Frankford, ON

Frankford, ON

West Wall After Lock 6

June, 29, 2012

We have been in Canada for a few days but we have not been through any locks - but that is about to change.  We stayed two nights at Fraser Park Marina and it was very nice because the town was right next to the marina.  There was a nice grocery in town as well as a very good eating establishments.  We ate lunch and breakfast at a local deli and then Ginny and I had a very nice dinner at a local Italian place.  On Friday we planned to go to Campbellford and spend the weekend.  Campbellford is 30 some miles and 12 locks from Trenton.  We were excited to get going and the locks open at 8:30 so we were on the water at 8:20 headed to the first lock.  When we go to the first lock the lock master said we would need to tie up to the Blue Line and wait because Lock 3 had low water.  The Blue Line is where you can tie up before a lock opens and wait.  Basically it is a concrete wall with posts to tie to.  We waited two hours and the lock master said we could come in.  We locked up and when we were leaving the lock master told us to tie up on the wall again because Lock 3 still does not have enough water.  About 12:30 we were cleared to go to Lock 2.  By this time it was quite windy but we pushed on.  We got through Lock 2 and once again we were told to wait on the Blue Line at Lock 3.  We finally got in Lock 3 and the lock master said he didn't know where all the water went but it was back so we proceeded on.  By the time we got to Lock 6 where "Jim's Joy" and "Native Son" were, we were dead tired and asked the lock master if we could stay (please, please).  He said to tie up on the West wall.  There was barely enough room for both of us but we squeezed in and connected to some electric to cool off.  Did I mention it was our 38th anniversary.  Ginny had put a chuck roast in the crock pot in the morning so we ate that for a late lunch - early dinner.  It was very good, thanks honey.  We had happy hour with the other boats and then retired early.  We didn't know if we were going to travel on Saturday or not before we went to bed.

The sign on the bridge lit up at night

 Going under the first bridge on the Trent Severn

 A train bridge

 A little unnerving going under this very old bridge with a real train on top

 Our first lock

 Lock 6

 Tied up on the wall

We didn't get to visit the city but I am sure it is nice

Picton and Trenton, ON

Picton, ON

June 25, 2012

Tip of the Bay Marina

Like I said in my last post, we are in Canada for a while and will be traveling on the Trent Severn Waterway until we get to Georgian Bay.  The Trent Severn starts in Trenton, ON which is about 80 miles from Kingston.  Before we go to Trenton we are stopping in Picton, ON and staying at the Tip of the Bay Marina.  We left Kingston in the cold and wind and the ride was windy but we were in open water so not much of a problem.  When we got to the marina the wind was down and we were able to dock OK.  Most of the marinas in Canada only have 30 amp power but so far we have been fine.  We were all hungry so we walked into town and ate at Portabella's which was great.  Ginny and I split a steak sandwich and fries and I had a fantastic desert called a butter tart.  I am not sure what it was but it was warm, had ice cream and maple syrup.  I hope my doctor doesn't read this blog but if he does then I promise to do better.  We walked around the town for a while and then we walked to the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario).  The LCBO is the only place to buy liquor, beer and wine.  Alcohol along with almost everything else is more expensive in Canada but so far we love the country and at least the food is worth it.  Tomorrow we are going to Trenton.

 Leaving Confederation Basin in Kingston

 The Kingston Prison

 Nice old wooden boat coming into Picton

 Picton Harbor

 Somebody did a great job modifying this tug boat

 The Tip of the Bay Marina

 The local church in Picton

The LCBO

 This was at the head of the harbor

Trenton, ON

Fraser Bay Marina

June 26, 2012

We left Picton at 7:30 and were in Trenton by noon.  It was windy again today so we fretted about the docking but we were the last boat in and had the easiest dockage.  It was bow in on a wall.  Both "Kismet" and "Jim's Joy" had to go into a narrow chute and then turn 90 degrees to dock along a cement wall in the wind.  I am pretty sure they did not have fun but they are safe and sound.  We walked a short way and had lunch at a nice Deli.  Jim and Joy needed some alcohol so we walked with them to the local LCBO store.  The rest of the day was spent trying to figure out where we were going for the next few days.  Our original plan was to go to Campbellford on Thursday and then spend the weekend in Hastings.  The reason we want to spend the weekend somewhere is because it is Canada Day and the waterway is very busy and some of the boaters might be running on liquid courage.  Hastings said we could stay Friday and Saturday but we would have to leave on Sunday because they have fireworks and don't want any boats in the marina.  I am not sure what we are going to do but probably will stay here on Thursday and then go to Campbellford for the weekend but stay tuned.

 Fraser Park Marina

 The start of the Trent Severn

 A view into town from the boat

 A city park right at the marina

 A view of our boats from the bridge

A nice mural on one of the local buildings 

Kingston, ON - We are now in Canada for a while

Kingston, ON

Confederation Bay Marina

June 24-25, 2012

We left Clayton, NY at 8:30 on Sunday after fueling up for the last time in the US for a while.  We only had to travel about 20 miles so we took our time and arrived in Kingston before noon.  The marina is very nice and the slips are large so docking was pretty easy.  The marina is run by the city of Kingston and is located in Confederation Park which is the main park for outdoor activities in Kingston.  I went to the payphone on land, called Canada customs and I was assigned a number so now we are free to travel in Canada without further check in's.  We all took a one hour bus tour of the city late in the afternoon with a very good guide.  It was rainy so we had happy hour on our boat and decided to stay another day because of the weather not looking good.  On Monday, Ginny and I walked around the city and saw quite a bit.  We ate lunch at a local bakery and bought some olive oil and bread to take back to the boat.  We hung around the boat until cocktails and then we went to town for a nice Italian dinner with "Kismet".  Today is Tuesday and it is very cold and a little windy but we are leaving for Picton in about 1/2 hour.  We will be in protected water for most of trip so it should be fine.  We had very good wireless in Kingston but I don't know about the rest of Canada so we will see.

 Kingston City Hall

The military college in Kingston

 Confederation Park with the marina in the background

 A new steakhouse in an old fire house

 I resisted

 There are many churches in Kingston

 Old Hitching Posts
(with a parking meter next to them - I guess you have to pay to hook up the horses now)

 This is where John A. McDonald the first Prime Minister of Canada had his law practice

If you get to Kingston, this bakery is very good

Clayton, NY the Thousand Islands and Boldt Castle

Clayton, NY

Clayton Municipal Marina

June 22-23

After we left Sackets Harbor we headed about 40 miles to the Clayton, NY and the Thousand Islands Region on the Saint Lawrence River.  The trip was very nice, especially the river part.  We went to the Clayton Municipal Marina where it is first come first served.  There is one long dock that boats can tie up on either side.  One side faces the land and is more protected so we all tied up on that side.  There is not much electric on the dock and only two 50 amp connections.  We were pretty early so we were able to get one of the 50 amp connections.  The marina is right next to the Antique Wooden Boat Museum and only a few blocks from town.  This is a great boating area and there are a ton of old wooden boats around so it was treat for me.  We were also fortunate to be here on a weekend with old steam powered small craft with great whistles.  The weather was great and we spent two lovely days walking around town, taking a boat tour of the Thousand Islands and visiting Bolt Castle on Heart Island.  We are heading to Canada on Sunday and will be there for about a month before heading back to Ohio.  Internet service will be spotty so I will try to update as often as possible.

 Leaving Sackets Harbor

 "Kismet", "Jim's Joy" and "Native Son" following

 Windmills on Wolfe Island

 The side of one of the buildings in town

 Great wooden boats

 One of the steam powered boats letting off some steam

 The public launch ramp was in our marina

 We have not seen a really good sunset in a while

 Not sure where he is taking the golf cart

After sundown

 The next morning we were greeted with a rainbow

 Looking at the marina from across the harbor

 Nice houses in Clayton

A tour of the Thousand Islands by boat

 Our tour boat

 Old boats everywhere

 There are actually over 1,800 islands

 A group of campers on Wellsely Island

 Looks like a family reunion

 Someone built a tower to view the awesome scenery

 Canada on one side and US on the other

 Tom Thumb Island

The Thousand Islands Bridge

 Saint Lawrence

 The osprey are doing well

 The worlds smallest international bridge

 Dean and Beth

 One of the only man made islands

Boldt Castle on Heart Island

 Taken from the boat

 Up close on the island

 George Boldt

 Louise Boldt for whom the castle was built

 A grand staircase

 Joy and Jim.  Jim is in the construction business so he really liked the tour

 This sums it up

 The stained glass dome from the first floor looking up

 The children's Playhouse

 The Boldt Castle Yacht House on Wellesley Island across the river

 Guess Who

 One of the tall ships in Clayton

The Antique Wooden Boat Museum

 There were a few boats that were made in Sandusky, OH

 The Lyman Brand

 Chris Craft

 A one of a kind 38' Lyman

 The plaque describing the boat above

George Byers is from Columbus, OH