Headin up the Trent

7/12/11 Tuesday     Time to leave Trenton but we can't get out! The marina filled up after our arrival yesterday and the result was us ending up with very little wiggle room to get out as all the other boats were staying. We were able to convince a couple fellow boaters that it would be prudent for them to move forward a few feet rather than to have an anchor impression along their sides.

Tourist entering the Trent-Severn Waterway.

You can see by the above that we made it out. Thanks to our friends on M/V Sweet Pea for the photo.

About a mile and a half upstream we arrived at Lock 1. They got us in the chamber. Raised us up. And then said come inside. Lock 1 is where you get your transit pass and mooring pass for the waterway. Not a cheap proposition. Over $600.00 for Tourist! Once paid they opened the upper gates and we were on our way.

Canal before Lock 1.

Entering Lock 1.

The chambers aren't very wide so we were glad to be entering by ourselves. You can see above how much room we have on either side of us.

Locks 1 thru 6 are all in a row with only a mile or so between each of them. The fenders stay out and we look like a rental houseboat! Fortunately the lockmasters communicate with each other resulting in the gates being open by the time you arrive at the next lock. Pull in. Tie off. And enjoy the ride.

One of the interesting things at these locks is that the gates are opened by hand. The lockmaster has to manually push a lever around in circles to open the gates!

Lockmaster opening the gates by hand.

The weather was hot so by the time we made it though the first 6 locks we decided to call it a day and tie off to the upper lock wall. This decision was made a bit easier by the fact that Lock 6 has power pedestals along the upper wall so we could plug in and turn on the AC. Cost for this. $9.80 to plug in to the Hydro.
Our stopping was meant to happen since we tied up right next to Tourist Park at Frankford, Ont.

View from the cockpit of Lock 6.

Later that day we walked over town and ended up at a place called Dimitri's for dinner. Good food and plenty of it for a reasonable price.

Pam's meal at Dimitri's! No she didn't clean her plate.

7/13/11 Wednesday     We left Lock 6 around 8:20am and continued upstream. By the way Pam likes the hours of operation on the Trent. 8:30am to 7pm! No more dawn departures for a few days.

Along the way we passed this sign that clearly gets it's message across.

Do Not Anchor!

We also shared the water with a flock of geese.

Which side should I pass on. The 1 or the 2 whistle side?

When we arrived at lock 9 the gates were closed so we pulled into the blue line to wait where we were joined by another small boat. Not long and the gates opened. Once the chamber was clear the lockmaster gave us a hand signal to enter.

Boats leaving Lock 9.

By the time we arrived at Lock 10 the rain clouds were overhead. The lock attendant told us we could not stay in the lock if there was lightning. They raised us up and just as they got the gates opened it hit. High winds and heavy rain. Hind sight being 20/20 I should have stayed put but I didn't. As we pulled away from the wall a big blast of wind pushed our stern into one of the safety ladders in the chamber and knocked an end cap off of our transom moulding. Damn! I'll try to get a picture of the damage and also of how vicious these ladders are. I've not seen anything like them in all the locks we've been through.

Our last two locks 11 & 12 were flight locks. One lock opens into the next. We rose 48' total.

Looking back from Lock 12.

A short distance later we arrived in Campbellford where we tied up to the seawall near the visitors center. They have power here and a wireless connection for a fee. Did I mention it was raining when we pulled in? Another bad hair day!
We strolled around town. Took the obligatory picture of the Tooney in Old Mill Park. And found a supermarket that charges you to use a shopping cart. What?

Canadian Tooney.

Tourist @ Old Mill Park.

Lucky for us we were here on Wednesday because it was music in the park night! Starting at 6 and lasting till 8 the Lions club sponsors this every Wednesday by getting local bands to play for free and then passing the hat with the collection going to a local charity or need. Last year they used the collection money to help buy a CT scanner at the local hospital.
Pam & I sat on the bow of Tourist and enjoyed the music although 8pm is getting on towards my bedtime!

Our view of the bandstand.

 

Oh Canada!

Friday 7/8/11     Following a quiet night behind Boldt Castle we pulled the anchor to find it had grown a few whiskers. This was some of the most vile smelling stuff I've ever encountered in any anchorage.

Anchor Beard.

Once the anchor was clean and my hands were scoured we rounded Boldt Castle and moved on. About 2 miles later we crossed the U.S./Canadian border and put up our Quarintine flag.

Quarintine Flag.

A short distance after we pulled in to the Ed Huck Marina in Rockport, Ontario to check in with Canadian Customs at the free phone located there. Since we were taking up so much of their fuel dock we decided to get a pump out. That was before we saw the price. $40.00! Unfortunately we had already committed and had to go through with it. It's illegal to pump overboard but apparently not to steal!

Canadian courtesy flag.

Anyway the check-in process was painless with no inspectors. Just a number issued that has to be recorded in case of a future inspection. It wasn't long and we were on our way through some of the prettiest scenery we've encountered yet. Very rocky and very deep. Along the way we spotted several places where stands have been built for the eagles to nest to keep them off the channel markers.

Eagles nest next to channel marker.

It was a short day of 16 miles that found us pulling into the 1000 Island Playhouse in Gananaque for our overnight.

1000 Island Playhouse. (http://www.1000islandsplayhouse.com/)

 The main reason for this stop was the novelty of going to a play by boat. We saw The Drowning Girls performed in the round. Good acting although the play left a bit too much to interpretation for me. Still a lot of fun.

Saturday 7/9/11     We departed Gananaque about 8:15 and headed west. Still beautiful scenery. Then our new chartplotter stopped showing details like shoals and depths and channel markers. Not good. This is why we have paper charts to back up the electronics.

You can see where the boat icon is, that there is no definition on the map.

Using our paper charts we made our way to Kingston, The oldest community in Canada. As we neared our destination we passed Fort Henry. Shortly after we arrived at Confederation Basin Marina where we had been told earlier that a slip was available for us. Oops! No slip but we could tie to the sea wall and wait to see if anything opened up. We ended up an hour later backing into a 26' slip that became available. Tourist stuck out like a horn on a rhino's nose.

Fort Henry.

Kingston quickly became one of our favorite stops. We walked around checking out the old buildings and noticed that there was an overabundance of restaurants within walking distance of the marina. Our choice for the evening was Curry Original (http://www.curryoriginal.ca/) an Indian restaurant that didn't disappoint. Pam quickly proclaimed it one of her favorites so far. I know we could have spent more time in Kingston but sometimes you just have to keep moving.

Scenes around Kingston.

The water up here is clear thus allowing the sun to shine deeper into it which promotes the growth of the thick bottom vegitation that gets intertwined on our anchor and rode. The picture below is in about 10' of water next to one of the docks at Confederation Basin.

Bottom growth at Confederation Basin.

Before we left Kingston we(Pam) got caught up on laundry and I was able to download the Canadian charts to something called an SD card and install them into the plotter. Miracle of miracles. They Work!

Saturday 7/9/11     It's 28 degrees outside. Why am I sweating? Maybe because that's 82 and some change in the U.S. I'm too old to learn this stuff. Guess I'll stick to stepping outside each morning to see what it's like.

Our travels took us from Kingston via the North Channel, Adolphus Reach, and Long Reach to an anchorage at Whitlow Point just off of Long Reach. Get your maps out and find these places! We had a mostly pleasant ride with one exception where we had exposure to the waves from Lake Ontario. Our anchorage was great with only 2 other boats coming in after us. We snuggled up close to shore and dropped the hook. One of the other boats was anchored out further and was being rocked by some kids wake boarding around them. At one point the anchored boater was yelling at them about their waves but to no avail. They kept at it until almost dark. Reminded me of my youth.

Sunrise at Whitlow Point.

Sunday 7/10/11     Anchor up at 6:30. Clean the weeds off and head out by 6:40. Back onto Long Reach and then a hard left onto the Bay of Quinte for our ride to Trenton where we will start our journey on the Trent-Severn Waterway. A peaceful ride but one that requires a close lookout while transiting the Telegraph Narrows.
We pulled into Fraser Park Marina in Trenton about 10:45am. Topped off the fuel tanks and tied off on the wall next to the park. (fuel is 1.39 per litre) The marina staff was right there to assist with docking which is reassuring since the wall is concrete! First order of business. Wash the boat! Tourist hasn't had a bath since Brewerton and was starting to look like a fly strip with all of the flying bugs that have decided to make her their final resting place. As usual I recieved several words of encouragement from passers by, but no offers to help.
Later in the day we walked around town noticing several music shops. Must be a happy place! Our walk concluded back at the marina where one of us had an ice cream cone to put back those calories that he had just burned off.

Start of the Trent-Severn.

Tourist tucked in at Fraser Park Marina.

The marina later in the day. 7 looper boats in total. we've been crossing paths with the green boat since St. Augustine, Fl.

Antique Boats and Boldts

Wednesday 7/6/11     The weather forecast threatened rain and storms starting late in the morning so with that in my arsenal I was able to talk Pam into a 6 am departure! Again our ride was a bit rocky until we turned into the St. Lawrence River. In no time we were pulling into Clayton, NY. Ahead of the storm!

Our reason for visiting Clayton was the Antique Boat Museum located just a block from our marina.

Antique Boat Museum

Of course by the time we were ready to tour the museum it started to rain. Another bad hair day for me!
Not only do they display the old boats, they also rebuild them on location. The workmanship and upkeep on one of these boats is phenominal. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

What's This? Before Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss made a living penning ads for Esso like the one above.

The exhibits are all inside so the rain wasn't an issue. Both Pam & I enjoyed our visit. The only thing we didn't do was take a ride in one of the vintage boats. Maybe next time.
We rounded out the day by strolling through the riverfront section of town before returning to Tourist.

The view from downtown Clayton.

Thursday 7/7/11     Morning popped up with the sun shining brightly over the river. We moved over to the fuel dock to top off the tanks for the last time in the states. From there we headed downstream towards Alexandria Bay, NY. and Boldt Castle. The ride is spectacular though the American Narrows section of the river with depths over 200' and homes of all varieties lining the banks.

Home along the St. Lawrence.

Twelve miles after we left Clayton we were staring at Boldt Castle right next to the main channel of the river. The guide books said to get there early and we did. 15 minutes before it opened we tied up to the dock and waited for the gates to open. George Boldt started to build the castle on Heart Island in the late 1800's for his wife. Unfortunately she died in 1904 before it was complete. Boldt was heartbroken and walked away from the project never to return. Go to http://www.castle.com/ for the complete story. Today much of the castle has been restored with tourists coming daily from both the U.S. and Canada by tour boat.

Boldt Castle from the channel.

Power House at the Castle.

Boldt's Boathouse.

Heart shapes can be found all throughout the home and grounds.

Uncle Sam II. One of the older tour boats still in service.

Touring is exhausting. Time to refresh with a cone.

We spent the better part of the day at the Castle and then motored about 200 yards over near the baothouse to anchor for the night.

Headin North

Monday 7/4/11     After last nights marina cook-out followed by fireworks over Oneida Lake we couldn't find any reason to keep us from continuing on our adventure so at the early hour of 11:30am we cast off, leaving Brewerton in our wake.
Not far down the water we locked through lock 23. Our last lock on the Erie Canal. From there it was on to Three Rivers and the junction of the Oswego & Erie Canals. Tourist turned right on to the Oswego. Even if we wanted to continue on the Erie we couldn't because we are too high and wouldn't fit under the bridges.

Jct. of Erie & Oswego Canals. (There is a sign on the bank ahead of us giving directions!)

Our destination today is Oswego, NY. The only thing between us and there are 6 more locks.

One of the locks had this pedestrian bridge across it. Fortunately they dropped the water 27' and it became a non-issue.

We arrived at lock 7 an hour before the scheduled 6pm opening and tied to the approach wall. At 6 the gates opened and we and five other boats went in. We dropped about 18' and travelled 300 yards and tied up to the free wall between locks 7 & 8 for the night. It wasn't long and a happy hour broke out on the wall with the other boaters who were also spending the night.

Looking behind Tourist at Oswego.

Tuesday 7/5/11     Today we cross Lake Ontario. But not before checking the weather and sea conditions on the lake. Two footers and 10 to 15 mph winds from the west. Not flat calm but not too bad , so at 8:15 am we pulled away from the wall and into Lock #8. The gates opened and Lake Ontario was before us. We could see the waves crashing against the breakwater as we headed towards the open water.

Heading out to the lake.

On our way out of Oswego we passed Fort Ontario which was first built by the British during the French & Indian War. From 1944 to 1946 the fort was used as a refugee camp for holocaust victims.

Fort Ontario.



Our ride across the lake was a bit rocky so we used some of Tourists speed to get up on top of the waves and smooth out the ride. Our destination Sackets Harbor, NY., a quiet little town started in 1801 by Augustus Sacket.

Tourist at Sackets Harbor.

The town became known for the battle between the Americans and the British/Canadian forces in the War of 1812. A deep water port, it was a strategic location for controlling the trade route between the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. It became the headquarters for both the Navy and Army in the north during the war. In later years General Grant (from Galena) did two tours of duty here at Madison Barracks.

Sacket Mansion now a Visitor Center

One of the period homes.

Of course. Ice Cream!

Pam & I enjoyed our day in Sackets Harbor walking around the town and dining at the Sackets Harbor Brewing Company for lunch. Definitely worth the trip.

Back in Brewerton

Thursday 6/30/11       We're back at Tourist following a whirlwind visit home to catch up with family and friends and of course the required doctor, dentist, optometrist, etc. visits that seem to be part of the aging process. Also we indulged ourselves at some of our favorite restaurants. I'd been longing for a good steak! And we couldn't go home without visiting Manny's for pizza & tacos.

Of course we got to see the grandkids. Went to see Luke play baseball and his team won a doubleheader!

Luke at bat.

Got to see Drew for a little while before he headed out to Milwaukee with his church group.

No. He's not a pimp in training. This is from Prom this past spring. Handsome lad isn't he!

Here's our baby Oscar,  who is now 7 months old and growing every day.

Proud GramPam and Franklin.

We were able to get out on the Mississippi one of the days we were home. The river is still higher than normal  at home and above flood stage below St. Louis. I hope it recedes by the time we get on it in September.

An obviously enhanced photo from our river outing!

We/I still have a few projects to do on Tourist before we head to Lake Ontario, so we will more than likely be here until the 4th.

Speaking of the 4th I have to mention that it's not just the birthday of our nation but also that of my son Addam who was born on the 4th of July. He's a hard guy to catch in front of the camera thus the picture from a past Christmas.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUTCH!

Our stay here at Ess-Kay Yards has been most pleasant with Ethan & Kim providing almost anything we needed from loaner cars, directions, boat parts (extensive inventory) to charts and other nautical items. As on site owners they kept a good eye on Tourist while we were gone. Perhaps not the glitziest marina we've been to but certainly one of the most accommodating we've encountered in our travels.
Have a safe and happy 4th!