| Our July 4th 2001 Vacation |
| The Plan.. Our original plan this year was to do the Rideau canal. However, we really wanted to do a trip with our friends Dave and Jean Alexander and their boat, the Ka-Leen, a 29' Maxum cruiser. We felt that the locks might be difficult for them as new boat owners, so we decided to repeat our trip that we did last year. Our plans called for leaving on Friday, June 29th to Sodus Bay, then onwards to the 1000 Islands region and the Bay of Quinte. Dave and Jean were going to meet us on Saturday, June 30 at Sodus. Day 1, Friday June 29th. We arrived at the Lady Jane at around 4pm. First order of business of course was to load the boat. Mostly food and personal items (beer!) which we had stowed in no time. A quick check of all the systems, and we were on our way. The lake tonight was dead calm, no waves at all. After doing a slow cruise out the channel at Braddock Bay, I set a GPS course to Sodus and sat back to enjoy the 49 mile cruise. 2.5 hours later, we were motoring into Sodus Bay. We found a nice spot to anchor for the night just west of the Coast Guard station in about 4 feet of water. Rob got the dinghy ready to take the pooches in for some relief while I popped open a cold one. We had a light dinner on the bridge and enjoyed the view of the harbor. Our vistors tonight were my stepmother Sue, her friend Gene, and my brother Jeff, who walked over from Katlyn Marina. Rob picked them up in the dinghy and we had cocktails with them for an hour or so. Jeff stayed the night with us, Rob ferryed Sue and Gene back to shore. A band started playing at one of the bars onshore at around 10pm, and continued into the wee hours of the night. Rob decided to sleep on the bridge tonight since his cabin was a bit stuffy. He said that he enjoyed listening to the music as it drifted over the bay. Day 2, Saturday June 30th Today's plan was to stay in Sodus Bay and meet my sister and her family. We planned a nice barbeque together and then fireworks viewing at dusk. After ferrying the pooches to shore and back for their morning duties, we motored over to Katlyn Marina where we had a slip reserved for the night. First order of business was to fuel the Lady Jane. She took on 98 gallons of premium fuel at $1.99 per gallon. (ouch!) Once at our slip right next to Sue's boat, the Missy, we had a light breakfast and relaxed for a while with Sue and Gene. I radioed for Ka-Leen several times during the morning as I knew Dave and Jean would be on thier way. I finally made contact at around noon, they were heading into the channel. Dave and Jean pulled in next to us and we spent a few hours just talking about our plans and the trip so far. Jane was not feeling well, she had a bad migraine and had left her prescription headache pills home. My brother Jeff took her to a nearby pharmacy, but they wouldn't refill her prescription. So Rob and I take Sue's car and drive all the way back to our house (1.5 hours) to pick up her medicine. We raced back, but still ended up killing most of the afternoon. In the mean time, my sister and her family had arrived. We enjoyed a great barbeque that night of ribs, hot dogs and hamburgs. At around 9:30, we headed out in the Lady Jane with my family and Dave and Jean aboard to see the fireworks. Very windy now, winds were soutwest at 15-25 knots. We found a nice spot to anchor just off the Coast Guard station. Fireworks were great, lots of ooooo's and ahhhh's! Only problem was that the wind was blowing many of them away before they were finished! After the fireworks, we returned to the dock and my sister and her family took off for the night. Since it was close to midnight now, we all turned in, dreaming of our trip tommorow.. Day 3, Sunday July 1st Rainy today. Not only rain, but wind! Still blowing very hard. We have coffee with Sue and Dave and Jean and discuss our plans to travel to Cape Vincent, about 63 miles away across open water. If the wind sets down, we will go, otherwise we will stay. Around 11, we decide to walk into town for breakfast. Dave kept talking about bacon and eggs until we all were hungering for them! As we walked the skies became darker and darker and ....wow, we made it just in the nick of time! We sat down at our table in the Sodus Bay Bait and Tackle Restuarant (yes, this is a resturant with a bait and tackle shop in the back!) just as the skies errupted. Torrential downpour with gusty winds and lightning. I remembered I had left our deck chairs on the dock, so I ran out the door in search of a payphone to call Sue. She informed me that my brother had brought them in just as they were about to go in the drink! Back to the restuarant, we all had our bacon and eggs with homefries except Jane who decided on a burger. The homefries were excellent! When the rain let up, we strolled back to the marina. Miraculously, the sun came out and the winds went down. However, it was to be a short repreive, within 1 hour the winds were stronger than ever. We decided at around 3 that we would spend another night at Katlyn. We didn't do much the rest of the day. At around 7, we had a pot-luck supper featuring Jane's sandwiches with Dave and Jean. We listened on the VHF to the Coast Guard searching for 2 missing people in Lake Ontario near Fair Haven. We found out the next day that both people ( a 14 yr old boy and a 44 yr old man) were presumed drowned. Entertainment tonight was a game of Scrabble with liberal amounts of Bloody Ceasars and beer to fuel the players. Day 4, Monday, July 2nd Wow, it's freezing! We awoke to 48 degree weather. This is July?? Sun is out today, but it is still very windy. Lake forecast is 3-5 ft waves subsiding later to 2-4 ft. Once again the Lady Jane and Ka-Leen are in a holding pattern. Will we ever escape from Sodus Bay?? Jane decides to get caught up on her sleep and goes back to bed after we have coffee. I take out the dinghy for a buzz around the bay while Jean reads and Dave does some work on his boat. When I return (soaked from the spray!) I read a bit and then take a nap. Wow, this is exciting, isn't it? When everyone finally gets up, we take the pooches and walk into town. Sodus Bay is a nice little town, there are quite a few good restuarants and bars. Not much else except a boat dealer. Lunch today was at Hots Point, a little takeout stand that serves burgers and such. After lunch, we walk down to the beach to check out the lake. Yes indeed, it is rough!! Since there is no rush to get back to the boats, we start checking out the houses along the way for sale. Out of one of them comes a miniture greyhound, the cutest little pup. He is barking like mad at our sea-dogs, gotta let them know this is MY house! Dave chats with the owners daughter a bit while the pooches investigate the nearby trees. When we arrive back to the boats at around 3, the winds do seem to be setting down. Is this a good sign?? We decide that if things look favorable at 5pm, we will make a run for it. At 5pm, we decide to GO! Dave takes the Ka-Leen over to the fuel dock to fuel up, and the Lady Jane leaves her slip shortly after. Once Dave is fueled we head out throught the channel into the lake. Dave tells me later that as soon as the Lady Jane hit the lake, she disappeared! Yes, it is still rough out here. I throttle up to around 16 knots and the Ka-Leen does the same. However, this trip is not to be, after about 10 minutes Dave radios me and says it is to rough for them. We swing our boats back into the bay and decide that we will anchor for the night behind Newark Island. We find a delightful anchorage about 100 ft off the east shore and settle in for the night. Dinner tonight is Zweigle hot dogs. These hot dogs are unique to the upstate NY area, and come in both red and white. They are the best! After dinner and drinks on the bridge of the Lady Jane, we watch a perfect sunset. Maybe not leaving wasn't so bad after all. At least we escaped from the marina! Later that night Jean teaches Jane and I how to play "Rummikub" This is a fun game that you can play with 4 people, and soon became one of our favorites. We turn in to bed at around 11, and decide that we will try to make a go for it tommorow at 6am. Day 5, Tuesday July 2nd Beep, Beep, Beep - the sound of our portable alarm clock going off at 5:30 am. A quick glance at our courtesy flag on the front of the boat shows no wind..Yeah! I get my little propane stove out (much faster than the boat's alcohol stove) and brew 2 pots of coffee. Out back I meet Dave who is already preparing for our voyage. I give him one pot of coffee which he fills his carafe with for the trip. Soon we are on our way. The lake is good, not flat but we are rolling with the waves. Probably about a 1-2 ft roll. Our first waypoint will take us just to the east of Main Duck Island, a 50 mile leg. Visibility is great today, we can see land the entire voyage. We are running around 17-18 knots today, as we progress eastward the lake begins to pick up a bit. Since the Lady Jane does not cruise much above 17-18 knots, Dave has to work the throttles of the Ka-Leen to keep at the same speed. The Ka-Leen is a brand new boat with twin engines and she really wants to go! The Lady Jane takes her time getting anywhere, but she always gets us there. At around 8:30, we are passing Main Duck. The waves have now increased to around 2-3 ft with an occaisional 4 footer. Both boats are handling the water fine, although we lose our coffee carafe to an unexpected wave. What a mess, coffee all over the floor. Our next waypoint is now entered into the gps and we are headed on a course that will put us just off Tibbets Point Lighthouse at the entrance to the St Lawrence. At around 9 am , we are passing the lighthouse. Soon we have both boats safely moored at the DEC Fish Hatchery in Cape Vincent. Dave and Jean have never been here, so they spend some time checking out the exhibits. We all take a walk into town where we purchase some provisions and of course more beer! The plan for the rest of the day is to travel up the St. Lawrence to Waterson State Park which is on Welsley Island. After stowing our provisions and a quick lunch, Dave and I take a walk over to the marina next door. Lots of fishing boats here, with a few nice sized cruisers mixed in. We cast off at about 1 pm and head up the river. Great trip, the smooth water was a welcome relief from the rolling Lake Ontario. Once we are at Clayton, I make the swing around Calumet Island and head over to Bluff Island. On Bluff Island there is a one-of-a-kind store called BoatTeak. It is in an old Boathouse loft, and they sell all manner of gifts and nautical items. A must see if you have never done it. When the girls are done browsing, we head out again, this time around Picton Island, past Picnic and Canoe Point State parks and over to Welsley Island. We pull into Waterson and find that there are already about 6 boats here with more on the way. Right in front of us is a 70' megayacht - Wowser! We go up on shore - this place is delightful, always one of our favorites. However, this year the ranger informs us that boats are no longer allowed to stay overnight. It seems that there is some obscure NY law that requires drinking water for people to stay overnight. Very dumb, since all the boats that stay here carry their own water. The good news is that he lets us know that there is no enforcement of the rule so far, so everyone has been staying overnight, which we will do. We can only hope that they continue to do so, as this would be a great loss to all boaters. Once our dinghy is in the water, I take Dave for a little tour of the area. Lots of islands here all with big houses on them. I take him down the International Rift, which is a channel that leads to the Lake of the Isles in the center of Welsley Island. The worlds smallest international bridge spans the rift, joining Canada and the United States. We buzz around for a bit in the Lake of the Isles, then head back for dinner. Dinner tonight is a veritable feast! Steak, potatoes, salads and beans with plenty of wine for everyone. Dave is enjoying his new Magma grill, today he is using it right on the dock with the stand he purchased for it. After dinner we sat around on the dockwhile Robbie went up on shore to gather wood for a campfire. Around 9 we went up to enjoy the fire he had going for us. We watched the sunset from on shore with the blazing fire in the foreground. Life is good! After it got dark, we started hearing noises coming from the garbage can area. Racoons! We got the flashlights out and spotted them. Thier eyes light up like lanterns. We spotted 3 or 4 of them that night, including 2 that were fighting over a scrap of food. As the fire burned down, we headed back to the boats for the night. Day 6, Wednesday July 4th Independance Day! Today our plans were to tour Boldt Castle, then anchor behind the castle for the night to see the big fireworks display. It is cool and partly cloudy today. I made homefries for the crew today on the dock using left over baked potatoes from last nights meal. They were devoured in short order by everyone except Rob, who was still sleeping. Dave brought out some left over steak which was great with the homefries. I think the steak woke Rob up, as he appeared shortly after we finished it. Lucky for him, we saved him a sliver! After breakfast Dave and I took baths in the water. Yeow - that is cold water! After I was fresh, clean and freezing, Rob and I took the dinghy over to Welsley Island State Park where they have a marina and camp store. We filled the dinghy gas tank and picked up a few bags of ice. By the time we returned the dock was really filling up. 4 more big boats arrived, and one had to raft since there was no more room. We decided it was time for us to fly, so we cast our boats off and headed upstream. Our voyage today took us through the Canadian Channel of the St. Lawrence under the St. Lawrence Bridge. Since both of our vessels were getting low on fuel, we decided to fuel up before our tour. We went around Mary Island and the castle over to Alex Bay. The Lady Jane took on around 80 gallons of fuel, price was $1.79 per gallon. Dave got gas at Rogers Marine right down from where I fueled, he reports $1.84 a gallon there. After our boats were filled and happy, we headed back across the river to the castle. There is plenty of free dockage behind the castle, dock hours are 10am-7pm. Try to get an inside dock, as there are lots of boat wakes to contend with here. If you have never toured Boldt Castle, this is a must do. The tour is self-guided, so you can go at your own pace. We spent hours roaming the halls and rooms that were never finished. They are in the process of finishing parts of the castle to give visitors an idea of what may have been if George Boldt had finished the castle. When we were done, Dave an I took a wild dinghy ride across the river to Alex Bay. Our mission?? Garlic bread for the Pasta dinner we had planned! Few people know about it, but there is a stream at the end of Alex Bay which leads right to a supermarket plaza with a dock. There are 2 low clearance bridges you must go under to get to the store, so you will need a dinghy or small boat to get there. We found our bread (Texas Toast with parmasian cheese) and bought a backup loaf of plain italian bread just in case we messed up our Texas Toast. A quick zip across river brought us back to the castle and our boats and crew. We cast off and headed to our anchorage, right next to the Boldt Castle Boat house. After we were anchored, we got our dinner started. Pasta, salad, texas toast and 2 bottles of red wine. Dave grilled the toast on his magma while Jane did the pasta and sauce on our boats alcohol stove. Everything was perfect! We had a wonderful dinner on the bridge of the Lady Jane while the sun set over the castle. Around 10pm, the fireworks display started. It was fantastic! There was a full moon right beind the castle which made an awesome backdrop for the fireworks. After the grand finale and much tooting of the boat horn, we went below to finish the night with a few drinks and a couple games of Rummikub. Day 7, Thursday July 5th We awoke today to beautiful clear sunny skies. We were the only ones left in the anchorage except a raft of about 4 other boats off to our port side. Dave and I got the idea to make bacon and eggs (here we go again) this morning. One problem - no bacon and eggs aboard! So off we go in our dinghy to Alex Bay. We stopped at a marine store which had just opened for the day to poke around a bit. Then we tied up at the town dock (free for 4 hours, unbelievably high prices to stay overnight) and walked down Main Street. Lots of gift shops and bars, none of which were open yet. So back to the dinghy and off to our favorite grocery store. As we walked across the parking lot, the aroma of bacon and homefires wafted in the air..were we imagining things?? We got our supplies in short order and headed back to the big boats. As we crossed the river, a lake freighter was in our path. Dave got real nervous as he thought I was ready to race it down the river and cut it off. I took the back route instead and gave Dave a great view of the freighter's stern - he said he thought he could touch it! Only in the St Lawrence can you come so close to moving ships.. We made it back safely to our boats, although Dave wasn't sure he wanted to do any more dinghy rides with me! Now for the bacon and eggs...whoops, Jane is upset because we abandonded ship for 2 hours and now she wants to leave. Ok, we relent and give in to a breakfast of cinnamon swirls and cheese with crackers. We will have our bacon and eggs soon... Our trip today would take us down the American channel across to Gananoque, Ontario, and then onwards to Kingston, Ontario. The weather was nice, temp in the 70's, lot's of sun. However, as we made our journey, the wind started to increase. On the final leg of our trip as we neared the mouth of the St. Lawrence, the wind REALLY kicked up. We were dealing with 20-30 knot winds, head on. Waves quickly built to 2-3+ feet, we throttled down to 8 knots. The spray was unbelievable, Rob and I got soaked sitting on the bridge. Once in Kingston Harbor, we radioed Confederation Basin for slip asignment. I could see right away that docking would not be easy. I went in first, but as soon as I entered the slip area, the Lady Jane was spun abeam by the wind. Using copious quantities of throttle and luck, I was somehow able to literally muscle the boat into her slip. We came very close (inches!) to getting blown into several sailboats, it was kind of fun to watch everyone run from boat to boat ready to fend us off! When I got off the boat, the anxious boaters on the dock actually gave me a round of applause. Now that is a first for us! I have never had a scarier docking expirience in my 25 years of boating. Ka-Leen's turn next...Dave gets the boat ready, but the wind nearly blows him into a docked boat. He powers out just before contact. Whew! He tries again, but the wind is just too strong (we are talking 25+ knots!) There are 2 dockhands just hanging off the bow of the 40' Tollycraft next to his slip. With their feet and all the muscle they can muster they save both boats from disaster...the Ka-Leen is in! Needless to say the first thing we did after securing the boats was to have a drink - I think Dave had a double! Once we had stopped shaking, Dave and I went ashore to register and check in with customs. Dockage this year is $1.20 CDN per foot, but they are now charging $5 per night for power. Kingston is a great city, lots of stuff to see and do here. We walk back to the boat to plan our assault on the city. The girls had other plans, they were already gone shopping. I needed to repair a bad connection on the Lady Jane's alternator, so I removed the connector while Dave showered ashore. When he returned, we made our pilgramage into town in search of the bad connector. We tried the marine store next to the marina first - no luck. We did finally find a similar connector at the second hardware store we visited. Our slow stroll back to the boats took us in front of Town Hall and the park by the marina. People everywhere! After my repair was complete, we started talking with our neighbors on the dock. Right next to the Lady Jane was the boat Childs Play from Sodus Bay. Steve, the boats owner, had written to me over winter when he found this website. He was on vacation with his friend Linda. He has a nice 1995 2855 Bayliner. Steve, Linda and I talked and had a beer. Turns out their friends, Les and Kathy, who just bought a boat, have a slip 2 down from the Lady Jane in Braddock Bay. Wow, small world or what?? I invited them to dinner with us tonight, and they were happy to join us. We decide to do our favorite Kingston restaurant, Lone Star. Great margaritas and tex-mex food. Well, the girls finally get back and after a few before-dinner drinks (Dave is still shaking!), we stroll down to the restaurant. Everyone agrees the food and drinks were wonderful, but Dave thinks the rice was a bit dry. The manager actually apologizes to us and gave Dave and Jean a free dessert. Very nice. After our walk back to the boat, we wish Steve and Linda a goodnight, and Dave and Jean join us for another night of Rummikub. I think I may even have won a game! Day 8, Friday July 6th We weren't sure what we were going to do today. We need to get to Trenton for our trip home, but we have built an extra day into our plans. Jane would love to stay in Kingston for another day, but after listening to the weather forecast Dave and I decide to make the run this morning while the weather is still good. Winds are light now, but forecast to increase during the day. The Bay of Quinte is usually no problem even with wind, but we need to cross about 10 miles of open Lake Ontario which can be real nasty. We pull out of Kingston at about 9:30. Our first stop is for fuel, we stop in Portmouth Olympic Harbor. There is a nice marina here, this was the site of the 1976 Olympic sailing events. Gas is .90 per liter here, I just take on $100, which will be enough to get me to Trenton where fuel is cheaper. Both boats are soon on their way, we are running at 18 knots today with a light chop. We pass between Amherst Island and the Canadian mainland into the Bay of Quinte. Nice day, sunny but cool. We continue on through the bay (which is actually more like a series of lakes). When we hit Big Bay, the wind once again picks up, and we are fighting a nice 1-2 chop. But it doesn't last long, soon we are approaching Belleville at the end of the bay. Trenton is only about 6 or 7 miles from Belleville, and we get our slip assignment from the Fraser Park Marina as we make our approach. First stop of course, will be for fuel. The Lady Jane takes on $200, not quite full. Gas here is .80 per liter, a big difference from Kingston. After we are docked, the crew of the Ka-Leen and the Lady Jane take a walk into town. Trenton has some nice shops, and a movie theater within walking distance. Dave finds the skillet of his dreams at Liquidation World, unfortunately he has to buy a sauce pan set with it. But he is happy and we continue our trek. We visit several other stores before walking to the LCBO (Canadian liquor store) to replenish the Lady Jane's wine stock. Jane is happy to find that this LCBO has vintages, and she finds 5 bottles to her liking. Back to the boat, we get dinner started. Barbeque ribs tonight! Once again we combine resources with the Ka-Leen and have a great meal. We decide to go see a movie tonight. A.I. was the featured presentation. Rob and I took the dinghy for a ride to the first lock of the Trent-Severn canal. Too bad we didn't have time do the canal with the Lady Jane. We also had a chance to really find out how fast our little dinghy goes - I took the GPS with us. 19.8 mph with 2 people aboard. Not exactly blazing speed, but pretty good for an 8' boat. Later that night, we saw the A.I. movie - if you haven't gone to see it, DON'T. Dave, Rob and I walked out of the theater when it was over laughing our heads off because it was so DUMB. Back to the boats for a few games of Rummikub before turning in for the night. Day 9, Saturday July 7th After checking the forecast, we decide to stay another night in Canada. However, the Murray canal which we will need to traverse in order to get to Lake Ontario does not open until 8:30. So that we can get an early start on Sunday, we plan to go to Presquille Bay and stay in a marina on the bay. However, before we leave, Dave and I finally get to have our BACON and EGGS breakfast! I cook the bacon outside on the little propane stove, while Jane does the eggs and toast on the Lady Jane. Dave gets to try out his new skillet with the homefries. We have a breakfast fit for kings! After we have cleaned up and put the dishes away, we wave goodbye to Craig the manager of the Fraser Park marina and are on our way. We go at a slow 5 knot cruise today, no need to rush, the speed limit of the Murray Canal is 10kph. We pass 6 sailboats in the canal and go through the 2 swing bridges. Of course, we pay our $4 to the bridge keeper before we pass the second bridge. Once in Presquille bay, the wind sets down and we can see the lake - it's not rough! I spot a trawler coming in off the lake and hail him on the VHF. He tells me they have just made the voyage from Toronto, and that the lake is not bad - 2-3 foot swells. Dave and I confer and decide to go for it. We put the dinghy away (we had been towing it), batten down the hatches and head out into the lake. Not too bad, the swells make for a real up and down bouncy ride, but it is bearable. We run at about 17 knots and set our GPS to Braddock Bay, a 49 mile trip across the lake. We have an uneventful crossing, and arrive safely in port at about 2pm. After docking, we celebrate our trip with drinks and food. Another great trip on the Lady Jane has come to a finish! |