July 7…Lock opens at 9:30…and we are third in line to go through…it’s just a 3’ lift…but seems to take forever…people getting off boats to buy ice…making change…buying permits and passes. This lock and really the rest of the locks we encounter will be part of the Canadian Parks System…just like the Champlain Locks. Much more friendly and willing to serve…we are ever so glad. The locks are small…and this one has four of us rafted inside by the time we get all settled. PRINCE ARTHUR is who we are rafted to and they speak English and travel at about our speed. We figure we’ll be seeing each other at the Carillion Lock twenty-six miles away at mid day. We quickly make friends and they decide to stay at the Montebello Marina with us tonight. Father Jack, son and DIL, Robert and Stacy , and little Jasmine (5^th grade)…they just bought this MONK trawler in Quebec City (three days ago) and are taking it home to Gore Bay, Ontario.

Carillion Lock is the biggest in all of Canada…65’ up…which is a pretty formidable view from the bottom…we have to wait about 20 minutes …but that just allows me time to get Dakota off for a little play/relief time…it all works! This is just the second time we’ve encountered a lock where the gate on the lower side is lifted over the entrance and vessels pass under it to lock through. It is very much like looking at the wrong side of a guillotine.  There is a small floating dock inside the lock…so it is even better than the floating bollards we are so use to… PRINCE ARTHUR, TUMBLEWEED are secure…then a couple of others come zipping around the corner and they come right in. Sixty-five feet of water takes some time….but the ride is smooth and easy. We have 30 more miles to go before the marina tonight. A couple of rain showers and howling wind …but we figure that is wind is made worse because we are headed into it.

We figure we’ll be seeing PRINCE ARTHUR  plenty for the next week or so…Jassy fell in love with Dakota…and they wear each other out at the marina…good timing…more storms moved in one at 10 ish…another at around 11…then temps cooled and we all slept really well!!!! It was a long day!

July 8…Wednesday…short trip up the hill to have breakfast and visit the grocery store…we head to Ottawa today. No locks til we get there and there is docking at the bottom and at the top…so either way we are good.