Motor Vessel Summer School - The Clausen Family Home Page

We do a 1300+ mile cruise, including the Erie Canal, Lake Ontario,
Rideau Canal, Ottawa River, St. Lawrence Seaway, Montreal,
Quebec City, and Saguenay Fjord.

It was a "Bad Trip" North to the boat, Aaron and I went up first, we flew, Patti Jay Karyn, and Laura will follow in the van. Jet Blue, Orlando Fl to JFK, and then to Syracuse, NY. Orlando was fine, we thought, we had a one and one half hour layover for the Syracuse leg. Plenty of time, the baggage was checked through, and then in JFK we were paged. Never a good thing, we rarely get paged so that we can be upgraded into first class. There's a problem, its with the checked luggage, can you come with this gentlemen. Oh Shit! Sure, what about our connection? Sir, you need to come with me.
The three of us leave from the "secure area" into processing terminal, then down one floor into the baggage areas, and finally to the Jet Blue baggage room.
Sir, is this your bag?
Perhaps.
Sir, we need this bag identified, is it yours?
Well, its similar to my bag, but my bag more complete, that is to say, my bag wasn't smashed to 30% of its original width and it wasn't mangled.
Sir, could you identify this bag as yours if we showed you its contents.
Well, I could identify contents that could have been mine, that is, I am willing to look. Yes, its mine, smashed is my $300 hi-tech battery tester, there are pieces of my computers printer, the printers ink covers almost everything I did own, and our plane has just left the gate.
Welcome to our 2006 Summer Trip.

Well, that was a dream I had prior to our flight, which thankfully was uneventful.

I am typing sitting on the boat, it is afloat, and presently in very good mechanical shape. But it is big, and it is dirty, and Aaron and I have been working on that with the help of the marina staff, as well as bringing the basic systems back to life for the past two days. We can see the light at the end of the pier. There have been no stumbling blocks so far, and we await Patti, Jay, Kayrn and Laura who are in route, its a 20 hour drive from Orlando.

Its seat belt awareness week herein New York, and we have a nice trooper stop us and point that out to us, I will call tomorrow to become aware of what amount to make the check out for.

That may be all, except to say that we are both sore, and tired, and will head to bed early again tonight. Jim & Aaron Clausen

So were off, we've been jumping around and gunkholing on Lake Ontario a bit, Sodus Bay, Henderson Bay, Saketts Point, Wolf Island and Kingston CN.
The weather has been unseasonably warm, up to 93 degrees, and Lake Ontario itself is @ 54 to 64 degrees, depending on where we were and the depth of the lake at that point.
Lake Ontario has been a joy to be on, dead flat in the mornings and only up to 1' any other time.
Winds have been less than 10 mph, and the sky's have been overcast for the most part.

Our clearance into Canada required an inspection for two reasons.
One we are requesting to stay for 45 days.
Two, our boats documentation has the boats Hull Identification Number and our US Coast Guard Documentation number reversed on the form sent to us by the US government.
So a physical search was in order. This is also a Canadian Port of Entry, so there are CN Customs officers here on duty. We knew this and that's one reason we chose Kingston as out port of entry.
A thorough search of the boat and my producing three years of incorrect forms did the trick, and we were cleared.
Tomorrow is Patti's birthday, so were all looking forward to a celebration.

Kingston is a joy for a boater, great supplies, great restaurants, and a great marina in the middle of town. As John would say, "Life is Great".

Confederation Basin, Kingston CN,
The protective tower in the foreground, along with is mate across the bay,
the Royal Military College to the left.

6/1/2006 overcast still with rain on and off today, and the forecast is for more of the same, we will try to delay our entering the Rideau until the sun pokes its face out for the sake of some great photos. We'll see.

We've been using a couple of Cruising Guides, and our Cruising notes, and the GLCC Cruising Guide. Some good, some poor, but none truly ugly. Our best source of information is always the cruising boats coming from the other direction. While the docks are full, the traffic count is down. The cost of fuel has changed the game from cruising to docksucking. With 418 gallons on board and fuel @ $3.00 per gallon its hard not to feel the pain. But its still early in the season, and things may very well change.

WI-Fi has been harder to hit than I had hoped, so that accounts for the lack of E-mail's from us. The morning of 06/02/06 clearing, 70 degrees and still, we enter the Rideau today.

The weather has been great these last 3 days, and the nights have been a pleasant 67 to 70 degrees. Still not much traffic on the canal. The boat is getting a portion of the topsides waxed as I type, the kids do it in sections, its just too big for them to do all at once. We spent the last two days in Westport, a thoroughly pleasant stay, and a must do for banking, laundry, baked goods, ice cream, groceries, and restaurants.
Some changes we see are that there is now 30 amp power at some of the docks on at the locks, on a first come first served basis, as is the dockage. Lockmasters have been helpful, and the system is full of water and clear of obstructions.

We are down the steps of the Rideau, (8 locks in a row from Ottawa, to the Ottawa River). We were blessed to have a mild day and the only two hours of sunshine was when we were going down the steps. We got some exquisite photos.
A forty mile run down river brought us to Montebello, a solid internet connection and horseback riding for the kids. Our friends at the marina are gone, its Monday, but there was no way we were going to travel on Saturday or Sunday to find them here. The wet and cold, we hope is now behind us. The engine maintenance was done today, no problems were found. When the kids get back they will wash the boat, and do a general cleanup. Ah here that are...

Yes Montreal, one block from old town Montreal, and two hours from dinner.
Current coming into the marina was 4.5 to 5 mph. And we are in Virgin Water again.
There a very large very new marina going in at Montreal, and we should be able to find out about before we leave to push on East. We will be staying here again, space available on the way back.

The boat has never been here before. And we passed through two new seaway locks.
This is becoming rare for us, and we are enjoying every bit of it. 430.8 mi

Attention: if anyone has been trying to call us.
We have been getting a call every other day, with no called ID, it does not answer when we pick up, and we have give up on answering it. Jc

This morning we found the boat covered in may flys,
and we watched the birds having their fill of them.

Yes, we are at the end of the Ottawa River @ STE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE on the same island that Montreal is on, we are on the high side of the lock as we got here just after 4:00 and they are on their Spring schedule.

We started this morning in Montebello, at one of the old CN, Canadian National Railroad hotels, the hotel itself is a log frame construction, very much like the lodge @ Yellowstone. The weather this morning was perfect, 76 degrees by the time we got moving, and then slowly a dark cloud formed perfectly over the boat, it grew darker, the rain started, and then we got a downburst right over us. It pushed us sideways, and then we got hail. I measured the distance we got shoved on the chart plotter @ 200'. It followed us for just over two hours, breaking up into scattered overcast and a perfectly calm evening.

We will be at the marina in Old Montreal tomorrow and will stay there for a few nights. We also have reservations @ Pied De Cochon, for tomorrow night. I brought a 750 ML of Chateau decorum 1997 just for this restaurant, to match with it's Fois Gras menu, it was recently featured on a dining show we just saw, and we are thrilled to get reservations. Reviews to follow. And the review is, we had Poutine, Grilled Cheese, a Tart and a Hamburger all with Fois Gras, all excellent, no our wine was not permitted. Not worth a special visit to Montreal, but worth a trip is you are in town.

And my question to you is:
Why is it Pink Lemonade Pink, what does Pink have to do with Lemons?

Ah, French Canada! Bon.
Bonjour, will get you a long way here.
Along with a high limit on your charge card.

We have been spotted for the first time this year. While in the Marina in Montreal, I was sitting on the stern reading, a daily occurrence with me, and a voice from above yells out "Captain". I look up to the voice, a gentlemen about 35-40' above me says, was that the boat in Passagemaker a few months ago? "Yes", is my reply, "where are the kids this year" he asks, "one is down below and three in town spending money." "Where are you heading", "Saguenay", is my reply, he yells down "Bon voyage" and he's off. I'm taken aback when this happens.

As we are now @ Marina De Trois Rivieres, I can look back and examine my preconceptions of Montreal. I expected great restaurants and great french food. I had hoped for bakeries on every other corner competing for my baguette business, I expected chocolate croissants with more and better chocolate in them. And, I expected a bit of resentment for speaking english.
Well, while the restaurants were not great, they were different and mostly pleasant. The bakery's were corporate owned and served mass produced baked goods that looked better than they tasted. And the chocolate croissants were, I am sorry to say, a disaster. But the people were wonderful, bright and helpful, patient and pleasant. And I'm sure if I had the time, and a car, I could have found better restaurants, and baked goods. Montreal's people will bring me back, with their joie de vivre, (love of life).

Marina De Trois Rivieres, is between Montreal and Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River, at the junction of only one river. I have asked how the town was named throughout the marina, but have come away with blank stares, and have left them questioning their towns name of three rivers, when there is only one. Sorry.
But wait, a woman comes running down the dock, and waves to get my attention. The towns name comes from the fact that there are two islands at the mouth of Riviere Saint Maurice, giving the explorer Champlain the impression of three rivers. Of course!

Its a beautiful clear day and the boat will get more cleaning and waxing, and a gel coat repair, yes I found a nail in the side of a dock with the side of the boat. But vola, it is fixed, perfect a Mon.

Last night found us at the local marina homard boil, (lobster) with a hundred of our dockmates. Being Canadian, they drunk more then we could consume in multiple nights, in a single sitting. AND, were up before us, and out boating while we were docksucking licking our wounds.

But we are heading the right way, and to the right spot. When we mention that we are headed to Saguenay Fjord, their eyes light up like a child's at Christmas time. Saguenay.

We have over 4000 miles of credit towards the Admiral Bayfield Cruising Award, offered by the Great Lakes Cruising Club, we need a minimum of 5000 miles cruising on the Great Lakes to apply for it. We have all the requirements, save the mileage, our choices this year were to go for the mileage and the Award, or to cruise new and unknown waters on the boat. As it was said to Indiana Jones in the Quest for the Holy Grail, we have chosen wisely. Admiral Bayfield, the Canadian Hydrographer who mapped the Great Lakes would be proud of us.
518 miles

Jay catches a line at a St. Lawrence seaway lock

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MV Summer School is at Saguenay Fjord - 6/21/06

Saguenay is the far reach on this Summers boating trip.

We started in Winter Harbor on the Eire Canal our "Northern Home Port" late May, and have been heading here ever since, just over 750 miles. Now that we are here, we will whale watch, bask in the no see ums, and luxuriate with the 15 amp dock side power. We are not complaining, Rimouski's docks aren't even in yet!

We just got in @ 7:00 PM after a 120+ mile run from Quebec City. Yes, the tides are 18' here, and no we don't care because we are on a floating dock. The docks here have been open for two weeks and we are early guests, there is a water shortage here and we can't clean the salt off of the boat, we have seen whale sign on the way up, and will cruise for them tomorrow weather permitting.

Diesel was 125/L in both Port De Refuge de Cap-A-L'aigle and in @ Club Nautique Tadoussac pronounced TA-DOU-SAC, here in the Saguenay Fjord.

Trawlers, Honey Girl and Last Whale are also here with us.

We are just in front of the red hulled trawler.

A word about the run up, we calculated to play the tides to our advantage, but we were two hours off in our calculation, and bucked the incoming 2-3 mph current for an extra 2 hours before it turned and gave us a push.

Excerpt from the St. Lawrence currents guide.
"In some cases, calmer waters then normal have been observed with strong surface currents flowing against the wind. The waves were piled up downstream from the current. When the current weakens or reverses, these waves may propagate in the direction of the wind into otherwise calm waters and appear unexpectedly. At times these waves may outlast the wind. "
In other words, (LARGE WAVES OF A SHORT FREQUENCY WITHOUT ANY WARNING FOR NO REASON)

We have been warned about this phenomena from four cruisers who have previously done this cruise we have just witnessed it. The amount of current and the winds direction in this area of the St Lawrence has the effect that there was no real "frequency" to the waves, it was more like running a rapid on a river. Very unusual, in 40 years of boating this is a first for us, thanks again to those on the list who have warned us about this. Our run up was perfect, with light westerly winds, which are considered by local experts as the best.

Everyone is fine, Thursday 6/22/06 had turned cold, overcast and rainy, very typical for this time of year, there is usually one good day out of three here, and we are paying the price for yesterdays perfect weather today.

Sunrise today was at 3:49 sunset is at 7:41 Yes, no mistake 3:49

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Quebec City - 06/19/06

Quebec City, and we are in our final sanctuary from the 18' tides, inside of the fully protected Bassin Louise accessed by a lock @ Marina Port De Quebec, with outstanding views of Quebec City.

Quebec flags are everywhere, and tonight is Tadoussac's big beach bonfire, just across from the marina. Its a tradition each year, and the residents of Tadoussac try to make the bonfire larger each year. Wood has been arriving on pick up trucks, so it should be a pretty good show. I've been told that in the past, residents have tried to bring down the wood for the bonfire in advance, but they have found that when they did, the wood always got burned before the big day.
Today should have been the kidnapping, but the guest couldn't show until tomorrow, so it will be Sunday. From what we gather, there was a town on the north coast that needed a doctor, so they dressed up their town to look prosperous, inflated the number of residents to quality for a doctor and lured him to the town, they call this "le petite kidnap". This is reenacted yearly and the guest will be kidnapped tomorrow. I suspect drinking will be incorporated into the kidnapping, no I'm quite sure it will be.
Vive le Quebec...

AND; today was our best whale watching day. Our timing was perfect, as we came out we followed the whale watching boats and just as they were turned around to come in, we were left alone with 10 whales around us at one time, CLOSE around us. They were typically 4-6' in diameter, they seemed to like our boat, one even swam up to us, and then right underneath us. VERY COOL.
We spent some time, a bit further to the east with two Zodiac's, following a 12-14' diameter whale that was sounding every 8 to 10 minutes. VERY BIG - VERY COOL.
We can also add schools of white beluga's and many seals to the list. An exceptional day for all.

The water is 46 degrees, and the air is cool, but the winds are still, and the skies is blue.

And to add to the fun of Quebec day, its Saturday and the weekend boaters are out to celebrate the holiday, due to the local short boating season, and perhaps the alcohol, the quality of dock crashes and stupid boat tricks has been exceptional. The hand gestures alone tell the story, the words are incomprehensible to us, but we get the idea, and sure so do you. Patti and I fully expect to get into the spirit of the day and have no firm plans for tomorrow.
As Quebecs drinking age is 18, we do not yet know what our two boys will choose to do.

Extras, I was asked how good our French was, we have travel French skills. We use phrases, and our hands, ALOT. We have key works like, Leved, (UP) as in hight tide. Coucher, (down) for low tide.
Pointing helps and when all else fails I give the job to Patti, and we both usually get surprised with the result.

There were only three types of whales in the St Lawrence when we were there, and we saw all three, they were Belugas, the white whales, and we saw loads of Minkes, and one Fin whale, which is the second largest whale that there is. When Patti and the kids went to the whale exploration center, she showed the staff the video she shot and they confirmed what we saw.

We were in Whale country for four days, and are now back tracking until just past Montreal where we will take the St Lawrence Seaway back to Lake Ontario, and then up to Winter Harbor for system checks, and time to allow us to take care of some problems that have come up in Newport RI.
Having the car @ Winter Harbor will be a great help for the trip.
Then hopefully back to the boat to finish the season. Jc

The marine weather radios says were in for four days of rain, but that the rain today should clear at noon. So were off early from Old Town Montreal to the entrance of the small craft tie up docks at the entrance of seaway locks, as the rain tapers off to a light sprinkle.

Our plan today is to get through the two seaway locks at Montreal by noon, and have a rain free passage for the rest of the day, its a good plan with many variables.

The Seaway locks take Freighters before Pleasure craft for obvious reasons, and locking through with a freighter is not allowed, their propwash would cause a pleasure craft serious damage.
Getting there is no problem, and docking is no problem, we use the dockside seaway phone to call in to the lockmaster, "yeh, yeh we see you, one hour and fifteen, I call you," click.
So we all get our books and find cozy spots to wait.

Then, in a very loud French voice "Pleasure Craft, Enter the lock on the green signal."

We put down our books and immediately hear, "PLEASURE CRAFT ENTER THE LOCK NOW!"

Six bodies in flight, hands to the bridge, hands to the dock, hands to the foredeck. And were off and underway in less than a minute; Jays on the foredeck and is pointing as we round the high lock entrance wall so that we can center up before entering the lock itself, the "U zip's on the bridge are closed because of the rain, and I can't hear what he is saying, but he's doing some serious pointing.

There's a very large bow of a Great Lakes freighter coming into view, coming out of the lock that we were just directed to enter, "NOW. "

Oh, these French and their jokes. This is there final payback to us for our very poor French.
Its a good joke, they win this time. 1147 miles.

So we leave Brockville and the clouds start to build, then darken, then we hear Prescott Coast Guard Radio forecast an immediate sever thunderstorm watch for our entire area. The rain starts and we turn on the radar as see the reverse front and were close to it, so no problems eh, the wind is blowing opposite of our direction of travel and were at cruising speed, we should be able to out run it. And we do, we get a beautiful low speed cruise through the thousand islands, and then to the left of us its dark again, and behind us its REAL DARK. And we can't confirm into Sacketts Harbor for our dockage, so we call Gananoque and make a reservation, no problems, but as we get our past Clayton and start the cut to the East of Wolf Island, Gananoque darkens up, So were in a horseshoe of Sh-t, hoping the horse doesn't put it's foot down onto us. To the East, and its clear so far, is Kingston, and its an equal distance as Gananoque was for us, so we head for Kingston and call to cancel our Gananoque reservation. The marina at Gananoque says that we were smart not to come, as they are getting hammered with wind, rain and lightning. Later in the day we hear there was Hail too.
Its Canada Day, July first and all the marinas are booked months in advance, we have a little pull here, and get a position on the wall at the Radison 50' from the marina. There's an art festival going on and the kids are thrilled to be back, Patti and I already went to our favorite restaurant so life is good. Yes, its gotten dark, and its blowing, but were in the lee of it all.
We cross lake Ontario, North to South tomorrow, weather permitting. Jc

July is a lost month to us, we are at the beckon call of others, and are responding to them rauther than making our own path. Little Sodus Bay, Rodchester, Bronte, Toronto, Colburg, Belleville, Pickton. We travel and visit, but always with the ever present cloud that our time on this Lake is not something we control. The weather cooperates and the Oswego Canal is closed for the early part of the month so waiting to mid month to transit home is a further restriction. Time cures all.

The Oswego Canal locks 1 through 8, and Lock 25 on the Erie Canal are open.
I must say that we now know everything there is to know about Osewgo, when, and how we will be able to put it to use it do not know. I did make a drive to Newport, RI. 380 miles down and another 380 miles back. Fuel for a car sure goes a long way...
We have had some personal issues to deal with and also need to go down to Newport yet again before we take off boating for the rest of the Summer. Were hoping the nautical gods will be good to us, perhaps giving us an additional few week, by releasing us from some obligations, please. But one never knows. Yes, our cell phone are working properly and our home # forwards to the cell. 1775.8 Miles

A word on the rest of the Erie Canal to the East of us, from Utica to Waterford. Its a mess, there is still a boat sunk in the lock at Lock # 15, (lock 15 is where the water was 8-10' over the lock walls.) Boats at the Waterford Canal entrance were whisked away together as the Waterford docks broke free and went adrift. That section of the canal may be closed for 4 to 8 weeks while major repairs take place. Some boaters can get around this by using Lake Champlain and up to the St. Lawrence but vertical clearance is restricted to 17' quite a bit less than the Erie Canal. Jc

Updated:12/6/06 Printer Version

Updated:12/6/06
Printer Version