August 3 through 9, Rideau Canal, Smith Falls through Kingston

 

August 3 through 7, 2024 Stops on the Rideau Canal

August 3 - 5, Smith Falls, Ontario

As mentioned in the last article, we arrived in Smith Falls at 5:00 after a very long, hot day. We did walk across the river to the downtown and found a pub for dinner. We really needed a cold drink and grub! After dinner, we walked downtown for about 3 or 4 blocks, then back to the boat. Our observations: several nice murals, several restaurants, a bakery, some lovely churches. Not many people about – this is a ‘sort of’ holiday in Canada, Colonel By Day is on Monday. It is not an official national holiday, but many businesses do give employees time off or they just take it off. Colonel By built the Rideau Canal. He evidently spent an exorbitant amount doing it ($350), and took three years to do it. He was chastised by the government for his extravagance! Queen Victoria, then a young woman, was advised she should make Toronto the capital of Canada. She said, no! The yanks were going to invade and burn Toronto – make it Ottawa. Ottawa, at that time, was nothing much – just a few buildings and people. Of course, making it the capital made a huge difference in that story. Anyway, here we were on a Saturday night of a holiday weekend – all the restaurants closed up at 8:00 and nothing else was moving….

Next day was Sunday...again, a holiday weekend. We did get some grocery shopping done and Dan was able to purchase almost all the oil he needed to do an oil change on the engines. It was again very hot, so much of the day was spent just sitting in front of a fan! Our neighboring boats were mostly folks from Montreal, speaking French for the most part. I did have a very nice conversation with a woman boater when I complimented her on her English. I said I wished I could speak French as well as she spoke English. Turns out she spoke only French growing up, but for a few years she worked as a medical transcriptionist in an English hospital – her English got very good. She said she started dreaming in English! That job was years ago, and so her practice of English is not very frequent.

The last night we were there, we had rain and a temperature change! Very welcome indeed. We all planned to get into the lock located right there when they opened the next morning.

Well, plans change! A tour boat had come the night before and had first dibs on entering the lock. This boat was pretty amazing – constructed specifically for the Ridean Canal, it fit into the locks with about 2 feet to spare! So, we all waited until a later locking.

August 6, 2024 Next stop Davis Lock.

We transited 5 locks that day, such a more pleasant experience with temperatures in the low 70’s! Also, this part of the Rideau had gotten much more interesting and beautiful. To see the Garmin screen was pretty interesting - there are markers that indicate the edge of the channel to stay within, and following them looked a little like a route that would be laid out to train someone on a bike or motorcycle! And, going outside the channel in these waters is especially hazardous – big rocks! Very unforgiving.

Our time at Davis Lock was pretty interesting! After the group of us boats who had locked together all day got tied up, we all were walking around and chatting. The most interesting lock full started to come through. The first thing we saw was an AMAZING wooden antique boat called The Dolphin. Along with Dolphin, there were 20 or more canoes! The canoes were all in a group, mostly guys, mostly young, and they were accompanied by a pontoon boat. They all got squeezed into the lock. As they came up, we found that they were all stopping for the night at the lock! The pontoon boat had everyone’s gear, tents, and such. I asked them if they were Boy Scouts (even though they looked a little to old for that). Someone said “Something like that!”. Never did find out what the group was, but they seemed to be a Christian group. The got their tents all set up, cooked dinner, milled around for a while, then all was quiet.

The Dolphin docked right across the dock from us – way to show us up! The entire boat is wooden, and ALL the wood was varnished and polished perfectly. The couple who came in the boat are hired captain and mate. The owners weren’t aboard. The boat is 95 years old, and has been owned by the same family since it was built! Amazing that the families generations have been able to keep and maintain the boat so beautifully. Apparently, the current family are ready to rid themselves of that burden, and the boat is for sale (for $1.2 million!). Next morning, three middle aged couples arrived and went on board. The canoeists cooked breakfast and then had a meeting, looked like prayers and Eucharist were celebrated.

August 7, 2024

We planned to get to Kingston, Ontario that day, which is the end of the Rideau Canal. The weather was still very pleasant, and we enjoyed the cruising day. We did have to wait an hour and a half at one lock series, which put us later than we had hoped. The countryside we went through these last couple of days is spectacular, and I’m sure my pictures won’t do it justice. As we approached the Kingston Mills locks, the last series of locks before Kingston, we were told we were too late – their last lockage had just finished. So there were 4 of us boats who were stopped for the night. Another quiet night.

August 8, 2024

After waiting for some boats to lock up and exit the Kingston Mills locks, the 4 boats who had waited over night got to lock down. The total of the 4 locks was 45 feet. Such a beautiful spot – solid rock on the right side and beautiful trees on the left. The weather looked like another fine day, so after exiting the locks at 11:45, we proceeded on the ‘home stretch’ to Kingston. The last few miles were in the rain. We got into our slip at the marina and settled down for the night. It looks like it will be raining for the next 2 days, so we will just sit in this marina. Nice to be still for a couple of days – chores can be done!

We had decided (actually, I decided) that we needed a few days’ break from boat life. So, one of the chores was to figure out the logistics. We will travel across the boarder to Clayton, NY, which is in the Thousand Islands. We do want to spend some time there, but will do so on our return from home. We have a rental car reserved. We’ll be home for a week, then drive back to continue on with the rest of the cruising season. One reason to cross the border is (1) this is the closest we’ll be for the rest of the cruising season, (2) we can buy diesel fuel to fill our tanks at about one half of what the Canadians charge! Amazingly, the last time we filled our tanks was in Burlington, Vermont, and we still have about half our tanks’ capacity!

August 5, 2024 Ottawa, and on to the Rideau Canal!

July 26 thru 30, 2024 Ottawa!

We arrived in Ottawa on Friday, July 26, around 2:15 p.m. We decided to begin our stay in a marina, the Hull Marina, which is in Gatineau, just across the river from Ottawa. There is a pedestrian bridge from here to downtown Ottawa, but for Dan and me, the walk from here to downtown is probably half a mile or more – to do that and still have enough in us to walk over downtown is asking much of our old bodies. Enter, stage left, George Norbert (pronounced Nohr-bear). George lives on his boat in the marina for the summer months, has a condo in Florida for the winter months. He’s about our age, a widower, and very friendly and amazingly accommodating! He stopped by to introduce himself, said he has a car here and is ready to take us wherever we’d like to go! He was as good as his word. Each day, we’d call him when we were ready to go downtown, he dropped us off at a central location, and said to call him when we were ready to come back! We will forever be grateful for his help and friendship. Dan and I were done in after 3-4 hours, so George came and got us. Michelle, in top physical condition, remained to wander around, see much more of the city, and then walk back to the boat.

One change was immediately noticeable in Ottawa from the rest of our time in Canada. We have crossed from Quebec to Ontario. Now, instead of the first language of announcements, greetings, etc., being French, we now heard English. Even though all the Quebec folks were so pleasant and welcoming, it is much easier to have communications in English!

In our time in Ottawa:

Day one – we were pretty tired, so we walked to a local restaurant there in Gatineau and had a pretty good meal. Early night.

Day two – George drove us downtown, dropped us off near the Tourist information office. We partook of their offerings and advice. Right next door was an outdoor cafe, where we had some lunch. We had gotten reservations for a tour of the Canadian Mint. We enjoyed the tour, learned so much about the Canadian mint process. Turns out the mint here in Ottawa doesn’t make any bills or any circulation coins. The bills are printed in the Bank of Canada. The coins are made elsewhere – I have forgotten where! This mint produces commemorative coins, medals (Olympic and military), gold and silver coins for investors. Interestingly enough, they also have produced coins for over 100 other countries, including the United States!? This was on Saturday and no work was being done that day, but the guide had several television screens to show the process. Our group had some good questions – Dan’s were the only question the guide had problems in answering! We were disappointed they weren’t giving out samples that day!

Day Three: We had tickets (free) to tour the House of Commons. This was really very interesting. The main house of Parliament is under construction, behind fences and scaffolding. From the outside, though, it is amazingly beautiful and imposing. In normal times, both the Senate and House of Commons meets in this building. But, some years ago the decision was made to completely renovate the main house plus create a large underground space for the visitor center. In order to undertake that project, both the Senate and House had to be relocated. Wow! Just imagining all the moving pieces of that project! The House of Commons that we toured meets in a beautiful space that formerly was an outside courtyard! They put a ceiling on it that allows some natural light in. They added huge columns that resemble trees with branches to hold up the ceiling and support the walls. On the main floor, there are two desks in the middle of the floor, both having to do with clerical/recording function. The big seat at the front is for the Governor General (or the monarch if he/she is present). The floor is divided into two, one half (the right side) is always the majority party) and the left the opposing party. The Prime Minister sits in the eleventh chair from the front of the room in the front row of the majority party. The minority leader sits in the eleventh chair across the room. There is a large balcony for the public to occupy – always first come, first serve. One fact I thought interesting is that, once a bill has gone through all the stages until it is thought ready to be the law of the land, the Governor General is presented with it. After she (currently a woman) has reviewed it there in the chamber, if she approves, she simply nods her head – and, there’s a new law!

We also saw a committee room, where a smaller group debates and amends bills that have been proposed.

On the same floor as the legislatures sit, there are a couple of sound proof small rooms that can be used for a member who needs some quiet or privacy.

The last room we saw was impressive. The Room of Remembrance has a book for every conflict that Canadians have fought and died in (eight books). Every day, an officer in ceremonial dress comes and turns each book to the next page. The ceiling has lighting that comes through holds to illuminate the room. The lighting gets brighter during the day to the point where all the pages are turned, then starts to dim. This happens 365 days a year. This way, every name of every Canadian who has died for his/her country sees the light one day per year. This was the only room in the House where photographs were not allowed. I was very moved to hear about this.

There is also a changing of the guard every morning at 10:00 a.m. in front of the main Parliament building. Doesn’t seem like we’ll get to see that…

It is thought that the main building will be ready for occupancy around 2032 – quite a long time!

After our tour, we strolled over to the street that is pedestrian only. We stopped for a cold drink. Dan and I decided we were ready to go back to the boat, so we called George who came quickly and delivered us back ‘home’. Michelle still had lots of energy, so she stayed downtown. We didn’t see her again until 9:00 p.m.!

Leaving Ottawa, the route takes boats up a flight of 8 locks. Once you start, you must finish – they are connected one to the next. At the top of the locks, there is a wall with power that we can use. We had heard conflicting information on that spot, but a Looper boat that just ascended a few days ago stayed there 2 nights, sent us detailed information on where they stayed. So, on Monday morning, our plan was to ascend the locks as soon as they opened (9:00), tie up on the wall, and explore more of downtown for Michelle’s last full day with us. Sunday night, we checked the engines and prepared to shove off early to get to the ‘blue line’ to wait for the locks opening. The blue line is just on the other side of the river, no more than 10 minutes away. The engines were a little hesitant to start, but they did start and off we went. We were the 3^rd boat there. The very nice Parks Canada people briefed us on the order to go into the lock – since we were the biggest boat, we were the first in. All boats (4 by this time) got tied up, and up we went to the next lock. We asked if it would be possible to leave our engines running – the answer, not here. These locks are pretty deep and there are 3 other boats in the chamber with us. If we cannot be sure of starting in each lock, they said we should stay in the 2^nd lock, let the other 3 boats go on into the next lock. Then we backed out of the first two locks. While that was happening, I called the marina, who found us a spot to return to. Our wonderful friend, George, will take Dan and Michelle to the store to buy more batteries and bring them back. Turns out these particular batteries were installed in 2017, so their useful life is over. If this had to happen, the timing and location couldn’t have been better – Michelle is an excellent and strong mechanic herself, and between Dan and her, they got the old batteries out and are off to the store! (I decided to make myself somewhat useful by updating our blog!) The mechanical engineers (Michelle and Dan)got back with three batteries, and all three were installed right away. We shouldn’t have any more battery problems – YAY!!

On Monday night, after the battery exercise, we asked George to take us to a good restaurant and to please have dinner with us! He took us to the Baton Rouge, where we had a terrific meal. We enjoyed George’s company – he has had an interesting life, including he and his wife shipping their trawler to France and living there for 14 years!

Next morning, we made our way to the blue line, again being the third boat there. The flight of eight locks was completed – we had lots of people watching. I even did a little happy dance at the top. The spot where we had hoped to dock for the night was taken up by two boats. Further along, there was more wall with 30 amp electrical outlets. We tied up securely, then decided to walk to the Basilica of Notre Dame. Dan stayed back, so Michelle and I went. I got a chance to duck briefly into the Art Museum, then took the guided tour of the Basilica. The guide was terrific, answering most of our questions before they were asked. The church is spectacular. Interestingly, every part of the church, including the columns was made of wood. They were painted to look like marble. The first church built in Ottawa was on this site, then they built the basilica around it. Just before completing the last wall of the basilica, the old church was dragged across the street. Unfortunately, it burned so does not exist any longer. There were interesting statues at the front of the church. Closest to the congregation were characters from the old testament, such as Adam, Abel, David. Look closely between David’s legs, and you see Goliath’s head! At the very front of the sanctuary, there are large statues of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, and St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the French Canadians. Depending on the bishop currently residing at the church, those two statues are switched. The one on the right side of Jesus is the most honored position, so if the bishop is French Canadian, St. John the Baptist gets the favored position!

After the Basilica tour, we made our way to a restaurant that Michelle had discovered on some of her wanderings. She though Dan would enjoy it. Dan met us and we had a good lunch there. He and I did like the restaurant, Jax. It was an old fashioned diner, with milk shakes where they serve part in a glass and give you the rest in a stainless steel container! Once lunch was over, we made our way back to the boat where George was already waiting. Off Michelle went! We will miss her!

Next morning, We and one other boat, docked nearby, left to start down the Rideau Canal. We transited several locks with those folks. We stopped at Hurst Marina, and they kept going, intending to anchor out somewhere. At Hurst Marina, we finally met Ellen and John on Salud, who we had been messaging with since before we left Ottawa. They departed the next morning, so we might see them down the way….

At Hurst, Dan was able to arrange for a technician to come to the boat to look at the generator. It had stopped working quite a while ago – not a problem when we are at a marina or when we have power at a wall. But, it does limit our options. He fixed it! Yay! Now, we could anchor out and have power when we need it.

It has been so hot, in the 90s every day. At night, it doesn’t cool off much. We have been without A/C in the salon, which I have really missed! For the day we were at Hurst, I made good use of their pool! It felt heavenly to soak in that cool water. As we were preparing to leave the next morning, we were told they had found an A/C technician! So, we delayed our departure to give this guy a chance to see what he can do for us. Our journey for today is only about 3-4 hours, so having to wait around isn’t a big problem. Heck, if he can get this A/C fixed, I’m ok with staying at the marina another night! Unfortunately, the gentleman who came didn’t know anything about our type of air conditioning, so no fix there.

Off we went. We had intended to continue to Merrickville, but at the lock before that, the Parks Canadian folks told us that all the spots in Merrickville with power were taken. It’s a long weekend in Canada, so everyone with a boat is on the water. If we wanted power (yes, please!), we could stay there on their wall. Done. The wall was right on the Rideau River, and was a lovely quiet place. I got the best picture of a sunset in quite a while.

Next morning, we were at the lock again – Many places we have traveled, Kittiwake has been one of the smaller boat. Not so on the Rideau. For these locks, we were being fitted in with 4 or 5 other boats, and we were by far the largest. That day, we went through 8 or 9 locks – lost count. It was over 90 degrees, and by the time we arrived at Smith’s Falls, we were done in. Fortunately we did find a spot on the town docks. Less fortunately, the power outlet that should have been for us to use was being used by a food truck in the park...I started worrying (my super power is early worrying on any subject) about trying to sleep in 80+ temps with no A/C. My husband, though, was able to locate an outlet that was reachable with electrical cables that we have. Phew! A/C in our berth! Since this spot is within easy walking distance of a grocery store and a Canadian Tire (for oil for a needed oil change) and several restaurants, we decided to stay 3 nights. It was nice to just stay in one spot for a bit…

Tomorrow, we’re at it again! We are at mile 60 of 126 miles on the Rideau Canal. Two more days, and we’ll be at the end, in Kingston, Ontario.

July 18 Sorel to Montreal MONTREAL!! and then Montebello

 

July 18 – MONTREAL!!!

We left Sorel on Thursday, July 18, and proceeded up (against the current) the St. Lawrence River to Montreal. It was so windy, that Dan immediately decided that we would navigate from the pilot house. We expected the St. Lawrence to be very busy, and that we would be avoiding big ocean-going ships the entire way. As it turned out, we saw very little traffic at all! We did burn extra fuel, in order to travel at the speed we normally do, about 8.5 mph.

Note: although the Garmin tech worked on Dan’s laptop all day on Wednesday, we still are without any electronic Garmin charts. We do have a laptop with an updated operating system, issues with many registries resolved, and the Microsoft Security Suite installed (which covers 5 of our devices). Turns out the SDI card we have for the Garmin is old and does not have the space needed for the new files. My ‘friend’ Google helped me find a Canadian company that has a compatible SDI card for our system with all the charts for the US and Canada that we’ll ever need. We didn’t want to order from a US company, which would have required the package to go through Customs – who knows how long that could delay the shipment! Dan ordered the cards, which should reach us before we leave Montreal (fingers crossed). This has become even more important since Dan just realized that the paper charts we have only get us part way to Ottawa – we cannot continue without any charts!

OK, back to our Montreal time. The last few miles of this journey on the St. Lawrence was a bit tricky. I did mention it was very windy. At Montreal, the current picks up speed, to about 6 knots. We were churning our engines at much higher RPMs to only go about 3 knots! As we approached the Yacht Club of Montreal, we could not see a way to get in! We called the marina, and they assured us. As we approached, we could see the entrance through the seawall – phew! We were assigned a spot along the end of a dock. Two dock hands and a neighboring boater were helping, since the wind was fighting us. We did get safely tied up, with some difficulty.

The marina is right downtown in the old part of Montreal. Just a few blocks away is a park with lots of people and attractions, including a giant Ferris wheel. Also close by is an area with several streets all pedestrian only. Lots of shops, restaurants, bars, street performers, and lots of people! The first night, our first agenda item was dinner. We strolled along, checking out some menus. We encountered a lovely young woman outside one restaurant, who pointed out their menu, which had one price for a soup or salad, entree, dessert, and coffee – only $35 Canadian! I had a lobster salad, which came with ½ a large lobster, shells and all! Dan had a delicious seafood fettucine. Just as we were finishing our meal, I looked up at the people walking by and saw Anne and Steve Parks who used to go to our church and live just a mile or so from our house! Pretty amazing. We chatted for a few minutes, and I gave them our card with contact information. They invited us to join them later. We were just too tired from our travels, and went right back to the boat. We were in bed by 9:00!

Day two in Montreal. First stop was the tourist information office – in my travels, this has proved to be especially helpful. This was no exception. Maps, other printed information, and advice – I needed breakfast that was more than just pastries. We found a restaurant, Eggspectation, and had a delicious breakfast. Just strolling around after breakfast, Dan got a hankering for a chocolate milkshake. As we were sitting and chatting while he had his milkshake, who should I see across the street, but Steve and Anne again!! Hugs, and exclamations of amazement later, they joined us at the table. We visited for a while – they were curious about our journeys on our boat. We got caught up on their three offspring. All in all, a very enjoyable time. This was their last full day in Montreal before boarding the train for home.

On our stroll back to the boat, I saw a coat in a window that was stunning. Turns out it cost $2,400! Rich taste! But, this sales woman was good – she showed me a shawl-type short jacket more in my price range, and still lovely. So, I talked myself into buying it. We continued down the street to go back to the boat. There is a huge building with a silver dome near the boat called Marche de Bonsecours – a huge indoor market. Knowing Dan was tired and had no real interest in shopping, I suggested he continue to the boat and I would come along later. I thoroughly enjoyed looking around – shop after shop with clothes, jewelry, souvenirs. Once again, a window display stopped me. The top was a lovely color, and was very unusual – it drapes in several different ways. The only one they had was the one on the mannequin! It was by a local designer. She had other things there too – I bought the one, and hurriedly left the store so as not to be tempted any further!

That afternoon, there was a nap (Dan), some relaxing and reading (Gena), and some work on a boat project. We had dinner on the boat. About 7:00, we left and walked to the park. The park has all sorts of vendors, ponds with pedal boats, play areas for children. We went on the giant Ferris wheel. Very cool – great views of the area just before sunset. We walked along the waterfront for a while. Next, a trip back downtown for ice cream! The city was all lit up, with LOTS of people everywhere. We walked back to the boat – exhausted! We walked 10,000 steps that day!

Day 3 – For our travels that day, we first visited the Chapel de Notre Dame, which is a very short distance from the marina. So lovely! They also have a museum there, about the first teacher in Montreal. We skipped the museum for now. Next, we stopped off at the Tourist Information Office to inquire about the use of the Metro (subway). We bought our tickets there, got maps that covered more of the city than just Old Montreal. I really wanted to go to Little Italy. I thought it would be fun to be able to trot out my Italian, see what I might remember! It’s possible to walk, but it’s a fair distance away….thus, the Metro!

Next, we walked to the Basilica de Notre Dame – nothing short of awesome. We spent some time there, just amazed at the beautiful place, all the features. I took loads of pictures. Every day except for Sundays, there is a light show in the Basilica called Aura. I can’t imagine the interior of the Basilica to be even more spectacular, but we’re going to find out! We bought tickets for Monday night, so that we can take Michelle. Across the street from the Basilica is a lovely park, with buskers, and a large monument depicting the various people or groups who were founders of the city.

Next up, we managed to find the closest Metro stop, and got off at the right stop, Jean Talon. By the way, not speaking many words of French,we found the pronunciations of the various stations over the speakers incomprehensible! Good thing the names of the stations also appeared on a screen! Leaving the Metro stop, we came upon a barber shop – in we went! Dan’s barber took a long time with him, and the cut was good. Further down the street was the Jean Talon market. WOW! Everything from fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, hot food. It was huge – reminded me very much of Eastern Market in Detroit. We each had a lobster roll. Wanting to see what Little Italy was like, we continued on. Not sure if Little Italy has evolved into more of just another Montreal neighborhood – I did see lots of gardens, on the ground, and hanging from balconies, some restaurants, but nothing that made me want to stay and walk around more. I didn’t hear one word spoken in Italian. We stopped back by the market, bought some vegetables, and headed back to the Metro. We were beat! We somehow missed our stop, had to get off and go around to the other side to get back to our stop. By now, our mid-seventies selves were really feeling tired. We managed to walk back to the street nearest our boat before stopping for a cold beverage. Dan ordered a sandwich, and I ate half. Once back at the boat we collapsed into a near coma! We had walked another 10,000 steps that day!

We did manage to stay upright until 10:00 when the fireworks started. We had a front row seat from the back of our boat! Beautiful display. We really enjoyed it. When it was done, all the cars around blew their horns in celebration. Time for bed!

Day 4 - Dan really wanted to get some boat chores done, so we decided that Sunday was the day for that. I wanted to do some neatening and cleaning to prepare for Michelle’s arrival on Monday.

First up, Dan wanted to spend some time with the charts to review the trip from here to Ottawa. There are two huge Canadian locks right after we leave Montreal. You must make reservations and pay ahead for these – I took care of that while Dan struggled with the tricky parts of the cruise. Unfortunately, he found that the book of paper charts we had bought only takes us about 20 miles from Montreal – after that, nothing! There are no marine stores in Montreal, a fact that I find amazing. Assuming we get the Garmin SDI cards we ordered, we will be fine. We hope they arrive on Tuesday. If they don’t, we’ll just have to delay our departure…. Without them or any paper charts, all we have for navigation aids is a program on my tablet called Aquamaps. It is very good, but it’s hard to see at the helm.

Day 5 – Michelle arrived! She’ll be staying with us for 8 days, 2 more days in Montreal, 3 days journey to Ottawa, 3 days in Ottawa. She flies home from Ottawa on Tuesday.

We walked around some of Old Montreal, then stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant, Jardin Nelson. The restaurant has a front wall on one street, but there’s no entrance there. The entrance is off the pedestrian mall. That front wall is just a wall – no roof anymore. Inside there are plants and flowers everywhere, umbrellas that cover each table or area, a keyboard and cello duo playing, and great food. After more strolling around, we went back to the boat to rest up. We had tickets for Aura, the light show at the Basilica, at 6:00.

The light show was pretty fabulous, but I must say, I enjoyed Dan and my visit during the day. Then, we had time to really absorb the beauty and the many aspects of the place. After the light show, we were up for dinner. I had found a place very close to the Basilica, Mignon Steak Vieux-Montreal. We found it, but there was so much street construction that it was a bit of a challenge to enter! I asked the young waitress if we got a prize for managing to get in. She thought for a minute, then said, “Yes, the ambience, the friendly wait staff, and the wonderful food!” Clever girl! The place is very small, and we enjoyed a quiet dinner, Dan and I had steaks, Michelle had a burger. It was about 1.2 kilometers back to the boat – we were done in (Dan and I).

Next day, we had decided to tour the Museum of Archaeology and History. Dan begged off – his legs and hips were feeling all the extra steps lately. So, Michelle and I went. Very interesting, very large place. There are actually 7 areas, all connected. It was probably good that Dan didn’t join us – lots of walking, steps, standing. They did a great job of using some animation and other unusual ways of presenting information. For me, the coolest portion was a tunnel. It started out as a trench to funnel waste down the hill into the river (yech!). Over the years, they bricked the trench, then put a cover over it. In the museum, you traverse the tunnel going to an area and then back again. Beautiful changing lights make it magical. At the end, there is a painting in lights. Hard to describe, but there are a few paintings that appear, then slowly drop to the bottom of the wall as a new painting emerges. So beautiful. Another unforgettable part, for me, was a very large wall – possibly 45 feet or more – displaying a living picture. It was so wide, I had to keep moving my head from side to side to see it all. Just as I thought it was just a scene with no characters, a settler appeared carrying a string of fish, then a native appears at the other side. There is no sound. Both are startled and concerned at first, then drew closer and closer – finally, they exchange some communication about the fish and the furs on the native. Another scene showed some geese floating peacefully on a lake, then, suddenly, they all took flight. I could have stood there all day!

Michelle and I took our time walking back to the boat. First, lunch – we stopped at a place called Shnoopi. Turns out the name is the owner’s nickname as a boy. I had asked if they had gluten free bread. They didn’t, but in the time I’ve been in Canada, I have started to try having some regular bread. I have had zero problems with it! Conclusion: our flour in the U.S. has ingredients in it that are what cause the problem for me. So, I ordered a sandwich – the waiter said he was worried about me eating the regular bread. Very sweet! But, I assured him that I’m not allergic, just sensitive, and I believe the bread in Canada will not bother me.

We did some shopping on the stroll back to the boat. Dan had enjoyed his day, did some walking in the area but not as much as we did! AND, our package arrived from Garmin! Hallelujah! And, no problem installing the new software – we simply put the new SID card in, and voilla! New charts. Now we can navigate with confidence. Tomorrow, we depart Montreal!

First off, we had to go through two big locks, not run by Parks Canada but by the Canadian government. These locks are primarily for the huge commercial ocean-going ships. Our recreational boat gets the least priority. We had reservations for the first lock at 9:00 and the second at 11:00. We showed up at 8:00, because the instructions told us to do so. No one else was there, so we thought that perhaps we’d have the locks to ourselves! Nope. There were 3 other boats who came just in time. We ended up rafting with one other smaller boat. Those folks had never been through a lock before, so they were a bit nervous. He did fine – he pulled up next to us, we both had fenders at a good height, we tied them to us with two lines, and off we went! Both locks were uneventful.

Our first stop was at St. Anne du Bellevue, a lovely small town. No power at the wall, but we should be fine. We had help docking at the town dock from Blaine, who spoke English very well. Turns out he lived in the States for 25 years! He was a very chatty fellow, but very nice and helpful. We went to dinner at Annie’s, which was right on the water. While at dinner, there was a pretty heavy rain storm. Later, we walked to a convenience store, hoping to find milk and OJ – no luck. Michelle did some exploring on her own, and found a great little coffee shop/bakery for tomorrow’s breakfast. There is a lock at St. Anne that we will go through tomorrow morning.

Next morning, we had scones and coffee and returned to the boat ready to get going. Ummm, we were ready, but there was no power to start the boat. In fact, there was no power for anything, such as flushing toilets, lights, all that good stuff. Dan was perplexed – our house bank of batteries was completely dead, even though there was nothing that should have drained them over night. Running the engines the day before should have charged them completely. We made ready to spend another day and night there as Dan poked around, investigating the problem. Felt similar (to me) to the issue we had in St. Jean on the Chambly Canal. Then, Dan was checking out some big switches that have to do with what batteries are connected to each other and, suddenly, we had power! So, we were able to start the engines. Dan was concerned, however, because once inside a lock, you are required to cut off your engines, then restart to exit the lock. I volunteered to walk up to the lock to ask the tenders if we could have an exception to that rule – yes! So, off we went.

That turned out to be an exceptionally long day. Starting off with all the adrenaline, worried about our batteries, then going through the Carillon lock, and finally arriving at the Marina at Chateau Montebello at 6:30 p.m.

A few words about the Carillon lock. It is really old, pretty huge, lifting the boat 87 feet! I was at the bow, so I got a good view as the water poured in. There was an area just in front of the gates that was pretty big, maybe 300 sq feet. Anyway, it was completely dry. As we waited to rise, it occurred to me that that whole area had to be submerged in order to get us to the level of the lock gates! The lock folks were very kind, and allowed us to leave our engines running while in the lock – we were just not sure we’d be able to start them again!

A part of that cruise was a bit tricky, navigation wise. The spoils from digging the canal was dumped into Lac St. Louis, making the trip across that not small lake a bit twisty/turny. At one point, we got a radio call, “Kittiwake!! You are about to get into trouble, 3 feet depth. Stop! We (a sailboat who came up on our starboard side) will guide you through!” With that bit of help and paying attntion to the rest of the markers, we got through successfully. The St. Lawrence wasn’t very busy, but what traffic there was was recreational boats who like to run fast – regardless of other boats nearby. But, no damage done, just some rocky rolly times.

When we approached the marina, we couldn’t reach the marina staff for our slip assignment, so we just entered and took the first available spot that seemed to fit. By the time we got tied up, lovely Beatrice from the marina was there, all apologetic for not responding. We got ourselves cleaned up and went up to the Chateau for dinner. WOW! The Chateau is advertised as the largest log structure in the world – I believe it! Huge and beautiful. The grounds had some nice landscaping, and the property is on a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the St. Lawrence River. The next morning, we had breakfast on the boat, then took a walk all around the resort taking pictures. So beautiful.

Next stop, Ottawa!

July 16 thru 18, Chambly through Sorel

 

July 14 from St. Jeanne through to Lock 3, in Chambly sur Richelieu, Quebec Chambly Canal)

Beginning at St. Jeanne through to Chambly is the Chambly Canal. It was created to bypass rapids on the Richelieu River. The canal, for most of the way, is pretty narrow. Parks Canada controls the flow of boats – those folks talk to each other! They knew we were stuck in St. Jeanne and they knew when we got the engines going! I can’t say enough how pleasant and helpful those folks were. They all spoke English very well, which was very helpful!

When we were ready to leave, there had arrived a smaller boat who also wanted to transit, but they had no VHF radio. That meant we were communicating for both boats. No problem – the Parks Canada folks took it in stride.

Starting at the swing bridge in St. Jeanne, there was one lock, then about one and a half hours later, there were 5 locks – one right after another. Dan would drive the boat slowly into the lock, float to the front, where a Parks Canada employee would pass me a line that was fixed to the lock wall. Dan would scurry down to the aft of the boat and take a second line. The locks are manually operated. Once the boats were secured inside the lock, two employees turned cranks which opened the sluice gates at the bottom of the lock. The boats went down with the water. Then the employees moved the cranks to another spot that opened the gates. Cool! Then, it was start the engines and move to the next lock and repeat. It was a very hot day (as they have all been lately), and we were exhausted at this point. Gratefully, we were able to secure a spot on the wall just before the last swing bridge and locks on the Chambly Canal. Best of all, electricity was available (A/C!).

Side note: we have purchased a Parks Canada season pass for all their locks and also for moorage on the lock walls. Nice to have that covered for our entire season! We will be transiting the Chambly Canal (check!), the Rideau Canal (from Ottawa to Kingston on Lake Ontario), and the Trent-Severn Canal (from Lake Ontario through to the Georgian Bay). Hundreds of miles, LOTS of locks, and lovely countryside, little towns, and friendly people.

Back to the narrative… The town of Chambly was charming. There was a grocery store not 100 yards from the boat. There were bars, restaurants, and ice cream stores just a short walk away. We were able to stroll around, do some people watching, have good food, all easy to get to. The last part of the Chambly Canal started right after our parking spot, three locks, all connected one to the next. We are allowed to stay 2 nights at each lock wall, so we took advantage of the 2^nd night. There was a pretty hard thunderstorm one night. I took advantage of the full day in one place and found a salon where I got a much needed haircut! We also walked from our dinner restaurant to the Chambly Basin where the canal’s locks end, then walk up the locks we would transit the next day. Nice to be able to see them and take pictures – we’re pretty busy while going through!

Our people watching was enjoyable – not the same as in Key West! Very active people, a two lane bike path went through the entire town and all along the canal. I noted that most of the bike riders we saw were just on regular bikes – not many e-bikes. Also, I didn’t see young people sitting around staring at a screen...pretty refreshing to see them walking, riding, enjoying being outside. While on my mile or so walk to get my haircut, there were three groups of bike riders, a pretty wide range of ages, utilizing the bike path. In the park, there was a small pavilion with a piano there for anyone to use. There were a couple of folks who did just that. I had heard that Quebec folks are intolerant of people who cannot speak French – haven’t found that to be true. I make full use of my wide French vocabulary (probably a dozen words or so), and I have gotten along very well. A cheerful “bon jour” or “bon soiree”, “excusez moi”, “merci” or “merci beaucoup” seems to be appreciated.

While we were there at the lock wall, we were joined by a sailboat, Dragonfly, from Minnesota, also “Loopers”. We went through the three consecutive locks with them. The locks were small, a bit of a tight fit, but we made it work. Even though we travel very slowly, about 8.5 mph, we didn’t see the sailboat for very long! They had a different travel plan than us, anyway.

The Richelieu River was easy to travel. Beautiful countryside, lovely homes with docks on the river all along the way. Not many boats on the day we were there. One thing I enjoyed seeing was quite a few beautiful churches with ornate and unusual steeples. Pictures were taken!

The Richelieu River opens to the St. Lawrence Seaway - HUGE boats use this extremely busy waterway, one of the busiest in the world.  Our stop was at the Marina de Sorel, a small town there at the mouth of the river.  Not much to see there, but we made good use of our time.  I did a load of laundry.  Dan had a very productive call with Garmin, who not only helped him update our files for the Garmin chart plotter, but first had to upgrade his operating system and fix some registry issues he's been dealing with!  Now, that's SERVICE.  And, they did it all for Dan, by taking over his computer and having their team do the work.  Phew! 

I wasn't idle either.  The weather has cooled (Praise GOD!), so I got in a good walk.  I then did some reading and research, and our next few stops are planned!  Dan's daughter, Michelle, is joining us in Montreal and flying out of Ottawa eight days later.  She's visited us once before on the boat, but we were just sitting in the marina in Key West.  This time, she'll get to go through not only Montreal and Ottawa with us, but go with us on the three days it takes from Montreal to Ottawa - including two HUGE locks on the St. Lawrence!  

July 11 through July 14 - Rouse's Point, Canadian Customs, and St. Jeanne sur Richelieu

 

July 12, 2024

Rouse’s Point is the northernmost point of Lake Champlain, and also the last U.S. port! There are two marinas here, one a Safe Harbor marina and the other an independently run marina. We prefer to support the few remaining independent marinas, so our choice was easy, Barcomb Marina.

We had an opportunity to get the boat washed in Burlington before we departed, so that took most of the morning – totally worth it! It was so refreshing to have a very clean boat to continue our journey!

I called the Barcomb Marina where we had a reservation to give them our arrival ETA, around 6:00 p.m. At the end of our 4+ hours cruise, we were nearing the marina. The approach was somewhat confusing, so we tried to contact the marina for some guidance. No answer on the radio or the office phone. The recording on the office phone supplied the cell phone of the owner – no response to our two calls – sheesh! So, we found our way in, picked the easiest slip, and tied up. It was not a very impressive place – tiny gas dock shack, no other building except for a restaurant/bar about 100 yards away. After we tidied up, we walked to the restaurant – they only had bar snacks to serve, so we walked the 10 minutes or so into town to a restaurant called “Frencheez”. We had a decent meal, then stopped at the Dollar store for some milk. Bar was closed when we got back, so we had a quiet night on the boat.

Next morning, Dan went to meet the owner and pay our bill – we had thought about staying two nights, but there was really no reason to stay there! The owner said his cell phone never rang last night (??), but that he was sitting in the bar watching us come in. He saw us walking up to the bar, and drove away. So much for supporting independent marinas…

That morning, we heard from the folks on Clementine, Brian and Dawn, that we had met back at Ft. Edwards. We have been one stop behind them ever since! They had spent one night at Barcombs (the horrible marina), and moved to the Safe Harbor. They left before us and we planned to see them at our next stop, St. Jeanne.

First stop, just one tenth of a mile or so away, was Canadian Customs. The Captain went in the building, and was out in about 5 minutes! Easy peasy. We put the Canadian flag in the place of honor on the starboard flag mast, on the bow of the boat. We were now officially on our Canadian adventure, finally, after three years of wanting to go!

The Garmin GPS system that Dan relies on, along with our paper charts, is not working properly. The marina owner suggested we might stop at Gosselin Marina, just a few miles up the river, for some assistance, as they are Garmin dealers. We did stop there, spent some money and time. The problem with the Garmin display is that our data ended at the Canadian border – we needed an update. They sold us a new SIM card, but, unfortunately, our older system would not accept it. What we can do, once we have come good internet connection, is download an update from the Garmin website….to be continued!

Next stop, St. Jeanne Sur Richelieu, to continue our journey on the Richelieu River. Right after St. Jeanne, the Chambly Canal begins, which was created to get boats past some rapids on the river. We paid Parks Canada for the season pass to pay for all the locks on the canals we will traverse. We arrived later than usual, but Brian and Dawn were waiting for us – we parked just ahead of their boat. We had a nice dinner with them, then walked around the town a bit. The recurring theme is HEAT! So hot. And, unfortunately, our generator has chosen this time not to work – so, we couldn’t even start the A/C to cool down the boat. Fortunately, it cooled down enough for us to sleep well.

Next morning, we were to pass under the swing bridge there at St. Jeanne, and start on the locks on the Chambly Canal. Brian and Dawn pulled out, expecting us to follow shortly. We couldn’t start the engines….! Yikes. The chief engineer, Dan, started to work the issue – in checking the batteries, he found one had run dry. Assuming the issue was the batteries, we started to try and get someone to come and give us a ‘jump’. Finally, after 2.5 hours, the truck came, but, his battery jump kit didn’t do the trick. In the meantime, Dan had scouted around and found an electrical outlet in the nearby park. We loaded the nearly new battery for the dinghy in our wagon, and started charging it. My job was to ‘babysit’ the battery and wagon so no one messed with it. Sadly, after waiting for hours, the fully charged battery didn’t do the trick either. By now, Dan had been crawling around the engines and batteries all the hot day, and we both were exhausted. So, time to give it a rest and get some dinner! We had a lovely dinner, and strolled back to the boat. On the way, we came upon a ballroom dance class in the park. Totally charming! We came back to the boat for an early night – absolutely no electricity on the boat – no water pump, no toilet flush, very little lights. Tomorrow’s a new day!

Dan had been thinking about our issue over night, and knew what he needed to do – there had to be a loose wire somewhere. I was standing on the sidewalk talking to the Parks Canada young man, and I heard the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard – our two powerful Hino engines started! It was indeed a loose wire, and that was all it took. After allowing the engines to run for an hour or so, we were off to the first lock!

July 10, 2024 Lake Champlain!

 

July 10, 2024

We left Whitehall and headed north on Lake Champlain – so lovely! Almost no wind – the water was like a mirror. You can see the trees, mountains, and even clouds twice! We enjoy seeing the homes along the way, watching the birds as they fly across the lake. The first few miles of the lake are more like a canal or a river, rather than a lake. We proceeded up the lake to Otter Creek, which was the detour to Vergennes that was recommended. The opening to the creek was a bit hard to see at first, plus the depth at the opening had silted in a bit. But, we got through and spent an hour at very low speeds going down the twisty turny creek, past campgrounds, some homes. Finally, we came to the town. It had been advertised that the town provided docks with free electricity. The only electrical outlet we found was actually across a driveway in the park! Dan, knowing his bride was desperate for some A/C = it was very hot and humid, ran our 50 foot cable plus an extension across that driveway! He pulled two trash barrels from the little park to sit on the cables, hoping that anyone who came along wouldn’t run over our very expensive 50 amp cables. Bless him – I had air conditioning, and that was all I cared about!

The view from our dock was of the waterfalls in the town, from the damn located there. Very lovely. The town wasn’t very far, but we were toast after a long day’s travel and the heat. Discovery of the charms of the town will have to wait until we are by this way again!

Next day, Tuesday, July 9, we left Vergennes to make the relatively short cruise to Burlington, Vermont. For the first time since we left Brewerton, NY, we will be in a marina. We will stay two nights, allowing us to catch our breath, get some laundry done, relax a bit. The Burlington harbor is lovely, protected by a long break wall from the lake. The view across the lake is of the mountains that rise in different shaded distances. Still really hot, we were disinclined to walk the long hill into the downtown of Burlington. So, we had a nice dinner on the harbor and enjoyed a stroll along the water front. Next morning, we were at it pretty early after breakfast – washed all our dirty clothes plus the bed linens! Our next task was to take the one e-bike back to the local Costco store via Uber. Long story short, we had tried to return this via Costco’s on-line customer service. Got no response, then yesterday I was told it wasn’t going to be approved. We just boldly packed the bike in an Uber, walked up to the returns desk, and without any questions at all were given a full refund! Yippee! Unfortunately, they didn’t have e-bikes in the store, so we are still down to only one working bike. At least, we aren’t having to store the useless bike in our cockpit, constantly in the way.

It started raining hard as we returned from Costco, so we had a cozy evening on the boat.

Interesting note about the last Uber driver, who was from Kenya. He said he has been here six years, before that in Boston, and before that Kenya. I asked if he had family still in Kenya. “Yes,” he said, “my wife and children.” I asked when he last saw them – last July. I felt so bad for him! I asked him how he came to be in Burlington. He said his wife had gotten a visa to be here. “OK, I’m confused!”, I said, “I thought your wife is in Kenya.” Then he said, “I have two wives!” Plus, he told us he plans to obtain two more wives!! I told him he gets the award for the most interesting person we’ve met today!

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will proceed to a marina at Rouses Point, the last stopping point before Canada!!

July 7, 2024 - start of the Champlain Canal, connector to Lake Champlain

 

July 7, 2024

Here we sit at the end of the Champlain Canal, still in New York. The Champlain Canal is very similar to the Erie. We left Shady Harbor Marina, where we spent time with new friends, and backtracked to the start of the Erie Canal and started the trek north. The locks are really routine now….We put our ‘marriage savers’ on (headsets that allow us to talk to each other in a normal tone). The gates open, Dan drives the boat in, tells me which rope or pipe he wants me to grab. We ride the lock up or down, reverse the process – each lock takes about 15 minutes on average.

One great thing about these canals is that we can usually find a free wall to spend the night, most times with electricity – really important if it’s hot like it has been! I need air conditioning! First night on the Champlain, we had gone through 3 locks, and stopped at Mechanicsville. Day two, we went through 4 locks, and stopped at Ft. Edwards. We met a younger couple there who are doing the loop, so we traveled the next day with them for 4 locks. We said goodbye, since they were going further than we wanted. Tonight, 7/7, we stopped at Lock 12, the last lock on the Champlain Canal, in a town called Whitehall.

There are three pedestals for electricity at this lock, but, unfortunately, all three were being used. So, we went for a walk. There is a marina just on the other side of the lock, so we walked there in the heat. Nice guy, actually offered us a cold drink and some good conversation. He even fed us some left over lamb chops from last night! We planned to go back to the boat and come to his marina, but, when we returned to the boat, some of the other boats had left. Some very friendly Canadians helped us move out boat into position to hook up full power! Yay! It has been so hot lately, that we spend a few hours cruising and then collapse in a coma when we get the AC running!

We spent a few hours this evening talking with the three Canadian couples – very nice and fun people. We were told we MUST make a detour as we head to Burlington, Vt. To Vergenes, Vt. So, anytime we get that strong of an endorsement, we take it to heart! Tomorrow, Vergennes, it is!

One job we needed to complete was to estimate, to the best of our abilities, when we might arrive in Montreal. Dan’s daughter, Michelle, who lives in Seattle, wants to meet us there and spend a few days in Montreal, travel to Ottawa, tour there, and fly home from Ottawa. This was not an easy chore – these waters are unfamiliar, but we’ve done our best, adding in some slack time for weather or anything else we might want to do on the way. Fingers crossed we can coordinate our arrival close to when she gets there!

June 29, 2024 - we finally pushed away from the dock, retracing our steps to the eastern end of the Erie Canal

 

June 29, 2024 We finally pushed away from the dock!

After spending two days in a hotel waiting for Kittiwake to be splashed, then 8 days working on her, making provisioning runs, relearning how to live on a boat – we are finally off! First day was beautiful, nice and cool, sunny, a little breezy. We got a late start, having waited around to get this year’s Coast Guard’s safety inspection. We pushed away from the dock around 1:00 on Friday, June 28. The marina is right on the Erie Canal, about half way across, near Oneida Lake.

We cruised about 31 miles, across Oneida Lake and through two locks, before picking a spot after Lock 20. Nice and quiet, beautiful, birds providing a cacophony of song. We turned in early, and during the night a huge rain storm came in. We left during a lull in the rain, on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, our second day of cruising was even shorter than the first day – it’s very tiring cruising along with limited visibility, and having to be very vigilant for floating logs which could do some real damage. After 18 miles and one lock in the rain, we pulled off once again on a lock wall for the rest of the day and night. Tomorrow may be a cruising day – we’ll decide that when we get up in the morning.

On Sunday, we decided to continue on. From Lock 20, where we spent the night, we proceeded through 19, 18, and 17 uneventfully. After lock 17, we had to wait quite a while to get into lock 16. While waiting, Dan took the boat around, backed up, forward, and on one of those maneuvers, we ended up on a mud bank. Yikes. We were able to get off by gunning the engines, but after going through Lock 16, we got alarms from the port engine and the exhaust system. We were able to tie up on the wall at Lock 16, where they even had power we could use! Nothing much we could do that evening, since the engine room was very hot. Plus, we were both exhausted!

Next morning, we took out the strainer for the port engine. It was completely packed with black fine-grained mud. What a mess. We cleaned it out, replaced the impeller. Off we went, hoping the mud bank problem was behind us. Unfortunately, we right away got the port engine and exhaust alarms again. Dan was sure, then that the mud had gotten past the strainer, meaning we were now talking about some fairly major disassembling of the engine to resolve the issue. It was work that Dan felt he could do, but it wasn’t going to be quick or easy. We decided to proceed to Schenectady Yacht club where we had friends who might be able to help. Going through six locks with only one engine was not fun. But we stopped at Amsterdam, NY, where there was a city dock with electricity.

Best news of the day – when Dan next went into the engine room to start the dreaded job, he saw that he had forgotten to open the sea cock after changing the impeller. Wow! No cooling water can go to the engine with that closed – so, that was the only fix needed. What a relief!! We changed the impeller again (I had inadvertently handed him an old impeller and it came apart). We ran the engines for a bit, saw that more mud came out with the water – and, the port engine ran fine! So, off we went with lighter hearts at our near miss!

We went through locks 10, 9, 8, and 7, and found another free wall just before lock 6 for the night. Also docked there was another boat, with Liz and Steve Kemper, who we had met in the past. We enjoyed the evening with them, and then traveled together the next day.

We decided to alter our plans somewhat in order to spend the 4^th of July with the Kempers. Instead of turning north on the Hudson after the eastern end of the Erie at Waterford, we turned south and cruised the 20 miles to the Shady Harbor Marina. There, we enjoyed a nice dinner at the restaurant, and then a small Independence Day celebration with them. Hot dogs, potato salad, slaw, and all the fixin’s!

Next, we resume our plans and turn around to go north on the Hudson to Lake Champlain!

Splash! Our 2024 Cruising Season begins!

 

June 24, 2024

First post this cruising season! Last summer, we had to cut our cruising season off early because Dan’s back went out – we left the boat at Winter Harbor Marina, which is on the Erie Canal. It’s about a 9 hour drive from our home. The Erie Canal opened on May 17 this year – We had thought the Kittiwake would be brought out of storage by end of May, but it wasn’t until June 20 that she was splashed.

I admit that I did enjoy the extended time at home – more time to spend with my grandchildren, in the garden, and with friends. We were more than ready, though, by the time we were notified.

We had scheduled some work to be done by the marina staff in connection with the Dinghy Butler we had installed last year. Unfortunately, we have realized that our 34 year old boat had some issues which made the installation and use of the Dinghy Butler unworkable. Our transom (the rear wall of the boat) has taken on water in the past which has weakened the structure. The structure is find for normal operations, just not to support the 600+ pounds of the combined dinghy, motor, and the Dinghy Butler. So, we’ve had the Dinghy Butler un-installed. The terrific owner of Dinghy Butler offered to resell the device for us if we could get it back to him in Maine.

Therefore, we stopped our cleaning and other chores on the Kittiwake, loaded the 200 pounds or so of the Dinghy Butler on to Dan’s truck, and made the 275 mile journey to Kittery, Maine to drop if off. The weather wasn’t great (rain much of the way), but we enjoyed the short trip. On the way back to the boat, we went by way of state roads instead of the interstate – this took us through the states of New Hampshire and Vermont – wow! Such beautiful country!

Now, we are back at the Kittiwake on a cool and rainy day, resuming our chores to get her ready for the cruising season!

Our plans are to spend the summer in Canada, cruising some of the water ways we have heard so much about. Can’t wait to get started!

Start of our 2024 travels!

 

January 2024 travels!

After arriving home in July of 2023, we had some recovering to do before doing any more travel!  Dan went immediately to an orthopedic surgeon, to find that he had some lower discs in his back pressing on nerves.  He was in terrific pain, even using a walker for a time to get around.  He started Physical Therapy three times a week, for over six weeks.  He started feeling better, and was able to start enjoying life a bit more.  

Gena enjoyed being home for an unusual amount of time and for a good part of the summer.  There were flowers in our garden that she hadn't seen for years!  She also enjoyed having time with her three grandchildren, now ages 14, 16, and 18.  Her favorite thing to do was to grab one of them and go on an adventure, just the two of them. We also were able to attend our church regularly, and enjoyed that.

 As 'winter started' we ‘suffered’ an unusually mild winter – no snow at all, temps mostly above freezing, just the usual gray, no sun, that we’re used to. We departed Michigan on January 11, just in front of a huge cold front that brought the first snow accumulation and single digit temps in the winter so far. We spent 2 nights on the road, in Cracker Barrel parking lots, before reaching the north Georgia area where my daughter, Laura, and grandchildren live. We ended up spending one night in a Walmart parking lots in Cummings, near Dan’s cousin Suzie and husband, Mark. They took us to dinner at a great German restaurant.

Next day, we moved to an RV spot near Laura’s home. We got to visit with Laura, her sons, Brody, and Rylan, Rylan’s girlfriend, Katie, and Laura’s boyfriend, Matt. Laura and Matt have been together for a year, and have recently moved in together. If was great getting to know Matt and Katie. We spent 2 nights there, then moved on.

Next stop was King’s Bay Navy Base campground. We just stayed there two nights, because it was still cold! We wanted to get further south and some warm weather!

Next stop was KARS Park, owned by the Kennedy Space Center. It’s located right on the Banana River, directly across from Cape Canaveral – best place to watch space shots! We enjoyed two weeks there. Another advantage of being there was its closeness to Orlando, where our good friends Dennis and Denise Sprenkle live. We exchanged visits each way a couple of times while we were there.

We left KARS Park on 1/30, headed towards our final destination of Key West. Our reservations in Key West started on 2/1. We parked for one night at the Miccosoukee Indian Casino in Florida City, had a nice dinner and quiet evening in their parking lot.

On 1/31, we arrived in Key West, and were allowed to go ahead and park in Trumbo campground and report to the campground office the next day, when our reservations started. We’ve been here many times, and it’s always good to reconnect to many of the same people who return year after year. There have been many changes in recent years – they’ve severely restricted the number of campsites and raised the rates. But, we still enjoy the ambiance and camaraderie there.

And so, we began our two month stay.

The weather, to begin with, wasn’t great – a big cool and very windy. But, the good times are coming! We love the sunny weather, especially when it gets into the high 70’s and low 80’s. It took us a few days of just relaxing, getting into the groove, before we actually started getting out into town and enjoying the Key West vibe.

Our first visit into town, we thought we’d go to a quiet bar, Heroes, for a beer and a sit down. We rode our bikes there, only to find it was swarmed with a huge crowd, many dressed in animal costumes! “What’s going one?” OK, next, we rode to our next favorite quiet bar, Tiki Bar, which is a great people watching place, right off Duval. We were surprised to find, once again, a swarm of people, spilling out into the street, most dressed in animal costumes!! We retreated to a seat across the street, in a good people watching place, ordering a burrito and a beer. Finally, I could stand it no more – I went across the street and asked one of the folks what was with the costumes. Turns out is it an annual event, a onesie pub crawl, an annual event sponsored by a Tattoo bar down the street. Both our favorite bars were on the list of 4 bars included! Cool. So, next time we go, we should be back in our familiar bars, able to just sit, watch people pass, and have a quiet drink!