Thursday, July 17, 2003

Left Phoenix and the Bridge House Brats (pix) who served us breakfast and sent us on our way on a beautiful sunny day.  Arrived at Oswego, the gateway to Lake Ontario, a vibrant town with a PM farmers market and another beautiful town hall (pix). Met up with old cruise friends, Joyce and Shaef, on Ducky and shared a wine filled dinner, followed by a riverfront concert. (Pos: N 43-27.2; W 76-30.4)

Friday, July 18, 2003

Departed Oswego, followed by our young friends on Hippopotamus (pix), Christine, Adrian, Madeleine, and Ryan. Crossed Lake Ontario to Sacketts Harbor, NY, on a beautiful ,calm day. Festival weekend in Sacketts Harbor, with tall ships (pix), parades, concerts, fair, fireworks, etc, so we'll stay for the weekend. Dinner at Tin Pan Galley (*****). This is a lovely town in a beautiful setting on the lake. (Pos: N 43-59.0; W 76-07.3)

Saturday, July 19, 2003

Gorgeous lay day in Sacketts Harbor; parade with many bands (pix), Miniature horses (pix) and naval cadets from Canada (pix). Street fair; fireman's chicken BBQ, concerts and grand fireworks to cap off the sunny, cool day. Tall ship Playfair departed under sail for Kingston, Ontario (pix). Dinner at the Brew Pub (*****). On to the 1000 Islands in the AM.

Sunday, July 20, 2003

Last leg across Lake Ontario, bumpy but manageable.  On into 1000 Islands and Clayton, NY, home of a great wooden boat museum. Dinner on board after walking tour of the small town. (Pos: N 44-14.1; W 76-05.4)

Monday, July 21, 2003

Dreary, maintenance, lay day in Clayton; tightened stuffing box, fixed fuel leak at genny filter (we hope), and changed oil. Dinner at the Clipper Inn (*****1/2) Fabulous, one of the very best on the trip.

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Off at noon, with beautiful weather as we foray into the 1000 Islands. AWESOME scenery, waterfront homes, boats, lights and finally, Boldt Castle on Heart Island (pix). Dinner at Bonnie Castle Manor (*****), overlooking the river and the castle. (Pos: N 40-20.5; W 75-57.8)

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Finally arrived in Canada, Brockville, Ontario.  Another beautiful 1000 Islands cruise on Wednesday, passing Singer Castle (pix). Brockville is a really neat town on the St. Lawrence (pix). Had a great lunch at the River Mill (*****) and walked town.

Thursday, July 24, 2003

Thurs very rainy 'till 2pm, and then a visit to Fulford House, built at the turn of the century by George Fulford who turned a $50 patent into $50 million selling "the pink pill for pale people" worldwide. A true marketing genius whose business collapsed in the 40's when he was forced to divulge the contents of his pill: mostly sugar, water and a little iron. Dinner at Tango (*****), a french bistro. (Pos N 44-35.2; W 75-41.0)

PS:  Since we are now in Canada for a month or so, we will not be able to post pictures and our log may be more sporadic, as we will need libraries with internet access to post.  Verizon cell phone access is not available for data in Canada, contrary to what they told me previously. Will try to work out something, as we may be able to transfer pix to a floppy and send them from a library. Don't know if they allow that. We'll see, stay tuned.

Friday, July 25, 2003

On to Gananoque with lunch stop in Rockport.  Sunny day but very windy. Busy boat tour town with beautiful murals (pix) Dinner at Trinity House Inn (*****). (Pos N 44-19.3; W 76-09.9)

Saturday, July 26, 2003

Lay day in Gananoque (pronounced: gannon-ock-way). Extremely windy, but great fun watching hot shot boat drivers trying to back into slips nearby.

Sunday, July 27, 2003

Eventful day.  Awoke to high winds and gusts so we cancelled our planned visit to Andy and Della Simonsen's home on Wolfe Island and decided another lay day was in order. Noontime we were visited on the boat by Jim Bernier who announced that he too was from Amelia Island. He invited us to visit his Summer home on White Calf Island, right across from the harbor. We spent a delightful PM with Jim and his wife Jane on their beautiful island home. Watched a sudden summer storm blow by with 30-50 knot winds and then the day turned lovely with a beautiful sunset. After a grilled steak dinner, Jim returned us to the harbor, where the boat had survived the storm. Thanks again, Jim and Jane, (and Molson, the island mascot) for a lovely day. Your hospitality was greatly appreciated and we look forward to seeing you on our return to Amelia Island.

Monday, July 28, 2003

Departed Gananoque past Jim and Jane's White Calf Island (pix2). Beautiful day cruise up the Batteau Channel to Kingston (pix), the original capital city of Canada. Took the trolley tour of the city and strolled the downtown, with-dinner at Mino's (*****) Greek restaurant. Best dessert of the whole trip so far. (Pos: N 44-13.6; W 76-28.7)

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Lazy, lay day in Kingston.  Large farmers market in the AM (pix), harbor ferry ride and shopping in the PM. This is a vibrant city, at least in the summertime.  Weather has been very windy, but nice and sunny. Having fun watching boats trying to dock, with these winds its like sitting at a boat ramp on a Saturday morning.

Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Another wonderful lay day.  Captain did the Great Lakes Museum Complex (admiral did laundry). One of the trip highlights to date was the afternoon and evening spent at Fort Henry, a restored Fort constructed in 1832 to protect the Rideau Canal and Kingston Harbor and Naval Shipyards. A tour, lots of bands and marching units, cannon firing, supper and an awesome sunset ceremony followed by fireworks (pix). Decided to stay again tomorrow.  Lots more to do in this vibrant city.

Friday, August 1, 2003

On to the Rideau Canal, built mostly by hand between 1826 and 1832 to connect Ottawa and Kingston, bypassing the St. Lawrence River and possible attacks by Americans on shipping. If the War of 1812 had been an overwhelming victory for the United States, we might be one country: the U.S. of Eh! Spent the night on the lock wall at Upper Brewers with 4 other boats, and became friends with Gail and Donovan and their 3 girls, on Companion, a 40' Oceanna.  Nice folks who live here on the canal and hopefully will join us in Merrickville in a few days for a pub crawl. (Pos: N 44-32.9; W 76-18.8) P.S. - Dinner on board and a great bottle of homemade Merlot, thanks to the Bernier Winery!!

Saturday, August 2, 2003

On the Rideau to Jones Falls; 60', 4 locks, beautiful park, overnight on the upper lock wall.  Dinner at the venerable old Hotel Kenney (****1/2). (Pos N 44-32.8; W 76-14.4)

Sunday, August 3, 2003

On to Westport with haze and slight fog.  This is lake country on the Rideau, very beautiful and many common loons abound. Westport is very commercial, many shops.  Lots of people as it is a long weekend for Canadians; Monday is a holiday. (Pos: N 44-40.7; W 76-23.6)

Monday, August 4, 2003

On to Smith Falls (pix) today, but it was closed (only kidding). National holiday and most shops, banks, and library closed. Nice happy hour and dinner at the Rob Roy Pub (pix) though. (Pos N 44-53.8; W 76-01.4)

Tuesday, August 5, 2003

On to Merrickville, often voted the prettiest village in Canada. Sunny most of the day with evening shower. Delightful happy hour on board with Donovan and Gail, followed by a charming Pub dinner at Gads Hill (pix) with them. They will probably visit with us in Ottawa on Sunday also. Forgot to mention yesterday that Smith Falls is the chocolate capital of Canada, being the home of a large Hershey Chocolate factory. (Pos: N 44-53.0; W 75-50.3).

Wednesday, August 6, 2003

Dreary day, but Captain Tom helped the lockmaster open the lock gate (pix) to let out the prettiest boat we've seen to date, aptly named Wooden Listen (pix). On to Long Island locks where we moored for the night. Dinner on board, followed by a heavy rain storm. Made new friends with Dave and Bonnie on Prime Time. They keep their boat in Wendover at the same marina as J.J. & Lise. Will probably see them again next week. (Pos: N 45-15.1; W 76-42.2)

Thursday, August 7, 2003

On to Ottawa, the capital of Canada.  Nice weather today . We are moored on the canal wall, SMACK in the heart of the city. Awesome location and a beautiful city.  Took the 2 1/2 hr bus tour to get a feel for the city and next couple of days at least, there is plenty to keep us busy. Lunch at Le Cafe (****1/2) in the Arts Centre, right on the canal, across from our boat  and dinner at Collonade Pizza (****1/2) which had been highly recommended and rightly so. (Pos: N 45-25.4; 75-41.8)

Friday, August 8, 2003

Beautiful lay day in Ottawa. Breakfast in the farmers market, changing of the guard at Parliament, Museum of Art, Notre Dame Cathedral.  Dinner at Spiga Cafe (*****1/2), one of our best dinners to date. Cummins failed to show up as we had hoped, to look at raw water problem, but maybe Monday.

Saturday, August 9, 2003

Ottawa very quiet for a weekend day, don't know why. More people on the street on Thursday and Friday. Relaxing day. Did the Rideau Centre, a large mall across the street.  Had lunch in the indoor market, very good! Walked a good bit of Ottawa today, no museums or such. Sparks Market and the farmers market. Night schedule was for the Parliament light show and fireworks across the river, but rain forced cancellation. Good dinner at the French Grill (****). It would have been 5*, but no air conditioning. It's still warm and muggy up here.

Sunday, August 10, 2003

Another dreary weather day in Ottawa.  Breakfast and laundry in the market area, organ recital at the Cathedral in the afternoon. Shopping at the mall across from boat, and dinner at Mama Grazzi's (*****1/2). Rain forced cancellation of Parliament light show, but some neat night pix.

Monday, August 11, 2003

Up early. 8D battery not holding charge, replaced with new.  Ottawa Company delivered and replaced for a $10.00 service charge. I love Canada, sometimes. Today was Cummins Day 1. After 2 calls to them, they showed at 10:30 AM to pressure test raw water system, they think the heat exchanger was the problem.  Removed same to clean at shop, promised to return, but didn't. They don't believe in keeping a customer informed. Off to the Irish Pub to escape heat, humidity and frustration. Good supper.

P.S. It's now 9:45 AM on Tues., still no sign of Cummins.

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Cummins arrived AM and replaced heat exchanger and checked rest of raw water system, nothing significant apparent. Left for the descent of the flight of 8 locks to the Ottawa River and the Hull Marina. Will test exhaust temps tomorrow. Visited the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Canada's most visited public attraction, very impressive (pix). Great dinner at the Cafe Breton (*****).

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Left Hull AM for Wendover, Ontario, home of our good cruising friends, J.J. and Lise. Engine tests revealed no significant changes to exhaust problem after $400.00 of Cummins work. So it's still a boat (bring on another thousand)! Arrived at the South Nation Marina in time for lunch with J.J & Lise at their lovely home on the banks of the Ottawa River. (pix). Great BBQ dinner also , with lots of vino, etc. Will be off to the mountains with them tomorrow (our 16th anniversary) to visit their chalet in the Laurentians. (Pos: N 45-34.0; W 75-04.4)

Thursday, August 14, 2003  (Tom & Gerry's Anniversary)

Happy Anniversary to us!! What a memorable day ahead! Fearing a massive power grid failure in Ontario (kidding), we left Wendover for the Laurentians with our hosts, J.J. and Lise.  Ferry across the river (pix) and on to lunch at the base of the mountains in St. Jovite. After settling at their chalet at Lac Superior, we left to spend the PM at Mont Tremblant. What a beautiful location. We chair and gondola lifted to the top on a beautiful, sunny, hot day. Fortunately for us, the power grid failure happened after our lift down (pixs), and we dined at La Forge (*****) in Tremblant Village. The power failure did not affect our area of Quebec Province. Spent the night at the chalet, as there was no power in Wendover, or on the Sea Knight in the marina.

Friday, August 15, 2003

Returned to Wendover, (electricity restored), with a stop at the St. Jovite cheese freezer (pix). Dinner at J.J. and Lise's. The end of a great visit with good friends and gracious hosts.

Saturday, August 16, 2003

On the waterways, again, to Carillon lock, (pix) our biggest to date, a 65' drop but tied to floating dock in the lock. Overnight on the lower lock wall/park, peaceful and cold. Passed Montibello (pix) on the way: we visited there with J.J. & Lise on Wednesday. Impressive building, said to be the largest log structure in the world. (Pos: N 45-34.1; W 74-22.7)

Sunday, August 17, 2003

Cool night, alone on the Carillon lock. On to Saint Anne-de-Bellevue. Passed Oka, where the ferry is a barge towed by a small boat (pix) and released before landing, so the towboat can clear and the barge's momentum carries it to the dock, very unique. Ste. Anne is a bustling little town, with many cafes along the lock. Dinner at Peter's Cape Cod(*****). More boats coming and going (pix) than we've seen the on whole trip. (Pos. N 45-24.2; W 73-57.2)

Monday, August 18, 2003

Up early to head for Montreal. 2 St. Lawrence Seaway locks (pix) before we get there. We were held up 4 hrs total, but made it to the "old port" by 4:30 PM. Passed our first windmill (pix) on the way. The old city of Montreal is busy and beautiful (pix). We just scratched the surface, with dinner at The Keg and a short walking tour. (Pos: N 45-30.4; W 73-33.1)

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Another beautiful day in Montreal. City bus tour; Science Museum; housekeeping on the boat. The old port Marina (pix) is in a basin, surrounded by high walls and many spectators. Strolled old port, dinner at Sauvagine (*****1/2)(Gerry had wild boar). After dinner went to the Basilica Notre Dame, for a spectacular sound and light show, detailing the history of this beautiful church. On to Quebec tomorrow by bus.

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Up early for an all day bus tour of Quebec, 3 hrs away. What an impressive city, the only walled city north of Mexico, in North America. The old city is dominated by the Chateau Frontenac Hotel (pix), with a vast number of shops, restaurants, and restored buildings and churches (pix),with many street musicians (pix). A huge park and the St. Lawrence River partly surround the city. A delightful lunch, the Captain had caribou, and lots of walking. The land between Montreal and Quebec was very agricultural, 75% of Canadian corn is grown here, but mountains and skiing are 1 hour away from both cities. We also visited Montmercy Falls, which are 30 ft. higher than Niagara (pix).

Thursday, August 21, 2003

Fire in the marina's electric cable vault knocked out power last night, so not knowing how long to repair and genset inoperable, we left for Longueuil, a few miles down river. A hot, quiet day. Had hoped the good repair facility here would have the impeller for the genset, but not to be, it would take to Monday to get, but told us where in Sorel, our next stop, we could probably find one. Hope so. (Pos. N 45-32.4; W 73-30.9)

Friday, August 22, 2003

On to Sorel, windy but ok. Replaced the genny impeller with the help of local boat shop (long story). Dinner in town and night of very high winds, gusts to 50 mph I would guess. Had to secure flag and pennants in the middle of the night. (Pos: N 46-03.05; W 73-055.5) The northern most point of our trip!

Saturday, August 23, 2003

Left Sorel on a bright, sunny, windy day and turned south towards home on the Richelieu River, very picturesque, with every little town having a beautiful church (pix). Docked at the Bolieul town dock, beneath Mt. St. Hillaire (pix). Dinner at Le Josephil, (*****)(Gerry had cheval). (Pos: N 45-31.2; W 73-11.9)

Sunday, August 24, 2003

Bright, cool day.  On to the beautiful, narrow Chambly canal (pix);9 locks; 4 hours; the lockmaster at lock 8 presented us with fresh sweet corn on the cob, delicious! Docked on the lock wall at St. Jean sur Richelieu. Canadian-Arcadian festival (pix) and pizza at the lock(*****). We passed the 3,000 mile mark on our journey this PM. (Pos: N 45-18.6; W 73-15.1)

Monday, August 25, 2003

We're home, sort of! Back in the USA at Rouses Point, Lighthouse Point Marina. Passed Fort Montgomery at the border (pix), known as "Fort Blunder" due to some unknown (to me) surveying error. (Pos: N 45-59.8; W 73-21.3).

Next Chapter: Homeward - August 25, 2003 to October 15, 2003