On Sunday, September 2nd we pull into the Old Port of Montreal and take a berth at the Montreal Yacht Club. We have more sightseeing to do here, some provisioning, and a crew change.
Finding the tour bus in Montreal takes a bit of walking. This city of 2 million holds 1/4 of the population of it's province of Quebec, the largest province in Canada (by area). It is a sprawling working city with many interesting neighborhoods and it is the home of acclaimed McGill University.
Mount Royal itself is largely greenspace with beautiful parks, vistas and forests. The parkland was originally designed by Frederick Olmsted, who also co-designed New York's Central Park.
From a historical perspective, the most interesting site to visit in Montreal is the archaeological Museum located near the Old Port. The museum sits atop an archaeological dig that exposes four thousand years of human history. Jacques Cartier visited this site in 1535 when it was an Iroquoian village by the name of Hochelaga. 100 years later the First Nations people we're gone from the area largely because of European diseases, and what was to become Montreal was settled in 1642 by the French. The archaeological dig shows the evolution of that early settlement which grew to become a major Outpost in New France and is now second only to Toronto as a commercial center in Canada.
Jim English has been first mate on Nano though all 79 locks from Albany to Montreal. Navigation, piloting, deckhand, engine maintenance, trouble-shooting; Jim does it all. Jim is also a busy guy. A retired Sacramento firefighter Jim lives in Auburn, is caring for his father and working on wedding plans with his daughter Emily in New Jersey. We've been lucky to have Jim on this trip but he has to leave us in Montreal. Bill Fitzgerald, also a seasoned sailor and longtime Rowdy Sailing Buddy, flies in from San Francisco to join the trip on September 4th. Jim and I take a hotel to give Bill some space to move on to Nsno. The luxury of a feather-top bed is almost too much to bear.
Place Jacques Cartier, an early market place in the Old Port of Montreal, is now Restaurant Row. The four of us have a great final dinner at Lord Nelson's Garden which had become our favorite restaurant with good music.
On Wednesday September 5th Paul, Bill and I set off for Quebec City leaving Jim at the hotel to catch a later flight.
