Thousand Islands

We cleared into Canada in the town of Gananoque, Ontario on Thursday, June 23rd.  With the ArriveCan app loaded with our passports and vax cards, the process was easy.  All the stress of bringing in too much hooch, vegetables, and raw eggs was for naught.  A quick phone call from the customs dock and we had our clearance number.  Since clearing in we've been enjoying the Parks Canada sites.  They are basically entire islands owned by the park system with trails, campsites, composting heads, docks, and/or moorings - perfect.  The first two nights we opted for docks (McDonald Island; Camelot Island) because it's too easy to take Millie for a walk, and tonight we are at anchor just off of the Beau Rivage Island. 

Neither of us has ever been to the Thousand Islands before, and they are absolutely spectacular.  If you've never been either, think the coast of Maine meets Lake Winnepesaukee, NH - oh right - and it is a river.  The coastline has evergreens right down to the rocky shoreline. The freshwater is in the low 60s which will take your breath away when you dive in.  Our recent weather has been spectacular: perfect sleeping weather, warming to the low 80s during the day.  Chrisy has enjoyed being out on her paddle board. A nice steady breeze has been enough to keep us cool in the afternoon and not enough to make Roger long for a sailboat.  The navigation is a bit tricky.  We've done a good job of charting our route on the iPad using AquaMaps.  When things get a bit dicey we are both on Ipad and the Raymarine chart plotter and taking our time.  There are tons of rocks just above and just below the surface, and they are pretty randomly distributed.  The standard system of Aides to Navigation is used, and they are supported by a system of private aides that are put out in the spring and picked up in the fall.  

We've been cruising by ourselves since leaving Clayton.  The Looper boats we met have all gone in different directions, and we haven't run into any others in the Canadian Parks.  We have, however, had great fun with the Canadian boaters.  There are lots of Quebecois who bring their boats down and obviously lots of local boaters taking advantage of the spectacular cruising ground in their backyard.  There are also lots of houseboats that can be rented for reasonable prices and can be insured for any number of calamities for $10/day.  There are no boater safety requirements for these folks.  We were quickly warned by some locals to give a wide berth to the houseboats particularly when they are docking.  "Have insurance, will boat." A quick inspection of the newly renovated docks revealed some damage that was credited to the houseboats.  

Millie is very proud of her Canadian courtesy flag.

Chrisy rocking the padel board.

Interesting tall ship off of Wellesley Island.

One of the anchorages off Beayrivage in the Parks Canada network of islands.

More Parks Canada

Millie - out for a walk in the park.

All good intentions..

 When we left Jamestown we had a strong conviction that we were absolutely going to stay in shape. We weren't going to let the cruising lifestyle impact our fitness.  We were going to come back in better shape than we left.  Bikes, yoga mats and blocks, multiple hand weights, tennis racquets, and pickleball paddles were meticulously placed in locations of honor - not buried in some inconvenient hold.  After all, they were going to be used every day.

Well, you probably know the rest of the story.  Life gets in the way; cruising gets in the way.  We wake up, have breakfast, give Millie a walk, check the engine, review the route, check the weather, and get underway.  Nope - you didn't hear anything remotely connected to fitness unless giving Millie a walk qualifies.  

When we get to our destination we pretty much reverse the process:  put the boat to bed, plan the next day's trip, look at the weather, and if it gets to 5:00 before fitness happens - forget it.  The exceptions can be the "Chrisy days" - the days when the boat doesn't move.  The bikes come out, the yoga mats see the light of day and we get a little workout.  

Today we tried to make up for it all at once.  Chrisy took a speed walk. She's actually very direct with how she communicates this.  "I'm taking a walk." Which means, "you're not invited because you slow me down." Ok - Ok - I get it. In that case - "I'm going for a run."  That's right, Roger went for a run.  It doesn't happen very often, but it has been known to occur.  Roger made it an entire mile and Chrisy probably doubled that. Following the respective run/walk, was a 45-minute slow flow, Dennis Morton yoga session, followed by a 10-minute hand weight session.  Roger was done and Chrisy finished up with god knows what.  Maybe we should work on some moderation.

I almost forgot to add a little something about our visit from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police AND the US Coast Guard. I guess with the price of gas they decided to coordinate their hassling of boaters. These guys have an amazing ability to board boats at the most inopportune time. In 2013 just as we were about to dock in Charleston, SC - fenders and lines out - 200 yards to go - the SC state police decided to pay us a visit.  Yesterday, just as we were entering a very narrow channel with tons of rock and current all over the place, they decided to ask about our cruising intentions and how many firearms we have on board.  Fortunately, it was a quick process and we were on our way. 

Singer Castle - we landed Egret on their docks and had a wonderful tour.

Egret in her natural habitat - at anchor - Picnic Point, off of Grindstone Island

Some fun river traffic

Getting some affection post-workout

1000 Island Bridge

We were joined for the day in Clayton by Nick and Sue where we had great fun touring the antique boat museum.

The best of times and the worst of times ...

Friday 6/17 we had a perfect trip down the first section of the St Lawrence River moving from Cape Vincent to Clayton, New York. The sun was out, temperatures were perfect, seas were calm, everything was great.  We pulled into the Clayton Harbor Municipal Marina and, after some confusion over our reservation, got settled at the end of the dock.  The end of the dock is generally a nice assignment as it's longer and it's obviously super easy to get out of the marina. 

We've been having a little trouble connecting with other cruisers who are heading on the same trip as ours. (there are so many variations of the Great Loop cruise that you can do).  Maybe we're offending people; maybe we're wearing the wrong deoderant, but for whatever reason, we just haven't found a group of cruisers who are on the same schedule, the same itineary of the Great Loop as ours.  When we pulled into Clayton, we were greated by three other couples who are cruising the same Great Loop schedule, and they quickly arranged some "docktails" - which are exactly what they sound like.  It felt good to finally meet a bunch of cruisers who are headed in our direction,  but as we broke off the docktails around 7 PM the winds were continuing to build. We headed out for dinner at one of several nice restaurants before shutting down at 10 PM.  

While the winds built throughout the afternoon and evening, we were protected by a nice breakwall and a couple of large boats.  The end of the dock was still a pretty nice spot.  We checked the lines and fenders and headed to bed.  At 11 PM the wind clocked about 30 degrees, and we were no longer protected from the breakwall and the big boats.  What was a favorable off-dock breeze with good protection became a rather unfavorable on-dock breeze with a two mile distance of open water for some nice waves to build up.  The end of the dock was no longer a nice place to be. 

We got up to secure the lines and check the fenders.  The bow was arching into the dock and coming dangerously close to one of the electrical stanchions so we secured a second line to the stern to draw the stern in and keep the bow out.  We also removed a massive metal bracket from the stanchion that was trying to gouge a hole in Egret.  We were not having fun.  The marina is part of a hotel and Roger actually proposed getting a room for the night. The proposal was met with absolute silence. The hours from 11 PM to 1 AM were spent bouncing around in the main cabin and listening for any new ominous sounds. We gave Millie a half dose of Melatonin, and she was extended a rare invitation to join us in bed.  By 1:30 AM the wind had calmed down just enough to allow us to get to sleep.  These are the kind of nights that make the calm, star-filled nights seem that much more special.   

Millie getting the update on the recent bike ride in Cape Vincent.

The harbor in Cape Vincent - nice and calm.

Underway to Clayton

Millie - proud of her invitation to docktails - photo credit Melanie Rohrbach

photo credit Melanie Rohrbach

The calm before the storm

The calm after the storm - sorry no pictures of the storm.  On Saturday we moved around the corner to a much more protected slip. It was still blowing 20, but the water was much calmer.  This is Monday morning.  

Freedom

 Ok Ok - we took a bit of a break from the blog and the boat over the last week as we got off Egret to attend a family wedding. It was great to get off the boat, and it's great to be back on the boat.  We left Oswego on schedule on Tuesday morning, and we could almost hear Egret express a big sigh of relief as she got a little freedom on Lake Ontario.  Egret did well in the canals, but she's made for the open water. It felt great to have her out on the calm lake at 17 kts.  She made quick work of the 35-mile trip to Sackets Harbor, located on the eastern side of Lake Ontario.  

We only stayed one night at Sackets, but it was one of our favorites to date.  It's a small but thriving community.  We were greeted by the Harbor Host within minutes of having Egret secured.  What is a Harbor Host you ask?  A Harbor Host is connected with the AGLCA.  What is the AGLCA you ask?  It's America's Great Loop Cruising Association - obviously near and dear to our hearts.  A Harbor Host is there to tell you all about fun things to do in town as well as ask if there are issues they can help you with like laundry and groceries.  We just had a rental car for a week so we were in good shape on both fronts.  

Sackets Harbor has a bunch of nice restaurants and a few antique stores.  It also has a rich history of shipbuilding and there are two forts that were important during the War of 1812.

Lake Ontario as seen from Bridge Street, Oswego, NY

Lake Ontario - water is so clear

A nice little park in Sackets Harbor

Egret on her free dock: Sackets Harbor

                                        

Sackets Harbor looking out onto Black River Bay, Lake Ontario

Tibbett's Point Light House on approach to Cape Vincent

Wind turbines on Wolfe Island

Typical storm coming across Lake Ontario. After leaving Sackets Harbor, we hustled into Cape Vincent and it basically broke up.

This is what your Strava looks like after a sightseeing 10-mile bike ride in Sacket Harbor.

We are currently in Cape Vincent, New York on a free dock. We went to our first brewery - The Cape Vincent Brewing Company - after a great sightseeing bike ride to the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse and other areas along the way.

Here's a link to our current location.

On to Oswego

 We've already talked about the perils of cruising on a schedule, but we've had a date for leaving the boat in Oswego, NY for a family event.  We did manage to leave some cushion in the schedule so we've been moving at a pretty slow pace the last few days.  

The girls are happy!

Millie's first ice cream.

Interesting bridge opening right after the lock in Phoenix, NY

The last few days we've actually been descending in the locks. This one is popular for its broken valve that creates a nice waterfall. 

A family of Canadian Geese supervising the process.

Sacrifices must be made.

You know you haven't had a shower in a couple of days when Apple's Face ID doesn't recognize you.  We're having a great time cruising in new areas so sacrifices must be made - daily showers are one of them.   A Facebook post from cruising friends of ours reminded me of a few more, "HOME! Family & Friends, Square bed, endless water, endless 120v power, no more battery 12v, hot water, air conditioning, flush toilets, large showers, high-speed internet 600 Mbps, curbside trash pick up, Weber propane BBQ, a car, Wawa, drive the car to the grocery store, no more walking 2 miles for milk...." The mention of Wawa really struck home. I could use a roast beef hoagie right about now.

We had a two-night stay on a free dock in Rome and left Thursday 6/2 for Brewerton, New York.  We picked Winter Harbor Marina because it's a full-service marina and we needed a little plumbing work done.  We had a small - one drip every 15 seconds - leak in the freshwater system.  I could see that a connection was cross threaded and thought it just needed to be backed out and rethreaded.  No such luck.  It became impossible to rethread the connection.  So I managed to turn a small leak into a rather steady stream.  Winter Harbor Marina was able to find a plumber, and fortunately for my ego it was not just a simple unscrew and rethread operation. 

You may recall our little soft grounding in the Niantic River. We were "pretty sure" that the prop and rudder were ok, because we've had the boat up to full speed several times without any vibration. We wanted to be absolutely sure. So we did a short haul which is basically just lifting the boat out of the water on a  big hoist - inspecting the bottom - and returning it to the water. Egret was fine.  

Yesterday Chrisy had a "little" craving for some ice cream.  She explained her predicament to the office worker who volunteered the courtesy car.  A wrong turn out of the driveway was not going to deter this woman.  She came back with two ice cream sandwiches, a diet Pepsi, and a Frappuccino - a woman on a mission.

I've seen a lot of drive systems, but I've never seen one like this.  My initial thought was that this boat goes really well in reverse. On further inspection the scoop -looking thing moves up under the swim platform to reveal some jet drives. Anyone with further knowledge is welcome to drop a comment.

A pretty nice Kadey Krogen

Egret on the dock

Chrisy led Roger on a nice yoga session under the pagoda.