10/7/26: Dalhousie

Our southerly filled in beautifully this morning. I came on watch at midnight to find us screaming along on a broad reach at almost 8 knots with full sail up. The conditions were perfect; if anything, we were worried about arriving at Port Dalhousie too early and having to wait for light. The wind backed off a bit, and we found ourselves turning into the entrance of Dalhousie—formed by two long, straight breakwaters—around 7:00 a.m.

Dalhousie was the location for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Welland Canals (the current canal being the fifth version), so it's a decently built-up harbor town. We pulled all the way in toward the first lock of the third canal, which is now a hydroelectric power plant. The wall we tied up to was lined with fishermen, much to Skip's intrigue. Right as we arrived one fisherman landed a huge fish and as soon as we made fast, Skip went over to ask what they were catching. The locals, a bit perturbed to be interrupted from their fishing, told us it was a king salmon, and that they threw them back because they were gross. Amazed, Skip returned to the boat to tell us what to report that they were throwing salmon away.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a shout from the dock. By the time we popped up to see who it was, the fisherman had already walked off, leaving us with a freshly gutted king salmon. We cooked it up for an excellent lunch, during which some pre-meal googling revealed that health advisories recommend no more than one serving of Lake Ontario salmon a month due to the contaminants in the lake. Having instantly hit our monthly quota, we still had a fair bit of fish left. So, crossing our fingers, we had it again for dinner under the logic that we'll likely go quite a few months after this without eating any more. Fingers crossed.

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