Day 319: Saturday, July 20, 2013

Port to Port: Sainte Anne de Bellevue

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Lock Wall

Mile 97 to Mile 97: With another down day on the schedule, we started the day making a hot breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and waffles (Aunt Jemima toaster waffles in a fry pan).  A little more fun than our usual cereal and fruit. We could have probably left today but the wind started kicking up pretty good early and it was a Saturday so there was a fair amount of boat traffic out there. Tomorrow is supposed to be perfect so we decided to wait one more day.

We wandered around town exploring the nearby parks and waterfront. Except for a lot of overpriced restaurants and bars and a few shops, there isn’t much else to hold your interest here. I wouldn’t want to be stranded here for as long as we were in Kingston, NY. Next time we’ll have to take a train to visit nearby Montreal for a few days.

We stopped and sat in front of the library (closed on the weekend) for a while and used their wifi to call home on the computer. We were only half successful but it was free.

With nothing important on our task list, we packed a picnic and walked over to the other side of the lock and enjoyed peanut butter sandwiches on fresh, warm bread before going back to the boat and taking advantage of the quiet downtime to read, relax and take naps. We decided to move our boats to the high side of the lock so we could leave really early tomorrow. We bought a tub of ice cream and offered to share with Kent and Jane (which they readily agreed to) and we sat in their cockpit eating our $3 (on special) quart of caramel vanilla swirl ice cream with almonds and enjoyed the end of another memorable day on the Great Loop.

Day 318: Friday, July 19, 2013

Port to Port: Sainte Anne De Bellevue

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Lock Wall

First Things First: First Tim Horton’s (donut shops) – Canada is littered with them.

Mile to Mile: I guess hot and stormy is better than dark and stormy (unless it is the liquid kind). We decided to stay put today – the forecast is for gale force winds and storms this afternoon as a strong cold front pushes its way through – finally. Who knew it could get this hot in Canada. Every third person on the sidewalk is carrying an ice cream cone. Tomorrow the high is supposed to by in the 70’s and Sunday it might be in the 60’s. Should be good travel conditions as soon as the wind subsides.

With nothing better to do, I got up early and walked 2+ miles to the closest Walmart to get oil, a 12v fan and a few other items. I wish I had a bike since there was a marked bike trail the whole way. I was early even though I walked so I took a detour and stopped at our first Tim Horton’s. Okay but not really special – just easy to find in any medium size town with strip malls.

It was too hot to do anything strenuous today. We took showers at the community center pool and relaxed in air-conditioned comfort at the library. Cindy went back to the boat to close the windows before the clouds moved in. Hopefully this front will pass through and bring calmer and cooler conditions for next week. We are looking forward to exploring the Rideau Canal before following our Looper friends up the Trent Severn Canal System.

We had a little excitement in this quiet little town this afternoon. I was busy working on the blog when Cindy came back to the library out of breath saying the wind had shifted and the boats were getting pounded by the waves. So we ran/walked fast back to the boat and saw Carina and Aurora rocking up and down like bucking broncos. I guess I missed the worst of it when the gust front moved through. We agonized over moving into the lock to the other side or staying tied where we were. The dark clouds were moving in fast and it was very lumpy in the channel leading to the lock. To make a long story short, we decided to stay tied securely to the wall instead of getting caught in the big waves and coming downpour before we were securely tied again. We sat under Carina’s enclosure and watched the rain and wind roll in. It poured buckets but we stayed fairly dry. After the first storm rolled through and the lightening stopped, we moved into and through the lock to the protected side and parked along the wall under the road bridge so we were completely protected from the rain for the rest of the evening. There were probably 20 other boats doing the same thing for the night. The only “damage” was we lost our rug that had been on the lock wall and must have washed away with one of the breaking waves. That’s enough excitement for one day wouldn’t you say.

Day 317: Thursday, July 18, 2013

Port to Port: St Catherine Lock to Sainte Anne de Bellevue

Underway: 6:22 am      Motor Off: 11:22 pm      Miles Traveled: 23      Stayed At: Lock Wall

First Things First: First time seeing a huge Coast Guard hovercraft – noisy and lots of spray.

Mile 23 to Mile 0/97: We are done with the St. Lawrence Seaway. It went way better than expected. I guess it would have been difficult had we wanted to go into Montreal but we didn’t so we missed the worse part of the current. We averaged over 5 mph this on the first part of the Ottawa River so maybe this is a sign of good things to come.

We left early again today to take advantage of great travel conditions. Todays forecast is identical to yesterday – hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. We decided to stop after the first Ottawa River Lock in Ste Anne-de-Bellevue. The next lock is 20 miles away but has no services. We might have to camp out all day tomorrow too because the forecast is for gale force winds all day and some rain. Not a good travel day – especially on the wide part of the river coming up.

   After locking through and tying up to the floating dock, we worked on our normal boat projects – get gas, fill the water bottles, clean the boat, get local info, find the bathrooms, locate the nearest ice cream shop (we found three in three blocks) and figure out where we can get internet. We solved all those problems quickly and joined Kent and Jane from Carina for lunch at a random restaurant down on the waterfront promenade. We have had enough sun and heat this morning so we chose to sit under the AC vent to cool off and relax without sweating.

After lunch, Cindy watched the laundry spin around while I wandered over to the library to upload blog posts and check email and weather. I think I got the better duty since the library was nicely air conditioned.

We have heard that our friends who chose to wait for the Erie to open have been making good progress. Depending on the weather and timing, we may meet up with some of them along the Trent Severn – wouldn’t that be fun.

Day 316: Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Port to Port: Iles Verte to St Catherine Lock

Underway: 5:57 am      Motor Off: 1:30 pm      Miles Traveled: 27       Stayed At: Anchor

Mile 50 to Mile 23: After a quiet night at anchor, we woke with the sun again and decided to take advantage of the great cruising conditions to head toward the first big lock on the Saint Lawrence River. Carina followed us up river again. Carina needed to stop for fuel and a pumpout so we followed them into a marina where we had another reunion with some friends from Kingston (and Green Turtle in Kentucky) – Gay and Mike on Irish Attitude. They are heading the same way we are along with several other boats getting fuel at this marina. We all headed up river and soon joined a bunch of other boats waiting to go through the first lock.

We had another reunion at the lock – Rick and Margie on Journey whom we met in Kingston also – were one of the boats waiting. You have to be careful here in Canada – you never know who you are going to meet.

Us and 11 of our fellow boaters all motored into the lock and, with some effort and confusion, finally got rafted up and secured to the wall. The lock operators offer very little help – they won’t even communicate on the radio. Their job is to get the big ships through – us pleasure boaters are a nuisance. With everyone working together, though, we finally figured it out and, before long, we were headed up to Lock 2 in a long boat parade. The wind was starting to pick up but we were fairly well protected in the channel and everyone did the same thing all over again. It was a little exciting this time though because a huge ship was waiting to come into the lock and everyone had to get out of the way to let him pass.

The weather forecast was sketchy for the afternoon – 20-30 knot winds potentially and thunderstorms so we joined Carina and anchored in a nice protected basin just above the lock. The bad weather held off until a little later in the afternoon so we got a relaxed and got a few projects done before the rain, lightning and thunder hit. We haven’t had a storm like this for a long time and it was nice to be securely anchored instead of out in a wide-open bay somewhere. The storms only postponed our planned dinner together to a different day. All else is well in Canada.

Day 315: Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Port to Port: Saint Ours Lock to Iles Verte

Underway: 6:00 am      Motor Off: 4:15 pm      Miles Traveled: 43     Stayed At: Anchor

Mile 12 to Mile 0 and Mile 81 to Mile 50: After a very quiet night on the floating docks along the lock wall, we woke up early (as usual) and were off the dock by 6 am. We are going to meet Carina at an anchorage about 20+ miles upstream on the Saint Lawrence River. The last 12 miles of the Richelieu River/Chambly Canal flew by – we got a huge boost from the current and averaged over 7.5 mph. It was fun while it lasted.

We didn’t know what to expect when we turned the corner onto the big river. Big ships, fast currents, hidden rocks, big water, big waves, and every other worry you can think of was going through our minds. Like has happened many times on this trip when we are doing something new, our worries quickly faded into joy. We saw a couple of big ships but they were along way away. The current was stiff but better than most of the Hudson – we averaged over 4 mph for most of the trip up river – with just a little 8 hp motor. There are rocks but they are marked on the chart. The water is wide in parts but the weather is perfect for traveling – the river was dead calm. It was a thoroughly enjoyable cruise.

We made it to our initial chose for an anchorage before 12 pm – too early to stop on such a nice travel day. There was a town dock too so we could have explored a little before anchoring but we don’t really need anything right now. We couldn’t get Carina on the radio so we stopped at the dock to wait until we could contact them. I took advantage of the break to walk to the nearest gas station to fill one our jugs and, by the time I got back, Carina was pulling up to the dock too. We both had the same idea to keep traveling so we found another anchorage on the chart about 14 miles upstream and hit the road again.

For unknown reasons, this stretch was slower than this morning. At times we were going only 3.5 mph the current was so strong. But at least we were moving ever so slowly toward our goal – get off the St. Lawrence River. We pulled into our second anchor choice about 4:30 pm and, as soon as Carina was set, we pulled up next to them to raft up until after dinner. We made meat loaf patties and red potatoes to go along with their salad and brownies. Everything was amazing – the food, the setting and the company. Even Squirt (Carina’s guard dog) tolerated our presense.We sat in their cockpit, eating al fresco, as the sun went down in the west and the sky turned all different colors of red, orange, purple and gold.  We are trying to enjoy every minute of this unexpected detour. I suspect that, in the end, this experience will be one of the highlights of our trip.

Day 314: Monday, July 15, 2013

Port to Port: Chambly, QC to Saint Ours Lock

Underway: 11:50 am      Motor Off: 4:50 pm      Miles Traveled: 28      Stayed At: Lock Wall

First Things First: First time travelling with another boat – Carina – for an extended period of time.

Mile to Mile: As I am writing this at 6:15 am on Tuesday, the sun is just starting to peek above the trees, the temps are in the low 70’s, we have a cool breeze in our hair and we are traveling 8.4 mph with the current. Wow. It’s worth getting going early when you can enjoy this kind of travel.

Did you know they speak French in Quebec? Well, they do and it makes life interesting. Most of the people we have met speak English too, but not everyone. I bought a “burner” phone at the grocery store to use while in Canada and the clerk did not speak any English. Talk about a challenge. By the way, be thankful with the crappy phone system we have is the US. It is much more difficult to get a decent phone plan in Canada than at home. They still have something called “long distance” here which they charge an arm and a leg for to call from one province to another. So what is my home province – Quebec or Ontario? International calls (i.e. US) cost another $0.25 per minute on top of the base charge. We won’t be doing much chatting on the phone.

Today was a relatively short day. We waited in Chambly for the bank to open at 10 am to exchange some cash for Canadian money and try to buy a cheap phone to keep in contact over the next month and a half. We were successful on both accounts. When we were done with our errands, we got the boat ready and headed down through three small locks – one right after the other. (I haven’t added them all up yet but we will go through close to 75 locks by the time we are done with our little detour). We headed across a small bay and down the channel at an average of 7.4 mph all the way to our last stop for the day.

It was hot again today. Unlike most boats, we don’t have a full cover over the cockpit/steering station. Many of the powerboats can steer from an inside station in air conditioned comfort. We just get to sweat. Our sunshade works ok when the sun is high in the sky but doesn’t protect us from the side. Easier to enjoy the scenery, though.

It was a little busy on the water with ski boats weaving in and out along the channel but nothing like the weekend boat traffic. Last week and this week are the most popular vacation weeks in Canada so once we are done with this week, it should quiet down and be relatively peaceful again – especially during the week.

As we approached our last lock of the day, we saw one of our friends from Kingston – Bill and Joyce on Carried Away – tied up on the high side of the lock. It is so weird to randomly see someone you know in the middle of nowhere in Canada. This doesn’t happen very often in our hometown. It seems to happen everyday here. Bob and Jon on Yinzer invited the Looper boats over for margaritas so, after a few boat projects, we wandered 2 boats down the dock and enjoyed another boat-tail session with friends. By the time we got back to the boat, we weren’t very hungry and were too tired to bother with dinner so we called it a night. Tomorrow we get to see how we fair going upstream on the St. Lawrence River – its going to be a slow few days ahead so we will have to reset our expectations and enjoy the ride.

Day 313: Sunday, July 14, 2013

Port to Port: Nichols Point to Chambly, Quebec

Underway: 6:14 am      Motor Off: 5:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 48/47      Stayed At: Lock Wall

First Things First: First new country; first manual locks; first time hearing the weather report on the VHF radio in metric units.

Mile 19 to Mile 0 and Mile 69 to 40: It is 9:07 pm and we just finished dinner. That is how good our day was. We got an early start again and cruised in relative peace and quiet for most of the morning. The weather was perfect and the water calm.   We stopped for gas and ice at a marina just before the US/Canadian border and we arrived at Canadian Customs at 10:16 am. We were on our way again six minutes later. No fuss, no muss.

We ended up paying our dues today, though, as every Canadian that owns a boat decided to head south down the channel toward Lake Champlain making for a rocky and rolly passage. We stayed way over on the edge of the channel and slowly made our way north. The scenery was amazing again. More houses now but still lots of woods, hills and farmland. The best was yet to come.

We had planned to stay at the first lock of the Chambly Canal but it was only 2 pm so we decided to keep going to see how far we could get. What an amazing change from the hussle and bustle of the last 4 hours. We were basically the only boat in the lock system going north. Just a few power boats passed us going south. The water was calm and protected. Most of the canal is only about 50 feet wide – barely enough room for two boats to pass. The locks are the smallest ones that we have transited. They are completely hand operated. One person on each side cranks the gates open and closed and walks to the other end to open the gate valves letting the water out. A busy bike path followed us the whole afternoon just along the shoreline. This lock system is a National Historic Site. And we discovered that the season passes we already bought to get through the Trent Severn also allow us to transit all the locks we are going to go through over the next week and a half on our unplanned detour. We also have a pass that lets us stay at any lock or bridge for free. What a welcome surprise.

The Chambly Canal is beautiful. (I took over 100 pictures today just to remember it by). We didn’t want to stop (except for the ice cream stores we cruised by). The canal passes through some small towns, near small, neat homes with manicured lawns., through cornfields and past farms. Sometimes Plan B ends up way better than Plan A. We could have finished the system of locks but decided to stop before Lock 3 in the protected basic along the west wall with a park on both sides of us and, more importantly, shade.

Kent and Jane on Corina helped us get tied up and of course we started chatting about our experiences on the Loop. We soon discovered we had something very important in common. Not only do we both need to get some Canadian money and phones that work in Canada (much more complicated than it sounds), we actually did the crossing of the Gulf the same miserable day back in November. They were at Captain’s Quarters – the same marina we were at. What a small world. We faintly remember them – they were parked down at the end of the marina but we didn’t spend time with them before the crossing. They remembered us though because everyone was talking about the little 22’ sailboat doing the Loop. We had a wonderful reunion comparing notes and stories while cooling off in the shade. We finally broke up the party so everyone could get something constructive done – I dove in and cleaned the slime off the boat (and me) and scrapped the last of the barnicles off the bottom (I wonder if we will go faster now?). Cindy and I walked a couple blocks into town and found three ice cream shops in two block (see what you are missing Eddy and Linda), got groceries, found a gas station for in the morning and avoided eating out.

We returned to the boat and quickly heated our taco meat and had dinner ready in 10 minutes – lots cheaper and usually better than eating out. The sun was setting and the sky was multiple colors of pink, orange and blue. We are so lucky.

Day 312: Saturday, July 13, 2013

Port to Port: Porter Bay to Nichols Pt.

Underway: 6:05 am      Motor Off: 5:25 pm      Miles Traveled: 41/35      Stayed At: Anchor

First Things First: First time we couldn’t get a slip because a marina was full.

Mile 54 to Mile 19: We started just after sunrise on a beautiful calm morning to make the short 18 mile hop to Burlington, Vermont. We had hoped to stay at the municipal marina but it was booked for tonight. We could have gotten a mooring ball but that would mean putting the dinghy back together (and taking it apart again) and remounting the motor. Too much trouble to do laundry and sight-see but not buy anything. We took advantage of the courtesy dock (one hour free and $5/hour after that) for a couple of hours. We walked to the post office, got gas, used the restroom, stopped at the grocery store, perused the farmers market, bought ice and even did some window shopping. This would have been a fun stop to explore but we will have to come back some day when it is not so busy.

Our four-hour detour was productive but we were actually glad to get back on the water and make some miles while the weather is ideal. There were a lot more boats out (hot, sunny weekend) and the wind had started building up some nice rollers sliding under our stern. It was a challenge to hold a steady course but Aurora and Boris did great. This is a phenomenal sailing lake – good winds, deep water and beautiful scenery – and the lake was littered with white sails. After puttering north at about 5.8 mph, we arrived at our chosen anchorage that we ended up sharing with 75 of our closest friends. Actually, we didn’t see any Looper boats but we did find an amazing spot to anchor along the rocky shore on the outside edge of all the other boats in one foot of water – that’s what the chart said – but it actually was 7 feet which is plenty for us. We have our own quiet private cove. There are advantages to a small boat sometimes.

We were shocked to find out we have cell service here in the middle of nowhere so we were able to make a few phone calls and even connect to the internet to do some research. After tomorrow, our phones will not work in Canada so we will probably buy a cheap flip phone for use in Canada. We’ll see when we get there.

After a quick dip in the lake (Cindy chickened out), we had soft shell tacos for dinner, planned our route for tomorrow and relaxed before crashing after another wonderful day on the Loop.

Most Expensive Ice: Burlington Boathouse – $3.29 for 5 lbs. We paid $2 for 20 lbs in Florida.

Deepest Water: 415 feet on Lake Champlain

Day 311: Friday, July 12, 2013

Port to Port: Whitehall to Porter Bay

Underway: 6:34 am      Motor Off: 5:03 pm      Miles Traveled: 54/52      Stayed At: Anchor

First Things First: First cable ferry – they pull themselves across Lake Champlain using a cable laid across the bottom of the bay; first zebra mussels on the wall at Lock 12 in Whitehall; first time in Vermont – ever; completed our first complete river – the Hudson.

Mile 60/109 to Mile 57: We got up early this morning even though we didn’t know for sure if the lock would let us through before 8 am. Online, it is supposed to open at 8 am but Roger talked to the operator and he said he would let boats through earlier than that. I called right away and the lockmaster said he would get it ready for us. So I ran to the gas station to get ice and coffee and Cindy said goodbye to Roger and Dorothy – at 6:00 am. Hopefully we weren’t too noisy. It gets harder and harder saying goodbye to our new friends – our Loop in rapidly getting shorter and we don’t know when we will see each other again. We will, one way or another.

We flew with the current down the channel and right into the lock ready for our journey onto Lake Champlain. We have a good weather window for several days so we want to make some miles and get off the big water ASAP.

  We love cruising early in the morning (yes, even Cindy). The winds are usually light, there aren’t any other boats, the temps are comfortable and the morning light is beautiful. Today was perfect. We had a little boost from the current and wound our way through some amazing scenery. Cindy had to drive because I was taking so many pictures. The water on Lake Champlain is almost at flood stage and lots of trees and lowlands are flooded. This just made the scenery more surreal.

The high, tree covered foothills and cliffs surrounding us gradually gave way to rolling hills dotted with barns, silos and a random cow here and there. The narrow waterway opened up and spread out into bigger bays as we steadily moved north. The haze shrouded mountains in the background reflected different shades of green depending on how far away they were. It was impossible to capture on the camera. You’ll have to use your imagination.

What an amazing place to sail. As we entered ever bigger bays, sailboats were tacking back and forth upwind. The bright sails against the dark granite cliffs stood out like neon signs in the bright sun – the conditions were ideal as long as you didn’t want to go north and had your mast up (which we do and don’t, respectively). After a long but inspiring day, we turned into Porter Bay – a nicely protected anchorage – where we anchored the first time and relaxed with a wine spritzer on ice. For the first time in a long time we cooked a normal meal on the boat – Cindy’s favorite spaghetti and salads. We will sleep good tonight.

Day 310: Thursday, July 11, 2013

Port to Port: Fort Edward to Whitehall, NY

Underway: 7:40 am      Motor Off: 1:50 pm      Miles Traveled: 24/23      Stayed At: Free Dock

First Things First: First time Cindy lassoed a bollard on the first toss.

Mile 37 to Mile 60: After waiting until 8:45 am for a barge to get through Lock 7, we locked through with two other sailboats and a power boat and started a beautiful cruise toward Lake Champlain. The sun stayed hidden behind puffy white clouds keeping it cool, the humidity was down 10 points, a gentle breeze cooled us off, we were going with the current finally (6 mph – woohoo) and the scenery was amazing. One of the boats we locked through with – Wind Spirit 3 – gave us some wonderful advice on getting through the bad current near Montreal. He did it years ago in a 22’ boat with an 8’ hp motor so that helped ease our worries.

We made it to the Whitehall Town Dock faster than expected and we were happy to see our friends Roger and Dorothy on Slow Churn waiting to catch our lines – again. What a fun reunion. We never thought we would get a chance to see them again. They had wanted to stay at Brewerton for a while around 4^th of July but couldn’t because the Erie was closed. They have been exploring the Champlain for a while and are now heading south again.

We chatted for a while and caught up on their adventures and took a break to get some boat projects done before dinner. I walked to get gas and we took free showers at the town dock courtesy building. The bathroom facilities are in the running for the cleanest and nicest of the whole trip. The dock even has electric and water available. Whitehall is trying hard to attract visitors any way they can to try to boost their downtown. I bet you didn’t know that Whitehall is the birthplace of the U.S. Navy in 1776. Like many of the small waterfront towns we have visited along this trip, Whitehall is struggling to stay afloat – literally and figuratively. There are more buildings empty or for sale than ones with businesses in them. The architecture is beautiful but that doesn’t pay the rent or taxes. I hope these towns figure out a way to preserve these old buildings and build new economies around them.

After our errands, it was time for dinner on Slow Churn. Dorothy slow cooked a retread or retired or something-like-that chicken they bought from a street vendor to make BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches. It sounded sketchy (just kidding Dorothy) but was tender, tasty and amazing. We ate dinner and shared stories sitting on the fly bridge as a cool breeze kept temperatures perfect and the sun slowly set over the hills. We all decided ice cream sounded good so we took a scenic hike to the Stewart’s store across the channel and sat outside sharing a couple pints. We closed out our wonderful reunion back on the fly bridge until the sun set and a few bugs showed up to break up the party. We are going to miss them. We have learned so much and hope to follow in their adventurous wake someday.

Total Miles: 4,201

Day 309: Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Port to Port: Mechanicville to Fort Edward, NY

Underway: 7:35 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled:       Stayed At: Free Dock

First Things First: Saw our first flood gate across the lock channel poised to be closed in case of inclement weather.

Mile to Mile: After a quiet night in Mechanicville, I got up early and hiked to the nearby McDonalds for breakfast and free internet. It was so cold in there, the humid air was condensing on the windows and dripping down onto the tables. They finally turned off the AC but when the heat came on it set off some kind of alarm. Oh well, free internet. Cindy wandered in a little later and had a fruit parfait. We dawdled until 7:30 am and went back to the boat to cast off and wait at the lock for the first opening at 8:00 am.

Today was a four-lock day – all were easy and fast – they were basically ready for us each time. Great service from the lock operators. The Hudson River was quiet in the morning with very little traffic. The afternoon was a different story. After waiting along the lock wall above Lock 6 for a couple of hours to let a line of storms move through (a good decision since about 10 minutes after tying up, it started to thunder and pour), we met a half dozen barges coming and going along the narrow channel. They are doing a lot of dredging on this part of the river. We had to go around the correct side of many more barges parked in the river. It all added a little excitement to the day (along with the thunder and rain).

After a productive day on the river, we pulled into Fort Edward and found a nice quiet spot along their free town dock wall. You never know what you will find when you come around the corner. I went to get gas and Cindy took a sponge bath in the cockpit. I discovered they have showers in their courtesy building so I took a long cool shower to wash away the grime of three days of travel. What a treat.

We like to give back to these communities that provide nice places for boaters to stay so we wandered downtown and, based on the recommendation of a couple locals, had home cooked pork/turkey and mashed potatoes at the Ye Old Fort Diner. We also were surprised to learn that there will be a concert in the park tonight right by our boat. I wonder if it will be as good as Eddy and Linda’s impromtu concerts everyday in Kingston. That seems so long ago already.

Day 308: Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Port to Port: Houghtaling to Mechanicville, NY

Underway: 7:30 am      Motor Off: 5:55 pm      Miles Traveled: 37/34      Stayed At: Town Dock

First Things First: First night without docktails in a long time.

Mile 25 to Mile 0 to Mile 9: After a quiet, uneventful night we woke to overcast, foggy skies. We would have had to wait until 1 pm to get a favorable tidal current – too risky at this time of year with the afternoon thunderstorms. So we resigned ourselves to a slow slog north for most of the day and got going early to get the most miles in that we can. It will be good practice for when we get to Canada.

We were passed by Adagio and Daybreak late morning – they had stopped at a marina north of our anchorage. It was fun to see them again. I think everyone is glad to be moving again.

Except for the heat and humidity, it was a nice travel day. The scenery along the Hudson is surprisingly beautiful and we soon passed through Albany and Troy before encountering our first lock. (We passed by Shady Harbor Marina where Spiritus, Miss Darlin II and Oyster were tied up but it didn’t look like anyone was home. We waved anyways.) The water below the lock was churning like crazy – a lot of water was flowing over the dam – but we crabbed our way into the lock and things calmed down and we soon were raised up 14 feet – more elevation gain than the entire Hudson River from New York City to the Troy Lock. Amazing. I like going uphill like that.

After two more (much easier) locks we arrived in Mechanicville to park for a night at their free dock. Luckily there was space for us and we set to work on boat projects – get gas (an nice gentleman fishing by the pier offered me a ride which was immensely appreciated on such a hot tiring day), clean up, fill the water bottles and get ice cream. This is probably the most convenient spot we have ever stopped. Free electricity and water plus everything is close by including restaurants, a Laundromat, drug stores, gas stations, and even a dollar store. All within 10 minutes. Maybe we will spend more time here next time.

Day 307: Monday, July 8, 2013

Port to Port: Kingston, NY to Houghtaling Anchorage

Underway: 9:45 am      Motor Off: 5:03 pm      Miles Traveled: 40/37      Stayed At: Anchor

First Things First: First day we traveled with the mast down.

Mile 62 to Mile 25: We finally cast off our lines and escaped from our home away from home. Adagio, Daybreak and even Battered Bull all left today. The marina will never be the same. (Although a beautiful fully restored 70+ foot long sloop – the Belle Aventure – pulled in a few minutes after the Battered Bull left). It was tough to say goodbye but we hope to see some of our new friends along the way.

It took awhile to get back into travel mode. We were worried about the currents, the weather, where we were going to anchor and all the little worries that go into a normal travel day. By afternoon our worries subsided and we really enjoyed the beautiful scenery passing us by along the Hudson River. All was right with the world. We went by and recognized one of the anchorages we stayed at on our trip in 2002 – I could picture it like it happened yesterday. The thunderstorms formed to our east and behind us so we stayed in bright sunshine all day. As a bonus, we got one last boost from the tidal current and made 40 miles towards our goal – Canada or bust!

We had forgotten how much we like the quiet solitude of a lonely anchorage. We listened to the thunder from a far off storm, the loud squacks of some type of waterbird, the splash of fish all around and even the passing music of an ice cream truck traveling along an unseen highway. Okay, so its not totally quiet but it was peaceful.

Unless a surprise happens in the next couple of days, we have decided to take the long route around to the Trent Severn. There are too many uncertainties about when the Erie will be able to open. We are better off taking our chances by going north. It will definitely be an adventure. To the north and beyond.

In Passing:  Turkey Point, Skilpot Island, Duck Cove, Foxes Creek, Corlear Kill, Stotville, Stockport Middle Ground, Caryman Hill, Rattlesnake Island, Coxsackie Cr.

Day 306: Sunday, July 7, 2013

Port to Port: Kingston, NY

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0       Stayed At: Marina

Mile to Mile: The exodus has begun. We said goodbye to Spiritus today. We have had an amazing three weeks exploring Kingston together. We have created a lifetime of new memories. We already miss them. Tomorrow, several other Loopers will be leaving including us. The Erie Canal is not open yet so we are planning to go straight north into Canada and just bang out the miles to get to the Trent Severn. Hopefully we cross paths with our friends again soon.

After watching Spiritus motor off towards the Hudson (after almost four weeks stuck in Kingston), it was time for boat projects. With sweat pouring off of our faces, we cleaned up the boat, added an extension cable to rewire and reposition the VHF antenna (the mast is now sitting in a cradle) and get everything ready for travel again. We made another shopping run to get a few things we forgot yesterday, organized the cabin and got ready for our first day of cruising in over three weeks.

Our slightly smaller Looper posse met for one last group dinner in Kingston – at the Armadillo again. Our gathering this time was a little subdued without Eddy and Linda and with the realization that we will all be saying goodbye over the next few days.

Ron and Jan gave us a tour of their boat Adagio – a 34’ Nordic Tug. They are perfect boats for traveling the Loop. There is even room on top for two kayaks and two bicycles. They are leaving tomorrow too and plan to go the same route we are planning so we hopefully will meet again over the next couple of weeks.

We are not looking forward to leaving – we have really enjoyed our stay in Kingston – but it is time to go and see what other amazing adventures we will find up ahead. We will just have to take it one day at a time.

Day 305: Saturday, July 6, 2013

Port to Port: Kingston, NY

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Marina

First Things First: First time I have ever docked a 170’ luxury yacht – the Battered Bull.

Mile to Mile:  We started the day the same way we ended yesterday – more food. After throwing in 11 loads of laundry from our three boats, we joined Spiritus and Adagio at our favorite restaurant – the Rainbow Café – for there breakfast special. Excellent as always. We finished our laundry and drove (yes, drove) back to the marina to work on boat projects and, for some of us, get ready to leave in a day or two. Spiritus is leaving tomorrow and we are probably leaving on Monday. The locks aren’t open yet but it is time to get moving somewhere until they do or maybe head straight north if we have to.

The summer heat has really set in now – our thermometer read 103˚ in the shade this afternoon. We didn’t do a whole lot of walking today. Ron very generously gave Spiritus and us a fresh apple pie from the Apple Bin over the bridge. We agonized over the decision (ha!) but finally decided to go on a road trip with Ron back over the bridge to the Rainbow Café to get ice cream to add to our pie and we sat on the picnic table, ate all but one slice of pie and enjoyed the shade and breeze at the top of the hill. Ron took us to the Apple Bin to see it for ourselves and then took the scenic route back to the marina giving us a history lesson of the area as we went.

After such a busy day, naps were in order for some of us (reading for others). Rick and Leila on Sun Gypsy got back from their long trek to get a new water pump mid-afternoon so we took the car and made a Walmart and grocery store run to restock and find some nice cool air conditioning. We were late getting back and missed most of docktails but everyone had decided to head to the Armadillo Restaurant for Mexican food and, of course, we joined the crowd. Our posse of 12 stranded boaters enjoyed another wonderful meal together and, after an invite from Jeff on Not So Fast to go back to his boat for apple pie, we all hopped in various cars and headed across the river for a nightcap.

What a great way to end the day. Jan (Adagio) brought her dulcimer and the lyrics to the two songs she wrote and we had a wonderful sing along with all of our Looper friends. And more pie. (We showed rare discipline and abstained). And almost continuous laughter. Have I mentioned how lucky we are to be here, doing this?

Day 304: Friday, July 5, 2013

Port to Port: Kingston, NY

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Marina

Mile to Mile: We finally escaped from Kingston – by car. We split a three day car rental with Sun Gypsy and decided to do a little road trip down to Storm Mountain Art Center – a 600 acre outdoor sculpture garden. So Cindy and I, Linda, Jeff and Nichole (on Not So Fast) all piled in the car on a hot sunny day and drove the scenic route to Storm Mountain. (Eddy was in “time to move” mode so he stayed home and cleaned Spiritus from top to bottom in preparation for their planned departure on Sunday). The large scale metal, wood and stone art was amazing but the location stole the show. The art was spread out over the entire landscaped site and has tree covered Storm Mountain as a natural background. It was well worth the trip.

  We took the toll-way home and arrived just in time to start cooking for probably our last potluck before our little group starts splitting up and hitting the trail again. Jeff and Nichole contributed some amazing beef tenderloin and Jeff cooked them to perfection. With all the leftovers from yesterday and new additions, we had another amazing meal. To top it off, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra gave a free concert in the park as part of the holiday weekend festivities. I don’t think we could have been stranded in a better place.