Lake Ontario & St. Lawrence River

Lake Ontario is the smallest but third deepest of the five Great Lakes.  It is 193 miles long and 53 miles wide.  It receives the discharge from the other four Great Lakes and passes it to the St. Lawrence River for its flow to the sea.  The St. Lawrence River has swift currents 3-4 mph with canals built around its legendary rapids.

Sunday, August 6, we left Oswego Marina and headed northeast on Lake Ontario to Sackets Harbor, NY; however, it was still morning when arriving and the lake conditions were fairly calm so we decided to continue on to the St. Lawrence River. We passed Diane and Jerry on Iron Horse and took photos of each other, the only way to get a photo of your own boat underway. We called the Islander Marina in Clayton, NY and they had room for us. We were fortunate as we were in the area called the Thousand Islands, and it is a very busy boating area. 8/6/06 

Monday, August 7: we briefly toured the Antique Boat Museum which is filled with wooden classics from the turn of the century. One of the later models of classic wooden boats that were displayed at the Museum, and it still runs. 8/7/06 

We continued down the St. Lawrence River to Alexandria Bay, NY where we met our friends, Larry & Sue on Sue Sea Q III. They were going to travel along with Palmetto Moon for the next few weeks. We decided that the best way to enjoy the 1000 Islands was to take a boat ride so Jim didn't need to concentrate on the rocks visible in the clearest water we had seen and combined with very narrow passages between the islands. This is a view from that ride. 8/8/06 

Boldt Castle on Heart Island was to be a testimony of George Boldt's love for his wife, Louise. He was a successful hotel magnate managing/profit sharing the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia. Between 1894 and 1896, the powerhouse, Alster Tower (children's playhouse on bottom left), and the dove cote were built. Construction of the six story 120-room castle, Italian gardens, a drawbridge, and a yacht house began in 1900. Louise died suddenly in 1904 and all 300 workers were ordered to "stop all construction" immediately. The 1000 Islands Bridge Authority assumed ownership in 1977 and restoration of the structures began. 8/8/06 

The Boldt's yacht house on Wellesley Island was absolutely incredible. This structure accommodated the family's three yachts and enormous houseboat with slips 128 feet long. Their yachts with tall masts and rigging standing glided into the building with massive doors; the building height inside was 64 feet!!! 8/8/06 

Wednesday, August 9 we encountered our first "big ship" lock, Iroquois Lock, and since we were locking down only 8 inches, we never tied lines or held onto pipes! We crossed into Canada and called Customs from Crysler Park Marina in Morrisburg, Ontario; we displayed our Customs number in the windows and were not boarded our entire stay in Canada.

Thursday, August 10 we locked down 42' in the Eisenhower Lock and 41' in the Snell Lock and discovered that the BIG locks were much easier than the Erie and Oswego locks. We docked in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, a very protected marina in a very French Canadian village. All four of us celebrated Jim's birthday at a very French restaurant, McBroue, recommended by the dock master. This was the beginning of dining in French restaurants!

The view over our bow while waiting to enter the Upper Bernharnois Lock, 42' drop. 8/11/06 

We continued to encounter the big ships but fortunately they were headed into the Great Lakes. It is disconcerting to see these guys coming toward Palmetto Moon. We went through the Lower Bernharnois Lock, 42' drop; later entered the Canal de la Rive Sud that goes around the Lachine Rapids with the Saint Catherine Lock, 32' drop; and finally the Saint Lambert Lock, 18' drop. 8/11/06 

A short wait at the last lock, Saint Lambert Lock. We docked in downtown Old Montreal at Port D'escale du Vieux and spent two nights dining outside at wonderful French cafes off Plaza Jacques Cartier. 8/11/06 

Richelieu River & Chambly Canal

Sunday, August 13, we left Montreal and cruised about 45 miles down the St. Lawrence to Sorel and turned south into the Richelieu River to head to the Chambly Canal and Lake Champlain.  The weather was hot and humid and the river was filled with small boats; therefore, we waited about 40 minutes to go through the Saint-Ours Lock.  We continued south to Handfield’s Marina at an old country French inn and restaurant (Auberge Handfield) in St. Marc-sur-Richelieu.  (Funny story:  When we called the marina for dock space, everyone only spoke French.  Guess what?  We don’t!!  So, I called my sister in Florida who is fluent in French and asked her to make the reservation and call us back.  It was difficult for the marina to understand why someone in Florida wanted a reservation now; however, after much discussion, all was resolved.)  Our friends from Montreal, Bernard and Helene, who we met at Sailcraft in Oriental, NC, drove down from Montreal to visit with us.  The food in the dining room was incredible and a perfect, last dinner in Canada.

Cruising down the Richelieu, we passed Mount-Saint Hilaire, the result of volcanic activity and only 125 million years old. The steep side walls have resisted the weather effects of four successive glaciers. 8/14/06 

The Chambly Canal was opened in 1843 and not much has changed since then. We docked below the Flight of 3 and walked up to investigate what we were about to experience. The locks are extremely small. Jim watched the hand cranking to open and close the doors at Lock 1. 8/14/06 

The first three locks of the Chambly: lifted us 35 feet. 8/14/06 

They always say don't be the first boat in a lock because the turbulence makes it difficult to hold the bow against the lock wall. Well, this was the view I had and it wasn't easy holding the bow close to the wall! 8/14/06 

The Chambly Canal is extremely narrow with a speed limit of 6 mph. Fortunately, there are places along the canal where boats can pass as the lockmasters know where all the boats going north and south are located. We locked through nine locks in ten miles in about four hours, cruised another 20 miles, crossed into the U.S., and docked at Rouses Point, NY. 8/14/06 

Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain runs south from the U.S. border to Whitehall, NY approximately 110 miles long.  We cruised in deep, deep water, at times over 300 feet deep with the Adirondack Mountains in NY on our right and the Green Mountains in VT on our left.  What incredible scenery!!

August 15 and 16 we spent in Burlington, VT, a neat college community with wonderful shops and excellent restaurants.  We agreed that we needed to spend more time on the lake.

Our view as we cruised south on the lake. 8/17/06 

The south end of the lake was almost like a river and loaded with weeds. 8/18/06 

Champlain Canal

The Champlain Canal is about 60 miles long with 11 locks numbered 1-12, but there is no Lock 10.  The northern part is a man-made ditch and the last 37 miles is the narrow, scenic upper part of the Hudson River.  The first seven locks were up and the last four were down.  

Lock 12 at Whitehall, NY is a free town dock with power and water. Sue Sea Q III is the first boat and Palmetto Moon is the second boat in this picture. Whitehall is where Lake Champlain ends and the Champlain Canal begins. It is considered the birthplace of the United States Navy. We toured the Skenesborough Museum that provided exhibits of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. 8/18/06 

Coming south on the Champlain Canal, we locked through the entire canal in one day ending up at the Waterford, NY Visitor Center. We had completed the Triangle Loop and gone through 59 locks!! We reviewed our guides and stowed them away but not before commenting on a NYS Canal brochure that states "Map the Unexpected" and "create vacation memories that last a lifetime". Well, we didn't do the Great Loop as expected and our memories of the NYS canals will be with us forever! 8/19/06 

Hudson River and South

This is the first lighthouse on the Hundson River cruising south. The Hudson River has the most unique lighthouses we have seen on our travels. 8/22/06

The lighthouse at the entrance to Rondout Creek in Kingston, NY. 8/23/06 

West Point was so incredibly massive from the water, and we couldn't believe that as we cruised by a freight train came out of the lower level of the old fort. 8/23/06 

By Wednesday, August 23, we were back in the Tarrytown Marina where we waited for the remnants of Ernesto to head out to sea. Once again, we visited with my friends, Mary & Mario; Marcia, who kindly transported us around to do errands; and MaryAnn & Mark with whom we shared one of the best meals ever eaten at Castle on the Hudson. Based on the weather, we took NJ on the outside with overnight stops in Mansquan, Atlantic City, and Cape May. We had lunch in Cape May with our friends, Vince & Mary of Betty B. On Friday, September 8, we flew up the Delaware Bay into the C&D Canal to Chesapeake City. That night we celebrated my birthday and our fastest day of cruising. We cruised with the current and recorded 71.6 miles at an average speed of 11.3 mph! Very fast for a trawler!

Chesapeake Bay

September 9-17 we spent in Baltimore and visited with our friends, Paul & Susan and Nan & Bob.  Once again, we really like this city.

We cruised to Annapolis on Monday, September 18 and docked at the Annapolis Yacht Club which had celebrated its 120th anniversary. The next day we toured the U.S. Naval Academy, saw the film "To Lead and to Serve", saw the noon meal formation in Tecumseh Court, where the entire brigade (4000 midshipmen) assembles and marches into lunch at Bancroft Hall, one of the largest dormitories in the world. 9/19/06 

The Navy Chapel with Tiffany stained glass windows houses the crypt of John Paul Jones beneath the chapel. 9/19/06 

The Maryland State House, built in 1772, is the oldest state house in continuous legislative use in the U.S. Other bits of history: it was the first peacetime capital of the U.S. and George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army on December 23, 1783 in the Old Senate Chamber. This is the ceiling in the New Senate Chamber. 9/21/06 

From Annapolis, we took our time going south on the Chesapeake Bay with stops in Solomons, MD where we toured the Calvert Marine Museum and ran into a couple we had met in Whitehall, NY and saw Vince and Mary again; then on to Deltaville, VA; and Portsmouth, VA.

Norfolk is an extremely busy harbor combined with its many lift bridges that open on set schedules. Since Jim felt hassled by the bridge operators and go-fast boats that would fly by and wait at the next bridge for the opening, we ordered the 32 oz. prime rib dinner at Coinjock Marina to alleviate the stress of travel. 9/29/06

 

The Intracoastal Waterway

Continuing down the ICW to Oriental, NC where Palmetto Moon was hauled, we touched up the bottom paint and did other boat chores.  I was determined to leave before the cold weather arrived in order not to repeat last year.  Thursday, October 19 we left Sailcraft Services and cruised through NC and SC stopped at Isle of Palms on Tuesday, October 24 for about three weeks.  We took stuff off the boat back to Greer and brought other stuff back to the boat.  We visited with friends and showed off our “flood pictures”.

Monday, November 13 we left Charleston, about 17 days ahead of last year, and headed to Beaufort, SC; through the skinny waters of Georgia, into FL.  By Sunday, November 19 we were back in our favorite city, St. Augustine.  During our eight days, we toured the Lightner Museum, formerly the Hotel Alcazar built by Henry Flager in 1888, filled with relics of the Gilded Age.  Jim had mechanics come aboard to fix a water leak in the starboard engine that reappeared so they returned and replaced the water pump.  We dined at Aviles Restaurant on Thanksgiving Day and had a wonderful meal with a view of the harbor.  When Jim wasn’t fretting about the mechanical problem, he was watching the restoration of the Bridge of Lions with gigantic cranes and barges.  I thought about asking the marina for the annual slip rates; however, this project will continue through 2010.  Lastly, we visited with our friends, Tom & Shirley, who live there, and they always know great restaurants that are not frequented by tourists.

Tuesday, November 28 we left St. Augustine for Daytona Beach; then Titusville where we must stop for a dinner of rock shrimp at Dixie Crossroads; and arriving in Vero Beach Municipal Marina on Friday, December 1 in time to see the Christmas Boat Parade from our aft deck.  Saturday, December 9 Jim, my sister, and I experienced an incredible sight.  We were able to see the launch of the space shuttle Discovery at Cape Canaveral from our aft deck!  Although it is about 50 miles north, the fireball created on liftoff was enormous and lit up the horizon.  It was a fairly cloudy night; however, we could see the shuttle pass between the clouds.  The liftoff was the first night launch in four years.  We are staying in Vero until Wednesday, December 20 when cruise to our next stop, West Palm Beach for Christmas.