Where are we going this summer? How does it fit with what we have done for the past few summers? How long will this take?
In 2022, Brio left Cape Cod (the name is sandwiched between Providence and Boston on the map) and went north to Portsmouth, NH (where we had dinner with Alice), then east across the Gulf of Maine to Saint John, New Brunswick.
Then we crossed to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, around Cape Sable to Halifax and Sydney, touring the Bras d'Or Lakes on the way.
Then we crossed the Cabot Strait to the French Islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Next, we crossed to Newfoundland, ending up at the southwest corner of Newfoundland at Port aux Basque.
We had a "salty" crossing of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the Iles de la Madelaine and then northwest past the Gaspe Peninsula and up the Saint Lawrence River.
On September 14th, we hit a submerged log just off of Rimouski, Quebec, where Brio was then hauled and trucked back to Marion, Massachusetts (near Cape Cod) for repair.
During the summer of 2023, we had a late start and limited our cruise to the Maine coast out to Grand Manan, New Brunswick. Grand Manan is the little fleck of an island just above the word Digby on the map.
For 2024, we plan to complete the Downeast Loop by going clockwise from Cape Cod to New York City. Then we will head up the Hudson River to Albany, where the eastern end of the Erie Canal is located. Then we go west on the Erie to the Oswego Canal near Syracuse. Then north on the Oswego to Lake Ontario.
Once we are in Lake Ontario, we will head northeast to the beginning of the Saint Lawrence River. That's north of Watertown, New York.
From there, we'll run down the Saint Lawrence through the Eisenhower Locks to Montreal and Quebec City. Then we continue down river to Tadoussac, which is across the River from Riviere du Loup, Quebec.
Tadoussac is the "whale capital" of the Maritimes. Nutrient-rich water flows down the Saint Lawrence and mixes with cold water flowing down the fjord-bound Saguenay River from the northwest. In fact, we plan to go up the Saguenay to see the fjord.
Then we turn around and head back up the Saint Lawrence, past Quebec City to Sorel, Quebec, and just shy of Montreal. Here, we head south on the Chambly Canal to Lake Champlain. We pass by Burlington, Vermont and head to Ticonderoga and the Champlain Canal to the Hudson River, New York City and finally Cape Cod.
Steve's wife, Kris, and my wife, Alice, will keep the home fires burning for us back on Cape Cod.
We are grateful! And the Downeast Loop will be completed.
Cheers,
Brio
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