Cape Vincent, NY

We left Kingston, Ontario on Sat., July 21 on a fairly windy day. It was blowing at 20-25 knots.  But we battened down the hatches to prepare for a possibly rough passage across the eastern edge of Lake Ontario.  It wasn’t too bad at the beginning but before too long the wind picked up even more. We were rocking and rolling and poor Georgio didn’t know what to do or where to go to get comfortable.  So Lynn spent the entire cruise clutching him to her chest in an effort to calm him. 

She finally released him so she could go below for a minute (not a comfortable place to be in rough weather).  Georgio bolted and unbeknownst to Lynn, she stepped into an accident that George had and tracked it all over the new carpet in the saloon.  Ugh!  To avoid it drying and staining the carpet, Lynn got down on her hands and knees to clean all the tracks and there were many! That was not the best thing to do in rough weather either.  Fortunately, Lynn survived with her stomach intact and before too much longer we got closer to calmer waters.

We arrived at the free town dock in the very pretty village of Cape Vincent.  We were surprised to see people swimming in the waters of the little harbor where we docked but the water was crystal clear and apparently serves as a wonderful swimming hole for local residents.  Also facing us on the dock was an old historic stone building that is currently used for fishery research. 

Sharing the harbor was one of their research boats that would slip out at night and return the next morning in near silence.

Mary Ann and David Reed, friends from the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, live just a couple of blocks from the town dock and had invited us to visit them while we were in the Thousand Islands.  Within a few minutes of our arrival, Mary came over to the dock  to welcome us.  We walked back to their house, a very lovely 100 year old home just across the street from the lake.  Having lived on a big farm prior to this move, they have wonderful flower and vegetable gardens surrounding their home.

That night they invited us for dinner but before that Mary was eager to try our paddle board.  She goes swimming in the lake at least once a day and she and David canoe and jet ski taking maximum advantage of their idyllic location in this beautiful part of the world.  David made a delicious dinner that night and we had the opportunity to meet MaryAnn’s daughter, Pam, who was visiting from Syracuse.  Mary Ann also insisted we bring our laundry over so Lynn got two loads done, as well.

That evening, we slept fairly well aboard Zendo though the winds caused the boat to do quite a bit of rocking and rolling, partially because of the way we were situated on the dock.  The next morning the wind was still pretty strong but the folks in the trawler docked behind us planned to take off.  They would have to back out of their spot which was a fairly tricky proposition in the wind.  Fortunately, their captain was quite capable and with the help of Jonny, David and two men from neighboring boats, they were able to maneuver the one boat out and help us move our boat back into a spot that was a bit calmer.  There’s no way we could have moved the way we did without the extra help.   After that, David kindly offered to take us shopping for whatever we needed so the three of us took off to the shopping mecca of Watertown, about 30 minutes away, where we went grocery shopping, bought a case of wine, picked up a prescription at Walgreen’s and various other errands including having a great burger for lunch.

Returning to Zendo, Jonny insisted on taking Lynn for a bike ride  to the nearby lighthouse which he had gotten close to on his walk earlier that morning. It was a stunning bike ride along the coast, passing little pocket harbors and some picturesque homes.  

The lighthouse was equally interesting. The volunteer in the gift shop noted that there was one year the foghorn rang constantly for 13 days, over 300 hours!  That’s how dreary this part of the world can be in the fall and winter with incredible strong winds lashing the shore.  Almost half of the population in Cape Vincent lives elsewhere in the winter though it is quite clear why they would want to be here in the summer!  

As soon as we returned to the boat, we jumped in the water to cool off before Mary Ann and David joined us for wine and appetizers.

We then walked back to their home along Broadway (the Main Street in the village) for a delicious dinner of spaghetti with fresh clams.  David is a great cook and Mary Ann is the baker in the family, a good combination!

Cape Vincent is an absolutely charming introduction to the Thousand Islands for us and we know the remainder of our cruise through these 1,800 islands will not disappoint.

Kingston, Ontario

After exercising and going for a paddle on Thursday, July 19, we thought we would get an early start and be at for the first lock opening of the day.  But when we tied to pull up the anchor, it was so full of weeds that it took the two of us thirty minutes to get it untangled and cleaned off!  

By the time we got to the lock, less than 20 minutes away, there were several boats ahead of us.  The lock master informed us that it could take almost three hours to go through the lock system.  Jonny was very frustrated as he wanted to beat the rush and get to Kingston in time to make arrangements for some repairs.  Oh, well!  In the long run, we proceeded through each of the seven locks swiftly and smoothly.  

This marked the end of our wonderful cruise through the Rideau Canal.  This canal, commissioned in 1827 and finished in 1832 consists of beautiful rivers and lakes connected by 49 locks.  The Rideau Canal is Ontario’s only World Heritage Site and its unique character, history and beauty make it very deserving of that designation.

After a five and a half hour cruise we arrived at the Kingston Marina.  This was very much a working marina with no frills at all but with a reputation for having a cadre of competent marine repairmen which was our priority as we have a pesky fuel leak.  We were tied up by helpful dockmates, one of whom was familiar with our long term home on the Venetian Causeway, having anchored there in the  past. 

That afternoon we relaxed for a while and then went for a walk through Kingston, a very attractive small city midway between Montreal and Toronto.  Kingston, with a population of 160,000, is situated on the St. Lawrence River.  It has beautiful limestone and red brick architecture and a vibrant waterfront and downtown area.

That afternoon we had a beer at the Kingston Brewery, one of the oldest breweries in the city.  

And later we had dinner at Chez Piggy, an excellent restaurant that was opened in the 1970’s by one of the members of The Lovin’ Spoonful (for those who are old enough to remember that popular band)!

On Friday, two marine mechanics came to address our fuel leak.  After tightening things up more than Jonny already had, they determined that we had no major issues to be concerned about.  Jonny was greatly relieved.  We spent the rest of the day on a tour of the city aboard the on-again, off-again bus, stopping only to pick up a package of fuel additives that had been delivered to the pick up location at the local university.  

We continued our city tour and stopped at another popular brew pub, called the Publix House where we met a friendly local man and his Argentinian wife.  Heading back to Zendo, we rested for a couple of hours before venturing out for our dinner at Le Chien Noir Bistro, another excellent restaurant.  Both restaurants were recommended by friends who we will be visiting when we get to the 1000 Islands planned for the next day.  Kingston is a great city that we definitely enjoyed and would recommend to others.  It reminded us somewhat of Burlington, VT and Portland, ME.  They seem to be of a similar size with a funky yet sophisticated vibe.  We should also note that these Canadian cities and towns are totally decked out with flowers and plantings everywhere you look.  It’s as if they are overcompensating for the long cold winters and fully celebrating the long-awaited summer!

Cranberry Lake, Ontario

We awoke to a cooler morning on Wed., July 18 in our narrow anchorage on Clear Lake.  We skipped a swim and paddle and set off at for us was a very late time of 10:30.  We went through Chaffey’s Lock on our way to Jones Falls which we knew would be a mid-way destination for us.  The lockmaster there was very helpful in providing guidance on how to manage our time at Jones Falls and take advantage of all there was to see there.

 Upon arriving there, the lockmaster said it would be a two hour wait for the boats ahead of us to lock through.  They then would need to refill the basin for the next load to go through. Fortunately, Jones Falls has lots to explore and we knew we wanted to spend some time there. So we set off on a trail that led all around the locks and falls.

 There was lots to see including wooden chutes that are used to supply water to a power plant.

The dam created for the lock was the largest dam of its time in 1830.

We visited the lockmasters home that had been in continuous use until the 1970’s.  It has since been restored to its original design and decor.  A well-informed tour guide was on hand to provide the history and some color commentary.  We also explored the Hotel Kenney, an old-fashioned riverview hotel that was built in 1888 and owned by the Kenney family for many years.

We met lots of interesting people who were either waiting for the locks or sightseeing.  These included a couple who were on a canoe paddling the length of the Rideau and camping at the various lock stations.  We also met a man from Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia on a  tiny converted dory who was traveling solo with only his sweet little blind dog.  

Once we cleared the three locks at Jones Falls we continued on a combination of winding passages and wide open lakes.  

We went through a swing bridge and found our way to Cranberry Lake where we would anchor for the night.  We found a wonderful spot next to Beaupre  Island.  It was a stunning setting, much more open than our previous night’s anchorage.  There were no other cruisers anchored there and only one or two fisherman trolling by.  

Georgio was his usual adorable self as we enjoyed dinner on the aft deck.  

Later on we had a lovely sunset.  The evening was so quiet and peaceful. When it got dark we saw more stars in the sky than we’ve seen this whole trip as there is absolutely no light pollution here. 

Clear Lake, Ontario

Lynn finally tried Jonny’s paddleboard on the beautiful waters of our Colonel By mooring on Tuesday, July 17.  The water was very calm and the conditions were perfect for a nice long paddle.  We had a delightfully relaxing morning and went for another swim sans swimsuits!  What fun!

We released the mooring ball by 10 a.m. bound for the pretty little town of Westport. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm and not too hot.  The Rideau is no longer a narrow channel but has opened up into three expansive lakes, the Lower, Big, and Upper Rideau.  They are studded with tiny islands some of which have homes that can only be reached by water.  The shorelines are heavily wooded.

We stopped in the village of Westport on the west end of the Upper Rideau Lake.  It is Ontario’s smallest community by land area.  We pulled up at the town dock and were aided by two helpful dock attendants.  The dock is connected to the town by an arching bridgeway.  We walked a block or two up to the Main Street where we checked out the two main restaurants in town.  The first was full and had a wait for lunch so we chose the second option, a small little restaurant, quite homey and with good food (and a good ale on tap for Jonny).  After lunch we strolled around the village stopping in a few shops.  We shared an ice cream cone as an extra treat to ourselves.  

Resuming our journey on this lovely day, we only went through two locks, quite an easy day compared to previous ones on the Rideau! 

Because we were in such beautiful surroundings with available anchorages we decided to anchor out again.  Traveling between lakes we had to go through some incredibly narrow channels (note the painted arrow on the rock).

This time we found a very  secluded spot on Clear Lake and dropped the hook at 5 p.m.  We were in a narrow inlet off of the main part of the lake and had this quiet and peaceful spot to ourselves. We thought it might be a good place to swim and paddle but the weather had become breezy and the temperature is dropping so we chose not to.  We also skipped dinner and watched a video before turning in for the evening.

Colonel By Island, Ontario

Jonny went for a short bike ride on Monday, July 16 to scout out the town of Smiths Falls.  He  reported back that it reminded him of an old New England mill town, thereby damning it with faint praise.  When he returned, we both set out on bikes to the nearest grocery store to stock up on some basics.

It wasn’t long after unpacking the groceries that we got ready to move on.  We ran over to thank Frances and Helene for their hospitality, then we set off.  We headed over to the lock to wait for it to open.  This time there were three boats ahead of us and Bucket List was behind us.  The lock could only fit three of us so Bucket List had to wait for the next opening.  After going through with the other boats, we decided we preferred to travel with Bucket List.  We had our system down together and were comfortable sharing the lock space.  When there are several boats and/or inexperienced boaters the locks can be quite nerve-wracking.  So after exiting the lock we waited by the lock wall for Bucket List and told them we’d like to join them again for the day’s cruise.  We set off together, neither of us having definitively decided our ultimate destination for the day.

As we traveled the Rideau started to change drastically from a narrow canal-type of environment to wide open waterways dotted with scenic little islands, some with homes or cottages on them that could only be reached by boat.

We cruised by some “diversions” which were like side trips off of the main route.  One was to a town called Perth which was supposed to be an exquisite example of 18th century architecture.  It was about a ten mile diversion and we decided not to take it.  Afterwards, we realized that we had given our selves ten days on the Rideau and we were zipping right through it, way ahead of schedule.  We had been urged by others not to go through it too fast but to linger and explore its various facets.  That’s when we decided to slow down and enjoy the journey.  We notified Bucket List that we would be doing so.  They were unable to join us because their windlass was broken which made it difficult for them to anchor out.  So we proceeded on our own to explore possible anchorages.  We were missing the beauty and isolation of those out-of-the-way places.  So we proceeded a bit more slowly along our way.  There were not a lot of boats on the water but their numbers will be increasing each day as Canada’s construction holiday is beginning where thousands of Canadians who work in the construction industry will be on vacation for a couple of weeks.

We found a beautiful spot by Colonel By Island where there were some mooring balls and a small dock that led to some nature trails.  On the shore was a deteriorated contemporary style house that was owned by a celebrity who had hosted many famous people there decades ago. 

We went ashore to hike the trail but cut it short because there was so much poison ivy lining the narrow paths and we didn’t want to risk it. 

Col. By, the island’s namesake, was the English officer assigned to manage the building of the Rideau Canal System.  He was instrumental in figuring out its design and dealing with the myriad of problems encountered from bedrock to cost restrictions to malaria, etc.  The decision to build it was a strategic military decision because the English were afraid that the Americans, after the War of 1812, might attack Canada and close the St. Lawrence River.  This canal system was meant to create a secondary route between Kingston, Ontario and Montreal. As it turns out, it was never used for its intended purpose and is now primarily used by pleasure craft.

It was a hot day and when we returned to Zendo we went for a wonderfully refreshing swim.  The water is not too cold at all - quite a surprise to us Floridians who have developed an aversion to cold water!

That evening while listening to the outrageous reports ofTrump’s disastrous meeting with Putin, we managed to enjoy a meal of homemade mushroom ravioli from Montreal’s Italian market and a big salad on the aft deck.  What a beautiful spot we’ve found! We’re very happy to be here!