Marina Valleyfield

We stayed here twice. The best thing about this marina is its location. Due to the St Lawerence Seaway lock schedules and distances between locks, this is an ideal stop. Follow the buoys marking the approach channel carefully. It's quite tortuous. The first night we stayed along the wall in the "Old Canal". This had a very narrow entrance and two bridges across it that had to opened. The bridges had limited hours of operation. The canal itself had plenty of depth. It was close to several restaurant/bars and attractions. You dock on a public boardwalk that can get a bit busy and noisy at times. The second time we stayed, it was in the large marina itself. Power was limited to a single 30amp plug, the showers were fair here. My biggest issue with the whole place is that it was poorly managed. We were assigned a slip we couldn't get into the first night. Nobody knew how to resolve the problem. It was difficult to get people to open the bridges in the canal in a timely manner. The canal showers weren't available because the fob was lost. The billing was slow and confusing. In general, it didn't seem like employees alwasy knew what they were doing. We fueled up here and did a pump out and that was ok.

Don't be intimidated by the closeness of the slips and thoroughfares as they appear in overhead photos. The transient docks are right at the entrance next to the marina office and fuel dock. And the slips are very big and roomy, perfect for our 45' boat or bigger. Nice shoreside amenities (pool, laundry, bathhouses) and the staff (all Québécois) are delightful. And Valleyfield is amazing! You walk just a couple of blocks and you are right in the middle of a French water-side town with restaurants, bistros, shops and other attractions. There is provisioning (Metro grocery store) if you have a bike or some other transportation. There is also a grocery store called Vincents. A visit to La Petite Grange is a requirement.