Aisling goes Looping

March is the month Winter dies! In that thought, I can begin to imagine getting back to Aisling soon(ish). Last week it was 68 degrees in Woodstock. Just enough warmth to see the maple sugar pots appear. Of course that was followed by 8″ of snow/ice 2 days later… But the signs are unmistakably there. Take this photo of the St Lawrence River from this morning;

Ok, so no swimming anytime soon, but the seaway anticipates opening and that is a very good sign.

We have been researching our options and limitations for the next phase. Our plan is roughly ABay > Montreal > Ottawa > Kingston > Trent Severn Waterway > Lake Huron/Georgian Bay/North Channel > Mackinaw Island > Chicago in 11 weeks leaving on/about June 1st. Thats approximately 55 travel days and 87 locks in 81 days (don’t quote me on this as planning continues….). Going to be busy, but it’s also the reason we stopped last year as we only had 5-6 weeks once the border opened.

Today we will experience the joys of the Holidays and head to West Marine to enjoy the generous gift certificates received. These, together with the price matching from Defender.com, will add some creature comforts to our floating home. Also it gets us out of the house ’cause cabin fever is a real thing you know! (all work and no play makes Johnny….;-o)

Hitting the pause button has not meant that we stopped boating or enjoying the 1000 island area. Anticipating our restart in the spring, we took a trip down river to the Eisenhower Lock which we will pass through on our way to Montreal. The locks on the St Lawerence are much bigger than those on the Erie Canal as they accommodate ocean going cargo ships up to 700′. Two of the 6 locks are in the USA which allowed us to visit without crossing the border. Our timing was perfect as we arrived just in time to see a tanker entering the lock. Fortunately we also got to see a dozen pleasure boats line up in the lock after the AlgoNorth exited and this provided a glimpse of what we will experience.

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As we prepped Aisling for her long winters nap, we were able to take her out for a last run of the year. Despite storing her in heated building, there was a car load of stuff that still needed to come off the boat. A day of unloading the boat, packing the car, cleaning the boat and driving 6 hours to Woodstock was just about all we could accomplish in a day…. Exhausted, we ordered Thai takeout and promptly retreated to the couch.

Though it did not fulfill our original expectations for the year, we both agree it was an amazing summer and we can’t wait to get back out there in the spring.

And you may be interested in seeing another side of Lyn. It’s a bit long, hopefully entertaining and definitely revealing 😉 https://youtu.be/xHsjzAL1nvc

Mixed emotions; Happy to be headed to a full sized shower, gulping Woodstock Orchards cider, eating all that is peak season at the farmers markets. Sad that the gardens have not been weeded in months, the A6 needs an exhaust system repair and despite Macks’ best efforts the entire house will need to be cleaned. Happy to get the Miata out of storage, and happy that Aisling will go into heated storage (no winterization required!). Sad to, well you know not really all that sad….. This has been a great experience and it’s pausing for all the right reasons.

Those reasons boil down to Canada opening and voyage timing though Covid increase, especially in AL and FL are reasons to not be rushing there….. We know several people/boats that have made their way into Canada this week and all report an easy and quick process. The most painful part seems to be getting a Covid test within 72 hours of entering given there a few testing locations in this area. Some have paid as much as $100 round trip to get a test in Watertown, NY that could deliver results in 24 hours. But for us, it meant possibly skipping the Montreal/Ottawa/Kingston loop and moving quickly through the Trent/Severn to get out of the Great Lakes before the infamous storms begin to roll in (background music should be the Gordon Lightfoot ‘ Edmund Fitzgerald’…)

Our plan for next spring is to return to 1000 Islands, head up to Montreal and Ottawa, down the Rideau Canal to Kingston, though the 1000 Islands to The Trent/Severn to Georgian Bay, Mackinaw and down to Chicago. At a leisurely pace this will take us 3 months and put us in Chicago around Labor Day. Of course all this depends on how much snow these areas get this winter, what the spring floods look like…. I will be watching snow accumulations in the Upper Midwest and Ontario this winter as well as ice reports on the St Lawrence.

This voyage has been amazing on so many levels. Not only were Lyn and I successful at not killing each other, I think we have never been closer. The teamwork, compromise, dependance, cooperation evident in our many years together on ‘terra firma’, only enhanced by being on the edge, facing the unknown, dealing with the challenges, and acknowledging our lessons learned and our accomplishments. I love my 1st Mate!

The birds we have seen on this voyage have been amazing. Eagles and osprey, loons and cormorants, kingfishers and herons and of course the multitude of gulls and geese. Most have been while we were underway, but this guy gave us a special viewing at the dock in Clayton, NY yesterday.

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Click on them to enlarge and zoom in.

We have been planning on posting unusual things we came across on our journey, but have yet to get it done. So this is a compilation of those we captured during the trip;

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To be continued as we sort through the billions of pic’s we took….

These past two days, Lyn and I were within 150 yards of Canada. On our way to Singer Castle, the Shipping Channel actually goes into Canada and we were told we should not cross that line. Apparently last year the Canadian Border Patrol was very aggressive about enforcing that line. So we broke another rule, provided by local Harbor Hosts, ‘stay in the shipping channel’! The reason for that rule are shoals; rock outcroppings with no trees and often covered by water. But we felt confident that our navigation software was current, our situational awareness keen, and our luck has been pretty good lately as well.

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Hopefully all that is interesting, but it’s not the point of this post. This post is to announce that because the uncertainty of getting into Canada remains today, 3 days from when the border is supposed to open to vaccinated US citizens, we have decided our voyage for this year will end in Alexandria Bay, NY. We have weighed many options over the past few weeks and decided that short changing the Canadian Experience including Montreal, Ottawa, the Rideau Canal, Trent Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay….. would be a regret. By stopping here, we gain a head start on those areas next Spring (assuming this winters snow fall is not so great that everything floods next spring…) and we get to enjoy all of that at a slow pace. The trade off is no Florida this winter and honestly that has never been a lure for us. New England winters are just fine (again assuming the Gulf Stream does not stop and cause us to enter the next Ice Age ( check out the movie The Day after Tomorrow or an article in the NYTimes this morning if you don’t know this scenario)).

Aisling will remain in the water at the Thousand Island Club until mid -September after which she will go in to heated storage in Alexandria Bay. We will head home for hair cuts and then return for a few more weeks of cruising in this heavenly part of the world.

Several cultures enjoy this concept. The Danes call it Niksen, the Italians ‘Dolce far niente’ and not surprisingly there is no English (American) equivilant. But there is hope for us. Sitting at anchor off of Cedar Island State Park in the St Lawrence River, we are observing people sitting on the dock and in their folding chairs at camp, doing nothing. True to that spirit I decided that today I would also do nothing. Except write this blog…. Hmmm, maybe I don’t get the idea yet.

We updated ‘Big Boats’ with some new pic’s that are much more impressive. Of course The 1000 Island area has small boats as well. Lot’s of them!

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Not as visually impressive are the multitude of pontoon boats but they are the family and party boat of choice. Unfortunately they are outnumbered by the various jet ski’s which ruin the soundscape with their incessant rrrrrrr, rrrrrr, rrrrrr thud, thud, thud wall of noise. Also a large number of ‘cigarette boats’ (not sure that is what they are called these days). Thunderous sound with impressive speed and the room to use all of it on this River. One docked next to us (though docking is not what these things were built to do and it showed….) with 2 450hp outboards hanging off the back. The seats looked like what you would see in a very fast amusement park ride complete with handles.

Though it seems to me there are not so many sail boats. I’m guessing that tacking between shoals is not much fun?

The following is excerpted from the Boldt Castle website (couldn’t have said it better myself): https://www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo/about

A BRIEF HISTORY

At the turn-of-the-century, George C. Boldt, millionaire proprietor of the world famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, set out to build a full size Rhineland castle in Alexandria Bay, on picturesque Heart Island.  The grandiose structure was to be a display of his love for his wife, Louise.

Beginning in 1900, the Boldt family spent summers in the 1000 Islands at the Boldt Families Wellesley House near Mr. Boldt’s Wellesley Island Farms while 300 workers including stonemasons, carpenters, and artists fashioned the six story, 120 room castle, complete with tunnels, a powerhouse, Italian gardens, a drawbridge, Alster tower (children’s playhouse) and a dove cote. Not a single detail or expense was spared.

In January 1904, tragedy struck. Boldt telegraphed the island and commanded the workers to immediately “stop all construction.” Louise had died suddenly. A broken hearted Boldt could not imagine his dream castle without his beloved. Boldt never returned to the island, leaving behind the structure as a monument of his love.

For 73 years, the castle and various stone structures were left to the mercy of the wind, rain, ice, snow and vandals. When the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property in 1977, it was decided that through the use of all net revenues from the castle operation it would be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.

Since 1977, several million dollars have been applied to rehabilitating, restoring and improving the Heart Island structures.

IN OUR TIME

Marty and I had previously visited Boldt Castle, about 6 years ago, and were awed by the structure and by the amount of work (and money) that the State of New York has invested to restore the building and its period rooms. The property is clearly a tourist destination and ultimately worth the effort to infuse tourist dollars into the economy of Alexandria Bay and the Thousand Islands in general.

At present, we are docked at the Thousand Islands Club, which was established by Mr. Boldt on Wellesley Island as a golf and yacht club, across from the site of the castle on Heart Island, . What a lovely spot! We have enjoyed dinner on the mansion veranda, cocktails in the foyer lounge, conversation at the firepit, freighter viewing on the Saint Lawrence River from the flagpole, and our own special dockage directly off the historic boathouse. I feel like royalty! This is my kind of marina!

We contemplated taking Aisling, or Pudgy the dingy, to Heart Island which invites boaters to tie up and visit. Instead we elected to walk to the Boldt Boathouse and take the pontoon boat to Heart Island and the Castle. We needed the walk and the boats were happy at their historic dock. While there are separate docks for pleasure boats and tour boats, we were satisfied that we made the decision not to involve our boats but rather our feet.

In these Covid times, it was uncomfortable for us to be lingering in the populated castle interiors. Much as I wanted to see each and every room, Marty was at his limit. We walked the lovely grounds and appreciated the Alster Tower playhouse (oh my!), the gardens and ponds, the docks, and the power plant.

Taking the pontoon boat back to the Boldt Boathouse, where we had begun our exploration, we toured the architecturally significant boathouse structure as well as the amazing collection of historic boats within. A good long walk back to the TI Club and our boat, after which the heavens opened up in big and unexpected way! Our good fortune continues!

Two of our Looper friends, under great peer pressure, reluctantly gave us the coordinates of their favorite anchor out location. As they wish to remain anonymous we will call them Melissa and Rusty 😉 It was immediately apparent why this place topped their list. Beautiful, quiet, well protected from prevailing winds, the call of Loons, crystal clear water….. But it wasn’t until we went ashore that we realized just how cool this place is. The gazebo, dock and other facilities here are for the exclusive of fishing guides, from noon to 3pm, to cook their customers morning catch. Apparently this has been the tradition for generations and by the smell of the fire pit, it continued.

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This was our first chance to get Pudgy into the water and so we took several dinghy tours of the area. The adjacent property is Canoe Point State Park and we were able to take a walk through the woods as well.

So perfect was this location that only a Full Moon rise could make it better and there it was!!!!