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