JULY 15, 2010

Bill’s favorite time of day seems to be 5:30 am. That’s when we started the motor and pulled out of our dock at Sylvan Beach. Oneida Lake here we come. It turned out to be a wonderful trip across- what a difference from the turbulent waters of the last few days. The sun was shining and we crossed over with the 3 Nonsuch boats. Our destination was Winter Harbor where a package was being held for us - a much needed chip of Canada for our Garmin Chartplotter. The marina was fabulous. Immaculate, great showers, incredibly friendly and the use of a car as often as we needed it. . The owners even had herb gardens on the fuel dock where we were invited to take as much as we needed. I loved the smell of the basil, chives and parsley on the boat and actually used some of it to season our dinners. To make the day even more pleasant we started conversations with three other boats. This turned into a group pot luck cocktail hour and an invitation to see the fireworks and join a barbecue on July 3rd with the family of on one of the boats. Needless to say it was perfect. The weather cooperated, we all brought something good to eat and the fireworks were fabulous - such a display in such a small town was amazing.
We left the next day, July 4th for Oswego. More locks but not to bad and we were able to get a spot on the wall in Oswego - free of charge. We also met our Nonsuch friends there and we left the next day for Kingston, Ontario.

The trip across Lake Ontario was calm and cool. As we approached Kingston the hazy horizon seemed to vibrate. As we got closer we saw a field of windmills. Very ethereal in the haze as all the blades were turning. Before to long we were in Kingston Harbor and pulled into Confederation Basin to clear customs. As usual, Bill was in a tizzy trying to do all the right things for customs and immigration. The 12? year old dock youngster put us in a slip for a 19’ boat at no cost. Bill went alone to the authorities and within 10 minutes he was back without the border police.

Our next stop was the home of Andrew and Denise Appleton, friends we met in the Bahamas. We were headed to their incredibly wonderful dock right in front of their home on Treasure Island. They were on the dock to greet us, wind was blowing pretty hard but we successfully tied up. Hugs all around including Murphy their lovely, “petite” dog. Since the wind was still ripping Andrew and Bill brought ‘Interim’ to a protected cove where Andrew had a mooring ball for his boat (now summering in the Caribbean). Andrew and Denise were incredible hosts. They have expanded a cottage on the St. Lawrence River into a lovely home that they designed with the focus on views and comfort. A bountiful breakfast was waiting for us each morning. We toured Kingston to see historical sites, we shopped in Kingston to supplement our larder, we bought needed charts, ate a delicious meals, and filled our souls with ice cream - in short we DID Kingston.

Next stop was the 1875 Islands - the Canadian definition for an island: area greater than 6 sq. ft. and minimum of two trees. We followed island by island until we came to Beaurivage. Parks Canada supervises all the islands and has set up dockage and moorings on many of them. There is an honor system for paying for an overnight and the rule is usually just two nights maximum. Unfortunately, ’Interim’s 44 feet was a disadvantage. The moorings only held boats of 40’ and the docks were usually taken by smaller power boats and were frequently to shallow for us. Given that we found some wonderful places. We anchored off of Beaurivage, only 3 other boats there and first thing was to jump in the water. It was chilly but fabulous. Fresh water is certainly a plus for beating the heat.
The whine of small, fast runabouts and jet skis interrupted our enjoyment but that all stopped as the sun was setting and we enjoyed a quiet, calm, cool night. The next day we went to ‘Camelot’. An unusual setting since we anchored in over 40’ of water and a sailor in a boat already there took a stern line and tied it to a rock. Again, the heat was truly troubling but we spent tons of time in the water. I feel sorry for Simon and we did get him in the water as well. After ‘Camelot’ we went to Gordons Marina in Gananoque. It really was only a boat yard and store but they had a wonderful slip for us. The showers were wonderful and the staff great help. We walked around the town and decided to take a tour boat to Bolt’s Castle. One of the best decisions. We met a couple on the boat from Ottawa who we will call when we get to Ottawa.

George Bolt, a self made millionaire who owned a fancy hotel in Philly as well as the Waldorf Astoria, bought Hart Island in 1895- then changed it’s name to Heart Island.
He seemed to adore his wife and as a gift to her he started building a 120- room 4 story castle. However, she died in 1904. Bolt sent a telegram to the worksite and all work was then stopped. He also owned other island properties and built a fabulous boathouse. The boathouse had inside slips that accomodated yachts up to 128’ long. The castle deteriorated until 1977 when the Thousand Islands International Council took it over. It is still in the process of being restored using many of the original plans. We had a wonderful day as true ’tourists’. Back at the marina we had dinner and then walked across the property to ’The Playhouse’ where we saw the play“Blood Brothers”. Excellent local talent - somewhat depressing play but we enjoyed the evening.

After an overnight anchorage off of ’Bloodletter’ island we headed back to Treasure Island. Denise and Andrew were in the midst of getting their compound together for over 20 family members for the weekend. We said our goodbyes and started the journey through the Rideau Canal.

I could write pages and pages of this part of the trip but I will leave you all with the photos and a brief history. The Rideau (pronounced Reedow (as in window) was completed in 1832 for military purposes when Great Britain and the United States were both looking to control the region. The canal was primarily designed for steam powered vessels. It is the only canal dating from the great North American canal building era that remains operational along it’s original structures. The canal today has 47 locks that are opened and closed by hand. The people who work on the locks today are primarily college students. These young people, and some older folks, are friendly, helpful and make the journey through the canals totally enjoyable.
We are now in Smith Falls, the halfway point to Ottawa. Much to our surprise this is a big town of 7,000 people (we stopped last at a town of 300 people, 3 candy stores, 4 bakeries, etc.). There is also a Wal-Mart in walking distance but when we walked there yesterday it was so commercial that we quickly bought what we needed and came back to Victoria Park where we are docked. Also, this is Smith Falls annual festival and concert so we have some entertainment tonight.

I will stop here. The sights, sounds (Loon’s at night), and contacts with our fellow travelers overwhelms us at times. Planning where to go next has been challenging since we have to factor in the time spent locking but we are trying to plan together. There is so much to see……..

Til later….

Please check out the photos.....http://picasaweb.google.com/cdichter3

The weather continued to be hot and sultry but on June 23 we left the dock and our masts - our real journey has started. The trip up the Hudson is lovely and pristine on both shores. For the entire trip we rarely saw any commercial or recreational boats. After all, schools are still in session and summer vacations haven’t really started yet. The Hudson is a smooth, calm river that meanders past homes, train tracks and an ever changing vista ahead of us. We still haven’t quite figured out how many miles to go but several options were open for us. One was Coeyman’s Marina and another an anchorage that was charted. We still needed a major clean up and stowing so we chose the Marina. We called, gave them the particulars of ’Interim’s size and length and made a reservation. Much to our surprise when we arrived at the marina there was no room for us and we even had a difficult time maneuvering the boat in the narrowest of channels. We then decided to head for Troy, New York. Easy floating dock only a few transients the rest of the boats were small and seasonal. It had everything we needed - water, pump out, fuel and a park. As we were settling down we began to hear bass music from the park - we couldn’t see up that high and it continued for quite a while. We checked with the dockmaster and found out that the first ’Rockin Wednesday concert was that evening. He also told us that it only lasted from 5 - 8 pm. RIGHT! Very, very loud U2 music lasted until almost 9. Needed AC again. We had a good night sleep and spent the next day cleaning, doing laundry, and getting fuel. Joe, the dockmaster even lent us his truck to get to the hotel where we did laundry. We also found out all about Troy - history, old buildings, fires that burned it down, etc. Didn’t have time to do the full tour but the wrought iron staircase dated way back was gorgeous and saw some interesting monuments. Don’t know if we will stop here on the way back….

Our next stop was Waterford, NY and the locking begins. We left the dock with 2 other boats and requested that they go first so we could check out how it is done. The first lock is the Troy Federal Lock. Two huge doors open up and we slowly make our way to either a pole or ropes and/or both that go from the top of the lock down to the boat. Bill did a wonderful job setting out bumpers and fender boards but we were still a little shaky. After all we were going to be lifted 33’ up with swirling water pouring into the lock. We weren’t exactly graceful doing this but we seemed secure and then waited for the water to come in. With only a little jockeying we kept ‘Interim’ and ourselves safe. It is truly an awesome experience. Looking up at a tall concrete wall and slowly being lifted up while keeping the boat steady. We did scratch the wall slightly with our anchor at the bow but Bill quickly figured out how to manage it. I was so very happy when we reached the top. When the set of doors opened, we let the lines go and quickly left the lock. Success! We did get some good vibes from our fellow lock travelers. We only had to travel a few more miles to get settled at the floating dock in Waterford. Then we called our friends Dave and Carol and visited them at their “Ranch” in the afternoon. It was wonderful seeing them (we met them in the Bahamas), their beautiful home and back yards filled with motorcycles and all kinds of interesting ‘stuff’. Carol even took us for a trail ride through the woods behind their house and Dave remembered the ‘gummy bears‘. We had dinner together and then a goodbye - but we hope to see them again either in Waterford or in their other house in Ticonderoga.

The next day I walked to Hannaford grocery store for a few items and then on to ‘The Flight”. There are 5 locks all in a row that you have to go through without stopping. We didn’t even have our lock legs set yet but onwards we went. It turned out that in a very short time we have the lock dance down pat. No real surprises and for locks 7-20 we did just fine. The lifts were between 7to 30’ except for lock #17. Everyone talked about this lock because it was a little over 40’ high, requiring only a port tie up (Bill did an incredible job keeping the motor of the Whaler safe) daunting to say the least. However, we were just fine and because there were only two boats locking the lockmaster slowed the intake of water to reduce any turbulence.

From Waterford we stayed overnight at the Schenectady Yacht Club. Comfortable floating dock (everyone passing by does keep their wakes to a bare minimum along the entire canal), even a pool (to chilly for a dip). We exchanged yacht club flags and even had Chinese food delivered dockside. We left here for our next overnight at RiverFront Park. We met Don,Connie and their dog, Heidi, aboard a Monk trawler in Lock 13 and traveled with them to Ilion Park for the night. Met the family on ‘Avalon’. After a 10 year journey they are heading home to Canada. Again it was a park with fresh water and power provided free. Their parking lot is also an RV lot. The café was OK with constant attention by the staff and wonderful shower facilities The only stop that was not favorable was at Canajoharie - train tracks and highway with lots of noise all night.

After all the locks we went through going up(the last 5 or so were only about 20’ each) we finally started locking down at locks 21 and 22. So easy. We brought the boat in, picked up a rope and waited for the water to slowly pour out of the lock. However, after a major front went through it got quite chilly and windy. We never had much rain but we had the wind heard that about 20 miles south of us there was a very small tornado.

We are now in Sylvan Lake waiting to cross Oneida Lake for the next part of the trip. We arrived here on Tuesday and found 5 other boats also waiting. Since Bill forgot about the limit of alcohol that the Canadian government allows we have had everyone over for the last two nights to help us reduce our above quota amounts. The company was a delightful mix of Nonsuch sailors going to a racing rendezvous in Sacketts Harbor in Canada, to a family that has been living on their boat for 10 years, to a couple who have the neatest battery operated bicycles. We enjoyed our time together but tomorrow when the winds die down we will be going our separate ways. However, we know we will probably meet up again someday, somewhere.

We have tried to keep up with the historical events that have occurred here but it is overwhelming. I have tons of material that I obtained from the net, books that are on loan to us and talks with so many people who have experienced this trip before us that it may take awhile before I assimilate our experiences. Maybe I should have paid more attention in 4th grade when we studied New York State!

From Long Island Sound to the Hudson River to the Erie Canal to Oneida Lake to the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario in Canada! To be Continued.