New Territory

Oswego to Clayton

Sunday, June 20^th

We are leaving the last lock for a while and head off in to Lake Ontario. It is a big flat lake, but we are only going across a small corner of it. We are going to Sackets Harbor so Carole can investigate her origins. She learned that one of her ancestors was buried here in 1828, and she wants to see if she can learn any more.

The lake is pretty flat, but the 1' waves are coming from our side and the boat is rolling about
5 degrees. The day started sunny, but it quickly got overcast. Seeing sailboats with their masts up is a novelty (it doesn't take too much to entertain me).

Navy Point Marine seems to be the only show in town. Liberty Marina's phone is disconnected and the Barracks Marina is closed on Sunday! Navy Point Mariner advertises “concierge” service -HAH! The entire time there we never saw a marina employee on the dock. When you arrive they ask you (over the radio) to go to the office to check in. If you want fuel, you go to the office, give them a Credit Card and pump your own. Same with a holding tank pumpout. Otherwise a nice place to stay. Lots of sailboats here and it is a great sailing area lots of open deep water, consistent wind, and islands and anchorages abound.

Sackets Harbor was involved in the war of 1812 and it was the Naval Center for the Great Lakes for many years. The battlefield and buildings have been preserved and are now museums. One of the guides offered to watch Annie for us while we toured the Commanders House. (In Fulton at the John Wells House they let Annie into the museum with us) It was well worth the visit. The exhibits were very innovative and well planned.

When we went to dinner we saw “Two Turtles” anchored in the harbor.

Monday June 21^st

Carole takes a Taxi to Watertown to do her Genealogy research. Turns out that they have a genealogy researcher at the Library there. Meanwhile I get to scrub the boat.

We called the local Canvas Shop to have semitransparent window covers made. They quoted ¼ the price we got in Brewerton and would have them ready the next morning. The price was so good that I considered staying another day to have side window covers made. Then sanity took over and we decided to wait.

I did order a WiFi amplified antenna for the laptop when I saw that Tony (on Two Turtles) was getting 8- 10 connections available when I could only see 2, and his signal strength was much higher than mine. It is scheduled to arrive by Thursday so we are having it delivered to Clayton, NY.

Tuesday June 22^nd

The window covers were installed first thing in the morning and look great. They also came in under the estimate.

Pumpout and get underway. Headed for Cape Vincent, The gateway to the St. Lawrence. And according to some great plan – it is raining. Our first sight of Canada is a large windmill farm – about 100 of them. They are on Wolfe Island across the St. Lawrence River. Not an ugly sight, but I am sure that many people are lamenting the change of the view.

We stay at a free town dock – no amenities except a picnic table and Port-a-pot. It is quiet and the town is well kept and seems to be in good repair. While docking I was trying to get close to shore and I pushed against an underwater rock shelf with the side of the boat. Lots of grass on the rock so it was well padded. I was only drifting and the only way I new I was against it was that the bow would not turn. The water is so clear that it is almost impossible to determine depth by eyesight. I eased off and tied up farther out on the dock.

Since this was a night for grilling it naturally rained, that is until Carole was finished using the grill outside and then it stopped.

Wednesday, June 23^rd

Walked in town this morning. Very well kept, nice wide (8-10') grass strips between the sidewalk and the street. No curbs. “Two Turtles” reported that two beers and a glass of wine was only $10.00 at the local pub.

We went to the fisheries aquarium. Small, but they have a good display of the local St. Lawrence fish species.

A small market about 1 block from the dock provided a few essentials for the larder.

We left St. Vincent about 10 to head for Clayton. Some brief sunshine and we passed the “Pride of Baltimore II” on the way. She was headed for Oswego for the Tall Ship Festival there this weekend.

It was only a 2 ½ hr. run to Clayton. On the way I was torn between watching the scenery and watching the USA World Cup soccer match. The US game was on French language TV from Canada. I did both. The scenery here is gorgeous. There are a bazillion islands, yet lots of open water.

After Clayton I do not have any paper charts. I can either print them or buy them.

The village of Clayton is upbeat. “Two Turtles” is there ahead of us,. They passed us on the way. I think that we are vying to be the slowest boat on the loop this year – and seem to be winning.

On arriving I called California to check up on when my Antenna would be arriving and learned that it had not even shipped yet! I was expecting it to arrive A real treat. Avery extensive collection of very well restored boats housed in several buildings and some in the water in covered docks. One building is devoted to speed – speedboats from the early 1900's to the present including engines. There is an extensive collection of outboards going back as early as 1894! There is one that has the powerhead at the bottom of the shaft. The propeller serves as the flywheel. To start it you tipped it up, wrapped the starting rope around the propeller shaft and pulled. I it started you lowered the shaft back in to the water – getting sprayed by the turning prop. At that point it would probably stall and you get to do the whole thing over again (the museum's description). .Also in the collection is a Millionaire's Houseboat. - built in 1903 it is a two story house with 5 bedrooms and a master suite (yes bedrooms – not cabins), 4 or 5 bathrooms (with porcelain tubs) and servants quarters. There were also many skiffs and sailboats, mostly related to the Thousand Islands history.

The Antenna should arrive tomorrow and we will head downriver in the afternoon.

Friday, June 25^th

I checked online for the UPS delivery schedule and found that the package had not left California and would not be delivered until Monday! A call to UPS did not help much at first. There was nothing they could do. I had to contact the shipper. They could not change it to next day air. I finally got a manager and she told me pretty much the same until she read the delivery address – the company had not changed the address and it was still scheduled to go to the Post Office and they could not deliver it there. I had to wait until noon to call the company. I realized that nothing was going to happen for a while, so we headed to Heart Island.

On the way I was able to finally reach RadioLabs. What a mess! They had the right address and had not bothered to change it on the package! And now to get it before we go to Canada I have to pay for next day air – which I will not get until Monday anyway. Every other method might get it to me on Tuesday – MIGHT! So I bit the bullet and authorized the shipping. Once I get it I will argue with them some more.

The castle on Heart Island was built by the same millionaire that built the Houseboat. Another astounding place – a 127 room castle on an island in the St. Lawrence River, started in 1899 and construction was stopped when his wife died in 1904. The first building he completed was a power plant where they generated electricity (DC) for the construction. He never returned to the Island although he did keep coming here in the summers. It had been enclosed before construction stopped, but never lived in. Across the water on an another island he had built a boathouse. This was also immense. He was reported to have 60 some boats – from skiffs and raceboats to a 127' steam launch. The boathouse had three slips, all the same length. The center slip housed the steam launch. All of the slips had lifting jacks for raising the boats out of the water in the winter or for repairs. The center slip (which housed the steam launch) had a funnel that could be lowered over the smoke stack so the launch could fire up before leaving the dock.

Continuing with our great timing – we found that when we got to Alexandria Bay that it was the 1000 Island Motorcycle Rally weekend. Big tent at the end of the dock with a sound system set up and several hundred bikes parked around the street. Along with the corresponding number of tattooed, studded, bearded, and beer bellied men and women. The anticipation was worse than the reality. Although crowded, the people were nice and friendly. The music was rock and blues, and the speakers were facing away from the docks so not too loud.

We had the best dinner out since the Highlands, making for a rather pleasant experience.

Saturday, June 26^th

After pumping out we left Alexandria Bay and took a short trip through Canadian waters and back into the U.S. Stopping at Canoe Point State Park for the night. Nice hiking area. And of course it rained. There were a number of boaters from a marina in Alexandria Bay that were all there as a group for the weekend. One of them showed up on a Jet Ski with his wife, and after the party they drove back home on the Jet Ski. He said it was only a 15 minute ride – It took us 2 ½ hrs.! One of the kids was fishing and catching little (like 3” long) perch. At last count he had caught (and released) 125 of them. I suspect that it was the same few fish many times. Oh and did I mention that it rained.

Sunday, June 27^th

Took a short hike this morning – it was sort of sunny. Annie had a great time running through the woods chasing a ground squirrel. She bounced around like a gazelle in the high undergrowth. We tried but could not get a picture. After we returned Carole took out her sketchbook for a while. We also saw our first loon about 20 yards off the dock.

All that before 10:00 when we left to return to Clayton, NY. I spent the afternoon setting up for the new depth sounder. Carole went out looking for art supplies.

We were going to order Pizza. None of the pizza places had anchovies – which is the way I like it. We went out to find some and wound up at the 1000 Island Inn – the original home of 1000 Island Dressing. We tried some and decided on Blue Cheese.

The “Roseway” is in town and I visited to see if there were any familiar faces, but there were none that I knew.

Tomorrow the package comes!