Voyage of Contrasts / Guest Posting

On Jun 28, 2012, at 10:29 AM, Sheila wrote:

I arrived in Montreal in the dead heat of summer. Took a cab from the airport to the marina. The taxi driver had never heard of Port D'Escale even though the name is all over the Vieux Port (Old  Port) of Montreal. Got out of the cab and luckily sighted the Adirondack by looking over the railing into the marina.

Adirondack is a comfortable boat. We returned from walks in the 100 degree heat to an air conditioned room and had cocktails under the evening sky and ate scrumptious meals cooked on the boat.

Left Montreal on a beautiful day for a calm sunny ride to Trois Rivères. Spent much of the ride basking in the sun while sitting in the front of the boat. Anchored in a popular area near Trois Rivières. Went for a swim and took a lovely dingy ride around the area...not until after Jeff played Taxi driver in the Dingy to help 6 teenagers in bikinis make the trip from the land to the boat with 2 guys waiting in it.

The trip from Trois Rivières to Quebec City was anything but calm. Early in the trip 3 freighters overcame us and Jeff waited for them to pass in order to avoid the rough waters caused by their wake. He discovered that backing up the boat lessened the impact of the waves. After the freighter passed, I made the mistake of sitting outside near the captain without wearing raingear. After bouncing up and down for nearly 2 hours, I needed to make what had previously been viewed as a very quick trip to one of the boat's bathrooms. Jeff alerted me to be careful, but I didn't fully interpret his message until the boat lurched forward and I quickly sat down on the stairs and held the rails. I made the rest of the trip in very short bursts of relative calm, and entered the boat's kitchen sopped. It took another half hour for the ride to be calm enough for me to make the typically quick trip to the bathroom.

How we welcomed arriving in calmer waters and the sight of Quebec City on the horizon! We passed through the locks into the marina and spent the next few days exploring the city while walking up and down the hills of the Vieux Ville.

Appreciated the much cooler weather although we did get drenched by an occasional shower. I am sorry to be leaving, and wish the crew of the Adirondack many more wonderful adventures! It is only because of the rough seas that the calm can truly be appreciated.

Sheila Merzer

A Friend