Monday – July 07 – Troy Town Docks & Marina – Troy NY .. 518-272-5341 .. ( $1.25 / foot ) .. the Marina consists of a long Dock that runs along a high concrete Wall about 25 feet high .. about 99 percent of the time the wall use to be used by Towboats going thru the Erie Canal and now 99 percent of the time the Wall is used by Pleasure Crafts going thru the Erie Canal .. Betty took advantage of the Marina’s Laundry Room and Marv cleaned the exterior of Dee Light .. Betty found four Straw Bales that a boater had left for trash as he had just completed the Erie Locks heading East .. she was quick to bring them to Dee Light .. we were told that most of the Lock Masters will let the boaters choose which side of the Lock that they would like to tie off on .. sooo we rigged our Fenders and Straw Bales on the Starboard Side of Dee Light .. the Harbor Master let us use his Pickup Truck .. we drove to West Marina and to a Super K-Mart for supplies .. we watched ESPN for part of the afternoon .. the Woman’s PGA was on NBC over the Weekend and on Sunday night it ended in a three way tie .. sooo today the PGA went into ‘extra holes’ and was covered by ESPN .. Roger Lunke is cousin of Marv’s .. Roger’s daughter-in-law is Hillary Lunke .. and she won the Women's National PGA Tournament that took place in Oregon .. Betty talked with her sister and found out that their brother that lives in Arkansas has ended up in the Hospital with Phenomena .. just down the River from the Marina the boat CAPT. JP from Fort Myers Florida is docked for the Summer .. they do dinner cruses on it here in the Summer and then return to Fort Myers for the Winter .. we took a short walk down River to Fresno’s Restaurant & Bar .. it overlooks the River and has an outside Deck .. it is a great place to watch the sunset and have dinner .. after dinner we got together with the boaters ( Bob and Deloris ) that were docked directly up River from us .. they have a new 56 Sea Ray with Engine problems .. a Man Mechanic was at their boat working on replacing the Heads .. they haven’t even taken delivery of the boat yet .. they live on the Saint Lawrence Seaway at Cornwall Ontario Canada .. it was difficult to understand them due as both of their voices had a strange sound .. but they gave us a lot of information on Ports, Marinas, etc. on Lake Ontario and going up the Saint Lawrence Seaway .. due to the low water on the Lake Champlain Canal we have decided not to take that route so this information on the Saint Lawrence Seaway was great as we may decided to take a ‘side trip’ up the Saint Lawrence ..
Tuesday – July 08 – Troy Town Docks & Marina – Troy NY .. 518-272-5341 .. ( $1.25 / foot ) .. our first Lock was the Troy Lock it is a Federal Lock ( Lock 1 ) .. it is about one quarter mile above Troy .. this is a U.S. Corps of Engineers Lock .. it is not part of the NY State Canal system thus there is no fee to use this lock .. this past Winter the Lock had a $1,600,000.00 repair job and someone goofed .. thus now they are having trouble with the Lock Gates .. it can lead to a wait for anyone that wants to use the Lock .. sooo we called the Lock from the Marina before we left the Wall .. we left the Troy Town Docks at 07:25 am .. the Federal Lock ( it is a Pipe Lock ) on the Hudson above Troy opens at 06:00 am .. this is the first time that we have done a ‘Pipe Lock’ .. once thru the Lock we headed to the first Lock on the Erie .. a short distance above the Federal Lock there is a big Sign pointing to the left for the Erie Canal and to the right for the Lake Champlain Canal .. we headed West into the Erie Canal System .. shortly we saw the small town of Waterford NY .. which has nice docks at the Welcome Center on our Starboard Side .. just below the first official Erie Lock .. which is called Lock 2 .. they have a good long Dock with electricity so we figure you can stay there overnight .. but we did not ask the cost .. you can stop in Waterford NY .. do some sightseeing .. or make the short walk up to Broad Street and across the Bridge to Hannaford's Grocery Store a good place for provisioning .. but we headed directly to the Lock .. the next five Locks are called the ‘Waterford Flight’ .. they are Locks 2 thru 6 of the Erie Canal System .. they are very close together .. you must transit them all without stopping .. we went up 169 feet in less than 2 miles .. this is the highest set of Locks in the World !! .. when we pulled into Lock 2 we were told that they would have Lock Lines waiting for us and sure enough they did .. we really had a time holding Dee Light to the Lock Wall using their Lines .. the lift for each of the Locks is about 35 feet .. the Lock Lines are covered with Lock Slime .. the Lock Walls are also covered with Lock Slime .. and now we know why the boaters going thru these Locks prefer to use Straw Bales for Fenders as we soon had Lock Slime all over everything .. including us .. we locked thru with GYPSY QUEEN a 38 foot Trawler from the Long Island area .. you do not purchase your Canal pass until you reach Lock 3 .. while we were tied up in the Lock .. the Lockmaster came to our boat and inquire what kind of Pass we wanted .. the Pass price ( must pay by cash or check .. no Credit Cards ) is keyed to number of days and boat length .. a 10 Day Pass for a 40 foot boat ( or longer .. this is the top limit ) costs $50.00 .. Boats in the 26-39 foot range can get a 10 Day Pass for $37.50 .. you can get a Two Day Pass but other boaters did not recommend passing through the Canal System that quickly .. the boats waiting for the first Lock opening will cruise together all day as long as everyone maintains the 10 mph speed limit .. it was very sloooow going .. much of the area looks like the Wisconsin Dells area with the high stone cliffs .. since we had called ahead the Schenectady Yacht Club had room for us on the Fuel Dock along with 50 amps electrical .. and after 7 Locks we were ready to call it a day as we had enough ‘fun’ for one day .. we pulled up to the Dock at 12:30 pm .. GYPSY QUEEN pulled into the Yacht Club about 15 minutes after we were docked .. it is not like any Yacht Club you have probably experienced before .. but the people were super friendly .. Jerry Palmateer is the Dock Master .. when we checked in Jerry gave us advice as how far we should plan to travel the next few days .. we cleaned Dee Light and then after a deelightfull lunch we went into the Pool at the Yacht Club .. we re-rigged our Fenders after our first day of Locks on the Erie .. we have to have Fenders from the waterline all the way up as when we are at the top of some of the Lock Walls there is only 8 to 12 inches of Wall left .. we are truly ‘Fender Geeks’ .. UGH !! .. we had to stand on the top of the Hard Top to call ahead to the St. Johnsville Municipal Marina for a reservation for tomorrow night .. we used the Yacht Clubs Gas / Charcoal Grill .. we grilled and had a deelightfull dinner on the Back Deck .. who said that Betty cannot cook ? .. after dinner Betty surprised Marv with another attempt at baking .. oh yes that’s right she had trouble baking .. remember the last time when it burnt so bad that we had to throw everything away ?? .. well this time we were able to eat it .. it was not burnt but the center of the Bars were not quite done but were editable with a Soup Spoon ..
Travel – Troy NY to Rexford NY – 13 Locks to Date – 30 Miles – Cumulative Miles 1893
Wednesday – July 09 – Schenectady Yacht Club – Rexford NY .. 518-384-9971 .. ( $ 1.25 / foot ) .. Pool 7 is the first large Pool that we have come to at 11 miles long so there is a lot of boating activity in this area .. it’s 8 miles to our first Lock and the Lock System starts at 07:00 am .. sooo we pulled off the Fuel Dock at 06:45 am .. there countless many Bridges at 20 foot that we have gone under and there are 4 more before we get to our first Lock of the day .. Lock 8 .. today’s Lock Slime had little alive Critters that wiggled and got all over the boat .. UGH!! .. Lock 9 really gave us a ride .. we are sure that this Lockmaster was just testing us out .. Marv has been using the rear Controls in Dee Light’s Cockpit at every Lock .. without the Controls we could not handle the boat by ourselves .. the Lockmasters have been prompt, attentive, and courteous, and most of them will call the next Lock ahead to let them know you are on the way .. but we were forewarned that the canal has a 10 mile-an-hour speed limit .. so if you were to arrive at the next lock too much ahead of schedule they'd know you had been speeding !! .. sooo the Erie Canal is slow going .. at Lock 10 a light rain started .. now we have Lick Slime mixed with Lock Rain all over Dee Light .. at Lock 11 there is a Locklady that runs the Lock .. we noted that she has the Lock lined with flowers and dose have most of her teeth .. we sure can tell that we are in the ‘Up State New York’ area .. we saw a number of Canadian Geese in the Pools between the Locks .. between Locks 11 and 12 we passed a Sailboat and a Trawler .. ( the Sailboat later joined us at the Marina ) .. after out 8th Lock today we pulled up to the Marina’s 300 foot long Wall at 02:30 pm .. just after we got Dee Light cleaned up ( Lock Slime ) the sun came out so Betty took Autumn for a walk into Town .. once back from town Betty got a little sun on the Front Deck .. in the late afternoon the boat SOUVENIR ( Dick and Diane ) from Afton MN and a Trawler both docked at the Marina .. the 300 foot Wall really got very short .. the Harbor Master offered to drive us to Ripepi’s Restaurant ( Italian American Cuisine ) .. we ended up having dinner with Dick and Diane and their two Grandchildren .. they also have a Golden Retriever with them .. Billy Jo .. a Show Dog .. we first met thru AGLCA’s E-mail system and we have kept in contact with each other thru E-mails but had never met face to face before .. last Fall on their way South they spent their first night at the Mississippi Parkside Marina in Wabasha MN at the end of the 100 Boom where we had just left after spending the Summer there .. the two couples from the Sailboat were also at the same restaurant .. we all made it back to our boats with full tummies ..
.. the following was taken our of a fellow boaters journal .. we thought that you would enjoy it ..
I read everything I could get my hands on as to what to expect in this locking-thru thing, but nothing prepared me for the actual experience. Here's the deal .. As you approach the lock, you call the Lockmaster and tell him you're approaching from either the North or South, and your destination. This is important info for him ( or her, we found out ) because even throw you call the next Lock, they have already contacted each other of your arrival. Reason for this ... 10 mph speed limit, so if you get there too soon, they know you were speeding and I guess throw you in Lock-Jail ... ( probably just say slow down ) ... but actually really nice to get to the next one and have the Lock ready so you don't have to wait for them to either fill it up or empty it .. so you drive in this open-air Boat Garage with big Doors on both ends, and then you attempt to attach yourself to the side so when they flood the room or drop the water, your boat doesn’t get thrown around. Sound simple? Yea, I thought so too, until I tried unceremoniously to fling my line around the first Pole provided ... ok Rog...on to the next one ... grab, fling, hold ... got my end honey ... oh-oh there goes the stern out in the middle of the Lock ... hey isn't that YOUR end? ... I glanced over my shoulder to see why HIS end was almost in the middle of the Lock, only to look thru the Windshield at an empty Helm ... and WHERE was he? one word ... POTTY ... NOW ???? .. Now ladies ... what do we say now ?? .. and they talk about WOMEN having to go at the wrong time !! HA ..... yea, well. Some Locks have Poles you run your Line around and hold as it shimmies up ( or down ) as the water level changes, and some have Cables, and other choices still, heavy Ropes you can just hold onto. 'Course you also have the Bumpers out because the sides of the Locks are this scratchy, slimy concrete stuff out to totally demolish your boat's jelcoat and also take every bit of skin off those lily white hands. Well, I WAS prepared for that and got a 3-pack of heavy duty work Gloves before we left. Second day of locking-thru was also fun, 'cause now we're going DOWN...all in all a fun experience. Space between Locks was from 2-14 miles and plenty of time to sight see. And boy, did we.
Travel – Rexford NY to St. Johnsville NY – 8 Locks Today .. 21 Locks to Date – 50 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 1943
Thursday – July 10 – St. Johnsville Municipal Marina – St. Johnsville NY .. 518-568-7406 .. ( $ 1.00 / foot ) .. the last two Marinas that we have been at have very good drinking water so we filled up our Water Tank and Drinking Water Containers .. it was reported that last night at the Milwaukee Brewer Baseball Game there was a Italian Sausage foot race between a number of ‘Ballpark Delights’ .. apparently Pittsburgh First Baseman Randall Simon hit the Johnsville Bratwurst ( Mandy Block ) with a Baseball Bat knocking her out of the race .. he must be from Iowa .. and it all happened when we were in Johnsville .. CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, etc al called it the ‘Sausage Scandal’ .. ( see photo ) .. it was also reported that Indiana has had a record rains .. 15 inches from this Storm Front only .. resulting if many city’s being flooded .. Decatur IN was really hit hard .. the sun is back out today and it’s a bit cooler .. we called ahead to the Lock 16 and then we left the Marina at 07:00 am .. at Lock 16 there was a blond Lady Lockmaster .. and very well built .. muscular that is .. ‘bugs’ like Horse Flies found us at the Licks and they stung both of us .. UGH !! .. they must be Up State Bugs .. at Lock 17 Betty had to change all the Fenders to the Port Side .. it was a 40 foot Lock with Lock Lines .. UGH !! .. that gave us a good workout .. thus far only one Lock has had a Lock Pipe to tie off to all the rest have been Line Locks .. a good workout for ‘old people’ .. at Lock 19 Autumn got a Lock treat from the Lock Master .. we did meet a few other boaters and some Commercial Boats .. between Locks 20 and 21 Betty fixed a most deelightfull lunch .. we had a good wait at Lock 21 as there was an East bound pleasure Craft in the Lock .. then once we got in the Lock Master came by and told us all about Sylvan Beach NY where we will be staying tonight .. we were hanging onto our Lines and had a good wind pushing us all over .. he must work for their Chamber on the side .. Lock 21 was our first Lock going down so we must be heading out of Up State New York .. there is a Bike Trail along this section of the Erie Canal and there were Bikers going across the Lock Gate as we went down then when we headed out of the Lock they waved, cheered, took photos, etc .. we pulled out of Lock 22 at 03:00 pm .. we were tied up at the Marina by 03:30 pm .. we took a walk to the Beach .. its about 4 miles long .. Autumn loves to run on the Beach and she ran until she was so tired she just had to lay down .. SOUVENIR and the Trawler both docked at the Marina about 05:30 pm .. Dick said that they have a Generator problem and really had a long day without it .. they got a Mechanic to look at it right away when they made it to the Marina .. we ended up having dinner in town at Captain John’s . they picked us up in a 1930 Model A Ford .. it’s a great restaurant .. we returned to Dee Light with a ‘Doggie Bag’ but it was not for Autumn .. we spent the rest of the night planning out our next number of days ahead ..
Travel – St. Johnsville NY to Sylvan Beach NY – 7 Locks Today .. 28 Locks to Date – 60 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 2003
Friday – July 11 – Skinner’s Harbour – Sylvan Beach NY .. 315-762-0112 .. ( $ 1.25 / foot ) .. the weather front that has been moving East is going to be going thru this area today and tomorrow .. we spent some time checking out the weather and options ahead .. we decided to get across Lake Oneida this morning and then take another look at the weather .. we left the Dock at 07:20 am and headed out into Lake Oneida .. the Lake is about 22 miles long and 5 ½ miles wide .. it has a fairly well marked Channel but in many areas you do not want to get off the Channel at all it was great to get Dee Light up and moving after only going 10 miles per hour fro the last number of days .. we started with 2 footers from our Aft .. they built to 3 to 5 footers by the time that we made it to the West end of the Lake .. we used the Autopilot for part of the Lake but as we got to the West end of the Lake the Aft winds got too strong .. we tried to contact Ess-Kay Yards for Fuel over the Marine Radio but did not get an answer .. when we were within site of their Dock we saw that they do not open until 09:00 am sooo we called Winter Harbor Marina .. they responded and we docked Dee Light at their dock for Fuel .. after checking both places out we feel that Winter Harbor Marina is the best of the two options in the area .. their Diesel cost as $1.279 per galleon .. we have been forewarned that this will be the lowest price for Diesel you will see until you get into the rivers going South of Chicago .. its too bad that we did not need more at this time .. the Marina’s overnight rate is $0.90 per foot with Cable TV, Power, Water, etc ..
Engine Hours – Port Engine .. 1949.9 – Starboard Engine .. 1958.7
.. after fueling up we check on the weather again and decided to continue on .. a few miles after Lock 23 we made it to the Oswego Junction and started to head up the Oswego Canal .. the Lock numbering system starts all over again with Lock 1 .. at Lock 2 we only had a single ‘3/4 inch Rod’ to tie off to and we went down about 35 feet .. and Lock 3 was just the same .. between Lock 3 and Lock 5 ( there is not a Lock 4 ) we came across two Fishermen right in the center of the narrow Canal in their 14 foot Flat Bottom Fishing Boat .. they would not move at all and for good reason .. as we made our way past them they held up their Stringer .. WOW did they have a great day .. when we were between Locks 5 and 6 we could see a large storm / rain about 3 miles ahead of us .. real DARK .. we made it thru Lock 6 ok .. but just as we were entering Lock 7 we got nailed .. we were in the center of the Lock and we could not see either end of the Lock .. plus we had a HIGH wind to put up with .. once we were locked down we contacted the Lockmaster and asked if it was ok to stay put until the Storm made its way thru .. he did not see the situation the same way as we did .. he could give a rip .. after staying next to the Lock Wall for a few minutes we started out for our last Lock of the day Lock 8 .. normally after a hard storm hits and moves thru there is a ‘lull’ and the winds settle down .. we took advantage of the lull and made it thru Lock 8 and to the Marina before the next blast hit us .. at 02:20 pm we tied Dee Light off to a long Wall in front of a restaurant with no assistance from anyone .. as we pulled up to the Wall we say a sign that read .. ‘Check In At Marina Office After Docking’ .. so we did just that …..
Betty’s comments .. I told Marv that with the weather looking so bad we should tie off on a Lock Wall .. but no he said that we should continue on .. so then when we finally made it to the Marina I told Marv the Bus Stop was getting closer after today .. we are both soaked and the clouds looked like Tornado clouds .. the wind was howling .. the current bad coming out of the Lock .. the Lockmaster is a jerk, I’m unable to get my Line on the Pipe .. it is just down to low .. and the Lockmaster gave me the worst look ever ..
.. Marv decided that he better treat Betty to a very good dinner tonight .. Betty made another attempt at baking .. she made a batch of Corn Bread Muffins .. they were great !! .. we took a good long walk that ended up at the local grocery store .. we picked up a few supplies and headed back to Dee Light .. SOUVENIR ( 50 foot Carver ) made it into the Marina .. their Generator failed yesterday and today a Mechanic from Winter Harbor Marina was able to get it repaired .. we ended up having dinner with Dick and Diane and their two Grandchildren at Herring’s Landing .. the restaurant is right next to Dee Light .. Dick and Diane will be heading out in the morning heading West on Lake Ontario .. after talking travel plans with them we hope to meet up with Dick and Diane later in August ..
Travel – Sylvan Beach NY to Oswego NY – 8 Locks Today .. 36 Locks to Date – 57 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 2060
Saturday – July 12 – Oswego Marina – Oswego NY .. 315-762-0112 .. ( $ 1.50 / foot ) .. Autumn’s Birthday .. she is 4 years old today .. yesterday we checked the Weather Report and decided to spend a second night here at Oswego .. we can see out onto the Lake from where we were docked and we also have a good spot for watching the boats on the Canal System .. there is a large Fishing Tournament at our Marina that was also interesting to watch the Fishing Boats headed out at 05:00 am .. yesterday after we made it to the Marina there were two Houseboats ( Gibson ) from Canada that came in for Fuel and dockage for the night .. they were doing the Erie Canal also and we saw them along the way .. on there way to the Fuel Dock they got very close to Dee Light so we put Fenders out on our exposed side .. about 06:30 am this morning they both took off and headed out the Inlet into Lake Ontario .. about 07:45 am we heard distress calls over the Marine Radio .. one of the Houseboats SUNK !! .. there were reports of four people in the water etc .. the Houseboat that sunk was following the lead Houseboat .. it went over a wave and its Bow went right down into the water the front windows gave way and the boat filled with water and the Houseboat never came back up .. the US Coast Guard and many Fishing Boats from the Fishing Tournament headed to their rescue .. two of the Fishing Boats from the Fishing Tournament rescued the four people out of the water .. one was a 13 year old girl .. about 08:20 am one Fishing Boat led the one surviving Houseboat ( missing its Front Window ) and it was followed by a US Coast Guard Boat into our Marina right past us at a high rate of speed .. they were going fast to keep the nose from sinking .. we went over to assist them .. Dick and Diane decided to spend another night here also .. at 09:00 am the Fishing Tournament was terminated due to the conditions on the water .. after that there was much talk over the Marine Radio about what fish would count for the catch of the day and what credit would be given to the Fish Boats involved in the rescue etc .. Marv cleaned the Lock Slime of the exterior of Dee Light and Betty cleaned the well used Fenders .. Betty also took advantage of the Marinas Laundry Building as it was very close to where we were docked .. about 12:30 pm two boys were swept off the West Breaker Wall of the Oswego Inlet .. they were later found .. we dumped two of our four Straw Bag Fenders .. they had done their job in the Lock System and did them selves in .. the other two we stored away for our next set of Locks .. we watched the weather all day .. it really was windy all day .. we also worked on our Charts and Calendar .. we contacted the Confederation Basin in Kingston, Ontario .. they said that their dockage and electrical power are on a first come basis .. they do not take reservations at all .. we took a walk out to the end of the Oswego Pier and took a photo of the Oswego Lighthouse .. from there we headed downtown to the Captain’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant for dinner .. later we checked out the weather and watched a move over Direct TV ..
Sunday – July 13 – Oswego Marina – Oswego NY .. 315-762-0112 .. there wil be a Full Moon Tonight .. we checked out the weather again and decided to wait until later today .. we will take another look at the weather again .. at 07:00 am the Fishing Tournament was terminated due to the unstable conditions on the water .. the Awards were given out at 10:00 am .. the Lake has rollers on it from the high winds ( 30 knots ) the last two to three days .. the rollers would be right on our Port Beam all the way to Kingston .. the Lake is forecasted to ‘lay down’ later today or tonight .. thus Monday should be a better day to head North towards Kingston .. Dick and Diane decided to head out about noon .. they will be heading West right into the rollers and are planning to head to Rochester NY .. taking the rollers head on makes for a better day .. Marv checked the weather out and talked with a number of locals and we decided to wait until Monday to head out to Kingston .. about 11:30 am the Weather Channel on the Marine Radio said that the Lake was starting to lay down on the West End of the Lake .. later Dick and Diane decided to stay another night also .. they had rented a car and had a little time left on it so Betty and Diane headed to Wally World .. ( Wal-Mart ) .. they picked up a number of supplies and had a great time .. we took a long walk .. we ended up on the other side of the Channel at the other two Marinas that are in Oswego .. we ran into many other ‘Loopers’ and we checked notes with them .. many of them have been held up here for quite awhile due to the weather .. we ended up having dinner with Dick and Diane and their two Grandchildren at Herring’s Landing again .. since we will all be heading in the morning to Canada .. this was our last ‘American’ dinner for awhile ..
LOCK SUMMARY - Troy New York to Lake Ontario .. first we went up 20 Locks with a total of 419.1 feet .. then down 10 Locks with a total of 155.6 feet ..
Monday – July 14 – Oswego Marina – Oswego NY .. 315-762-0112 .. the sun was out and there was a mild breeze from the SW .. we left the Marina at 07:00 am .. a number of other Boats headed out about the same time that we did .. Lake Ontario is a deep Lake we were soon in over 500 feet of water .. the Seas started at 0 to 2 footers and soon became 3 to 4 footers with a following Sea .. by 08:45 am we could see the first Islands that we were heading for .. once we had Islands around us the Seas reduced to 2 to 3 footers .. a great day for the Autopilot and Plotter .. we did not have any problem at all finding our Markers .. when we contacted the Marina on the Marine Radio we got our docking instructions .. and they we told them that we would have to clear Customs .. they said that they would instruct us when we made it to the Marina Office as what we will have to do .. we have heard horror stories from other boaters about going thru Customs .. the Marina Basin is well protected by a large ‘L’ shaped Break Wall .. there were 6 Dock Hands in bright Red Shirts waiting for us .. it must be a City owned Marina .. we got Dee Light backed into a 45 foot Slip at 10:30 am and checked in at the Marina Office ( a white Lighthouse ) .. we were instructed to use a Pay Phone next to the Marina Office to check in with the Canadian Customs .. we called the Tow Free number .. they asked a number of questions and within 5 minutes we were checked in with the government .. once everything was OK they gave us our Customs Clearance Number ( 200331950247 ) .. and we were on your way to a Ships Store right next to the Marina Office to do some shopping .. when we had lunch on Dee Light we looked over literature on ‘things to do’ in Kingston .. we ended up taking a 3 hour 1,000 Island Sightseeing Cruise on board the Island Belle . it was well worth it !! .. we were told that the definition of an ‘Island’ is a piece of land that is surrounded by water and is at least six square feet in size and has at least one tree on it .. we went thru areas that Dee Light could not have pass thru as the Draft on the Paddleboat was only 25 inches .. .. the cruise went thru the islands and up the Saint Lawrence Seaway .. it was a photographers delight .. Kingston is truly a little ‘slice of heaven’ ( this time of the year ) .. we went to Chez Piggy Restaurant for dinner .. it is located off the main street .. and down an alley .. thru a stone tunnel and into a Courtyard .. it was an adventure just to get to the restaurant .. but it was well worth it .. we had a great dinner under the trees in the Courtyard and after dinner we walked thru the downtown area .. there was a lot of activity going on .. all the Restaurants and Pubs were very busy .. and Betty found an Ice Cream Parlor .. when we returned to Dee Light there were a number of people on the Carver next to us .. they are locals and shared much knowledge on the waters between Kingston and Trenton where we would like to head to .. a first reaction of Kingston is that the people are very friendly .. but our Air Card will not work at all .. this is a first ..
Travel – Oswego NY to Kingston, Ontario – 36 Locks to Date – 63 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 2113
Tuesday – July 15 – Confederation Basin - Kingston, Ontario .. 613-542-2134 .. ( $1.20 – Canadian .. i.e. .. times 65 percent .. equals .. $0.78 / foot US ) .. another great day.. clear skies with a little breeze .. but we are watching a storm that is passing thru Minnesota and the Great Lakes .. Confederation Basin has 100 Slips that appear to be all for Transit Boaters .. they will only take reservations for 40 boats this was boaters are always guaranteed to get dockage .. ?? .. Kingston is a large city ( 150,000 people ) .. and is a popular spot for tourists but this year the tourism is down 35 percent .. some say that it could be SARS .. ?? .. we took a walk and found a very good Bread Store ( Pan Chancho Bakery ) sooo we stocked up on some very good bread .. we also went to the Farmers Market just a block from the Marina where we found some flowers and stocked up on vegetables, fruit, etc .. and we checked in at the Tourists Information Center that is directly behind the Marina’s Office .. and we were also get our hair cut at Franselly Hair Design & Spa and it was badly needed .. we are still trying to get Autumn’s hair cut.. but have been unable so far .. she is now a ‘long hair’ Shitzu .. our Verizon Air Card will not work here so we explored options to get connected up to the Internet but we were unsuccessful .. by mid morning the winds picked up again .. Betty spent the afternoon shopping and Marv did a little shopping and then worked on Charts .. we both ran into Bob and Deloris that we had met in Troy .. they now have their 55 foot Sea Ray running and are on their home Port .. we had dinner with Bob and Deloris at Casa Domenico an Italian restaurant .. excellent !! .. then we made a trip to the Ice Cream Parlor ..
Wednesday – July 16 – Confederation Basin - Kingston, Ontario .. 613-542-2134 .. ( $1.20 – Canadian .. i.e. .. times 65 percent .. equals .. $0.78 / foot US ) .. a light rain moved thru the area last night .. after checking out the weather we pulled out of the Marina at 07:15 am into dense fog .. once we were a few miles from Kingston we entered the North Channel .. the North Channel Waterway runs East and West above Lake Ontario from the Kingston area towards Trenton .. after a number of additional miles the North Channel merged into the Adolphus Reach .. this is where we discovered that our Chart Plotter ran out of Charts .. apparently the Great Loop package of Charts that we installed doesn’t include the North side of Lake Ontario .. the Kingston area is included since that is part of the Lawrence Seaway but ths is an area that ‘Loopers’ normally do not venture out to .. soooo we navigated the balance of the trip to Belleville , Ontario without the Chart Plotter .. we used our ‘Chartbook and Cursing Guide’ .. we had secured a set of Charts for the Plotter that cover the Trent-Severn Waterway just to the West of us but we were not planning to install them until we were sure that we were going to be able to do that section of Waterway .. and at this time it doesn’t look like we will be doing the Trent due to low water conditions .. yesterday we contacted the Morch Marina in Belleville, Ontario for dockage for tonight .. they indicated that we should be able to dock there tonight but asked u to call them this morning .. when we called them they said that they could not take us tonight .. soooo Plan B .. we called the Meyer’s Pier Marina ( a City owned Marina ) and they said that we could dock at their Marina tonight .. as we navigated with our ‘Paper Charts’ we got the Trent-Severn CD and started the installation .. at this time Betty got a phone call from her sister with an update on their brother Joey that was hospitalized a few weeks ago .. the report was not good at all .. Gangrene has taken over the infected area of his body .. we navigated thru the Long Reach Pass, the Mohawk Bay ( dogging Rocks ), the Telegraph Narrows ( more rock ), the Big Bay area and past Snake Island ( more rocks ) to Belleville all with our Paper Charts .. the Autopilot really helped to keep us on course as the winds really picked up .. we heard Gale Force High Wind Warnings from the US Coast Guard over the Marine Radio for the Lake Ontario area .. UGH !! .. we made it to the Meyer’s Pier in Belleville, Ontario at 12:00 pm .. we were glad to get off the windy / rough Lake .. we are learning new vocabulary .. at the Marinas and some docks, you can hook up to both water and to "hydro" .. we don't need more water we need electricity ! .. we were perplexed until we figured out that it must be a contraction of "hydroelectric power" .. after checking in at the Marina Office Betty put together a deelightfull lunch .. and Marv finished up the installation of the Trent-Severn CD .. the Marina has bikes for boaters .. we used two of them and biked into town .. we discovered a Bike Trail that followed a small River thru town and thru a huge Park .. we went for a long ride and never found the end of the Trail .. later we had dinner on Dee Light .. during dinner we had live entertainment performing on the Marina’s Pier just a few feet from Dee Light ..
Travel – Kingston, Ontario to Belleville, Ontario – 36 Locks to Date – 62 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 2175
Thursday – July 17 – Meyer’s Pier – Belleville, Ontario .. 613-967-1906 .. ( $0.95 – Canadian .. i.e. .. times 65 percent .. equals .. $0.62 / foot US ) .. a great morning and sunrise .. clear skies with a mild breeze .. after checking out the weather we decided to head out for Trenton but keeping the option open to continue on if the weather remains favorable .. we left the Dock at 07:20 am .. in about 45 minutes we were within sight of Trenton where we did have dockage for the night if the weather was bad ( Plan B ) .. we decided to continue on .. we entered the Murray Canal and got to the first Bridge at 08:30 am .. we and two Sailboats had a short wait for the Bridge to swing open .. just before 09:00 am we made it to the Brighten Swing Toll Bridge .. the Toll is $4.00 ( Canadian ) to pass thru .. the Bridge Tender has a Cup on a Pool to reach out to the Boats as they pass thru .. today he did not have his Cup so Betty thru the $2.00 coins to him .. there were a number of boaters that were tied up along the Bridge Wall .. after Betty thru the coins they cheered her .. Betty told them that that was a first ( throwing the Toll Fee ) .. as we passed a long Concrete Wall where we could tie off on just West of the Bridge .. we thought that if the Lake is too rough we could always come back to the Wall ( new Plan B ) .. we entered the Presquile Bay at 09:30 am .. it is VERY shallow !! and a very narrow Channel .. ROCK all over .. by 10:00 am we had made our way to the Lake Ontario and 4 to 6 footers mostly at our Bow with very low Rollers .. we decided to head for Toronto now only about 90 miles away .. we called ahead to the Marina at Toronto for dockage and cancelled out our dockage at Trenton .. by noon the Seas were down to 2 to 4 footers but we started to pick up Rollers of about 4 foot on our Port Side .. about 01:00 pm it the clouds moved in and soon there after we could see Toronto and the waves grew to 3 to 6 footers just off our Port / Bow .. it got ‘Bumpy’ .. by the time we made it to out first Marker water was going over Dee Light .. at least it was not salt water .. the Lake water temperature was 49 degrees .. we do not have the Charts for the Chart Plotter for the Toronto area so we used our Paper
Charts again .. we are getting use to using the Paper Charts but it is sure nice to have the Chart Plotter .. Toronto’s Harbor area is huge .. once in the Harbor area we took a ‘Harbor Tour’ on the way to the Marina .. and we went right past the Home of the Toronto Blue Jays .. we were docked on the North Wall of the Marina by 03:30 pm .. after checking in at the Marina Office we got our Bikes down and went exploring .. there is a Bike Trail that follows the Harbor area for miles .. in Canada we did not find any ‘paper’ one dollar bills at all .. instead they use ‘coins’ .. a one dollar coin is called a ‘Loonie’ and a two dollar bill is called a ‘Toonie’ .. is it not uncommon to hear a local say .. ‘my Toonie will not work in the Soda Machine do you have any Loonies ?’ .. we now have Loonies and Tonnies right in our pockets .. could they cause SARS ?? .. Toronto is a huge city ( over 3,000,000 people ) .. with many added features from when the Worlds Fair was here a number of years ago .. when we were biking we found many restaurants along the waterfront .. we ended up having dinner at Bambu on a Warf ..
Travel – Belleville Ontario to Toronto Ontario – 36 Locks to Date – 142 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 2317
