I joined the ship at the Lock in Saint-Lambert, which was an experience in itself trying to get there from Montreal early in the morning. The taxi driver had no idea what I was talking about and I only knew how to get there by bike via Ile Notre Dame.
On top of this, since I don't commute in the city or have a car, I was unaware that the Victoria bridge has only one way traffic coming from the South Shore to Montreal in the morning. So, we ended up on the Champlain bridge. Once over the bridge, we could see the lock but still had no clue how to get across the 20 to it. Fortunately, I caught sight of the cyclist's bridge that crossed the highway and just told the driver to let me out so I could walk the rest of the way.
It was an interesting trip through the Seaway because the crew was francophone and the vessel is a hundred feet longer than my ship. I got to see how a larger ship handles in the locks and the river currents. Most of the crew had not been above the Beauharnois Locks so it was partly a working transit but also a chance for them to do some sightseeing through the Thousand Islands. These pictures were taken by one of the wheelsmen who had a very nice camera.
Past Clayton, a 'Salty' was close behind us so we let him pass on the starboard side on the way to Cape Vincent and Lake Ontario.
There was a good 25 knots of wind on the lake, but the heavier ship barely moved beyond a gentle rocking to provide a pleasant night's sleep across the lake.
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