We have watched the weather windows carefully and even tho the weather is "unstable", we agreed with our other friends that today is the day to cross Lake Ontario. Even tho we are all leaving together, we are going to different locations. There are so many options up here after being on the canal systems for so long with very few options other than where to stop. We are the only ones going straight to the Trent Severn Waterway. The side trips will have to wait for another day.
We were the first to go through when they opened at 7 AM - the last lock of the New York Canal System - then stopped for fuel and a pump out at the marina.
Exiting the harbor we see the old, no longer used lighthouse at the entrance. She was a beauty in her time.
The lake is so calm this kayaker is enjoying a morning ride - it has an outrigger!
We really had a nice, smooth crossing. It would have been perfect except for the black flies!!! They were so thick and loved to bite. I do not react well to their bites and swell up miserably. Ibuprofen and Benadryl cream kept me sane. Bob was on the fly (pun intended!) bridge with the fly swatter and I was in the cabin with the hand vac. It sucks them up pretty well. I learned later that they like dark clothes - I was wearing dark blue - and are super thick before a rain - rain was forecast for the evening. Thankfully we are at the end of the season for black flies so hopefully will not encounter them again but we will pick up a few recommended items just in case - dryer sheets, electronic fly swatter (like a tennis racket) and strange but I'll try it - Zantac! Pinesol was also recommended but I can't stand the smell so that will be a last resort.
It is so odd to not see land. Even when we came up the Atlantic to New York, we were always in sight of land. On the Lake we were a couple of hours with only water in sight.
We see Canada!
We anchored for the night in a cove and encountered weeds on the bottom for the first time. We've mostly anchored in mud or a little sand now and then. Our anchor wouldn't grab hold when I lowered it so we decided to find a better spot. When I raised it, I couldn't see the anchor! It was completely covered in a huge weed ball! We tried lowering the anchor just below the water line to let the water wash it off - nope! So I attacked it with our boat hook. It took many, many tries but I finally freed the anchor of its mess. We moved farther out in the little bay (deeper water) and found some good mud to anchor in. MUCH better :)
Anchored in Bay 6/17/17
Father's Day! Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there :)
It was a beautiful, sunny morning but as we got underway, the wind picked up and with it the waves.
It is much rougher today than it was on the lake yesterday! Waves are splashing up on the deck fairly regularly. We've been in much worse and while it is not a comfortable ride we must be very careful moving around the boat. Blessedly it was only an hour or so of rough water before we entered a more protected area.
As we get closer to Trenton, we see more signs of civilization
Beautiful parks...
And of course, beautiful homes
This shows how high the water level still is and how cute their mini lighthouses are!
And of course, Canada has its share of fishermen!
We arrived at Trent Port Marina around 1 and had no less than 4 young men ready to help us dock! They had been out pulling weeds and were more than happy to leave that job to help dock a boat :) Now less you picture these guys on their knees in the garden let me enlighten you. These weeds grow in the water.
- think Harry Potter?
I loved watching them "pull the weeds" and so sorry I didn't get a picture. They zip around in a little flat bottom boat. One guy is at the tiller and the other sits in the bow with a garden type rake sticking down in the water along with his feet that act as an extension to the rake. The weeds accumulate on his rake/feet until he has enough to toss into the boat. Quite the production!
It is the nicest marina here that we've ever seen. Only a two years old with beautiful accommodations and FREE laundry!! There was a lovely boaters lounge where we waited for the laundry and visited with other boaters. There were 12 private bathrooms with huge showers! And all this for much less than most marinas. It was hard to leave this morning!
Docked at Trent Port Marina 6/18/17
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