Day 272 - June 13, 2014: Trenton, Ontario

We arrived in Trenton, Ontario, just after lunch and docked at the Fraser Park Marina. This is the entrance to the Trent-Severn Waterway which we have been eagerly anticipating since starting the Great Loop.

Dundas St. bridge from our dock at the Fraser Park Marina

Samuel de Champlain passed through this area in 1615 with a war party of 500 Huron Indians, and while here surveyed the area. Today, Trenton is the site of the main air station for Canadian Armed Forces, and the National Air Force Museum of Canada is also located here.

We got out the bikes and rode up to Mt. Pelion, the highest lookout point over the city and bay. It is almost certain that de Champlain stood here, as well. You can almost see Great Laker in the marina below (just left of center on this side of the river).

View out over Trenton and the entrance to the canal on the left

Around six, we sat on the sun deck and listened to a local band performing in the park just beyond our dock. The music was blue grass with a fiddle, guitar, bass, and drums.

Local Blue Grass Band

Day 271 - June 12: Bay of Quinte and Picton, Ontario

Some days involve challenging decisions. With the weather reports showing relatively high winds swinging from the southeast to the south and towards the southwest during the day, we knew that cruising west into and through the Bay of Quinte, where there are sizable openings to Lake Ontario, would put sizable waves on the beam. In addition, there was a reasonably high probability for rain and thunderstorms. Should we go or stay?

Doppler radar is widely available to supplement weather reporting, and I use it extensively to give me real-time information about the location and movement of storm systems. A weather report that says 90% chance of rain means little if the Doppler shows your location is likely to be in the 10% that will be missed. After some analysis, I concluded that the winds would be under 13 mph and we were in a pocket of safety from lightning and thunder.

As we departed, we passed Fort Henry which was built by the British after the War of 1812 to protect the entrance to the Rideau Canal. It includes a series of distinctive Martello Towers as a part of the defensive system. These towers are well preserved and available for the public to tour.

Martello Tower at Fort Henry

The Bay of Quinte provides a relatively protected 36 mile passage over to Trent, the entrance to the Trent-Severn Canal. There are no bridges to the islands for inhabitants along the way. Instead, a series of submerged cables pull car ferries back and forth. These ferries transit frequently and can unexpectedly move out just as you are passing by, so it is important to be alert.

Car ferry on cables

Picton, Ontario, is the largest town in Prince Edward County and is noted for its local artisans and their crafts. It is also close to Canada’s wine country which draws many tourists. We took a slip at the Tip of the Bay Marina and walked into town to see the sights and take advantage of free secure wifi at a local coffee shop.

On the way, I spotted a most unusual red steel pilot-house trawler. I learned a local school principal had the hull made and then finished the interior and mechanicals by himself. What a great job! Doesn’t it tug at your heart?

Steel-hulled tug named "Rosebud"

Day 270 - June 11, 2014: Kingston, Ontario

Today is rainy and not so good for cruising, so we decided to spend another day in Kingston. These extra days are not a problem, as you can see below. 

We have traveled for 270 days and 5,750 miles on this trip so far. That is an overall average of a little more than 20 miles per day. A typical day’s travel is 30 to 60 miles, and we have gone as far as 100 miles per day several times. So, for example, if every time we traveled we went 60 miles that day, the next two days we could stay put and still be on pace. 

With umbrellas over our heads, we walked the waterfront street and passed the Hotel de Ville, which means “City Hall” in French. You can’t rent a room for the night there. The impressive dome was visible from our slip in the marina.

The Kingston City Hall

The downtown streets were quite active with people moving quickly to their destinations, and storefronts were filled with interesting shops and galleries. We stopped to browse in several shops and then picked up a few grocery items.

Ontario Street along the waterfront

This corner building had an interesting architecture and housed a coffee shop on the ground floor. I wondered who might have built it and for what original purpose.

Unusual architecture above a coffee shop

Kingston has a reputation for fine international dining, so we ate lunch at Curry Original, the only Indian restaurant recommended by Where to Eat in Canada. It was unique, delicious food, and we had great service. 

Day 269 - June 10, 2014: Boldt Castle and Kingston, Ontario

George C. Boldt, the son of poor parents, came to America in the 1860s from Prussia. A man of great skill and imagination, he became the most successful hotel magnet in the country, managing the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia.

Boldt Castle, on Heart Island, was to be the testimony of George's unsurpassed love for his wife. Cost was to be no issue, and three hundred workmen were well underway with the elaborate summer home when in 1904 tragedy struck. Boldt's wife, Louise, suddenly died. Workmen were dismissed, and furniture waiting in New York was never delivered. Boldt was devastated, and it is believed he never returned to the property. Despite a period of ownership by Edward J. Noble (who made Life Savers candy famous), the property fell into ruins.

In 1977, the Thousand Island Bridge Authority acquired the property and began the incredible task of restoring the castle. While not yet complete (the upper floors are still as they were found -- unfinished and covered with graffiti), the magnificence never seen by George or Louise is quite a site to behold.

Heart Island: children's playhouse on left, castle in center, power station on right

Boldt Castle with 120 rooms

Beautiful gardens

Relaxing pools

We continued our exploration of the Thousand Islands, winding through and around islands and marveling at the ingenuity of those who built and live in this region.

Humble abode with lots of shade!

It was time to enter Canada, and we stopped at Gananoque, Ontario, to make the obligatory phone call to Canadian customs and confess whether we had any firearms, food, alcohol or plants aboard. The young lady at customs was somewhat perplexed when I said, "Yes, we have food," and I explained that we live aboard the boat we are on. After a long conversation with her supervisor, she decided we could enter the country if we agreed not to take the food off the boat. An ingenious solution?

Our stop for the night is the Confederation Basin Marina in Kingston, Ontario, the oldest community in Canada. Presently, it is a cosmopolitan city with great history, restaurants, shops, and galleries. We ate a great French dinner at Chez Piggy (no kidding).

Day 268 - June 9, 2014: Clayton and Alexandria, New York

Clayton is a very interesting small town. It's a resort area with views of the Thousand Islands out over the bay, a large boating community, and the Antique Boat Museum, which started the tradition in 1964 of hosting the nation's largest wooden boat show each summer. We spent several hours in the museum viewing and enjoying the history of over 300 racing boats, cruisers, small canoes/kayaks, along with many outboard motors. In addition, a 106' houseboat built in 1903 for millionaire magnet Charles C. Boldt (more about him tomorrow) is being restored, and we toured this fascinating two-story summer live-aboard.

World record hydroplanes from 1912 to present

Imagine racing over 150 mph in a wooden hull

The Boldt houseboat under cover in restoration

Cruising east down the main channel about nine miles to Alexandria Bay gave us our first opportunity to see a few of the 1,800 very rocky islands with homes/cottages that occupy this part of the river. Around here, an island is defined as being at least two feet above water year-round and being able to support at least one tree. Some islands, as small as a one-car garage, support a tiny summer cottage, and some are large enough to have multiple million-dollar homes with boat houses. There are no bridges, so all these owners must use boats for access in the summer, and some use jet skis in the winter. We poked along taking pictures and being continually fascinated by the incredible variety of sizes, materials and styles.

No grass to mow or neighbors around

Fit for a king

Our stop in Alexandria Bay, another resort and boating community, places us near Boldt Castle, which we will tour tomorrow.

Sunset over Alexandria Bay 

Day 267 - June 8, 2014: Crossing Lake Ontario

An early start from Phoenix on a quiet Sunday morning brought us through all seven locks on the Oswego Canal by 11:00 a.m. There were only two other boaters the entire 28 miles. The summer local traffic doesn't set in until late June, and it is a bit early for loopers to arrive. In Oswego we passed the marina where Anne went overboard last summer, and I took a picture of the spot to honor the event.

Oswego Marina, site of Anne's unfortunate overboard experience

Boaters fear open water with high winds and waves, but luck remained on our side and the forecast of a perfect crossing day was confirmed when we entered Lake Ontario. Sun, no wind, and glassy water made the 60 miles a pleasant ride. As we neared the the St. Lawrence River, we were joined by a 635-foot freighter and followed her in, where she paused to pick up a river captain to take her through to the Atlantic.

A glassy day on Lake Ontario

Great Laker was nudged along by the flow of the river, and we never complained about the overall 12-hour trip. It may seem like a long, long day, but the scenery is always changing, plus we can move around the boat, read, listen to Sirius, connect with others by cell phone, eat meals, plan future travel, or just relax.

We stopped at the municipal marina in Clayton, New York, because of the town's Antique Boat Museum which we heard is "not to be missed." Our dinner out at Bella's was indeed just as the waiter promised ("to die for"). As we boarded again for the night, a sunset managed to briefly appear before some evening clouds and rain approached. These are the sights that we typically miss during our busy lives at home.

Sunset at Clayton, NY

Day 266 - June 7, 2014: Back to cruising the Erie and Oswego Canals

After being away from cruising for ten months, we were understandably excited to get back to Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton, New York, and resume the Great Loop. We packed, closed up the house, and drove in yesterday to find Great Laker launched and waiting for us.

We unpacked, got a good night's sleep, picked up provisions, and went through the checklist to ensure everything was ready to go. By mid-afternoon we pushed off into the Erie Canal and went through a lock before turning into the Oswego Canal. It was a challenge in some cases to remember just where things were and how they worked, but we began to get into the flow again.  We stopped for the night at the town dock in Phoenix, New York, where the city has a program (Bridge House Brats) for youngsters who greet boaters and offer to run errands, deliver food, and provide whatever assistance they can.

Bridge House Brats

Phoenix City Dock

Great Laker on the dock

Anne's dinner included my favorite salmon, and with the beautiful warm sunny weather we chose to eat sitting out in the shade of the cockpit. During the next two days, we plan to cross Lake Ontario, enter the headwaters of the St. Lawrence Seaway and visit the Thousand Islands.