Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Several of you have expressed concern for our safety with Franklin and Idalia bearing down on us.  Not to worry.  We are safe.  More on that later…

Last Thursday and Friday nights found us in Westport, NY, on the western shore of the Lake Champlain.  On Thursday night, Lynn got us tickets for The Fantasticks at The Depot Playhouse, a repurposed railroad station, which is really holding up well.  I wish I could say the same for the play…It’s as flimsy as it was when I saw it 50 years ago, but it has an enduring charm and some memorable songs.  I guess that’s why it’s still the most-performed play in history.  Fun, nevertheless.

On Friday night, we met up with my niece Merry and her husband Brian.  They purchased a 50-acre plot in the Adirondacks, and on the day before we met, they took delivery of a “Tiny House.”  They plan to spend time working from home and enjoying the spectacular view from their front yard.  They joined us for dinner at the Westport Yacht Club, which did not disappoint! 

Merry and Brian’s new tiny house – so cute!

Cute Interior – very nice finished. Good job Merry and Brian.

On Saturday, we continued south down the Lake to Chipman’s Point, a tiny marina featuring old stone buildings that are in the National Register of Historic Places.  Interestingly, last year when we stayed there, we saw a rainbow and a spectacular sunset.  This year, a repeat performance.

Sunday was a great travel day, and we breezed through 7 of the 12 Champlain Canal locks.  We stayed overnight in Schuylerville, where we like the owners and the restaurant.

Monday morning, the tempo of the trip accelerated.  Lynn had begun to hear about the hurricanes (she is a great co-pilot), so we decided to pick up the pace.  We finished the second half of the Champlain Canal in record time, and we decided to push on through to Kingston.  We usually do that trip in two days, but we easily did it in one.

This huge cleat was at the top of the wall where we tied up in Kingston. Dated 8-2 89 (that’s 1889)!

Had a GREAT dinner at an Italian restaurant in Kingston.  It’s really a cute little town.  The dockmaster owns a sweet little 38’ 1934 restored Elco named Speakeasy.

Again today, we put the hammer down.  The weather apps told us that today would be a good day, but that things would deteriorate after that.  So we figured that NY (Jersey City) would be a pretty good place to get stuck for a few days.  

Quaint lighthouse we passed in Esopus on the way down – beautiful mountains in the background.

We ran the 90 miles from Kingston to NY Harbor in 6 hours.  We pretty much just put it on Autopilot, read a novel, did a little cleaning, and watched out for floating logs.

Rod doing a little housekeeping while underway.

Lynn has stayed in touch with Tom & Hank, our old friends from Key West, and she knew they would be in NY.  

Dinner tonight with Tom and the dogs.

So, we’re safely holed up, and it looks like we’re not going anywhere until Saturday.

TTFN

Satu
Guinness here today…

I haven’t pawsted in a while and it’s NATIONAL DOG DAY, so I’m going to tell you about my trip so far along with a few selfies. 

When we’re travelling, I sleep right by Rod’s feet.  I even have a special blue mat – all mine. If it’s bumpy, I try to stand up and then Lynn says “ it’s okay Guinness” so I go back to sleep.   At night, I sleep in the shower. If I stay there until it’s almost light, I get to crawl in bed with Rod and Lynn and cuddle for a while. 

I look worried!

But my favorite thing about boating is going for rides in the dinghy. When Rod starts to take it down, I bark until he lets me climb in. Then when I want to get back in the boat, I stand on the back so they see me. 

Aren’t I cute?

I love getting wet!   I heard Rod say there’s going to be a “wetting” here at the marina today. I hope we get to go. When I get back in the boat all wet, Rod rubs me real good with a green towel – it feels so good!

I’ve trained Lynn really well. She makes my breakfast every day and at about 4:30 every afternoon, my tummy says it’s time to eat again, so I let her know by making chompy noises. If I eat all my food, I get a treat afterwards and if I’m thirsty, I just have to lift my paw and hit the white box with the ice in it and get a long, cold drink of water. 

And I love it when we go to dinner and I get leftovers. But yesterday, the waitress played a trick on Rod when he was trying to be funny and asked for some little scraps to take back. She gave him an empty box – I was so disappointed. 

Yesterday was a fun day. We visited a very cute little house that belongs to Merry and Brian, Rod’s niece. It’s way up in the mountains with lots of room to run around outside. I think they said it was 55 akers.  I’m so jealous of their dog Fermi because he gets to play outside almost all the time. 

Looks pretty big to me.

Merry and Brian

This is where Fermi gets to play. There are mountains too but it was foggy.

Today we left Lake Champlain. It’s so pretty – I will miss it!

This has been a fun trip. I’m excited because in a few days, we are going to meet Hank the big lab who we had Christmas dinner with in Key West. I hope Tom will be there too. I’ll be sure to take a few more selfies with them.

August 23, 2023

Willsboro Bay is a gorgeous 4-mile-long fjord.

But before we get to that, I want to say a final word about Burlington.  This morning, I came to the realization that it is arguably the most beautiful waterfront of all our travels.  And I am including Maine to Florida, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, and Florida’s west coast. Even the Bahamas!

The marina itself is adorable: it’s called the Burlington Boatyard, and it harkens back to the days when most of the waterfront was dedicated to shipping and commerce.  Now, it features a terrific restaurant with a spectacular lakefront view, and the friendliest marina staff in our experience.

The marina and restaurant are on the far side of this cute building.

Moving toward shore, the lake is bordered by a half mile of parks and flowers and swings and benches, highlighted by a “boardwalk” featuring granite pillars, Ipe planking, and “interesting facts” historical placards.  All immaculately clean and inviting.

A walk along the water with parks on both sides.

Above the shoreline, the streets climb steeply toward Church Street, a pedestrian mall that features dozens of shops and restaurants.

Church Street Mall

And of course (not to make too fine a point of it), the entire scene focuses outward onto the lake and the dramatic silhouette of the Adirondacks towering above it on the New York side.

View from the marina

I am so grateful to our friends Tony and Sigy for urging us to come to Lake Champlain last year.  And I’m grateful to Lynn for her interest in returning.  This year, it has taken us 6 weeks and around 90 locks to get here, but it’s worth it.  

Today, in Willsboro Sound, is a perfect example of why we enjoy it.  It was 65* when we awoke: clear and sunny, with a deep blue color to the lake.  We made a leisurely start and cruised through Shelburne Bay (just south of Burlington) and then due east to Willsboro Sound.

We are less than 100 feet from the cliffs in over 100 feet of water.

It’s sometimes called a fjord, because the water is so deep – about 200 feet – and the cliffs rise over 1,000 feet above it.

The train tracks run along the shore – this trestle bridge looks like something you’d see in Colorado.

We’re tied up with a spectacular view of the Bay and the mountains.  It’s 80* with very low humidity.  Heaven.

Just relaxing!

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

As you recall, the dockmaster at Plattsburg warned us that there was to be a Bassmaster Elite Tournament during our stay.  150 boats and a 7AM kick-off complete with loudspeaker announcements.  Of course, we said, “Hell, yes!”

The Bassmaster Elite Tournament was a gas!  We learned that it costs $10,000 just to enter the competition.  Plus, we priced out the bass boats on display: roughly $100,000 with the outboard engine, the trolling motor, and the Power Poles they use to hold the boat in position in shallow water; not counting 8-10 fishing rods and who knows how many lures, jigs and baits.  They are all equipped with “live wells” where the caught fish are kept alive until the weigh-in.

The process is amazing: it begins with all the boats lined up in a predetermined random order.  They parade past an official with their live wells open for inspection (they must leave empty, of course). Then, as their name is called over the PA system, they blast off for the far reaches of the lake.  Over 400 square miles of lake in which to fish; just be back by 3PM!

They head out one at a time after being announced along with their past successes.

Each angler is accompanied by a Marshall and returns with his 5 best fish: all large-mouth or small-mouth bass; the smaller ones are released as larger ones are caught.  At the weigh-in, the fish are transferred to water-filled bags, awaiting the weigh-in ceremony.  Each angler is called up on stage to great fanfare, with a recitation of their past successes and their current standings for the Bassmaster title, Angler of the Year, Rookie of the Year, etc.  Each angler has a moment on stage to show off his best two fish, and his catch is weighed in front of everyone, including the TV cameras. This was carried live on Fox Sports.

Bringing in their catch to be weighed on stage.

Each participant shows off two fish after weigh-in. Over the four day event, the participants with the highest weights go on to compete until there are only ten left to fish the final day for the $100,000 prize.

Lynn was wondering what happens to the fish after the tournament, and today we got our answer…We visited E.C.H.O., the interactive museum / exhibit about Lake Champlain history and ecology.  Lynn was introduced to Olivia, a 26-year-old Bassmaster wannabe who served the tournament as a Marshall, riding in one of the boats to ensure the rules were obeyed.  Olivia explained that the bass are examined by expert biologists immediately after the weigh-in, then rushed to the Release Boat for return to the bay. If they need extra care, they are treated immediately. It’s said they have a 95% survival rate.

What fun!  And what an exciting introduction to a sport we’ve never followed!

After Plattsburg, we spent a GORGEOUS day anchored in Spoon Bay on Valcour Island, swimming, relaxing and puttering around in the dinghy with Guinness.

Guinness loves riding in the dinghy!

The boat in Spoon Harbor at Valcour Island

Now, we’re back in Burlington, with its beautiful lake views and wonderful shops and restaurants.  

Enjoying the sunset from the cockpit.

Tomorrow, we leave for Willsboro Bay, a fjord on the west shore.

Friday, August 18, 2023

We crossed back into the US early Wednesday morning.  Clearing Customs and Immigration is so easy now – it’s all done through an app.

So, we’re back in Lake Champlain, and it is just as lovely as we remembered.

Our first stop was to visit a fraternity brother and his wife – Doug and Gretchen.  I ran into them at our 55^th Lafayette reunion, and when I learned they lived on Lake Champlain, I knew we had to get together.  They live on Keeler’s Bay, on South Hero Island, just off the Inland Sea.  Their home is perfect: every room has a wall-to-wall view of Keeler’s Bay.  The sunsets are gorgeous, and the stars at night are almost overwhelming.  I haven’t seen the Milky Way that clearly since I was a child.

Here’s a shot of me and Doug and Freedom.

Doug and Gretchen took us for a Creamee – Guiness loved it!

We planned to stay in Burlington the next day, but they could take us for one night: they were hosting a big Poker Run.  So we decided to check out Plattsburgh, NY and Valcour Island.  Plattsburgh looks pretty depressed, but we booked an excellent bistro named Iris’ (same as Lynn’s daughter)!

View at lunch in Burlington

And the sunset – it never gets old!

Our marina in Plattsburgh is hosting a Bassmaster tournament here for the next couple of days, and it is apparently going to be a big deal: over 100 bass boats, a Jumbotron screen, and national TV coverage via ESPN2.  Watch for Lynn and Guinness and I photo-bombing.

The weather has been very unsettled: light rain / heavy rain / sun, but it’s expected to clear tomorrow.  Sunday we check into Burlington for 5 days; then we head on down the Lake (south) toward Vergennes and Westport.

TTFN

August 15, 2023

Lynn here today…..

And it was a great day!  Beautiful weather, calm water, and nine locks on the Chambly canal. These locks were smaller than most that we’ve been through and you would think that makes them easier, but it’s actually the opposite. The surge of water feels stronger in the smaller locks – guess the water just doesn’t dissipate as much over a smaller area. And we were in the lock with another fairly large boat. 

Quite a surge as the lock fills!

Yesterday, we commented on how cool it would be to see a seaplane take off or land. The river was wide, calm and looked like a perfect “ runway”.  Well today we saw one. He took off right in front of us and then circled back overhead – really cool. 

Very modern bascule bridge at lock 9.

The last ten miles on the Richelieu River were beautiful and we pulled into the marina at 2:30. The owner let me borrow his pick up truck to run to the grocery store – first time I ever drove one. But luckily made it back in one piece. 

We cooked burgers on the marina grill, cleared US immigration on-line, and are now settled in comfortably for our trip tomorrow to visit Rod’s friends from college who have a home on Lake Champlain.

August 14, 2023

Leaving Montreal

We cut it a little close today…

We left Montreal with 70 gallons of fuel for A 40-mile trip.  I expected to arrive at our refueling stop with 30 gallons left (it’s a 200-gallon tank).  When we were within a few miles of the marina, I got a warning message that fuel was critically low, and the fuel gauge dropped precipitously from 30 gallons to 15 to ZERO.  YIKES!  

Lynn said, “Trust your judgement, not your gauge, and she was right.  We slowed down, and the gauge reverted to 30 gallons.  WHEW!  So, 170 gallons later ($800+) later, we turned south for the first time on the trip, entering the Richelieu River en route to the Chambly Canal and Lake Champlain.

We covered a lot of ground today – roughly 70 miles – plus one lock at St.-Ours. (Our 87th  lock of the trip with only 21 more to go!) Tonight, we are tied up at the Marina du Phrage in the charming town of Beloeil.  Here’s a shot of the spectacular mountain just across the river.  

It’s called Mt. Ste. Hillaire, although it should clearly be called Camelback Mountain.  We’re told that the mountain offers spectacular views of Montreal.  How is that possible?  It’s because when we left Montreal, we ran NE for 35 miles; once we turned into the Richelieu River, we ran SW for 35 miles, so at this point, we are just 12 miles from Montreal!

Every town we pass has a church near the river – all with incredibly beautiful spires – very French.

Do you remember the TV show called “Cash Cab”?  Unsuspecting people would enter a cab in NY and were given the opportunity to play trivia questions for cash…. Well, they are doing it at our marina, but on a pontoon boat!  We just keep running into the funniest happenings!

All set up with the sound guy getting ready to play trivia!

Does the tail in the lower left look familiar – he has to get in everything.

Aside from the fuel-induced heart attack, we had a very pleasant trip today.  Tomorrow, we tackle 9 locks in a 10-mile span.  Then call it a night.  We will clear US Customs and Integration  tomorrow night or Wednesday AM.  Back in the USSR!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2023

Before we tell you about Montreal, let me bring you up to date on our trip to get here…

If you remember, the winds were right on our nose the day we left Ottawa, but they were predicted to be manageable.  As the day lengthened, however, they became stronger and stronger, and the Ottawa River became pretty nasty.  We told you that we decided to cut the trip short and seek refuge in a marina.  What we didn’t tell was HOW rough it was: 

1] We have a small auxiliary mast on the top of the boat, where we fly the US flag.  (The Canadian flag flies from a larger mast at the bow.). When we reached Montreal, we realized that the wind had bent our auxiliary mast until it almost broke. We saved the flag and re-hung it several days later. 

2]. As we plowed into the waves, we had so much water crashing into the windshield that the wipers couldn’t handle it, and they tripped their circuit breaker.  Yikes!  An easy fix, of course, but we had never seen that happen before!

Anyway, as we told you in our last post, we made it to Montreal, and it is wonderful!  Montreal is – of course – in the French-speaking province of Quebec (or Upper Canada as they call it here.)  Almost everyone is fluent in English, but French is the official language.  Last night, I learned how to say “J’aimerais te frapper comme une porte moustiquaire dans un ouragen.”  Apparently, this is a phrase one may use to greet one’s lovely young server at a restaurant. 

If Ottawa’s highlights were the beautiful parks, the impressive buildings, and the Staircase Locks.  Montreal’s most prominent aspects are the preserved historic Old Town, the vibrant restaurant scene, and the impressive entertainment center at the Old Port.  They have taken the huge old commercial piers and transformed them into entertainment complexes and parking garages.

Old Montreal at 10:00 am and at 6:00 pm

In Ottawa, we went to see Oh Canada, Eh?  (photo below). It was endearing, if amateurish.

Contrast that with Montreal, where we saw the World Premiere of ECHO, the new production from Cirque de Soleil.  It featured the usual jaw-dropping acrobatics, plus a dramatic, heart-pounding musical score, the most amazing stage production technique I’ve ever seen, dominated by a huge mobile CUBE the size of a two-story apartment building and a 4-story-high puppet!

Acrobats, a 25 foot high puppet, a juggler, and more acrobats! And great music.

We also had an opportunity to visit Montreal’s Basilica, rated by Trip Advisor as the Sixth Most Beautiful Cathedral in the World.  (#1 is of course the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, which should be on everyone’s Bucket List.)  Every aspect of the Basilica is archetypal: the soaring Sanctuary, the towering, spiral-staired Pulpit, and even the organ, featuring 7,000 pipes!

Over 7,000 pipes ranging from 32’ to 1/4” in diameter

Our marina is right in the heart of the downtown action.  As we sit here, we can see the Cirque de Soleil tents and hear the music and the crowd roars; watch the enormous Ferris wheel on the riverside; or turn our heads the other way and watch the downtown tourist crowds build on the waterfront promenade high above us.

Sunrise at the arena over the Cirque tents.

The marina with our boat (red hull in lower left corner) enjoying the city.

It’s 3:30 PM just now, and we can hear the drums and pipes as an honor guard entertains the tourists.   In spite of all that, it is PEACEFUL here!  

We’ve really enjoyed our 5 days here, but it’s time to head east.  Winds are predicted to be pleasant tomorrow.  We’ll leave early, heading east on the Riviere.

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Yesterday, we continued our trip down the Ottawa River, with no tankers – much better weather and sea conditions.  

Last night we stayed at a charming little village called Ste-Anne de-Bellevue.  As we exited the last lock on the Ontario River, we pulled up to a long concrete wall, lined with a boardwalk, flower gardens and restaurants.  I wish more towns in the US looked like this!  The downside?  NOISE.  Live music at the restaurants; loud parties on the other boats.  And a lot of dog hatred: no dogs allowed on the boardwalk or in the restaurants!  YIKES!

Anyway, after getting very little sleep, we set out at 7:15 for Montreal.  Today is the day we had to pass through the Commercial Locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway, which meant we would probably be locking through with huge tankers or freighters.  And you must pay for and reserve your transit time in advance!  So we calculated our travel time; reserved our passage time; and set out.

And we timed it perfectly.  More good news: we traveled through two sets of locks with three other powerboats –  no tankers – although we did pass some coming the other way.  The camera simply cannot capture the size of these monsters – Over 500 feet long, and just about as wide as the lock itself.  I am SOOO glad we didn’t have to lock in with one of them!

This one was 503 feet long and 55 feet wide. She was coming out of the lock as we were entering! (you can look these things up on line!)

So now we’re tied up at Port D’escale du Vieux Port de Montreal, with a city view from our stern and a river view off our bow.  We’ll be here for 4-5 nights.  Looking forward to it!

The Clock Tower honoring veterans of WWI in the Montreal Harbor.

August 8, 2023

Lynn here today….

Yesterday we left Ottawa going through the staircase locks. We have enjoyed spectacular weather – sunny, cool, low humidity. Every time thunderstorms have been predicted, we’ve either missed them or they’ve happened during the night. Until yesterday!

The staircase locks are in the center of Ottawa – 8 locks that you go through without stopping. Which means, when it’s pouring rain, you move into a lock, tie up, hold onto the lines, and then move to the next lock, etc. The process takes about two hours. And it was cold. 

Side note here:  Lynn graded CFA exams for 23 years and never really understood why the graders from Canada wanted to sit outside in 98 degree weather in Charlottesville, VA grading. (The guys from the Middle East didn’t get it either!)  Now she knows what Canada can be like in  the summer. 

And here’s a photo after we left the locks to give a perspective of the distance we travelled – a drop of 80 feet total. 

Then we headed down the Ottawa River. Just one other issue. We needed a pump out. For you non-boaters, that means the boat was full of s#$t!  The first marina had a broken system, but thankfully, the second one could take us. Then we ran into some really rough weather (unpredicted.) It wasn’t as bad as the Delaware Bay when we started out, but it was close. The wind was right on our bow and it was rough. Luckily there was a marina about halfway to our planned destination so we pulled in there for the night ahad a nice warm bowl of soup for dinner along with some great bread we had purchased at the farmers market in Westport. 

Today was predicted to be rainy again, but surprise, the river was calm and the weather very pleasant. We got to the Carillon Lock before it opened at 10:00.  This is the largest lock in North America and was built by Hydro Quebec with the accompanying dam as a power plant. The drop is 65 feet! It is almost impossible to convey the scale of this lock.

Compare the height of the lock and the gate rising to the men on the left.

This dam is the power plant – its HUGE,

We have been traveling for exactly one month, and every day brings new experiences.

On to Sainte Anne de Bellevue where we tied up on the waterfront wall. This is a charming little suburb of Montreal with cute shops and restaurants along the water. We will stay here overnight and then head to the commercial locks in the morning. We’re not sure what to expect there since we could very well be in the lock with large commercial freighters – a very different experience from the pleasure craft boaters we’ve been enjoying to get to know in the last 89 locks!  Stay tuned!