Day 32 and 33 Thousand Islands and Entering Canada

 Day 32: August 19: My goodness did the wind howl all night and the heavens opened; I think every rain cloud blew over our marina throughout the night. If that wasn't enough, at about 1:00 am a person who had most likely had a few cocktails decided it would be a good idea to hang around the docks, yelling "cowabunga" numerous times. It sounded like he decided it would be a good idea to wake everyone up to let us all know he was having a good time and needed to take a dip! HMMMMMM we didn't think it was funny. Anyway after a restless night we woke up to a very strong wind, yet hopeful for it to calm down so we could get UW and tour the Thousand Islands including the Boldt and Singer Castles. 

We were able to get UW around noon time as the wind calmed down and the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds. It was a pretty bumpy ride but at least we were going with the current which runs east. The river always flows east, emptying into the Atlantic so we know when we head back up Alexandria Bay toward Canada we will be fighting the current and perhaps the darn wind which continues to blow out of the west. When we started through the Thousand Islands bridge it was pretty rough; not only were boats throwing huge wakes, race boats and jet skis everywhere, the current was strong. It was crazy and John was challenged steering our boat through this area which is called American Narrows. If we never go through there again, we will be perfectly happy. 

No matter, it was an amazing cruise. All these little islands (piles of rock in some cases) with lovely cottages and boathouses on them. Felt like a fairy tale! 

We got to Boldt Castle (owned by the same Boldt I wrote about relative to the houseboat La Duchesse) but were not able to dock (although I read that there was plenty of room for private vessels). Tour ships filled with people were everywhere and only a few small boats were tied onto the dock in pretty shallow water. Rather than battle the chaos, we made a wise decision, took a quick shot of the castle and headed back out to figure out our next plan. 

Notice the speed boat! The river was full of them and they flew by at breakneck speeds. This guy sat for awhile revving and revving (we think showing off) before he took off at like 75 mph. Just think about the gas guzzling through his tank. 

We headed to Singer Castle and found calmer waters and very few people. We were able to dock and join a small tour group through the castle (which is filled with secret passageways, suits of armor and of course Singer sewing machines). Singer was built on Dark Island between 1902 and 1904 for Commodore Frederick Gilbert Bourne, the fourth president of the Singer Sewing Manufacturing Company. It was the last of the castles in the Thousand Islands to be built. Dark Island itself was referred to as "Lone Star" by Native Americans but later got its name because of the number of evergreens present which gave the island a dark look. The island and Singer Castle were sold for $5000 in 1965 to a religious organization, which then sold the property to a German businessman who opened a company conducting tours of the private island. This continues to this day. 

After touring Singer Castle we headed back up Alexandria Bay, all the way against the current and wind. This was a trip and a half (heart-stopping for me). At one point the channel narrowed to about 50 feet wide with a rip-current against us and numerous boats of all kid (including Lakers) as well as dozens of jet skis flying all over the place. John noted that it felt like like we were cruising through Woods Hole. Not fun!

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As we neared the end of our travel day and began to scout out an anchorage spot, John called Canadian Border Control as we knew we were supposed to "check into" Canada. We provided all necessary information, received a number and were told that when we actually set foot on land we are to call again. That will happen when we land in Trenton where we will be able to make that call and purchase lock and mooring passes for the waterway.

We were very happy to finally get to a place where we could anchor for the night in the Navy Islands area.

Day 33: August 20: Woke to a pretty calm morning and decided to get started pretty early as we wanted to get to within about 20 miles of Trenton. We pulled anchor and got UW around 8:15 and headed into the Canadian Middle Channel then into the Bateau Channel which flattened out beautifully. Along this route are several cable ferries that cross back and forth between islands. We also passed beautiful homes (a Canadian we met in Clayton said this was called millionaire row). The Bateau Channel led to the North Channel. We soon passed Kingston. This is a popular first stop for Loopers when they cross over Ontario headed into Canada. From my understanding, Kingston was Canada's first capital. There are several sites to see here including Fort Henry National Historic Site. Fort Henry was built from 1832 to 1837 to replace an existing fortification from the War of 1812. The fort was never involved in military action but was used as a prison for combatants captured during the 1837-38 rebellion and again during the First and Second World Wars. 

Around this area the water became quite choppy once again as effects from the lake became apparent. With the strong winds it is a sailor's dream; and we saw plenty of them, causing us to change course and dodge quite often. The North Channel soon gave way to the Bay of Quinte and once again we saw a change in chop and wind, resulting in a very pleasant ride to our anchorage area at Foresters Island off of Green Pt. We are not sad to be leaving Lake Ontario behind us as we head to Trenton tomorrow and tackle the Trent Severn Waterway. 

We traveled about 8 hours and covered about 59 nautical miles today! Time for rest and relaxation.