9 - the photos Oswego

8 - Cape Vincent to Sackets Harbor - Tibbetts Point Again

Cape Vincent to Sackets Harbor - Tibbetts Point Again

When we woke up we checked the weather. There were several thunderstorms we were watching and it was very hard to tell the way the storms were going to pass. We decided to wait for an hour and check again. Very dark clouds passed over our heads, and the sky behind it looked pretty good. Wayne checked and it looked like the storm we were watching was passing to the south and we would miss it, so we headed out. The strong storm did however hit Livonia; I have to wonder how our house faired. The wind and waves were pretty strong. We had no choice but to motor with the wind right on the nose. We bucked and sloshed into the wind and waves and SLOWLY made progress out of the river. We motored past the green buoy just off the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse and tried to raise the main sail to give us some more horse power. It seemed like we were crawling. We tried raising the Genoa but the wind was too gusty which caused us to lurch uncomfortably. So we were back to motoring. We did leave the mail up to steady the boat so at least we had a more comfortable ride than we got in the river.

The trick with getting out of the Saint Lawrence is to get out into the lake far enough to clear Grenadier Island before turning to port. The Island has a long shoal way out into the lake so you have give it a very wide margin. This is also a lee shore (the wind is blowing toward shore) and a rocky shoreline so safety demands an extra bit of margin. You are also in the shipping lane for a lot of that time.

So with the Foster luck, of course we encounter a freighter as we exited the river. So we had to tack off course to let the freighter pass by. But the engine continued to run this time, so there was no tacking back and forth to claw our way out into the lake against wind and river current like we had to do the last time we came this way.

It seemed like it took us forever before we actually cleared Grenadier and could turn for home. Once we made the turn, Wayne put up the sails and the ride got a lot more comfortable. The rest of the trip was pretty easy and we were very happy to see home port coming into view!

We landed at the marina and tied up the boat. Home again! A few hours later and very ugly thunderstorm went through. We were VERY glad to be back at the dock. Lots of Thunder and lightning, hail and then afterwards a double full arch rainbow! Beautiful! We have seen double arch rainbows before but never two full arches from horizon to horizon. The color was so intense; I hope the photos capture some of the beauty.

So we are now spending a few days relaxing at camp and decommissioning the boat. It was a great trip with lots of firsts and personal bests. The only objective we didn’t attain was anchoring out. Thunderstorm threats kept us tied to the marinas. That will have to be for another day.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about our adventures. Until next year!
B&W

7 - Gananoque to Cape Vincent - Dead Calm

7 - Gananoque to Cape Vincent - Dead Calm

We left Gananoque about 8 am. No wind, not a whisper! We had to motor the whole way - another first. We took an easier route out of the Admiralty Islands which took us along the north shore. It was still a little tricky navigating, but was much easier than going - directly through the heart of the islands as we did on the way in. We saw some more nice places to anchor and definitely want to come back and try it!

The trip was uneventful overall. We did see a strange vertical cloud formation that would have sent us into the storm cellar if we had been in Kansas. Very odd! It was kind of scary, but in the end harmless.

Cape Vincent has a couple of free places to dock. There is the town dock and the DEC Dock. The DEC dock has rest rooms and showers, while the town docks just have a porta-john. No choice there - we went to the DEC dock.

When we arrived in Cape Vincent there were no other boats at the DEC research center dock. We tied up, went to check in with customs at the ferry landing. We found the in person check in to be a lot easier than the video phone. One of the agents was really pleasant and he was the one to check us through. It was a pretty easy process.

As the afternoon progressed, all the docks had filled up and the last two boats had to anchor out because the docks were full. We met a nice couple from Hamilton Ontario on a Nonsuch sailboat name Jake - Aloo. Nonsuch They were coming from Gananoque and leaving for Henderson Harbor in the morning. We also shared the dock with a group of young couples traveling in several big power boats from Quebec province. They unloaded their generators and ran long electric cords to power their air conditioners and refrigerators. Traveling in the lap of luxury!

We went out for supper at Captain Jacks, Wayne was disappointed because they were not serving the wonderful calm chowder we so enjoyed when we were here with our mothers in June. Being from Massachusetts, Wayne does not take calm chowder lightly! Back to the dock for a G&T and bit more conversation with the couple from Jake - Aloo (some very interesting insights into Universal Health Care) then off to bed for a restful night.

Hugs all around
Wayne and Brenda aboard the s/v Wander’n By, Cape Vincent NY

6 - Kingston to Gananoque – Follow the Leader

Kingston to Gananoque – Follow the Leader
We slept in a bit, prepped the boat, took a shower and got ready to leave Kingston. As we were starting our engine, the Canadian Border Patrol paid us a visit. We learned we are supposed to put the check in number in the window of our boat closest to the boarding area. They were stern, but pretty nice about it so no big deal. Notes for next time!

We headed north east up the St. Lawrence River. Sailing was easy; again wind at our backs and sailing on only the Genoa. We noticed a very pretty yellow and orange spinnaker on a sail boat sailing in the same direction. We took some pictures. We passed them and later they passed us. We had a chance to hail them, say hello and ask them the type of boat they were sailing. He told us a Union 36. Very pretty boat with classic lines and a big bow sprit out in front (Basically a long pole sticking out the front that they mount additional sails.) Wayne asked them where they were going and they said they were also going to Gananoque. We said it was our first time there, and they said they would see us there.

The wind was picking up as we had expected about the time we got to the Admiralty Islands which we either had to go through or around to get to Gananoque. We were glad to get out of the main lake and into more a sheltered area. We rolled up our sail and followed the Union 36 through some very picturesque islands winding in and through some very close islands and rocks. We saw a very nice place several boats were anchored in a small cove behind Aubrey Island. We will have to come back and anchor here one of these days!

After several twists and turns we noticed the union 36 had someone on deck we guessed to watch for rocks, so Brenda went forward to check it out. It was absolutely gorgeous in there! Right out of a picture post card. We never could have attempted it if we had not had our guide in front of us. Wayne did a great job maneuvering the boat through some very tight channels (I think he has a few more gray hairs though!). We exited the channel and there was Gananoque!

We made our way to the dock and a very nice gentleman from Ottawa assisted us in docking. It was quite windy and a challenge docking. Wayne did a great job of getting us in. After we were all tied up and settled, we assisted several other boats in docking. Everyone was very happy to have some help given the windy conditions.

We took a walk and checked out the public beach which is very close by. There is also a public dock for daytime tie up, and a group of shops and a marine museum just past the beach. Later we walked up to King Street (Main) and had supper in the “Old English Pub”. Very interesting décor and the food was fantastic! Wayne had Sheppard’s pie with lamb, and Brenda had Guinness marinated steak pie. We split a seafood chowder which was excellent as well. Very highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area.

We are supposed to get rain tonight and more tomorrow morning, so we will have some time to relax and see some more of the town tomorrow afternoon. Our next stop will be Cape Vincent to check in with US Customs.

5 - Picton to Kingston, Best and Worst

Picton to Kingston – Our best and worst sail so far

We left Picton at 6 am. Beautiful sunrise! The air was cool, but not so cool as to need long sleeves. Once again the wind was at our backs, so we were sailing with the wind. I don’t know how that keeps happening, downhill both ways? Our winds started out pretty light, but after we got out into the Adolphus Reach the wind picked up and the sailing was spectacular. Easy sailing on just the genoa and we were clipping along at 5.5 knots! Amazing.

We had several hours of wonderful sailing. When we got close to the channel between Simco Island and Amhurst Island, the winds started to pick up considerably. Crossing the channel the waves got big enough to get your attention. It was quite a ride and the biggest waves we have seen to date. We thought the waves would diminish as we entered Kingston Harbor, but boy were we wrong! The harbor was bedlam with a bunch of idiots out to brave the waves. Wind surfers, Kite surfers, mini sail boats, a ferry, a tour boat and a whole bunch of us trying to get OUT of the weather.

Two young, maybe 8-9 years old were out in a mini sail boat paddling with the sail up trying to turn the boat. They succeeded – right in front of us. We had to turn left and had to go between the ferry and the tour boat. We were ¼ mile away from each boat, so not up close and personal, but close enough people on the ferry were taking our picture. We were bucking the waves trying to roll our sail in, and trying to get a dock assignment all at the same time. It made for a pretty exciting few minutes.

We finally got inside the marina, got docked and breathed a big sigh of relief! The tour boat turned around and aborted their tour. Another bottle of Mike’s bit the dust. We tidied up the boat and went to get some lunch before the BIG storm hit.

The clouds were looking really dark, so we battened down and went below. Suddenly a gust of wind hit the side of the boat and heeled the boat quite a lot for sitting at the dock. Next thing we knew it was raining like crazy and it started to hail. The hail was the size of jaw breakers. The water looked like it was boiling at one point. I scrambled to get the camera but by the time I got it, the worst was over. I took a couple of pictures, then switched over to video mode. There was a huge flash of lighting followed immediately by really loud crack of thunder. I about jumped out of my skin! We’ll see how that video comes out!

Later in the evening, one of the boaters in the marina told us his wind speed indicator recorded 35 knot winds. We think the winds were about 25 knots when we were coming into port. One more for the record books!

It’s off to Gananoque tomorrow.

4 - The sailboat race

Kingston to Picton Ontario – The sailboat Race
We left Kingston at 8:30, right after the morning ritual of “God Save the Queen” on the bagpipes. There was not a breath of wind so we motored west through the North Channel. Even though we had left early, it was getting awfully hot again. The heat was really starting to get to Brenda.

We stopped in Bath Ontario, Loyalist Cove Marina, for fuel, ice, a pump out, and a bit of a stay in some AC to cool down. As we came back out we discovered a wonderful breeze had come up while we were in the marina. Oh, to sail again! The majesty of a boat moving under nothing but the power of the wind is beautiful to behold! We unfurled the sails and off we went! Yeehaa!

We were coiling the dock lines and getting in the fenders when we noticed the smoke stacks we had been using as land marks no longer had bases. The bottom ½ was obscured by fog and that is the direction we were heading. We didn’t know how large the fog was or how dense. We saw several boats come out of the fog so we decided to stay on course. This happened between Amhurst Island and Indian point which is the boundary between the North Channel and the Adolphus Reach. As we got past the boundary we came out of the fog. When looked back the fog was dissipating and the smoke stack was nearly clear of fog. It turns out it was a weather anomaly we think caused by the sudden wind change.

The Adolphus Reach is a long narrow body of water rather like one of the Finger Lakes. As we came around one of the points two other sailboats came close to us. We were all headed in the same direction, all about the same size, and about the same speed. Cruising sailors like to use their boats to explore new places and rather shun the idea of racing with the boat, however some times we just can’t help ourselves. We started the race behind the other boats but upwind (which is sometimes an advantage). We quickly passed the Catalina 30 and got quite close to the C&C 33. We stayed neck and neck with the C&C for a long time, sometimes getting right up along side sometimes falling back a few boat lengths. Then the wind started to fade and our large sails gave us the advantage and we pulled ahead. By the time we turned south into Picton Harbor we were a good mile ahead. She’s a good old boat by golly!

As we came into Picton Harbor we could easily believe we were in New England. The town and harbor are very picturesque. We tidied up the boat, inhaled a Mike’s Lemonade, and walked into town to get some supper. While we were in the restaurant we overheard the conversation at a table on the other side of the restaurant was all about sailing so I went over and introduced myself. It turns out these were the sailors we had been “racing” earlier! It turns out they are from Toronto Yacht Club and are out on the Club’s annual three week cruise. Brenda said to the C&C owner “We thought you had dropped back to let us lead into the harbor. He said ‘No … but let’s go with that!” They were very nice and we enjoyed a glass of wine with them after dinner.

Next day we enjoyed a relaxing morning then spent the afternoon acquainting ourselves with downtown Picton. A lovely little village that actually has an old time main street! We found a fish and chips restaurant and had some of the best clam chowder we have had this side of Massachusetts. Charlie would be so proud of us!

Given the weather forecast it is back to Kingston next. Wayne thinks it is a good idea to be in a safe harbor by early afternoon, so we are setting the alarm for 5AM. Ugh! At least it will be cool at that hour and hey, it’s a ½ hour later than our normal alarm clock so guess we still are “sleeping in!”

Wayne and Brenda aboard the sailing vessel Wander’n By
N 44º 00.90
W 77º 07.94

3 - Tuesday in Kingston - Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Tuesday in Kingston - Necessity is the Mother of Invention

We woke early this morning to an overcast sky and spent a couple hours reading and enjoying the cool of the morning. I made a potato salad, Wayne washed up the dishes. He very cleverly used a folding colander as a dish drainer! No room for all the amenities of life. Make due with what you’ve got!

At 8 am we heard a wailing noise. What the heck? It’s a bagpiper! - in a complete kit including kilt and sporran! What an alarm clock! He is quite a site marching up and down the docks playing God Save the Queen! Probably a few who imbibed too heartily the night before were ready to cold cock the guy. Wayne and I thought it was pretty cool and raced to find the camera to take a picture.

It turned out to be another very hot day. We wandered around Kingston a bit, went shopping (more on that below) and hit the farmers market which was very expensive - corn: 75 cents per ear, $3.75 for a small cup of raspberries or blueberries! Holy cow! There were some interesting things there, but expensive so we didn’t stick around long. After We went for lunch at the Prince George Hotel and had Fish and Chips with Vinegar and Dungloe Sauce. We were very curious about the Dungloe Sauce and asked the waitress (who had a very lovely English accent by the way); Horseradish, Mayo, Yogurt, Capers, Peppers and a “few other things”. We liked it very much.

On the trip from Sackets to Oswego, we had peaches, oranges, apples and bananas. They took a bit of a beating, so on the trip from Oswego to Kingston, we tried tying them in bags from the hand rails in the main salon (i.e. where we do everything except sleep, brush our teeth and pee!). The onions had a nice mesh bag, but since we didn’t have anything else we used plastic shopping bags for the rest. The fact that they were hanging was great, but the plastic - not so good! Lucky it was only one day, but even at that the heat turned our oranges into a white fur ball! So we were looking for something we could use to hang the fruit. Originally I was thinking a toy hammock, or maybe a hank of fabric, table cloth or lace curtain. After much searching we finally found mesh laundry bags. Zippered top, nice soft mesh. Perfect!

After lunch we toured a redoubt where a swivel cannon was mounted to defend Kingston. ( http://www.kingstonhistoricalsociety.ca/murney.html ) The center is a massive column of stonework to support the weight of the cannon. The design and engineering is very impressive and quite a work of art too. We also found a Maritime Museum, a public beach, and some wonderful parks. The heat finally chased us back and we sat in the Marina lounge to cool off some before we headed back to the boat. Supper was cold turkey, salad, and just a bit of 75 cents an ear corn. Way too hot to try and cook. We took some of those extravagantly expensive raspberries and put them on top of some vanilla yogurt. A treat to die for!

We finally had a cold front come through that gave us a blessed cool breeze that dropped the temperature to about 80 degrees. A nasty thunderstorm passed just north of us but we were lucky and never even saw a drop of rain. Nice and cool sleeping - finally!

2 - Sunday in Oswego

Sunday in Oswego
Went to the H. Lee White Maritime Museum where we learned that on January 1, 1808, President Thomas Jefferson signed the warrant appointing James Fenimore Cooper as a Midshipman in the infant United States Navy. President Jefferson certainly did not know that in so doing, he was laying the foundations of a new kind of writing - the sea story. In July of 1808 Midshipman Cooper was sent to Oswego, New York, on Lake Ontario, to help supervise the construction of America's first Great Lakes warship, the 16- gun brig Oneida. After his service in the Navy Cooper when on to become one of the most popular 19th century American authors, and his work was admired greatly throughout the world. As for the crew of Wander’n By, we went back to the boat and took a nap! One thing we learned about the marina here in Oswego is the boat rocks night and day. You look out at the water and it seems like nary a ripple, but look at the boats and they are all bobbing and weaving. Brenda will be glad to get this port behind us!

In the evening we took a hike on the river walk then up to Fort Ontario. The fort was closed but we took a walk around the fortifications. It was very hot and we both were pretty dehydrated by the time we got back. Off to Kingston first thing in the morning, so off to bed early to get a good nights rest.

Monday Sailing to Kingston – never a dull moment!

We woke up at 5 and were sailing out of the harbor by 6 am. It was a quiet peaceful morning. It was cool and the waves were pretty lively. The wind was directly out of the South which meant it was directly at our backs so not easy sailing and the wave action made the boat rock uncomfortably. We were motor sailing, rocking and rolling when about 2 hours into our sail we heard “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday this is Captains Quarters (break-up, break-up) in the water”. They gave their location as off 3 mile island heading toward Henderson Harbor.

The coast guard took the call and tried to get GPS coordinates, but they didn’t have a GPS. Captain’s Quarters said they had hit something in the water and were listing. A local marina from Mexico bay responded and told him there was no 3 Mile Island in Lake Ontario, and he was confusing people. The man said he was not from the area but again said their location was off 3 Mile Island. We were thinking 3 mile bay? The Marina guy he asked him to look directly south and tell him what he saw. He said the Nuclear Reactor on 3 Mile Island which was South East of his position. The man told him it was Nine Mile Point! At that point we thought they might be near us. Wayne hailed them on the radio. “Captain’s Quarters, Captain’s Quarters, we are the sailing vessel Wander’n By we are in your vicinity. Can you see my sail on your horizon”? After a minute or two he said “No, we don’t see you”. Wayne responded “If you do see my sail hail me on the radio and we will come to your assistance”. We stayed in the area going off course a bit toward where we suspected they might be, but we never did see them. Last we heard, the marina was searching for them. We think we saw the search boat come out looking for them and saw it make a quick change of direction so believe they had located them. We didn’t hear anything more on the radio, so assume all ended well. Later we heard another radio call and all sounded well.

After our adrenalin levels dropped back to normal, the wind shifted a little and we were able to sail for a while. The waves were very confused and erratic making the boat movement even worse than before. Wayne finally was able to jibe the boat (putting the stern of the boat through the wind) and the boat action improved a lot.

Given the wind conditions we had to alter course a bit and passed just west of Galloo Island rather than East of Main Duck Island as we had planned. Once we got around Galloo we had some blessed breeze for a while. We sailed from Galloo to the East Charity Shoal Light which is a light house in the middle of the lake. Then turned North toward Kingston. At that point the wind was again directly at our backs. We were traveling about the speed of the wind so we had not a lick of a breeze and it was HOT! The only shade we had was directly under the dodger canvas. We bucketed some water from the lake to cool ourselves down.

Our next turn was a channel that runs between Simcoe Island and Wolfe Island. It is hard to see the channel until you are right on top of it. But we had made this trip before so knew where we were going. We were able to put up the Genoa and sailed into Kingston.

When we got to Kingston a little after 5 pm, we had to pass through a sailing race course. They all seemed to be the same type of boat with a single sail. It turns out that there is a Nonsuch Boat Race here this week. http://www.nonsuch.org/ They are a strange looking boat with a single sail and wishbone boom. The race was about over and some boats were heading in to the marina. We radioed the marina to request a slip location, and we circled and we circled waiting for them to tell us where to go. We circle and circled some more… we were hot tired and ready to be at the dock. Finally they gave us a slip location, and Wayne took us to the dock. Once we were landed we cracked open a couple of Mikes hard lemonades. Two fewer alcoholic beverages to declare at customs!

Since only the captain is allowed on shore before clearing customs, Wayne went ashore to clear in and Brenda stayed with the boat. We had some supper of cold chicken, cheese, leftover potato salad, did a quick settling of the boat, Brenda took a nap, and then we hit the showers and headed up for some home made ice cream at White Mountain. Lesson here – quick cold meals after a long hot sail!

We are pretty proud of ourselves. We sailed 57 Nautical Miles and made our way across the lake! We never did completely loose sight of land, but we definitely stretched our comfort zone a bit. Brenda got a little green, but was able to manage so is getting more and more comfortable out there. So we are accomplishing our goals and feeling pretty good!

We love Kingston and have reserved a slip for three days.

Love to All
Wayne and Brenda aboard the sailing vessel Wander’n By
N 44º 13’ 41.5”
W 76º 28’ 42.6”

1 - Greetings from Oswego!

The Oswego Yacht Club
A big neighbor
The Oswego Lighthouse
Sunset in Oswego





Greetings from Oswego!
Well we cracked several personal bests yesterday; the farthest away from home - 37.5 nautical miles, longest sail - 7 hours 20 minutes, and the biggest waves we have yet sailed in. All in all it was a pretty uneventful sail ? until we were entering Oswego Harbor.

Friday was rainy with thunderstorms predicted, so we took the day to provision and recharge our batteries (both us AND the boats!). I should explain. The weekend previous we had guests on the boat that apparently slept with the lights on and ran the batteries dry.

To get all our ?stuff? into the boat, which has lots in inaccessible storage and virtually no easily accessible storage, we tried to be methodical about putting things away. Best laid plans? We have already torn the boat apart twice looking for something and we still haven?t found the bug screen for the companionway!

Saturday we woke to overcast ominous skies. By 10 it was starting to clear and we left the dock about 11 am. The sailing was straight into the wind, and we needed to fully charge the batteries, so we motor sailed with just the main sail up from Sackets to the pass between Stony Point and Stony Island (west of Henderson Harbor for you map people). As we were entering the channel, the engine suddenly quit. Both Wayne and I looked at each other like ?Did you do that?? I took the tiller and Wayne went below. He had a theory that the air vent for the fuel tank doesn?t let in enough air, so he cracked open the gas tank to let some air in and voila we had our engine back.

We sailed to the southern end of Stony Island where we truly passed into ?THE LAKE?. At that point the wind direction was more favorable, so we put up the Genoa sail (the front sail for you non-sailors- see I am picking up some of the lingo) and she heeled over nicely. It is interesting that as soon as you round Stony; you can see the steam plume from the nuclear reactor at 9 mile point. You can?t see land to the south, so it looks like the nuclear reactor is rising out of the lake ? no land in sight. Next we sailed past the Stony Point Light house and from there on it got windier and wavier. The sail put most of the cockpit in the shade and it was so chilly I had to put on my sweatshirt.

Wayne laughed at me because I sat facing aft (rear of the boat) so I could see the land fall away from us rather than see us heading toward nothing but the steam plume. It is a bit unnerving sailing toward nothing. But we kept land (abet a ways in the distance!!) to our port side (left) as we passed Mexico bay. After a fashion we started seeing land to the south which made me very happy.

About that time the waves started to get pretty big. They were more like swells and our little boat handled them like a champ. I didn?t feel uncomfortable unless I tried to go below. Needless to say I did my business in short order and got myself back up on deck as quickly as possible.

Coming into a harbor you don?t know is always nerve wracking. You don?t know exactly where you are going and where it is shallow etc. We reeled in the Genoa and turned into the wind to drop the main sail in preparation for entering Oswego Bay. As we turned back toward the harbor entrance a sailboat was bearing down on us. Not knowing the entrance to the harbor, Wayne was taking us strait through the middle of the entrance. The other sailboat had his sails up and passed between us and the starboard (right) side of the harbor entrance. We have never been that close to another sailboat out on the water. They passed us as we were between two cement breakwalls, and trust me they are none too far apart!

Once the other sailboat got inside the harbor, they turned into the wind to drop their sails, and we went on ahead into the marina. We had been told to take a specific slip. When we got to the dock there were dock lines on the cleats we needed to tie up to. We thought that was suspicious, so as soon as we were tied up, I went to find someone to see if we were in the right slip. The only people on the docks were transients like us. They suggested going into the Yacht Club. So up I went to the club house and found a bar tender who said we were fine that the boat normally in that slot had left for a race in Canada. Well ? not to be? the jerk that passed us in the sailboat came in and yelled at us to get out of his dock slip ? NOW! Man was he nasty! Thankfully, Wayne had kept the engine running, so we got back in the boat and moved to the other side of the dock. The bar tender saw our problem and came out to help as did another transient.

I can?t believe how unfriendly the people are here. Except for the bar tender who was very nice, and the other transients, people here won?t even make eye contact with you. Getting someone to explain the lock system to the bathrooms and showers was a major deal. Turns out it is a 3 step process to open a box with a key in it. Someone finally took pity on us and showed us how to do it. I think about how we greet transients at Madison Barracks and I am so proud to be from there! No one ever gets to the dock without an assist with dock lines and a hearty welcome unless there is absolutely no one in the marina.

Today is sightseeing and relaxing. We will stay the night here again tonight and tomorrow head out for Canada. There are a couple of museums and a fort within walking distance and there is supposed to be a river walk down the canal. So we are off to explore and get exercise our legs after a day at sea.