We're off!

You can track our progress and see our whereabouts with SPOT. For the best look, select "satellite" or "hybrid" view.

Preparing for the Rideau

We are starting to count down the days to our departure on May 30 for Kingston and the Rideau Canal Waterway.

Six months between cruises is a long time--but then we do have a full winter in our neck of the Great Lakes.

Map posted with the permission of Ken Watson, the creator of the best single online resource for cruising the Rideau Canal Waterway: www.rideau-info.com. We hope to meet Ken when we're at Davis Lock on our way to Ottawa.

Click on the map for a larger view.

At TrawlerCrawler.net, we have started a forum devoted to cruising the Rideau. Join us there to exchange information and experiences on the famed waterway.

1000 Islands 2008: An excellent two weeks on the water

As the first days of autumn begin to colour the landscape, as illustrated with a photo from the Murray Canal . . .

. . . we speed home to Frenchman's Bay across a flat Lake Ontario, our faithful Yamaha 100 twins kicking up a perfect wake at 24 knots.

We're sorry to see an excellent two weeks on the water end. Already, we're talking about next season with At Last!

The launch and rescue of Eddie

When we purchased our TomCat from Ed Devlin of Long Island, one of the many items we received with the boat was a hand-made paper mache dish in the shape of a colourful fish. Ed's wife is an artist and she fashioned the dish to hold fruit. We kept the dish and it became a catch-all, a temporary one, as we felt a smaller, more compact arrangement eventually would suit our needs. When we installed a teak rack for dishes and whatnot in the galley, there no longer was a place for the fish. Thus, the plan to launch it so it might eventually find a home among the fishes of Lake Ontario. The problem was we started calling the fish Eddie as the days of the launch approached, and there was a tinge of sadness in our hearts as we prepared to set Eddie free.

But a plan is a plan so the Captain gently lowered Eddie into the water on the last day of our 1000 Islands cruise.

As Eddie drifted away, all was silent aboard the TomCat. Finally, the Admiral choked back a tear, "This is so sad." Mumbled the Captain, "What if Eddie is our good luck charm?"

And so it came to pass that we turned the boat around and rescued Eddie. He will sail with us all our days on At Last!

Lovely sights, strange sights

Remember, a click on any image in our blog will open it up for a larger view. Here's a gorgeous lighthouse home on a point in the St. Lawrence River west of Clayton, New York. It was an overcast and blustery day, thus, the wind streaks the choppy water.

OK, whatever turns your clock, skipper. This unusual sailboat we met on the approach to Trenton, Ontario. She is Melodeon out of Halifax.

Our last overnight of the cruise was at the Fraser Park Marina at the mouth of the Trent River and start of the Trent-Severn Waterway which we might explore next season.

Craig Carter, whose family has operated the municipally-owned maria for 11 years, is a friendly and helpful dockmaster. With a supermarket and liquor store within easy walking distance, it's a great place to provision if you're starting the Trent-Severn. Both diesel and gasoline are available.

The joys of off-season cruising: 1000 Islands Cruise Day 11

We stopped again at Confederation Basin Marina in Kingston on our way home. It was soooooo nice to have the place entirely to ourselves.

And we had a chance to shop again at the nearby open-air market that dates back to 1801, this time scoring excellent Wilson Farms honey and a braid of Ontario hardneck garlic grown by a woman named Titia that should keep us happy until spring.

Due to windy conditions, we decide to stay an extra day in Kingston. We fear the Admiral is coming down with a cold, another good reason to take it easy.

It's decidedly cooler this week, with overnights around 5C, thus, the Captain heads out to find a second heater for the boat, an electric model for use when we're plugged into shore power.

During a happy hour, the crew dances in the warm cabin to Etta James singing At Last.

Dinner is Alexandria Bay’s Virginia ham with asparagus and potatoes. Dessert is the last piece of the triangle iced butter cream brownie from Bella’s Cafe in Clayton.

On the day before, Day 10, after 26.7 miles in two hours brought us from Clayton to Kingston, lunch was the Admiral’s version of a grilled sandwich made with Clayton cheddar cheese loaf slices, rosemary flavoured roast beef and cheddar cheese. A nap is required after such a rich lunch, but, hey, we're on vacation.

On our first night in Kingston, we ate at Ta-Ke Sushi Japanese/Korean Restaurant. We had miso soup, yakitori chicken, shrimp/veggie tempura, hamachi sushi and udon noodles with chicken. This is only the second time in 10 days that we have eaten out.

The happy crew of At Last!

The Admiral complains she looks like an Eskimo in the photo, but it illustrates how well she was prepared for cooler weather and the highly unlikely eventuality of having to abandon ship.

The Captain, meanwhile, is nattily attired in a Daytona Bike Week T-shirt and a pair of Patagonia fleece pants that date back to a sail around Cape Horn in 1989.



Even admirals need a nap when cruising the smooth waters of the Bay of Quinte.