We awoke this morning in the same spot we went to sleep. That's all you can ask when anchoring. It was another beautiful morning and a warm and sunny day. After taking Charlie to shore for his morning constitution, it was anchor aweigh for Sorel and the Richelieu River. We saw lots of ships along the way, mostly salties at anchor. The Richelieu River and Canal began for us at Sorel, Quebec. Sorel is most noted for its winter boots. It was a very industrial start to the canal but soon gave way to a river that reminded us of the South Channel of the St. Clair River. The changing colors made it a very nice cruise.

We stopped early after about 30 miles at the top of the Saint Ours lock (we’re locking up now) . It has turned out to be one of our favorite stops. We’re docked at a Parks Canada dock so our dockage here is covered by our season pass. The lock grounds are very park-like with walking trails, picnic tables, and a museum and marketplace. The museum and marketplace are closed for the season but the grounds and historic buildings are beautiful.

It’s October but it seems like mid-summer, except the trees are yellow and orange.

As we were sitting at our dock we felt the boat rock a bit and wondered what was causing it. Looking out we saw a boat approaching in the dark. Somewhat unusual. Upon closer inspection we also saw that it was a Grand Banks, the same make as Meander. Being good boaters, I went out on the dock to assist her tieing up to the wall. I tried out my best French with a hearty "Bonjour!" and was surprised to receive a southern “Howdy!”  The boat was a Grand Banks 46 from Shreveport, Lousiana. The owner was as surprised as us at seeing another Grand Banks and we were quickly invited aboard for a tour. We recipricated and they came aboard Meander with a bottle of wine. We talked boats for an hour or so before calling it a night. You meet the nicest people while cruising.