Thousand Island Cruising

After our eventful and social stay in Kingston, we began the new leg of the trip down the St. Lawrence River.  John and I made this trip 16 years ago in Spartina, but we were quite rushed and did not stop to enjoy many of the islands.  Last year we visited only one of the Thousand Islands, so we had a few more to see. The region is quite stunning with its natural surroundings, spectacular cottages, and boat houses out of magazines.

After Kingston, our first stop was the town of Gananoque. We made our way from Kingston in rainy and foggy weather. For about an hour of choppy waves, pounding rain, and fog, I thought, "What the heck are we taking our kids out in?" However, our offspring didn't seem to care much. Simon was happy to try on his new rainboots and was putting his foul weather gear to the test. Wavey stayed below playing despite the bouncing around. We got to Gananoque as the sky cleared and docked outside the 1000 Island Playhouse. We had dinner at the Socialist Pig restaurant and got back to the theatre in time to see a play. Very civilized. 

Getting ready to attend the theatre

Sunset at the Playhouse Dock

Great tacos here!

We left the following day to anchor on Hill Island. The kids enjoyed swimming off the boat in clear water. We tried barbequing for the first time on Nahanni V with the BBQ that John's family gave him for a gift over 25 years ago. It works great!  Thanks Bob and Carol!

Chef John grilling the evening meal at anchor

Fishes

Hill Island is a short trip to Heart Island and the famous Boldt Castle. We were eager to visit this interesting place which is quite a popular destination as we found out.

When we arrived, we pulled up to the US Customs Dock and checked into Customs. The officials were friendly and helpful. It was quite busy with cruise ships and pleasure boats and space was very limited.  

Leaving our boat at the Customs dock for a few minutes, we walked along the pleasure-boat dock area and found one space we could just squeeze into. We left Simon on the dock to "save" our spot and take our lines as the wind was brisk. In the two minutes it took us to move the boat, another boat squeezed in and took the last remaining space. Simon looked distraught as we passed by the dock with no place to dock, nor a place to pick him up. We motored around awhile dodging other boats while Simon watched from the shore to see what we were going to do. Our only option seemed to be the cruise ship docks. We thought we would just swing by and pick him up.  As we got closer, several officials started yelling at us, saying we could not stop.  The Mama Bear in me yelled right back and announced we would not dock, but simply swing by to pick up our child.  They were speechless as John maneuvered close to the dock. With confidence and bravery, Simon leapt from the dock right onto the boat!  It was out of a movie. The crowd on the dock cheered. (I just about passed out with fear, then joy.)  All turned out well, as another boat soon left and we tied up (without any further death-defying acts) just feet from where we originally planned to dock. 

Nahanni V docked at pleasure boat dock (late in the day after everyone else went home)

So, back to Boldt Castle. For those of you who do not know the story: Over a century ago, a man named George Boldt built a castle for his wife Louise. He had the island blasted into the shape of a heart and spared no expense in creating a magical mansion for his beloved.  Tragically, Louise died months before its completion and he abandoned the castle and the island altogether.  The castle lay abandoned and decaying for 70 years before the 1000 Islands Bridge Commission decided to start restoring it. 

John had been to Boldt Castle about 40 years ago before much of the restoration had taken place. Much of the main castle today has been restored to its previous glory and the work continues.  We were lucky to visit this day when the gardens were in full bloom and the sky was clear.

Restored stain glass dome

We left the grandeur of castle life and sailed to Brockville that night to do less exciting tasks like chores, route planning, homeschool prep, and a heap of laundry.  Brockville is a pleasant town as long as you don't get run down by Pokemon Go players on the dock.

Brockville Municipal Dock

Now, to the St. Lawrence Seaway!

Hip in Kingston

We did not have good WiFi access for over a week, so here are the Kingston blogs:


August 19, 2016

We have been in Kingston for a few days now. It is great to be back in this familiar place that is old and new at the same time.

During our stay, we had a great harbour "cruise" with Donna and her kids and got to take in Joel's soccer game. CORK was in full swing and the harbour was filled with sailboats!

Joel at the bow

Claire and Donna

Captain Simon navigating through the CORK boats

We were invited to attend the Sunset Ceremony at Fort Henry with friends Susan and James. We were amazed at the performance of their son MacGregor who was drumming and piping. Spectacular show!

MacGregor is the first drummer on the left

Battle re-enactment

Kathryn and MacGregor Van de Ven

This city is ramping up for the big Hip event Saturday night. Downtown is jammed up with set-up crews and the marinas are preparing for the annual Poker Run. It is destined to be a loud weekend and we are definitely want to be in the thick of it.

The Hip is everywhere

Stage getting set up for the concert

Merchandise trailer getting set up. They make the shirts right there!

August 20, 2016

We are exhausted, but totally Hip. What a day!

We spent the morning breakfasting with Susan and James and their family at the historic Morrison's. It wouldn't be breakfast without heaps of bacon. The Farmer's market did not disappoint and we loaded up on fresh provisions. The was an electric feeling in the air as the city prepared for the Tragically Hip concert at the K Rock Centre and live broadcast in the market square. The city seemed to be ready for anything.

Prepared with mega Porta Potties

We returned to the boat and spent the afternoon with MacGregor, Kate and James jamming with our onboard instruments and practicing our rowing. We also lucked out and had time catching up with our boating friends (from Halifax!) Alain and Judi.

MacGregor and Simon warming up their chops

Simon, MacGregor and Kate rowing around the anchorage

The streets were filling up as we went ashore for the concert. I had to have one last dish of #11 (Paenang Shrimp) at Cambodian Village (my favourite place to eat). As we were dining, a crowd of people started running out of the restaurant. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had been spotted walking along King St. The kids and I dropped our forks and ran out the door. (Not being phased by celebrities or politicians, John stayed behind to eat.) The kids and I wormed our way through the sea of people wielding cell phones. I was desperate not to lose the kids and pushed my way through in a most un Canadian-like manner. Security was forming a tight line on either side of the PM but somehow we got to the accessible edge and we all greeted the (well-coiffed) leader of our country with a handshake! He gave an extra smile to Simon and Wavey, because they of course, were the cutest in the crowd.

After we left the "Justin" crowd. He is in there.....believe me!

The kids and I skipped back to the restaurant as the Justin fan club headed toward the K Rock Centre for the concert. As that crowd moved on, the market square began to flood with fans (and non-fans). Everyone seemed to want part of this event. The market square is supposed to hold about 5,000. Word on the street indicated there were about 30,000 of us out there rocking in front of the screen. My friend Susan was about 10 feet away from us and I never did end up seeing her. 

Are we the only ones out here without a selfie stick?

Sardines and the big screen

Once the concert started, we realized the kids could not see a thing.  I tried lifting Wavey up for brief glimpses of Gord Downey, but poor Simon was just seeing the backsides of the crowd. After about 40 minutes, we pushed our way to the side of the street to look for something the kids could climb up on. We walked right into the media riser for Global News and found ourselves being interviewed! The reporter was kind enough to let the kids up on the riser to get a better view.

Up on the media riser 

About 10:00 pm, Wavey started to wilt and Simon couldn't stand any longer so we literally pushed our way out. As we walked back to the anchorage and rowed back to Nahanni V, we could hear the encores over the sound of the freshening wind.



August 21, 2016

Heading east!

Heading out in rain and 20 knots of wind

Gone

We are Gone with a capital G. No more trips to the basement to get one more spare part.  No more cart loads to the boat.  We are packed. We are full. We have too much stuff. There is no turning back now.

After leaving Port Credit on August 1, we sailed to Niagara-on-the Lake to have some more family time. John's Mom Lois welcomed us into her home for over a week. This time happened to be the hottest week of the summer. While Nahanni V roasted in the sun alone at a mooring, we enjoyed our "spa" visit with Lois in NOTL watching the Olympics in AC, taking a little riverboat cruise and sharing meals with family and friends. We made a few last trips to the house to gather yet a few more items while kids had time with Granny.

Cruise down the Niagara River with Granny and friend Jean

Simon helping to untangle the mooring ball

Madelyn and Wavey sharing a meal at the Irish Harp

We have had many goodbyes so far. Somehow this time was harder to cast off the lines knowing we would not be back to the Niagara region for awhile

With Aunt Liane and cousins Lucas and Zachary

Heading east, we left last Friday towards Prince Edward County with a relatively good forecast and expectations for an pleasant overnight passage.

Playing crazy eights with new waterproof cards -- love them!

Listening to an audio book while underway

Within two hours of leaving, the towering cumulus clouds we had been admiring turned into a 35 knot squall that left us drenched. The kids stayed down below and laughed at us through the window.

Squall coming in

The unsettled weather continued through the night with thunder showers and fluky winds that made sailing no fun at all.

Around 3 am, we decided to proceed under power and pound into the confused waves. (Simon said later that the bow where they sleep was crashing so much that they were airborne in their bunks.) Unfortunately, we had not dogged down the kids' hatch over their bunk in time and water poured over them as they slept. Wavey was indignant for a few minutes before moving to the salon to continue her rolly sleep. The kids were amazing during the passage. Resilient ones they are.

We arrived 25 hours later in Waupoos, a small community close to Picton. We met up with our friend Donna who greeted us with lunch and gave us a fantastic tour of the region. We also had the pleasure of hanging out at the funky Waupoos Marina with friends Linda and Paul on De Nada.

Touring the County at Lake on the Mountain with Donna

Linda and Paul on De Nada

So as we carry on, "Gone" feels good. Strange too. And a wee bit scary!

Pushing off the Dock...Again

You might wonder where the heck we went. After all of the hoopla of us leaving our home port and all. Well, truth be told, we went back. Just to do a few more things. A day or two turned into another ten days. We worked non-stop. We got more parts. Finished more projects. Took a whack of stuff to the dump. 

After a week, Wavey asked me without a trace of cheekiness, "Mom, are we really going on this trip?

Cleaning up the driveway

Loading up the trailer to take 390 kg to the dump

The never ending list

I wish I had a quarter for every time someone said, "I'd thought you'd left."

Back in the engine room

Starting the travel log

So after at least 200 more trips down the dock and a few more cart loads, we left...again. We waved goodbye to our fellow boaters who sent us off from the breakwater as the northeast wind sent waves crashing into the channel. We rollercoasted into lumpy seas screaming, "This is great!" and "Wooo hooo!" until we all got nauseous. After that, we just hung on and tried not to throw up.

REALLY leaving

Four hours later we landed at Port Credit Yacht Club to spend the long weekend with our friends sitting by the pool and pinching ourselves that we are officially "gone."

Kids did about 20 hours in the pool over weekend

Tom and John

Making pickle art with Bill and Danielle

New friends with Katie and Molly

Kids' morning meeting to decide the day's activities

Boating buddies Chris and Tara

Mixed emotions as we wave goodbye to more friends.

Although we haven't actually travelled very far, the journey is well underway. 

Middle of the lake with Toronto in the the background

We are home.