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I paused our blog in August when we returned home. We brought ‘Interim’ back to Mamaroneck and then brought her back to Kingston, NY for the winter. Before to long Bill and I flew to Scottsdale, AZ to visit my Aunt Flo. She is 93 years old and we decided to visit her and then travel around Arizona and New Mexico.

After spending hours trying to plan the road trip I suddenly realized that I had little experience at this type of traveling. When we went to the Bahamas we were up at dawn, traveled approximately 50 miles, dropped the anchor, had dinner and then to bed with few stops to sightsee and visit along the way. Now we had lists of places to visit and no idea how to plan to see them. On this road trip we got up in the morning, had breakfast and then got in the car and traveled fairly long distances before we stopped at the next site. Surprisingly we saw almost everything on our list - Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelley, Sedona, the Navajo Nation, Gallup, Sante Fe and Albuquerque. On the way I did some shopping and bought a few treasures, naturally including turquoise stones.

We were still quite restless so I persuaded Bill to paint the living room, kitchen and hallway. He kindly agreed and then we began the process of choosing a paint color. It is one of my weakest skills, causing headaches and stress. However, we found a paint color and Bill did a wonderful job - quite professional. Of course we finished painting and putting our stuff back in place just a few days before Thanksgiving. We hosted our family and thoroughly enjoyed the day - especially watching our newest member,15 month old Alexis, unknowingly become center of attention. On Friday we had friends over for a leftover feast.

I also have just really processed the fact that we will be spending the winter in New York with the waters of the Bahamas very far away. However, I don’t mind the cold and snow as long as I can be warm and toasty at home.
‘Interim’ is spending the winter all shrink wrapped in Kingston, N.Y. In June we plan to leave from Kingston and head towards Canada and the Trent Severn Canal. The Trent Severn Canal will take us to Georgian Bay in Lake Huron.

August 22

How quickly plans change. On Sunday, August 22, we saw our friends Nancy and Wayne enter the first lock on the Erie Canal to begin their trip home to Trenton, Ontario. It started to rain and in a very short time the gentle rain turned into a monsoon. I went back to ‘Interim’ to keep dry. But first I visited the farmers market that was set up right in front of the Waterford Visitors Center. Hardy souls all - both buyers and sellers. I bought a few items and settled in for a day of reading and puttering around inside the cabin. It poured pretty much the entire day but seemed to ease up in the evening. As a reference we were docked on the Mohawk River. However, our lines were stretched to the limit and the water was churning under our keel. At times it was quiet but then we would get a surge of turbulent water running under the boat. It was difficult to sleep but we seemed OK.

We woke up to a raging river with logs, trees and all kinds of stuff heading our way (our friends saw an entire garage float by) . The Erie and Oswego Canal locks were all closed due to the rising river. We also kept watch on a depth marker on a nearby bridge which also showed the rising of the water level. All of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I saw a dock (over 60’) that had been installed only 2 weeks ago break free and start racing towards all the docked boats. I yelled to Bill, he raced up and everyone seemed to mobilize. Two very brave boaters seemed to grab on to the dock and it actually stopped moving just inches away from our bow. It was then tied up and for the next hour or so over 15 very capable yachtsmen (including Bill) captured the dock and moved it to a safe spot. The rain was still coming down but not as hard and everyone was breathing a little easier.
We were expecting Bill’s brother and Sophie, his wife for lunch and with all the commotion we didn’t even know that they had arrived and were helping out as well. It was great to see them.

Everyone was referencing this storm to ones that occurred in 2005 and 2006 when there was major flood damage, locks were closed and people were evacuated. I, then asked someone what would happen if the waters continued to rise and overflow the banks. He told me that all of the boats (there were over 15 at the dock) would go through the Erie lock at Waterford and tie up between lock #2 and lock #3. . With all the locks closed they could control the water level and keep us safe (in 2006 the boats were kept there for quite a long time but the lockmasters were able to arrange for hoses for water and electric hook ups). Fortunately that didn’t happen. However, we couldn’t leave Waterford until Wednesday and as of yesterday our friends, Nancy and Wayne were still in Amsterdam, NY at lock 11 and I just received an alert that the canals were still closed.

We left Waterford on Wednesday and headed to the last lock of our trip. Bill calculated that we went through 103 locks. WOW. We started the locking experience at the Federal Lock in Troy, NY and now we are ending this part of the trip at the same lock. Only this time we weren’t newbies and handled the lock easily.

The trip to Kingston was easy - still cloudy and cool but very comfortable with a flat, calm Hudson River. We arrived at Kingston in the early evening and our slip and masts were waiting for us.

Thursday August 26

Up bright and early with the sun shining and cool temps. We find out that the yard won’t be putting our masts back today but we are scheduled for tomorrow. We call Dan and Deb and arrange to meet them for lunch. Finally, we did a complete clean up and Bill is beginning to get the boat ready for the masts. We meet Dan and Deb for lunch and Bill finally has his mega burger. Lots of conversation about “what to do with the masts”. Bill and I had merely touched on the possibility of not putting them back but at lunch that was a major part of our discussion. After lunch, we stopped to talk to Dave, the rigger we met in June. He was clearly of the opinion that all the rigging needed replacement -go figure it’s only been 36 years. Lots of possibilities were discussed and for the first time this seemed to be a real issue. Back on board Bill and I put our thoughts on the table and possible options.

Well, by bedtime we had agreed that we were not going to put the masts back and would explore keeping ‘Interim’ in Kingston for the winter. However, we needed to get facts and figures.

So>>>>> ‘Interim’ will not be a sailboat any longer.

We will have a mast on the aft deck built from our mizzen mast to hold radar, horns, lights, etc. that will be hinged to come down for low bridges.

We will bring ‘Interim’ home to Mamaroneck and sometime at the end of Sept. bring her back to Kingston for the winter.

But for now, we will leave Kingston tomorrow. Stay overnight in Haverstraw and if all goes well be home, in Mamaroneck, either Sunday or Monday.

August 22, 2010

Our first stop after Montreal was the marina at Sorel, jumping off point to the Richelieu River. We thought we would see large ships since we were actually in the St. Lawrence seaway but it wasn’t to be. Our trip was uneventful. The marina was Ok and we successfully made our way into a slip. We rested a bit then decided to walk into town. However, we were sidetracked by a glowing sign that stated “Ice Cream”. We, of course, stopped for ice cream and made it back to the marina before the rain started. The weather report was calling for more rain so we decided to stay over another night. Took a cab to “Prince Pizzeria” - Bill was happy and the waitresses laughed at his jokes and the pizza wasn’t bad at all. We walked around Sorel, shopped a little (several stores were liquidating their inventory and closing up), even bought some produce from a farmers market. More thunderstorms at night but not so bad.

Left early on August 4th for the trip down the Richelieu and the St. Ours lock. Then we were watching storms moving into our area so we picked up some steam to cross the Chambly towards the series of 3 locks in the Chambly Canal.We made it through the first lock and then tied up in the second lock. Again, the storm clouds were getting closer and rumbles of thunder could be heard. After the locking was over my job was to turn the motor on to leave for the next lock. Well, I pushed the button and nothing happened (Bill installed a new solenoid in Kingston, Ontario and the starter motor was working beautifully until….). The lock doors opened and instead of traveling to the next lock under power the staff towed us with ropes by hand to the lock. When the lock doors opened we found out that the staff moved a boat and were able to tow us to the wall to tie up. As soon as the last line was secured the heavens opened up and all the lock staff was drenched. But once again, Parks Canada chose wisely when they hired the staff. Everyone was in good spirits - except those on board ’Interim’ - and helpful throughout.
Bill fiddled with the starter motor and as of today (August 22) we haven’t had any further trouble with the motor and we only have 1 more lock to go through.

The trip through the Chambly Canal with it’s 6 locks was gorgeous and at times very narrow (often 2 boats couldn’t pass by). However, the staff monitored who was traveling through and no mishaps occurred. We arrived at St. Jean with Wayne and Nancy there to greet us and help us tie up and we shared another fabulous dinner.
We stayed overnight and on Friday, August 6th we cleared customs at Rouse Point and were officially in the USA once again.

The trip through the Chambly Canal with it’s 6 locks was gorgeous and at times very narrow (often 2 boats couldn’t pass by). However, the staff monitored who was traveling through and no mishaps occurred. We arrived at St. Jean with Wayne and Nancy there to greet us and help us tie up. We stayed overnight and on Friday, August 6th we cleared customs at Rouse Point and were officially in the USA once again.

We were now in Lake Champlain. Stopping at different harbors each night was a joy, the scenery gorgeous and even though the mountain ranges on both sides were hazy we still had the vistas of the Adirondacks on the New York side and the Green Mountains on the Vermont side. We finally saw many, many sails up as the wind and weather was perfect for several days. However, the sails were primarily flying the Canadian flag. All along this trip we rarely saw any American boat - sail or power until we were in Waterford, NY at the bottom of Lake Champlain. We stopped at North Hero Island, Pelot’s Bay, Deep Bay, Valcour Island, Shelburne Bay and then Vergennes where we stayed 4 days due to high winds. Then Bulwagga Bay and on August 18th We entered the Champlain Canal System. Both the Erie Canal and the Champlain Canal were markedly different from our experiences in the Rideau, Lachine, and Chambly. The Champlain locks were all automated with a lockmaster who primarily pushed the buttons to fill or empty the water. We missed the parklands above and below the locks and the connection with the students who worked so hard filling and emptying the locks by hand. There were places on the Champlain Canal and the Erie Canal to stop for the night but the towns that were once flourishing are now in a steep economic decline.

We are now in Waterford (the laundromat rates a 10 plus) ,New York where both the Erie and Champlain Canals begin and where we started our canal portion of the trip to Canada. Wayne and Nancy left this morning for their trip back to Trenton, Ontario. We will head toward Kingston, NY tomorrow to retrieve our masts. Our ETA for Mamaroneck may be Friday, August 27 depending upon wind, weather and if I can sneak in a few extra days before returning home.

I seem to have used up most of my storage which limits my photos online. However, I have added several more Albums and will try to do more.

Til next time…..

August 3rd, 2010

The plan for the next stage of our trip is to traverse the Rideau Canal (Rideau rhymes with window). This was a change in plans since we heard from many, many people that the Rideau will be much more beautiful then going to Montreal via the St. Lawrence Seaway (and the BIG locks). So we found all the charts and guidebooks and off we went - waving a goodbye to Andrew Appleton who was preparing for his family gathering.

The first stop was to overnight in Kingston’s inner harbor. There were two routes to get there - one a bridge that opened and another that had a clearance of about 12 ½ feet. I was sure we needed to wait for the opening bridge but Bill took down our wooden mast, flags and all and we took a deep breath and went under the bridge. Taking the Rideau allowed us to bypass 5 huge locks in the St. Lawrence Seaway. But it also planted a seed in Bill's mind to try to avoid going through the last 2 large locks in the seaway around Montreal and the Lachine rapids.

We were very fortunate to have gorgeous, although hot and humid, weather until yesterday when we had a few thunderstorms and lots of rain. This pattern may continue for a few days but then, hopefully, we will get some wonderful weather for the last part of our trip.

Anyway, back to the Rideau. The Rideau was conceived in the wake of the War of 1812. It was to be a war time supply route for troops and supplies from Montreal to the settlements of upper Canada and the naval dockyard at Kingston. It opened in 1832. Thousands of Irish immigrants, French Canadians and Scottish stonemasons were among the labourers who helped push the canal through rough bush, swamps and rocky wilderness. Many were also killed by malaria and other illnesses. The canal is 202km (about 125 miles) long. Starting in Kingston, 14 locks raise vessels a total of 50m (about 160 ft) to Newboro, the highest point in the Upper Rideau Lake, 31 locks lower vessels 83m (approximately 250 ft) to the Ottawa River. The lockmasters and their staff continue to operate the locks by hand at most of the 24 lock stations. The locks can accommodate boats up to 90 ft in length and 26 ft. in width. Two of the locks now use hydraulic systems to let the water in or out. In addition, Parks Canada has provided docks, parks, picnic tables, washrooms along the way and near the lock stations. We found the lockmasters and their staff to be polite, interested in helping anyone who needs help in tying up their boat before locking through, catching lines, and providing all kinds of information. We would ask the staff if there was room to dock at the next lock and they would call ahead. The staff was comprised of some senior members but the majority were young men and women who were in college. As we went along the scenery would change from wetlands to granite cliffs to farmland we never had a problem finding a place to stop at night. The locks at Ottawa were truly a challenge. There were 8 consecutive locks dropping us down to the level of the Ottawa River. It was very hot but we made it without a hitch. This experience was wonderful. We met many other boaters, speaking English as well as French. We also met two couples who took us under their wing (this was not their first trip) and before long we were enjoying group dinners together. Nancy and Wayne and Betty and Ray along with Betty’s sister and brother-in-law were truly a blessing for us. I know the entire experience would not have been as wonderful without them. We are hoping to meet up again in Lake Champlain.

It would be to long a blog to mention everything that we did and saw but Bill and I will always remember this part of the trip as a gift. I took many, many photos but they can’t even come close to how we felt along the journey.


August 3rd, 2010However there is one event that will probably be Bill’s highlight of the entire trip. I mentioned above that there was a canal, the Lachine Canal, that bypassed the huge locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway. This canal was opened in 1825 and carried vessels around the Lachine Rapids at Montreal. The 8.2 mile long canal used 5 locks to take a vessel from Lachine to the West of Montreal to the harbor in Montreal. However, the canal was allowed to fall into disrepair after 1959 and sections of it were even filled in. Well, here’s the challenge. When the canal was restored there wasn’t any money to raise the height of the bridges spanning the canal. Any vessel going through the canal must not be higher than 8 feet. Yup, that includes a vessel like ’Interim’. After calling the canal supervisors, visiting the locks and fiddling with ’Interim’ Bill was going to give his all to make the trip and when Bill makes up his mind to do something - well all who know him know what will happen. Catherine and David became partners in Bill’s scheme to lower ’Interim’ profile to get under the bridge. First he took down the wooden
mast-not enough. Then off came the stainless steel binnacle guard - not enough. Next he took off the compass - not enough. Then the entire stainless steel bow pulpit came off - not enough. Finally, he took down the pole that was flying the American flag - and that proved to be enough. ’Interim’ looked pretty awful. The lockmaster came with his measuring stick and low and behold pronounced that we could proceed. We were observed by everyone on the walking paths beside the canal and we were told that no other vessel our size had ever accomplished this. It was a red letter day for Bill, Catherine and David. I, of course was pessimistic but took loads of photos.

We loved cities like Otttawa, Kingston and Montreal and towns like Merrickville. We laughed a great deal especially when the Elvis impersonator came over to me and gave me a great big kiss. We can’t thank our friends Andrew and Denise and Catherine and David enough for making this journey so pleasant. Simon is still waiting for the small bites of melon that totally spoiled him. White water rafting and seeing Sweden’s fireworks display as part of an international fireworks competition were certainly not on our agenda but will always be remembered.

Now we begin the journey home. We will enter the Richelieu River and travel down to the Chambly Canal. From there we will stop at Rouse’s Point to go through customs and enter the United States. I’m sure that this part of the trip, experiencing Lake Champlain, will also be memorable. Our friends and acquaintances have made many suggestions as to where to go and what to see and we hope to get to most of them.


To be continued…..