Days 320 – 321 Fraser Park Marina
Trenton, Ontario, Canada
Monday, July 11 – Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Docked at Fraser Park Marina in Trenton
We arrived in Trenton in the early afternoon. Next to the marina office was a canvas shop, and the owner came over to Dream Catcher to check out some much-needed repairs. He was able to get the repairs done in the afternoon. Jim washed the canvas, and we seem to have a brand new top! Great!
Since the canvas work wasn’t done until about 8:30, we had a late dinner at Tomassos, a nearby Italian/Greek restaurant.
On Tuesday Jim checked the engines and batteries. He also cleaned the carpet on the aft deck. Again we had dinner at Tomassos, but this time with a group of loopers.
We’re ready to start the Trent-Severn Waterway which consist of 240 miles and 43 locks between Trenton on the east and Port Severn on the west.
Total miles: 40.5 Total bridges: 2 Total locks: 0
Day 319 Picton Marina
For another day we battled the wind and waves of Lake Ontario to arrive at Wellesley Island, part of the “Thousand Islands”. It was well worth the trip. The Thousand Islands is an area of stunning natural beauty. It actually consists of 1864 islands with countless beautiful homes, many of which are on their own island.
Day 319 Picton Marina
Picton, Ontario, Canada
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Jeff outside Coach's Pub and Grill
Tight dockage at Picton Marina
The most exciting thing about Picton was getting all 3 boats docked at the marina. When we called for reservations, we were told that we would all be on a 150-foot wall. There were 2 problems with that: (1) a small sailboat was also on the wall and (2) the wall was not straight, but had a 45-degree angle at one point. After much maneuvering we somehow managed to get all 3 boats tied in. We relaxed at the marina for the afternoon and then walked a few blocks to a local restaurant for dinner.
Total miles: 39 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 318 Flora Macdonald Confederation Basin
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Kingston waterfront
Prince George Hotel
Restaurant where we ate lunch
A toast to Kingston
Practice for the Kingston Fire Department
Kingston Brewing Company where we had dinner
Kingston was a fun stop. The downtown marina is right in the heart of the restaurant, shopping, and tourist district. Dream Catcher, Jeremiah, and Seamoore tied to the “day” dock (no power or water) until overnight slips opened up. We all walked a couple of blocks to a restaurant, enjoyed a great lunch, and toasted to arriving in Kingston.
After lunch we moved our boats to overnight slips and each couple spent the afternoon on their own. The 2 of us walked to a hardware store where we found much-needed charts for the Trent-Severn Waterway. We then found the Kingston Brewery where we had a brew while we waited for Becky and Carlton to arrive for dinner. It was a fun pub and a great day!
Total miles: 19 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 317 Gananoque Municipal Marina
Gananoque, Ontario, Canada
Friday, July 8, 2011
Tom Thumb, the smallest of the 1,864 islands. An island must (1) be above water all year long, (2) be at least 3 feet in diameter and (3) have at least 2 types of vegetation, one of which must be a tree.
Statue of St. Lawrence on the Canadian shore
The home is in Canada and the back yard island is in the U.S. The bridge has a Canadian flag on the left and a U.S. flag on the right.
Dream Catcher, Jeremiah, and Seamoore got off to a late start, but we all got checked in to Canadian customs at Rockport, Ontario, by 2:30 in the afternoon. We arrived at Gananoque (pronounced Gana KNOCK way) a little after 4:00. The marina was huge, and we were located at the pier furthest from the office. Everyone decided to have dinner on board instead of walking downtown.
So the 2 of us were the only ones to venture into the town. We checked out a couple of the shops, and when we got back Carlton fired up the grill and cooked bratwurst and hot dogs for everyone. It was a very relaxing evening.
Total miles: 17 Total bridges: 1 Total locks: 0
Days 315 – 316 Thousand Island Club
Wellesley Island, NY
Wednesday, July 6 - Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wind generators
International Bridge between U.S. and Canada
Along the St. Lawrence
Along the St. Lawrence
Along the St. Lawrence
Home and boat on the St. Lawrence
Dinner at Joey's with Bill and Brenda
A salty (ocean going) freighter
Heart Island with boat house in background
Heart Island
Boldt Castle power house
Boldt Castle boat house
Grand staircase at castle entrance
Bedroom at Boldt Castle
Dome above grand staircase
One of the bedrooms
Boldt Castle
Power House for the castle
Power House details
TI Club marina
Home on Wellesley Island
For another day we battled the wind and waves of Lake Ontario to arrive at Wellesley Island, part of the “Thousand Islands”. It was well worth the trip. The Thousand Islands is an area of stunning natural beauty. It actually consists of 1864 islands with countless beautiful homes, many of which are on their own island.
When we arrived we were greeted by Jim and Cathy on “Rambler” whom we met in Marathon last winter. They completed the loop and are spending the summer at Wellesley Island. Later in the day we met up with Bill and Brenda on “Eastnor”. We first met Bill and Brenda at the 2010 AGLCA Spring Rendezvous in Myrtle Beach. Bill and Brenda are also spending the summer on their boat at Wellesley Island. What a small world. We had a wonderful pasta dinner at Joey’s, the marina restaurant, with Bill, Brenda, Linda, Jeff, Becky, and Carlton.
On Thursday, the 2 of us took the 2-1/2 hour “2 Nation” boat tour of the area. (Yes, we actually paid to ride on a tour boat!) The homes and natural beauty were breathtaking! We also toured Boldt Castle that George Boldt built in the early 1900s for his wife Louise. While the castle was still under construction, his wife died suddenly. He stopped the construction, and the home fell into disrepair for many years. Eventually it was given to the Bridge Authority, and it is still in the process of restoration. So far they have spent $35 million. All admission fees go to the restoration.
On Thursday evening the 2 of us met Bill and Brenda at Joeys for pizza. Again the food was outstanding and so was the company! Thanks so much to Bill and Brenda for a great visit at Wellesley Island!
Total miles: 52 Total bridges: 1 Total locks: 0
Day 314 Navy Point Marina
Sackets Harbor, NY
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Tin Pan Galley
Tin Pan Galley
Sackets Harbor Visitors Center and Museum
Gazebo overlooking the harbor
Lake Ontario from the War of 1812 battlefield
Docked at Sackets Harbor
Memorial to those who served in the War of 1812
Dream Catcher, Jeremiah, and Seamoore left Oswego at 5:30 am in an attempt to travel in the calmest part of the day. Nice try, but it didn’t work. We had wind and waves on our beam for 5 hours as we crossed the southeast corner of Lake Ontario to Sackets Harbor. We finally arrived, got settled in, and rode our bikes downtown.
Sackets Harbor is a very charming old village. The 6 of us ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant called Tin Pan Galley. The food was excellent! While some of the group went back to the boats, the 2 of us biked around the village. A center for shipbuilding during the War of 1812, the town now boasts a park on the site of Sackets Harbor Battleground to commemorate US defense forces. The walking tour of the battleground features numerous plaques with information about the war and a phone number to call for more information concerning the event on the plaque – a very interesting and unique way to learn about the area.
Total miles: 41 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
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