into their phones and pads.

Two of the CBP officers were with Brenda on the back deck. They opened all of our lazerette hatches and looked around, then had her empty the freezer, and found our stash of Contraband Chicken! We had three packages of frozen chicken thighs that we hadn’t eaten. Brenda explained that we had brought them from home. They saw that the date on them was 2/18/25 and said that the Agricultural Officer wasn’t there, so they let it go.

When the Customs guys were done, the Coast Guard came on board. All they wanted was to see our boat registration and look into the engine room. I keep some oil-absorbent mats (called pig mats) in plastic bags on the outside of the engines that caught their eye. “They took a closer look and asked, “Are those Pig Mats?” “Yes”, I said. “Okay, as long is it isn’t drugs.”

They got off the boat and had a quick conference on the dock. “Okay, you’re good to go. Thanks for your cooperation.” I asked if we were supposed to stop even though we’d checked in with the App. He explained that we were good, but they do spot checks. As was the case the last time the Coast Guard stopped us, I think they were bored. They had mentioned that traffic from Canada was slow this year due to the low value of the Canadian Dollar and the current political situation. The whole thing, from the time they pulled up next to us until we were “released,” was 20 minutes. The officers were professional and friendly. Once it was clear we were not trying to sneak illegal aliens or drugs into the US, they became quite casual and even joked around a bit. We even found out one of the Coast Guard officers was from near our hometown in New Hampshire.

We pulled away from the dock and back under the bridge, and were docked at Gaines Marina by 12:30.

Okay, I promised the story about “Fort Blunder“. Construction of the fort began in 1816, when it was partially completed, and it was then realized that the island was actually in Canada. Construction was abandoned, and a fort was built in Rouses Point instead. In 1842, the border between the US and Canada was realigned, and the island became US territory. Fort Montgomery was then built on the island, now owned by the US. The remains of the fort are still visible on the island, which is privately owned. In a twist of fate, two Canadian brothers now own the American Fort and plan to revitalize the island.

When we arrived at Safe Harbor Gaines Marina, we called in, but the dockhand didn’t know which slip we were assigned. So, we went to the fuel dock to wait for the dockmaster to return from lunch. We had barely tied up when he returned and told us our slip. We moved and got settled in.

This was my first opportunity to check out the Stern Thruster. I checked all the fuses and confirmed that the controller box was functioning correctly. All of that checked out. Next, I leaned over the swim platform and spun the propeller with a boat hook to see if it was jammed. It turned easily, and there was nothing wrapped around the propeller. I tested it again, and it worked. It sounded like a coffee grinder, and the water flow was weak, but it was turning. I waited a few minutes and tested it again, and it didn’t work. After poking the propeller with the boat pole again, I got a few more pulses out of it, and then it stopped working again. That confirmed that it was the motor. Crap. That means getting the boat hauled out of the water to have it replaced. I looked online and found one that was in stock and at the pre-tariff price. These thrusters are made in Norway, which currently has a 15% tariff. Most sellers who ship from a central warehouse have added this to the price, plus a shipping charge. The thuster weighs 60 lbs, so freight is expensive. This company offered free shipping, and in total, I saved over $1,400. It should arrive in Burlington in a week. All I have to do now is find someone to haul the boat out of the water and help me replace it.

We asked the dock master if there was a good “American Food” restaurant within walking distance! “Oh, Yes! Frencheez is just a 5-minute walk in town.” ” Frencheez?!?!?!” It turns out their specialty is French Fries, not poutine, but really good American French Fries. At 5:00, we walked into town (there’s not even a stoplight) and had dinner at Frencheez. When we were done, we tried to find a Geocache in a park on the way back to the marina, but we couldn’t locate it.

The sun was setting over the remains of the old railroad trestle that connected Rouses Point, NY, and Alburgh, VT, when we returned to the boat, creating an excellent light to take some pictures.

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Day 125 – Saturday, August 30th, 2025 – To: Burlington, VT
Burlington Harbor Marina

From Rouses Point, New York, our next stop is Burlington, Vermont, 40 miles down Lake Champlain. The day dawned cloudy with on-and-off rain, but the wind was relatively calm. We left just before 9:00 and headed out into the lake. There were three other boats just coming through the railroad trestle when they pulled out into the lake. We fell in behind the lead boat and followed them for the first 10 miles, where the channel is a bit narrow. When we entered the wider part of the lake, the winds picked up to around 15 mph, coming directly from in front of us. The chop on the lake also started to increase, so we brought the boat up on plane and ran at 18 knots. We had rain for most of the way, although not heavy, it was steady. Our only interruption was having to veer around a pair of car ferries crossing between Vermont and New York, and a few sailboats.

By the time we began our approach to Burlington, the wind had driven the waves up to 1-2 feet. Our docking in Burlington Harbor Marina was reasonably straightforward, despite the rain and the not having our stern thruster. I hadn’t realized how dependent I’ve become on it. Even once it’s fixed, I’ll have to practice docking without it from time to time!

Once we were settled in, we just hung out on the boat as the rain and wind were getting heavier. By 1:00, the winds had increased to 25 mph and were starting to shift to the West. During a break in the rain, I walked to the marina office to pick up the mail and packages we had forwarded. The marina office is located on a floating barge and is situated outside the breakwall and wave attenuator docks. You could feel the office rolling with the 3-foot waves coming in off the lake. We were glad that we got in before the winds really picked up!

By 3:00, even with the break wall and wave docks, the boat was rolling with the waves. Our boat neighbor left to go to another, more protected marina. The rain had stopped, so we decided to abandon ship and take a walk into town.

We walked to Foam Brewery, a microbrewery near the marina. We visited it on our last trip in 2023, and the beer was very good! Foam was very busy, as many people were looking for something to do on a rainy day, and what is better than beer? I had a very nice IPA, and Brenda had a root beer. We also got a cheese and olive plate to snack on. When we finished, we decided to walk into downtown Burlington and wander around on Church Street. Church Street is a pedestrian mall that spans four blocks, lined with shops and restaurants. We wandered up one side and down the other, popping into some shops and checking out the menus at the restaurants.

When 5:00 rolled around, we decided to find somewhere to eat. Neither of us was very hungry after our snack, so we picked The Vermont Pub & Brewery. Brenda had a salad, and I had a hummus plate with pita bread.

While we were eating, the rain started again. We broke out the umbrellas and walked back to the boat. The rain stopped about halfway back, and it looked like it was beginning to clear on the New York side of the lake. We got a beautiful view of the Adirondack mountains in the distance. The winds had also died down significantly, and the boat wasn’t rocking anymore, so we had a peaceful night.

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Recap of the week

We traveled 273 miles this week, bringing our total to 2,390 miles so far. We cruised from Quebec City, up the St. Lawrence to the Richelieu River, then headed south through the Chambly Canal, and returned to the United States (after an unplanned detour for a customs inspection). We’ve arrived in Burlington, Vermont, on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Next week, we will leave the boat in Burlington, rent a car, and drive to New Hampshire to visit my sister. I have a replacement stern thruster on its way, so when we return, we hope to have the boat hauled out and replace it before our next set of locks in the Champlain Canal.