Freighter Coming! (Sandcastle in foreground)
On Monday we left Trident and motor-sailed along the Canadian Middle Channel through the Thousand Islands - a day of pretty sights. Mid-afternoon, we decided to by-pass Brockville and stop for the night further east at Prescott. Now we would be visiting the home of the Prescott Coast Guard - the source of navigation and safety information heard all over Lake Ontario and the home base for those who respond to Pan Pan and May Day calls heard over the VHF. We had begun to check our guidebook info on this historic town so were doubly disappointed when Bob called and found the marina was full. Oops! In searching for alternatives, we called the Ogdensburg Municipal Marina. Ogdensburg, NY is across the river from Prescott so still not much further to go. They had two spots on "the wall" - well that was better than no place at all and to safeguard against another disappointment, Karen called Chrysler Park Marina to secure spots for the following night.
Once tied up at the rather small marina in Ogdensburg (for small power boats mostly), we went for a walk to find groceries but the two stores listed in the Ports book were gone - perhaps because of a Walmart in the area (too far away for us to get to). We settled for buying eggs and milk at a gas station convenience store and then walked back to the library which thankfully was close to the boat and air conditioned as well! (The temperature in town had reached 92 degrees F.) Bob left me at the library happily putting up my first blog post and uploading pictures while he returned to the boat to put together our dinner of stir-fried veggies and left over pasta.
On Tuesday, we went through the Iroquois Lock (Canadian)- the first of 7 locks for this trip. Bob phoned to find times when pleasure craft would be allowed through and we then we stepped up our speed to make the 9:00 a.m. opening. If we had missed that, the next opening wasn't until 1:00 p.m. Our lock-through was pretty much a non-event - we dropped only a few inches - but we got into the idea of looking for the provided tie up place and also looking for signal lights telling us: don't enter, lock filling/dumping and come on in! Mind you the routine at the two American locks we would be passing through on Wednesday would be quite different.
We arrived at Chrysler Park Marina just before lunch on Tuesday, phoned to check back into Canada, had a bite to eat and then took the shuttle from the marina to Upper Canada Village. Now there is a charming place - and since the heat had kept the crowds away, it seemed less touristy and had an authentic "town out of the past" feel. At the store there, we bought bread baked on-site and made with flour produced at the town mill. Talk about heavy bread! So as not to have to carry it with us, we left it with the broom maker while we finished touring and picked it up later. The heat made us glad to get back and sit in the marina's small above ground pool and then eat a light dinner at the patio cafe.
Chrysler Park Marina is situated in a huge provincial park and is fairly isolated. Rides are available to Morrisburg - the nearest town - and another place I'd like to check out. Perhaps on the way back? We'll see.
At about 2:00 p.m., we reached the spot Warren and Bob had chosen to anchor - just off a little town half in the state of New York and half in Quebec. There was a stiff current there so when Bob and I went in the water off the back of the boat we held tight to a line fixed to the boat. I felt as though I was on a fast ride as the cool water rushed by and pulled me back. It was so nice to sit back in our gently rocking boat and read in the sunshine - that is until later in the afternoon when the locals appeared in many many seadoos and small motor boats. We seem to be anchored in the coming out and going in path and all afternoon they buzzed by us. We managed to ignore the continual hum and slap of water as they passed but the day was ruined by a couple of young men on a seadoos bent on harassing us. They buzzed close by and raised a wave that went over the top of our boat and into our open hatches spreading water in the cockpit and cabin. From us they headed toward Sandcastle and did the same. Not so nice. Bob and Warren both called authorities - actually twice as there was a repeat later. Well enough about that!
All that action in the water is the current rushing past Bob. He's basically staying in the same place. The second time in the water, Bob put on a life jacket for added safety.
Today we are in Valleyfield Quebec at a marina. It's still hot but they do have a pool here which helps some. I'm hoping for a change in the weather - a little wind would be nice - to cool us off as we can't really sail a whole lot. Right now we're following the marked channels down the river. Today we went across Lake St. Francis - a lake created by flooding to create the Seaway. Towns were moved and farms, flooded. There was a deep channel through the middle of the lake but veer off the marked channel and you're in very shallow water - exactly as it was in many places when we were traveling along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Tomorrow night we'll be at the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club in Dorval. We're hoping that it lives up to it's name!
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