Fishing tournament

The fishing tournament started about 6am at the dock in front of our boat. A loud speaker started the contest. We heard loud and clear that the fish had to be in by 3pm. There were a lot of fisherman with the winner getting $10,000. We probably won't know who wins since the final day is tomorrow and we are moving on. It was fun watching the weigh in.

From Lock 15 to Hastings

Along the way. We thought the Osprey in Mumford Cove were high in the air!

Horses along the way

We decided to stay at lock 15 last night (Thurs). We went for a swim and came back to the boat. It was very quite and no one else around until the riders came along.

Two Dollar Coin

The replica of the two dollar Canadian coin is in the park at Campbellford. We were docked right in front of the park and they had a country music concert in the evening. It was a nice town with some shops that we could get necessities for the boat. We left the next morning after filling up with diesel. We have gone about 620 nautical miles.

Lock 7--up and down and up again

We decided to stay at Lock 7 for the night on the top side. We went into the lock and were raised up. The lock master told us that the down side was better so he lowered us down and we backed out of the lock much to the surprise of the people waiting to go up. We have a one way pass through the locks. We had a very comfortable night and went through the lock again the next morning.

Taking turns opening the lock gates

Here we are at lock 3--the lock master was happy to let us open the locks. As you can see it is not automatic.

Boys and their toys

It was a crowded cockpit.

Grape Island, Bay of Quinte, Ontario

Our friends Art and Marie spent five days with us. We had the most beautiful sunset behind Grape Island and a few laughs!

Joe & Joan

Joe and Joan were our golf, pickleball and bocce ball buddies at the Villages last year. Here they are in front of their "downsized 3000 sq.ft. home. Joan designed the home and is an artist as well as a retired teacher. Joe loves landscaping and is also a retired teacher. We had a great time with them and hope to see them again soon.

Timber Ridge Golf Course, Trenton, Ontario

Timber Ridge is a beautiful course in Trenton, Ontario. We met our friends, Joe and Joan and played a round of golf. They were kind enough to show us the area by car. It has the largest Air Force Base in Canada and is a very beautiful place along the Bay of Quinte. They have lots of parks here and people enjoy the outdoors a great deal. We had a great time with them!

Trenton, Ontario

We arrived in Trenton on a beautiful day. Tomorrow if the weather is good we will be playing golf with our friends Joan and Joe here in Trenton. We will be here a few days while waiting for Marie and AJ Shaw to join us.

Picton, Canada--July 16, 2007

We have finally gotten the hang of leaving early in the morning to travel to our next destination. The motoring from Cape Vincent to Picton was very calm and beautiful. Picton is a very thriving town in the Bay of Quinte just off the coast of mainland Ontario.

Internation Ferry at Cape Vincent

Cape Vincent, NY Sunset

What a beautiful sunset after a very rough ride from Sackets Harbor. The prediction was for three foot seas and winds 10 to 15 knots. So we set off to cross Lake Ontario to Canada. After about an hour and a half of very rough head on waves of 3 to 5 feet and winds gusts to 24 knots we decided to duck into the St. Lawarece Seaway and head for Cape Vincent. We were glad to get into port.

Scaketts Harbor with boat in background

As you can see, we have the boat in the background of the picture. Sacketts Harbor is just a beautiful town. All the properties are well kept and everyone has lovely plantings in their yards and on the curb. A great place to visit. We finally got Ed in a picture!

Scenes around Sackets Harbor

Sackets Harbor, NY on Lake Ontario

We got to Sackets Harbor after an easy passage from Oswego. This area is rich in battlefields for the War of 1812

Oswego Canal, Minetto, NY

Here we are in Minetto, NY on the Oswego Canal near Lock 5. We went thru Lake Onieda in the rain and had rain on and off all day. It was beautiful in the morning and evening!

Travel was slow today because of no wake areas where there are boats and docks along the narrow passage.

Minetto is a tiny community that has a free dock. We visited all the stores in town (there were only two) but they are getting Stewarts soon! One store makes soap that is distributed worldwide (SallyeAnder Soaps).

Thurs. night Lock 21 on the Erie Canal

Lock 21 was billed as a country setting and very quite--until the fire department arrived to practice pumping water in and out of the canal. Then during the night we had thunder storms. The comment was the city people probably couldn't sleep because it is sooo quite!

From Little Falls to Lock 21 on Lake Erie

We waited the storms out in Little Falls, NY. Did some domestic stuff and left there this am. Most of the trip was pretty ordinary as you can see by the pictures.

There was a great high light along the way, however. We met Nancy, she was biking along the Erie Canal with 499 other bikers and she saw us and waved us over. We chatted for awhile. She is a kayaking buddy and friend of Marie Shaw. Marie set it up since she knew what our schedules were. It is amazing that it worked!!!

Everyone keeps asking, Ed and I are still talking------.

Nancy Pennington

Nancy with her rubber ducky and bike. She said she will write a book about her trip along the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany!!!! Keep in touch, Nancy!

Blue Heron

He kept us company for awhile on our 37 miles today.

Friends of Neil and Barbara's

David, Tami and family met us in Little Falls, NY along the Erie Canal. It was good to meet them since the last time we saw David was Barb and Neil's wedding.

VW on tower in Amsterdam, NY, along the canal

Three hundred nine miles so far! Ed and I are still talking to each other.

Speed signs on the Canal

Can anyone figure this out? Speed limit 45 mph but no wake?????????

Erie Canal's idea of a marina--we were the biggest boat there!

View after we locked "up"

The dam next to the lock.

Locking "up" on the Erie Canal

Bren & Neil getting ready to cycle back for car

Neil left his car in Waterford, NY and we all proceeded to Cresent Boat Club by boat. Neil and Bren took the tandum back to pick up the car and move it to Cresent Boat Club. The people were so nice there. They even took Ed to the Marine store for bigger balls. The fenders we had were not big enough so he bought two very large balls.

Map of the Erie Canal

Barb, Neil and Brennan Join Us

The beginning of the Erie Canal

We have spent three nights at Waterford, NY, the beginning of the Erie Canal. It has been a very nice place to stop. We are on the "wall" with electric and water in front of the Welcome Center. The laundry is only two blocks away and the grocery store is only a short distance but luckly Barb Neil and Bren arrived today for grocery shopping.

We had storms on July 4th and today but they have not been too bad. Ed and I are still getting along!!!

We are in Troy, NY

Last night we spent on the hook in a very quite area called Round Out Creek in Kingston, NY
Today we spent most of the day traveling and ended in Troy, NY, on the wall. It must be the kissing wall--every time we look up from the boat there is a couple kissing. There have been several .

We will slow down on our travel now. We head to the Federal Lock just a short distance and then we make a turn for the New York State Canal System better known as the Erie Canal.

Our daughter Barb and family are going to try to make it here Fri. Neil has a interview on Thurs. First things first.

Internet has not been easy to get. Ed's cell has been working very well, Verizon 860-961-3217.

Have a wonderful 4th of July. We'll be thinking of you.

An example of some of the scenery on the Hudson

John Keith, our first visitor

June 29 to July 1 Update

Thanks to Starr and Nick's advice we motored to Port Jefferson on Fri and Manhassett Bay on Sat. Both places were perfect and both days motoring were wonderful. We were unable to access the internet though.

After much consulting about Hell Gate (are you guys going to charge us for the consult?) we made it through with no problem this morning. Seeing NYC from the waterside is very unique.

We had our first visitor this morning. One of Ed's collegues from Pfizer, John Keith, was biking around Manhattan and we picked him and his bike up at 34th St. Marina and continued around. It was a beautiful day to see NYC from the water and it was great to see John. Not much boat traffic in the harbor. As you come around lower Manhattan the Statue of Liberty is right in front of you. It really makes you think about what it means. We continued past the George Washington Bridge to a Marina on the Jersey side. John had parked his car near the GWB so he was going to bike back to his car. It worked out perfectly! We never thought it would work--but if you know John--he will make it work.

We continued up the Hudson and decided to stay in a Marina at Croton on Hudson. There are really no good places to anchor until Kingston and we decided we were tired after 8 1/2 hours of travel.

So far so good. Ed and I are still friends for those of you who are wondering.

Jim Handling the lines for cast off

June 29, 2007--Cast Off Day