Let’s have a last look at the variety of small craft between the Soo and Montreal, the inland waterway with locks.  Above the Soo and below Montreal . . .there are no locks.  And for the record, the Lakes have no appreciable tides, nor does Montreal and on up.  There seems some confusion about tides and Montreal, and maybe someone can clarify, but my understanding says that the river Saint Lawrence sans tides runs from Kingston to Lake St Pierre, above Trois Rivieres.  Below Lake St. Pierre to the Gulf of St Lawrence, tides are considerable.

But let’s start way up the watershed at the Soo, where fishing seems intense at the outflow of the St Marys Falls Hydropower Plant.

The “rock cut” is a sight on the west side of Neebish Island, and a ferry

of the Neebish Islander series crosses over.  Creating the rock cut was essential to avoiding a repeat of the Houghton blockade of 1899.  A vessel involved in that incident lives on as a breakwater near Toronto I should check out.  Here’s more on the rock cut itself.

Farther down the St Marys, here’s an uncommon rig that might look more at home on the Amazon or the Chao Phraya.

Next river is the Detroit, and a lucky couple bringing up a fish.

Iver Bright is just one of the large commercial vessels daily running a gauntlet of fishing machines.

Next . . .  up the Cuyahoga, I know I’ve read the story of this Forest City . . .  but I can’t remember and can’t find it in my searches.

The Welland Canal serves as the navigable “river” between Lakes Erie and Ontario, and here’s the 1921 HMCS Oriole, the Royal Canadian Navy’s oldest vessel.

Flowing downstream, we get to Gananoque, near where the Saint Lawrence Canadian side begins.  I should stop in next time instead of cruising by.  I believe the vessel forward of Little Toot is Windswept III, a 1935 Ditchburn cruiser.

Trumpy yacht  Washingtonian is worth a closer look as well.

The Saint Lawrence is small boat heaven, here’s a Wanderer below the Iroquois lock.

Manikoutai is the name.  I don’t know the manufacturer or even the reference, but the cruiser looks roomy.

Leo A. McArthur pushing the asphalt barge John J. Carrick is always a welcome sight.  I’ve not seen McArthur‘s fleetmate Everlast so far this season, but maybe in LL5 I will.  LL5 technically starts tomorrow.

 

I’m not sure the name of these beasts, either the boat or

the monster towing it.  It’s maybe an X650?

So it was a beautiful early summer day, and near Montreal, folks were partying on Labor Day, or

heading home to St. John’s on Bay Rover II, or 

resting up after scudding along on Ritalin?

Let’s bring it all home below the last lock in Montreal.  Guess the name of the narrow boat racing toward us?

I’m pretty sure that says “faucon millennium,” which you can translate.  Maybe the captain’s name is Han or Hans or something?

All photos over the course of less than a month, any errors, WVD.

Sort of related, check out this short video from my friend at marktwained on the difficulty big vessels might have of folks enjoying any river in small vessels.