Knowing that we might be exceeding the Canada limit of two bottles of wine per person (we had two cases on board), we continued north to determine our fate.

We crossed under the Rouses Point Bridge, and past Fort Montgomery. Eventually we saw the small white marker at the USA / Canada border, and then pulled up to the dock for Canadian Customs.

We were told to wait on the dock as two customs agents inspected our boat. We had friends on speed dial to send “lawyers, guns and money” in case the extra wine became an international incident!

The agents were friendly and quick, telling us that extra wine was okay, since the boat is technically our home. Whew!

We then cruised on to the quaint town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where we spent the night by the impressive Pont Gouin Bridge.

Next day we followed the lovely but narrow path of the Chambly Canal.

Canal cruising is always a fun way to see the local towns. At one point the canal was above the level of the houses, so we were looking down at them!

The small locks along the canal are still hand-operated by friendly (and strong) young people! They crank the lock doors open, toss us lines to hold the boat steady, crank the doors closed and once the water level has lowered, crank the doors open again. They were a wonderfully friendly and helpful group!

That afternoon we stopped by a lock wall and ran into town for a quick slice of pizza. I love food! Later in the evening we found a cute restaurant by the water and had a great dinner and delicious dessert to celebrate our 35th anniversary. I love Kenton, too!

In the morning, we went through three connected locks that gave us a big drop down to the Bassin de Chambly.

It was a pretty day to cruise and see the sights, the pretty houses, and the many, many churches.

We got through the lock at St Ours and then headed to Sorel. We could tell that we were nearing the St Lawrence Seaway, as the ships got bigger and bigger.

Next stop, Montreal!