Monday, December 5, 2011

December in Charlotte, Vermont


December 5, 2011: Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont

We are out of the rapidly cooling waters of Lake Champlain and ready to be shrink-wrapped. I've taken measurements for a few winter projects.

The head is now restored to its original installation but with upgrades to an electric toilet with solenoid vented loop. All of the teak has been cleaned and varnished. A mast cover is ready to be installed as well. The v-berth was changed over to a double last Spring. Now we are adding a small seat and desk on the starboard side. The port pilot berth will lose its refrigerator and gain some needed storage drawers. The kitchen space is getting a new counter-top and a new location for the refrigerator beneath it. Doing finish carpentry on a boat is measure 4 times and cut once. Nothing is ever square and it is always a challenge to determine what level is. Marc

Monday, September 19, 2011

Hurricaine Irene


August 27, 2011 Point Bay Marina Mooring, Charlotte, Vermont

Marc- This is Sara's move into McGill University weekend. Todd Smith called from the marina to say that the weather will be wild from Hurricane Irene and we should prepare the boat. He added another line to the painter.

I drove down from Montreal in beautiful weather that must be the calm before the storm. I lashed down everything and deflated the zodiac. The dingy was brought up into the trees and locked with a cable to the largest tree I could find.

August 28, 2011 Point Bay Marina Charlotte, Vermont

Marc- The winds and the rain came up to 60 knots and lots of rain. Since the worst of it was out of the North Lucy II was protected. The closest that we came was taking the ferry from Plattsburg to Grand Isle. There were some six foot waves out there and the car deck on the ferry was getting splashed at times. No problem on the roads back to Boston.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Vermont August "Mini Cruise"


August 13, 2011: Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont

Marc- We signed up for the Royal Savage Yacht Club “Mini Cruise” to Allen Hill in Shelburne Bay this weekend. Sue stayed back home to care for Aunt Velma. It was a beautiful day when we (Sara, Stephanie and I) arrived at the marina and quickly loaded the boat and sailed off onto the Lake. The Southwest breeze was 12 knots and our broad reach around Thompson’s Point under full sail was wonderful. I should have questioned things when I saw one of the regular RSYC member boats heading off to Kingsland Bay but we continued north. As we proceeded towards Shelburne the wind slowed considerably so we started up the engine for awhile. The wind returned as we neared Shelburne Point. We found a great anchorage next to Wings (another RSYC sailboat) just Southeast of Allen Hill. I rowed over to check on matters with the crew of Wings who explained that the RSYC fleet had moved on to Kingsland Bay. We decided to stay put and explore this really great harbor. The anchorage is next to a very nice park with excellent hiking up Allen Hill. The post hike swim was fantastic. Dinner was on the Lucy III and then a Harry Potter movie. The Moon rising Camels Hump on the eastern horizon was beautiful. This was one peaceful spot.

August 14, 2011: Shelburne Bay, Vermont

Marc- Departure this morning at 07:30 to avoid the South wind forecast to increase later in the morning. We did enjoy a good sail after crossing the Charlotte – Essex Ferry. No excitement on the return leg but a nice trip all in all.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Blog en francais: Canada 2011

Samedi 25 juin 2011: Clayton, NY
Nous larguons les amarres de French Bay à 8H car nous allons avoir une petite journée. Une heure après, nous avons amarer le Lucy III à l’endroit choisi pour y passer notre dernière nuit sur le territoire american, avant notre retour au lac Champlain pour cette année. L'endroit est Grindstone Island dans la baie de "Aunt Jane" chez nos amies les Holts et les Larsons. Cet ile dans le fleuve Saint Laurent est américaine. Nous sommes invités très aimablement à rester cette nuit entre amis.






Dimanche 26 juin 2011: Grindstone Island, NY

Les jours de départ, nous n’avons pas besoin de réveil pour nous lever. Nous sommes réveillés avec le soleil vers les 6H du matin.


A 7H 15 nous partons, à 8H 45 nous pénétrons dans les eaux territoriales canadiennes et à midi, nous sommes arrêtés dans la marina de Kingston, Ontario. La marina privé en plein centre de la ville, grande métropole sur le fleuve Saint Laurent et la rive canadienne du lac ONTARIO. Nous avons rester surpris de voir un bateau pompier de Boston ici dans la marina. Ce n'est pas qu'une marina mais un chantier naval.

Nous partons nous dégourdir les jambes jusqu’au marché extérieur où nous achetons quelques fruits et légumes cultivés localement. Nous passons chez les douanes canadiennes par téléphone. Nous allons prendre une glace sur la terrasse d’un restaurant qui nous parait sympathique. La glace est dégusté au soleil sans précipitation et avec grand plaisir.

Lundi 27 juin 2011: Kingston, Ontario

Nous larguons les amarres à 8H car nous allons avoir une petite journée.
Un heure plus tard, nous sommes arrêtes dans a l'écluse de KINGSTON MILLS, grande étape et la première de 45 écluses avant d'arriver dans la rivière Ottawa. Nous partons nous dégourdir les jambes et pour parler avec les éclusiers ainsi que les gens de bateau.

Voilà arrivé devant une série d'écluses a Jones Falls pour nos nouvelles divagations nautiques dans ce monde d’eaux douces à l’intérieur d’un magnifique pays. Nous avons le temps de prendre une glace dans un petit restaurant. Nous attendons une heure à la première écluse de Jones Falls avant d’être invité à passer. Il nous est indiqué que les trois autres écluses nous attendent pour passer et que l’on doit y aller très vite. Nous sommes le seul bateaux à passer. Nous arrivons les derniers car les autres bateaux sont partis à près de 30 N ce matin. Les éclusiers nous attendent, les autres les ayant prévenus de notre arrivée imminente. Nous trouvons un quai tranquille pour la nuit ce qui nous permet d’admirer le paysage. Nous allons courir sur les pistes avant diner. Nous atteignons un barrage magnifique mais les moustiques et les mouches nous chassent. A 18H 30 nous remontons au bateau. L’eau est calme au possible, chaude, 21° et la fatigue de la première journée de navigation disparait avec la baignade.

Mardi 28 juin 2011: Jones Falls

Nous dormons comme des bébés pour cette nuit sur l’eau et après le petit déjeuner, nous reprenons la navigation en remontant la rivière jusqu’à la prochaine écluse. Cette nouvelle journée doit nous conduire jusqu’à MERRICKVILLE.

Nous franchirons dix écluses montantes dans la journée. Le parcours est d’une beauté indescriptible, nous slalomons sur un entre-las de lacs et de petites rivières qui les joignent, nous traversons des forêts de mélèzes d’érables, de chênes et d’autres essences que nous ne connaissons pas.
Nous franchissons plusieurs écluses authentiques qui sont restées dans leur jus depuis leurs constructions, en 1832. Elles sont parfaitement entretenues en utilisant les méthodes de constructions anciennes. Nous trouverons, sur l’une d’elle, l’atelier du forgeron qui est conservé dans l’état primitif et dans lequel œuvre toujours une forgeronne. Leurs environnements champêtres sont entretenus avec grand soin et les gazons ressemblent à des greens de golf.
Pour nous, cette navigation dans ces contrées est un plaisir d’une grande intensité chaque jour renouvelé. Il faut avoir fait une fois au moins ces navigations à l’intérieur de ce beau et grand pays, le CANADA.
Ce n’est que du bonheur à vivre chaque jour intensément.
Le soir, nous nous arrêtons « au mur » de la dernière écluse passée avant de rentrer dans, MERRICKVILLE. Nous allons au “Family Restaurant” pour le diner quand une tempête arrive d'une intensité incroyable. Nous sommes heureux d'avoir quitte le bateau pendant ce temps de pluie et éclairs. Nous revenons au bateau entièrement trempés. Entre temps nous avons rencontré un “hobo” (un jeune homme irlandais qui avait decidé de voyager a pieds entre Ottawa et Kingston). Il est au sec dans sa petite tente.

Mercredi 29 juin 2011: Merrickville

Nous démarrons à 8H 30 sous un soleil splendide et un ciel bleu immaculé.
Nous commençons à naviguer sur la rivière Rideau qui s’inbriguent sans cesse. Si la route à suivre n’était pas tracée sur la carte, nous pourrions être encoure entrain de chercher la sortie. Nous franchissons huit écluses toujours dans le sens de la descente. Nous décidons de passer une journée a naviguer pour se rendre a Ottawa le 30 juin. Lucy III ne doit pas être loin du fond, la végétation sous marine arrive jusqu’à la surface de l’eau. Durant ce périple, nous pensons avoir tondu quelques hectares d’algues tellement les plantes ont de longues tiges et de grandes feuilles qui viennent chercher la lumière très haut. Nous naviguons souvent sur des fonds de deux mètres environ, mais nous n’avons rien touché à ce jour. Ce serait de toute manière sans conséquence, car les fonds sont de vases et notre vitesse très lente par choix.

Quelques heures plus tard, nous nous arrêtons dans une petite marina nomme Hurst afin de faire le plein de carburant et vide le reservoir d'eau noir. Nous repartons et nous nous arrêtons à 17H au mur après des écluses consécutives du bourg de MANOTICK. Nous partons en exploration en vélo dans le village et à l’heure présente, il y a beaucoup de voitures dans les rues, tout est intense sur les rues principales où il y a les gens qui rentrent chez eux après leur journée de travail. De retour à notre maison flottante, nous dinons d’un bon souper bien mérité et partons dormir bien fatigués après une courte baignade..

Jeudi 30 juin 2011: Manotick.

Nous prenons notre déjeuner au petit matin ensoleillé et reprenons notre route maritime vers 10H après avoir chaleureusement remercié nos amis de bateau. Il y a un bateau avec deux jeunes filles et leur grand parents qui veulent assister a la fête du Canada a Ottawa. Elles deviennent grand amies avec Sara et Stéphanie. Nous allons nous revoir a Ottawa. Il y a un autre voilier avec un couple Anglais qui sont très sympathiques et qui nous informent sur Ottawa. Nous avons été prévenu que l’arrivé à OTTAWA n’était pas une sinécure. Il y a beaucoup de gens qui sont venu pour la fête du 1er juillet. Nous avons à franchir quelques écluses et deux ponts avant d'arriver a DOWS LAKE ou j'avais réserve un quai avec hydro et eau. Nous sommes arriver à midi a la Marina de DOWS LAKE pour accoster le quai.

Nous partons en vélo voir Ottawa ce soir. Les pistes sont très belles et nous voyons William et Kate (le couple royal britannique) arriver en avion et plus tard en voiture. Nous sommes stationnés a 5 kilomètres du centre ville où nous avons, autour de nous des parcs. Par la piste de vélo nous arrivons au center voir tous les beaux et très anciens bâtiments du gouvernement canadien, les musés, le marché BY en plain air et les divers commerces dans un rayon de cinq cent mètres. Nous partons faire le marché et trouvons un inventaire d’étals de produits frais qui donnent envi de tout dévorer. Tous les légumes et fruits sont produits dans les fermes de la province et alentours.





Nous ne faisons pas d' achats autre qu'un bonne glace, en pensant de revenir ici avec Sue. De retour au bateau en début de soirée, nous sommes heureux d’une saine fatigue. Je commande deux “queues de castors” pour le diner. Ce n'est pas un repas de castors mais de pâtes bien cuit avec sirop d'érable.

Vendredi 1 Juillet 2011: Ottawa

Nous partons vers 9H faire prendre le bus et nous consacrons le matin à une visite du centre ville et passons à l’office du tourisme afin d’en connaitre les attraits. Il fait un soleil splendide. Nous sommes à 10H au garde à vous sur l’esplanade devant le Parlement pour assister à les cérémonies du midi avec concert et visites du Premier Ministre Canadien Harper ainsi que la visite de William et Kate. La musique est belle avec les avions des forces armées canadiennes. Cette cérémonie, très haute en couleur et en musique dure deux heures. Notre amie Marie Bedard nous téléphone pour la rejoindre prendre le gouter a la plageau bord de la rivière Ottawa. Dans l’après midi , nous partons visiter le Musée Canadiens des Civilisations sur la rive nord de la rivière OUTAOUAIS où est la ville de GATINEAU.
Nous allons y passer une journée exceptionnelle. Nous y trouvons une exposition très complète sur le Japon. Plus tard, nous visitons une exposition sur l’origine des peuplements des territoires qui formeront plus tard le CANADA. L’histoire complète des Peuples Premiers est déclinée depuis avant l’an 1000 période où les fouilles archéologiques commencent à dater les vestiges. Suit l’histoire de la colonisation des autochtones avec les premiers explorateurs que sont BOROLA en 1507 et CARTIER en 1528. Nous visitons d’autres expositions sur le mode de vie des immigrants au début du 17e siècle et sur les personnages illustres qui ont fondé et façonné le CANADA depuis le début du XVIII siècle jusqu’à nos jours.

Le soir nous allons assister a un autre concert et le feu d'artifice extraordinaire avec 250,000 canadiens. Notre retour prévu en bus se fait a pieds. De retour au bateau en début de soirée, nous sommes heureux d’une saine fatigue et de pieds endoloris.

Samedi 2 Juillet 2011: Ottawa

Le petit déjeuner englouti, nous rangeons le bateau et préparons la cabine qui doit accueillir Sue, pour cette nuit. Elle doit arriver en avion de Boston par Toronto. Elle arrive vers 16H et dès qu’elle est installés, nous partons faire un tour du quartier avec Marie avant d’aller souper en terrasse dans un restaurant français a Gatineau. A 9H du soir, nous allons voir les fleurs aux jardins expérimentales du CANADA. Les fleurs sont très belles malgré qu'elles sont différentes. Nous sommes de retour au bateau sous les premières gouttes de pluies.




Dimanche 3 Juillet 2011: Ottawa

Nous prenons notre déjeuner au petit matin ensoleillé et reprenons notre route maritime vers les écluses près du Parlement Canadien. Nous allons nous accoster au quai d’attente. Un préposé de « Parcs Canada » vient à notre rencontre et nous demande de lâcher le mur et de nous mettre en position d’entrée dans l’écluse après les bateau de moteur. Nous sommes trois bateau a faire la descente des huit écluses (deux gros cruisers et nous). Ce disant la porte de celle ci s’ouvre et un bateau en sort. Nous y entrons tout de suite après et la descente commence. Nous serons au quai d’accueil a Gatineau en bas du bief deux heures plus tard. Je crois que nous allons faire des jaloux parmi nos amis navigateurs québécois. La descente de ces huit écluses est un vrai spectacle pour les terriens car il y a eu un grand nombre de spectateurs tout au long du parcours. De plus, nous sommes accostés par beaucoup de gens en voyant notre drapeau américain flotter sur un bateau avec port d'attache de Boston. Les Bruins de Boston viennent de battre l'équipe de Vancouver pour la couple Stanley de Hockey. Nous expliquons rapidement qu'il y avait plus de canadiens sur l'equipe des Bruins. Nous parlons de notre voyage après de nombreuses questions et nous les laissons sur le quai avec des rêves pleins la tête.
Marie vient nous retrouver et nous partons vers 10H faire le marché en en ville et trouvons de produits frais au Marche BY. Nous faisons des achats avec gourmandise en pensant aux bons repas que nous allons nous mijoter à bord. Nous prenons un déjeuner à un restaurant rétro années soixante au bord du Marche BY. Dans l'après midi, nous allons voir le Musée de Guerre et la maison du Gouverneur. Le soir nous allons voir un film IMAX avec Marie a la Musée Canadiens des Civilisations (c'est un film sur les singes et les éléphants orphelins).

Lundi 4 Juillet, 2011: Gatineau, Québec.

Départ ce matin a 8H, très tôt pour MONTEBELLO. Nous passons tout près des chutes de la rivière RIDEAU. C'est très beau. Nous atteignons la marina de MONTEBELLO à 13H 30, marina où nous avions rendez vous avec notre amie québécoise, Marie Bedard. Elle arrive vers 13H en provenance d'Ottawa où elle travaille. Nous allons voir les chutes du parc Papineau, le manoir Papineau et nous soupons ensemble au restaurant extérieur au village de Montebello. Plus tard nous allons jouer du tennis et nager dans la piscine a la bel hôtel de Montebello cinq étoiles jouxtant la marina et passons une très agréable soirée.
Mardi 5 Juillet, 2011: Montebello, Québec.
Malheureusement, nous sommes obligés de partir vers 9H au plus tard car nous avons l’écluse de CARILLON à passer avant de se rendre a Hudson. Il pleut à verse depuis le milieu de la journée mais cela se termine en arrivant a CARILLON. Nous avons une belle chance d’arriver au moment où en sortent deux bateaux et nous entrons dans cette gigantesque écluse sans trop attente. C’est la première écluse qui est équipée d’une porte à guillotine de 180 tonnes. Le bassin contient 18 000 m3 d’eau et nous descendons de 65 pieds, soit 20 m pour atteindre le bassin versant dans lequel abouti la rivière OUTAOUAIS et le Lac des deux Montagnes. L’écluse jouxte un grand barrage hydroélectrique géré par l’entreprise d’état HYDROQUEBEC. Nous atteignons la marina de HUDSON à 13H 30, marina où il y beaucoup d'action: une competition de natation, regatte de voile, et soiree avec diner pour membres. Nous trouvons un endroit bien protège des vents et part a pieds voir le village très sympathique. Il y a des belles fleurs partout et une épicerie superbe. Nous faisons des achats avec gourmandise et retournons au bateau pour un bon repas a la plage de la Marina de HUDSON. Nous passons une très agréable soirée, baignade inclus.

Mercredi 6 Juillet, 2011: Hudson, Québec.

Nous prenons notre déjeuner au crêpes au petit matin ensoleillé et reprenons notre route maritime vers 10H vers St. Anne de Bellevue et l'ile de Montréal. Nous avons seulement une écluse à franchir avant d'arriver au quai du village du Parc Canada. Ce passage ne dure que trois heures entre l’attente et les manœuvres. Arriver a St. Anne de Bellevue, nous consacrons l’après midi à une visite du village et passons aux magasins après s'arrêter pour une bonne crème glacée. Il fait un soleil splendide.
En fin d’après midi, nous avons la visite des amis: Richard Lariviere, Alex Csank et sa copine. Nous assistons à la musique du restaurant tout près pendant une soirée de discussions interressants. Nous sommes heureux d'avoir eu ces visiteurs. Pendant la nuit nous sommes réveillés en fanfare par les gens du restaurant ainsi que quelques jeunes qui font partir un feu d'artifice. Cela ne dure pas très longtemps car notre voisin de bateau a crié dessus les deux jeunes malfaiteurs.

Jeudi 7 Juillet, 2011: St. Anne de Bellevue, Québec.

Nous laissons ce village a 10H pour ce rendre a Dorval et le Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club. Il n’y a personne sur le Lac St. Louis au départ. En arrivant a Dorval nous voyons beaucoup d’amateurs de voile. Nous allons au quai d'accueil et s'inscrit pour 4 jours de visite a Montréal. Âpres le déjeuner, nous partons tous en vélo en exploration vers Lachine. Les parcs au bord de l'eau sont d'une beauté incroyable. Nous arrivons a la première écluse a Lachine ou un préposé de « Parcs Canada » vient à notre rencontre et nous explique que notre hauteur ne doit pas dépasser 8 pieds pour passer dans le canal et les écluses de Lachine. De retour à notre maison flottante, nous dinons d’un bon souper de pâtes bien mérité et partons dormir bien fatigués.

Vendredi 8 Juillet, 2011: Dorval, Québec.

Cette marina est splendide avec piscine, tennis et restaurant. Il est près de l’aéroport afin que Sue puisse rejoindre Boston Dimanche. Nous invitons les amies Bedard et Rioux à venir visiter le bateau et déjeuner au restaurant extérieur du Club. Nous avons bien manger et bien discuter Montréal et la vie des étudiants a l'Université McGill ou Sara ira dans cinq semaines. Ce moment d’amitié passé, ils nous quittent en nous souhaitant un bon séjour. Il est 15H et nous nous jetons dans la piscine. Il y a aussi un match de tennis. Le soir, après souper dans un restaurant Libanais, Éric et sa Mère Gemma, nous accompagne voir notre très chère Tante Dorothy a Cartierville. Ma Tante Dorothy est contente de nous revoir et nous passons quelques bons moments chez elle.
Lundi 11 Juillet, 2011: Dorval, Québec.

Nous venons de passer 4 jours à MONTREAL et il faut aujourd’hui partir.
Il faut, non, mais nous avons décidé de reprendre notre voyage vers le Lac Champlain et le Vermont.
C’est avec le cœur serré que nous larguons les amarres du Royal St. LawrenceYacht Club de Dorval ( MONTREAL). Il est 8H quand nous quittons pour aller à 3 NM de là, à la marina de LACHINE qui est au début du Canal de Lachine. Nous descendons le fleuve pour prendre ce canal au lieu de prendre « la voie maritime » où nous devons franchir deux écluses au gabarit PANAMAX avec des heures d'attente. Il y a deux ans que nous attendons une heure et demie à la première écluse de Saint Lambert avant d’être invité à passer. Nous retrouvons le fleuve quelques milles après la seconde écluse de Sainte Catherine nous attendons cinq heures et demie. Le canal de Lachine avec cinq écluses est ancien et construit pour des bateau qui ne dépasse 30 mètres. Son cours est plus tôt calme ce qui nous permet d’admirer le paysage, particulièrement en traversant Montréal. Nous voyons beaucoup de gens en vélo. C'est un environnement champêtre très agréable avec une piste cyclable qui passe en bordure de gazons parfaitement tondus.

Nous atteignons la dernière écluse, qui nous permet d’accéder au vieux port de Montréal. Nous voila de retour dans le fleuve Saint Laurent mais avec un courant de 5.7 kn. Notre vitesse dépasse 11.7 kn sous le pont Jacques Cartier. Six heures plus tard, nous sommes arrivé en plein industriel de la ville de SOREL, grand port sur le fleuve Saint Laurent et la rive sud du lac St. Pierre. Il y a quelques usines et plusieurs enormes bateaux commerçant. Depuis le lac ONTARIO, nous aurons franchis un dénivelé de 360 pieds soit près de cent dix mètres. Maintenant nous allons remonter vers le lac Champlain 33 mètres. Nous avons un courant de 1.5 a 2 kn qui réduit notre vitesse a 4.5 a 4 kn.

Nous arrivons à ST. OURS vers 19H pour franchir son écluse qui doit nous permettre de monter sur le fleuve Richelieu et se rendre a Chambly. L’éclusier nous invite à stationner au quai de l’avant dernière écluse si nous avons décidé de rester ici ce soir. Sara et Stéphanie décident d'aller se baigner. Le ciel en profite pour ouvrir en grand les vannes et elles arrivent trempés jusqu’au os quoique bien équipés contre la pluie qui menaçait depuis quelques heures.

Mardi 12 Juillet, 2011: St. Ours, Québec.

Ce matin le ciel est plus ensoleillé et nous partons en route pour Chambly. Nous arrivons a l'heure du déjeuner et attendons pour monter les trois écules pour se rendre au basin près du centre ville. Une fois monté, nous allons au supermarché de la ville faire des achats car les provisions commencent à baisser. Nous revenons assez chargés en parcourant plus de deux 200 mètres pour le retour vers le bateau. Nous avons une bonne glace et visitons quelques magasins intéressants. De retour au bateau, nous partons en vélo voir la région en partant des quais du centre ville. Nous allons voir la forteresse de Chambly et les rapides du Richelieu. Il y a de très belles anciennes maisons style française. De retour au Canal de Chambly, il n y a que le Lucy III, amarré près de L'écluse numero4 et une famille de canards.

Mercredi13 Juillet, 2011: Chambly, Québec.

Vers 9H du matin, nous nous mettons en route dans le Canal de Chambly pour traverser 9 écluses pour dépasser les rapides qui nous avons rejoints hier. De très jolies petites maisons posées dans des écrins de verdure entourent ce canal et il semble que les perturbations de ce monde n’arrivent pas ici. C’est un de ces lieux où on a envi de poser son sac pour quelques temps. Quatre heures plus tard, nous franchissons la dernière écluse a St. Jean qui va nous libérer sur la Rivière Richelieu qui descend jusqu’au Lac Champlain. La route nous est totalement ouverte vers les eaux clairs du lac. A 16H, nous bifurquons à droite derriere l'ile aux Noix et le fort Lennox. Nous nous arrêtons au quai numéro 13 de la marina Gagnon. Cela se trouve dans une petite crique qui semble être la fin de la partie navigable. Nous allons voir la responsable, pour essayer de prendre un rendez-vous pour remater le voilier. Elle nous indique que cela est gratuit si vous n'avez pas besoin d'aide. J'aime beaucoup cette générosité. Nous allons au ponton libre tout près de la grue. Au bout de trois heures, avec l'aide de Sara et Stéphanie, Lucy III et remater et redevenu voiler. Tout cela et seulement $ 45 CAN de redevance pour la nuit.

Jeudi14 Juillet, 2011: St. Paul d'ile aux Noix, Québec.

Après un petit déjeuner pris tranquillement sur la terrasse de LUCY III, à 9H nous partons pour la Marina Gosselin pour du carburent. Une demie heure plus tard nous glissons doucement vers le grand lac Champlain. Depuis hier que nous sommes sur le rivière ouvert sur le grand lac, nous tenons compte des ponts a franchir et en particulier le pont du chemin de fer a Lacolle tout près de la frontière américaine. A 10H, nous passons devant ce pont et ensuite vers le pont de ROUSES POINT, New York. Nous pensions nous y arrêter pour quelques minutes pour faire les formalités d’entrée aux USA, mais nous n’avons vu personne sur le quai pour nous accueillir et nous confirmer cette possibilité. On s'attache au ponton sous le pont et je vais a la recherche des responsables du BORDER PATROL. Ils nous indiquent de tous venir remplir quelques formules (uniquement en français) devant leur bureau pendant que un inspecteur se rend vérifier notre bateau. L'Inspecteur revient en disant que quelqu'un avait eu des difficultés a choisir ses vêtements ce matin. Il parait qu'il a visité la cabine a Stéphanie avec son linge rependu partout.

A 16H, nous étions arrivés jusqu’au pont de GRAND ILE, Vermont pour se rendre a BURTON ISLAND. Nous allons vers la marina pour voiliers de BURTON ISLAND STATE PARK.
Une petite heure plus tard et quelques miles plus loin, nous prenons un ponton sur la rive droite du port à l’abri d’une falaise en un endroit très calme pas loin où sont mouillés d’autres bateaux. Deux étudiants park ranger sont venu nous accceuillir au quai. Nous les remercions. lls nous quittent en nous souhaitant un bon séjour. Il est 15H et nous nous jetons tres vite sur un casse croute. J'aime beaucoup cet ile BURTON. Je me repose sans effort dans ce lieu confortable. Sara et Stéphanie partent se dégourdir les jambes en direction du terrain de camping et les plages. Le soir c'est la baignade a la plage et un souper salade verte a “une table de picnic”.

Vendredi 15 Juillet, 2011: Burton Island State Park, Vermont, USA.

A 9H, nous sortons ensemble de la petite marina de BURTON ISLAND après d'un au revoir avant d’embarquer sur notre bateaux qui s’éloignent de cet ile bien aimée.
Nous nous arrêtons vers 10H à quelques encablures de notre pont de Grand Ile qui est ferme (pour 20 minutes) et accostons un ponton privé de la marina Ladd's Landing. Je passe au magasin acheter quelques petits pièces du bateau. Une fois passer le pont, nous arrivons sur le grand lac Champlain et vire au sud. La navigation a Charlotte est facile. Nous arrivons a Point Bay Marina et prenons un ponton pour deux nuits. Sue arrivent en voiture et nous allons voir le dernier film de Harry Potter. Nous passons une douce nuit dans un endroit champêtre très calme au fil de l’eau d’un lac apaisée.

Samedi 16 Juillet, 2011: Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont.

Retour en voiture pour retrouver notre lessive oublier dans la sécheuse a la Marina Gagnon. Le dounier americain n'avait jamais entendu une histoire pareille. De retour au bateau, c'est du travaille pour Marc (refaire la pompe d'eau et refaire le “stuffing box” qui coule) avant que le bateau coule. Sue, Sara et Stéphanie patent en ville de Burlington faire des achats.


Dimanche 17 Juillet, 2011: Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont.

Nous partons vers 10H en voiture pour Boston. Lucy III est attaché a une bouée de la Marina.

Tartan 34 C Reunion Weekend 2011


Le 23 Juillet 2011: Le Lac Champlain: Réunion des Tartan 34 C a Burlington, Vermont.

Marc – Départ de Point Bay Marina avec nos amis (la famille Hendry) a 11:00 pour se rendre au quai de la Burlington Community Boathouse. Sue est aller en voiture les chercher a Burlington. Nous faisons route en moteur a Shelburne Point avant que le vent arrive et voilà on monte le spi et arrivons a la voile en ville. Nous sommes présentement au quai du sud a cote de 5 autres voiliers Tartan 34 C d'origine Sparkman & Stephens (voilier fabriqué sur les Grands Lacs aux États-Unis, construction de haute qualité). Hier soir, nous avons eu une réunion et souper dans un restaurant japonais près du port. Nous sommes allé manger de délicieux sushis avec des amis...que la vie est belle et bonne! Nous avons eu une belle navigation pendant notre vacance au Canada les trois dernières semaines même si on n'a pas utilise le vent. Nous avons fait de très beaux mouillages et sommes allés sur la belle plage de Burton Island. Hier, nous étions à Charlotte et il y avait une vague de chaleur, il faisait plus de 36 degrés Celsius avec un beau soleil et peu de vent et c'était comme cela depuis plus d'une semaine. C'est pourquoi je profite de l'air climatisé du Lucy III pour vous écrire...
Cette semaine, c'était le retour au travail pour Sue et moi et Stéphanie est aller a Belmont Hill camp faire du tennis et de la poterie. Sara commence a l'Université McGill dans 4 semaines. Comme le temps passe vite. C'est pourquoi nous sommes bien contents d'en profiter pleinement à chaque minute et nous vous souhaitons de profiter de chaque petit ou grand moment de bonheur.

Arrive a Point Bay Marina a 15:00 après une magnifique journée de voile en partant de Burlington. J'ai réparé encore le « stuffing box » qui coulait encore.
Bonne journée à tous!




Friday, July 15, 2011

The Richelieu River to Lake Champlain



12 July 2011: St. Ours Lock, Richelieu River, Quebec

Marc- Another hot and humid summer day in Canada. Yesterday was a real working day. I awoke early to lower the already horizontal masts one foot to fit under the low bridges on the Lachine canal. No problems with my engineering this time. We left Dorval at 08:00 and arrived at the Lachine Lock #5 at 8:45. Lucy III was the first to enter on our adventure to the Old Port of Montreal. If only we knew that there was free docking in Montreal at the Parks Canada docks we would have come a day sooner. The lock staff was as friendly as ever. Three zodiacs from Florida came along with us (their big boats could not fit through the bridges and they wanted to see downtown)... It appeared to be Mama Duck and her three ducklings going through the canal.



We arrived in the Old Port (it is still a working seaport with many ocean going ships) at noon. We left immediately for Sorel some 5 hours away. The current in the St Lawrence was very impressive. As we reached 11.7 knots on the chart plotter (speed over ground). That means the current was 5.7 knots as our max speed is 6 knots under power. The St. Lawrence was awesome with its size and fair winds and current. Unfortunately we hit a strong current in the Richelieu River at Sorel. It took us 2.5 hours to go 12 miles to the St. Ours Lock. Our speed never exceeded 4.5 knots. We decided to stay below the lock overnight as thunderstorms were forecast (see Sara’s section for details). The girls went for a swim just before the storm. It was a quiet night in this farming community.

Departure at 8:30 to enter the lock. We motored south to the St Charles Marina where we were able to fill up on water and fuel. Lucy III performed well at 5 to 5.5 knots against the Richelieu River current generally all the way to Chambly. The one difficult spot was passing under the McMasterville Railroad Bridge where the current exceeds 4 knots in a narrow opening. Of course there was a train passing overhead to add to the turmoil as we went through. Luckily there were no other boats passing at the time since we slowed to 2 knots in this current that tossed the boat about some. The river passes near Mount St. Hilare, an imposing mountain and provincial park. We must do some hikes here. At Chambly we could see three mountains from the Chambly Basin (a small lake). We tied up below the locks while the Lock staff was on a break and then proceeded up the three locks to the turning basin in the center of town. The Lockmaster advised going to Lock 4 for the night (1/4 mile further and quieter that in the turning basin). We were alone with a family of ducks: Mother mallard and her seven ducklings. Sara and Stephanie fed them some of are old bread before joining them for a swim later. Our exercise for the day was going out on the bikes and exploring the beautiful Town of Chambly and a visit to the Chambly Rapids... Many of the old stone homes date from the French Colonial period as well as an imposing Fort Chambly. The town has many interested shops and yes we did visit some of them. Stephanie found the perfect pair of sandals. The bike paths are nice here as well as the ice cream shops. One should stress that bikes are very prevalent in this town and the businesses cater to them.

13 July 2011, Chambly, Quebec

Marc – Today started with a trip to the local auto parts store for a new bilge pump hose. It was convenient to be tied up at Lock 4 nearby. We were off again at 09:30 on the Chambly Canal, an 18 kilometer canal that bypasses the Chambly rapids and a river drop of 80 feet. We negotiated a total of 9 locks between Chambly and St. Jean. At St. Jean we were forced to stop at a highway bridge for the noon time rush hour. There was an excellent restaurant nearby that also served up great ice cream and mango sorbet. The Parks Canada staff was most helpful as we negotiated our last lock of this sailing season and rejoined the river. The river here had cleaner water than below and it would continue to clear up to Lake Champlain where it is pristine. Our stop for the day was at the Marina Gagnon for mast raising and overnight docking. Our friend Richard LaRiviere from Montreal had advised us of free use of the Mast crane at this facility. We arrived just before a thunderstorm passed. Luckily it just missed us. It took the full crew to get this job done as we had two masts to raise. All went well although it took us 4 hours to complete the task. I did forget to attach some devices to the top of the mainmast (oh no not another trip in the boson’s chair up the mast). At least the mizzen mast antenna is in place. This marina was heavily damaged by the spring floods and you could see the water marks on the buildings. They built a new facility across the street. Our second mishap here was forgetting our laundry in the clothes dryer. We will come back on Saturday to pick that up. The moon was full as we did a nice jog to the Parks Canada Fort Lennox pier. The bathrooms were the only restored portion of the original main marina building.

14 July 2011, St. Paul de l’Ile aux Noix, Quebec.

Marc – Departure at 08:30 for the Marina Gosselin for fuel and a pump out. We also picked up some drinks here. This marina was also heavily hit but has done an incredible job at getting back in great shape. This is really sailboat country now and these marinas store at least 500 boats each. We then went south to the Border at Rouses Point, NY. The Lighthouse Marina is no more as it was totally destroyed by the floods and heavy winds this spring. It is really nice to have our masts up again. Unfortunately we left the sails at home. No problems at the border with United States Customs. It does take about ½ hour to get through here as they require everyone to get off the boat to complete forms while an agent searches the boat.

We are back in Lake Champlain hurray and the weather is fantastic. Sara took the helm and brought us down to the Gut, a crossing between Grand Isle and North Hero Island. We waited only about 15 minutes for the bridge along with several other sailboats and a trawler. We arrived at Burton Island to a warm welcome by the Vermont State Park Staff. This is really one of our favorite places with excellent camping facilities, beaches, restaurant, and store and nature center.





15 July 2011, Burton Island State Park, Vermont.

Early rise for Sara to get her Sunrise photos. This is truly a fantastic place with great Park staff and facilities all in outstanding surroundings. You just relax being here. The Park has restored it's Nature Specialist Programs with day and evening activities. We really should attempt to get some friends to come camp up here during one of our visits next year.
We departed at 09:30 after a wonderful breakfast from the Island Restaurant. $5 minutes later we pulled up just shy of the Grand Island Bridge opening (or rather closing in our case). No problem as we just tied up to the dock at old Tudhope Marina and picked up a few needed supplies. This is a very convenient place to stop. The Bridge did open on schedule and we proceeded Westward and then Southward to Charlotte. The Lake was quite calm and the scenery was magnificent with the Green Mountains to the East and the Adirondacks to the West. We were welcomed back to our old home away from home at Point Bay Marina in Charlotte. Our new mooring was waiting for us. I decided it would be best to tie up for the weekend at the docks for power and water. Sue arrived for dinner and then a short drive over to Burlington to see the final Harry Potter movie: The Deathly Hallows Part II.

16 July 2011, Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont

Today we enjoyed an excellent breakfast offered by the Royal Savage Yacht Club. Some of the members still remembered us. The fresh picked berries and baked goods were great. Our next adventure was by car to retrieve the laundry we had left in Canada at the Gagnon Marina last Friday. Our clothes were still there none the worse. This trip took us about 4 hours with a few stops to visit scenic stops at lle LaMotte and a few shops in South Hero. I returned to the boat to complete the bilge pump and stuffing box repairs. Sue, Sara and Stephanie went off to Burlington to do some shopping.
23 July 2011, Point bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont

Marc - We are back for some sailing on beautiful Lake Champlain after only one week at work in Boston. Our friends the Hendry's have joined us for an overnight sail to Burlington. The Hendry's enjoyed mostly motoring for 2/3 of the trip. The winds picked up just north of Shelburne and we sailed gloriously into Burlington. We were greeted at the Burlington Community Boating Marina docks by our fellow Tartan 34 C owners. This was the annual reunion weekend and the start of some fun. Everyone was interested in each other's boats and modifications made to each. Some boats were really tricked out racers while others like ours have all the trappings of a family cruising boat. We trekked up the hill to Church street with the Hendry's for some shopping and cooling ice cream. I forgot to mention hot hot and humid it was 90 degrees F and 90 % humidity. Glad we have AC on board the Lucy III.

The reunion was capped off by a four hour long dinner at a lakeshore Japanese restaurant. The food and the conversations were most impressive. I especially enjoyed learning about the travels of Trefoil that had gone south for the winter to Florida. Richard also spoke about his upcoming crossing to Europe.

It started to rain as we settled down to sleep. The temperature dropped by twenty degrees overnight (along with the humidity). We joined Adam and his daughter Meredith for crepes at the skinny pancake for breakfast. Most of the Tartans had left by the time we returned at 09:30. We left soon afterward under spinnaker, main and mizzen. It was a great reach all of the way down to Charlotte. Unfortunately I kept pumping the bilge. The stuffing box nut had backed off earlier and allowing copious amounts of water in. This was an easy fix but still quite disturbing since I had just repacked it one week ago.





Sunday, July 10, 2011

4 July 2011: Ottawa (Dow’s Lake Marina), Ontario

Marc- Another summer day in Ottawa ( we have been here since 30 July enjoying Canada Day festivities as well as the Royal visit of William and Kate. There were fantastic concerts on Parliament Hill, great museums, fireworks with our very dear friend Marie driving us everywhere). The air conditioning has been really great during this heat wave. We left at 08:30 for Parliament Hill and the 8 locks that will take s to the Ottawa River. Our view of Parliament form the canal was great.






Our timing was excellent since we arrived at the blue tie up dock just minutes before two rather large powerboats (46 feet and 41 feet) were locking through. Our trip down was fine and we stopped at the Hull Marina.



5 July 2011: Gatineau (Hull), Quebec

Marc- The night here at the Hull Marina was quiet and upset only by my losing the access key to the washrooms at dock gate. The 24 hour security guard was most helpful in dealing with this problem. We were supposed to have rain but instead we have sunshine and a fairly hot and humid day with a gentle Northwest breeze. Lucy III departed the marina at 08:30 bound for Montebello. Our first pause was to detour up to the Rideau Falls and feel the mist. The tour boats actually put their bows into the Falls. Rideau means curtain in English and these falls, and their river, were aptly named by the explorer and first governor Samuel de Champlain in the 17th century. You can actually walk behind the curtain except that Parks Canada has blocked the path. The remaining part of the journey today was uneventful. The motor purred along at 1800 rpm while doing 6.5 knots with a favorable river current in the Ottawa River.



We were welcomed at the Chateau Montebello Marina at 14:00 arriving at the same time as our very good friend Marie Bedard. This is a Fairmont hotel with all of the luxury one would expect. We took advantage of the large pool, the tennis courts and the luxurious showers. Marie took up by auto to visit the Falls of the Riviere de la Petite Nation (site of a former Papineau sawmill. They were some 20 kilometers away and were once part of the very large Papineau estate. The Papineau family was given a land grant by the French that covers many square kilometers. We also visited the manor house that is now run by Parks Canada. Finally we enjoyed a game of bananagram (a word game) in the 3 story central hotel lobby. Did I forget to mention this is the largest log cabin structure in the world?

6 July 2011: Montebello, Quebec

Marc- We left Montebello at 09:30 this morning after having breakfast at the hotel. The hotel lobby was also great for another game of bananagram and I actually won for a change. The weather forecast is guarded with possible thunderstorms at times. The Hudson Yacht Club reported a thunderstorm passing through at 10:05. The cold front including heavy rain, 30 knots wind, lighting and thunder did come through but we remained safe and dry in the “Wendy Room” cockpit.





No problems with the Carillion guillotine lock and the 60 foot drop. The Parks Canada people were most helpful in helping us as we came down tied to a floating dock...




I called the Hudson Yacht Club for a space tonight as we continued to speed down the River. They could not guarantee us a spot at the marina but it may be well worth a try. It was well worth the effort and we ended up with a very secure berth on the inside of the docks. We passed a beautifully restored Tartan 34C sloop. The town was just a short walk from the docks and had many interesting shops and most importantly a very well stocked IGA grocery store. I grilled some flavored tofu for the vegetarians among us and we then had a nice dinner at the club beach. Sara and Stephanie went for a swim just before a super sunset.

The Lucy III is running well. The teak trim is not in the best of shape and I am doing some minor repairs on the worst of it. It appears that the stuffing box is leaking excessively as we need to pump the bilge daily. I picked up a new electric pump in Ottawa since the new pump from Clayton does not have the proper lifting capacity (10 feet).

7 July 2011 Hudson, Quebec

Marc- Departure this morning at 11:00 for St. Anne de Bellevue on the Island of Montreal. Today’s journey was brief with us arriving at the St. Anne lock at 12:30. It was a bit of a free for all with all of the small powerboats cutting in front of us to tie up to the floating dock inside of the lock. The lockmaster had us tie to the opposite wall for the 1 foot drop here. It almost seems unnecessary but the passage under the bridges is foul with rocks. Surprisingly a 60 foot Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft went over the rocky passage just after we went through the lock. It was amazing to see how fast this rescue boat can travel. The Parks Canada staff advised us to tie up as far away from the railroad bridge as possible if we hoped to sleep. This was good advice as far as the train is concerned. Unfortunately the far end of the pier is across from several nightclubs open to 3 a.m. It was a festive night with lots of music and even a few fireworks as well. Earlier we had done some shopping finding a new very fashionable jacket for Stephanie and at the local grocery store. We also did some bike exploration of Ile Perrot nearby. This was rewarded with a visit to one of the Ice Cream shops.

July 7 (Sara): We’re on a cement dock by a huge lock where we went down a few centimeters before parking here and having a salad and couscous lunch on a picnic table by the boat under a nice little tree. At night it’s nice here— parallel to us there’s a boardwalk lined with shops and restaurants that all glow a soft, mellow orange in the twilight. People hang out there all night, chatting roaringly, and you fall asleep with that warm, buzzing feeling that you’re being looked after. (Or, if you're my dad, you stay awake all night despising all those despicable degenerates!)

8 July 2011 St. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec

Marc- Departure this morning at 09:30 for Dorval and the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club. We were welcomed to the club by Jean at 11:00. We are certainly doing minimal distances these days. The tanks were all topped off and/or pumped out. We settled in here nicely. I did find a power cord in the water when I went to plug in that gave me a scare. This reminded me why you should never go swimming at marinas. After a nice lunch, we all took the bikes to Lachine for a look at the canal and to see if we can fit through with our 9 foot clearance. We will need to lower the mast 1 foot to get through. Our friend Eric came by to give us some help with this bit of engineering. We all enjoyed some tennis on the clay courts and then dinner on the Lucy III. Another nasty thunderstorm came through around midnight. There is no shortage of water this year.

catching up (Happy belated Canada Day!)





July 1 (Canada Day): Today was crazy. Crazy.
First Dad and Steph decided it would be fun to see Will and Kate so we globbed on the sunscreen and trekked over to the bus stop where we waited for a few minutes, Dad studying a map as Steph and I played “bus stop”, a funny game I play with my drama friends at school (whoever makes the other person feel awkward enough to run away wins). When the Canadian flag emblazoned bus lurched to a stop before us we were greeted by a smiling Canadian fellow (the driver) sporting a tall white and red beer hat.
“How much is it for three?” Dad asked, “Nine dollars?”
“Oh no, you guys can have the family day pass.”
My dad later told us that he’d given us a fantastic deal, because normally the $7 pass was for people with kids 12 and under.
Debarking the bus we joined the flowing mass of red and white-garbed Canadians and tourists until we reached a street show where we stopped long enough to clap and holler gregariously for a plastic chicken; It was all part of the performer’s act— he disguised himself as just another person in the crowd (plucked a baseball cap off a little yellow-ponytailed girl’s head, popped it on his own) and whooed and whistled with the rest of us, apparently for a plastic chicken sitting on a bicycle. After a couple minutes of this, he jumped back into the center of the circle and called, “If you’re one of the confused people who just walked up…sucker!”





When Marie (one of my best friend’s super cool Canadian aunt) joined us, we walked up to Parliament Hill which was HOT. There was a concert going on up there on a humongous stage erected just for the occasion, but really most people were just waiting for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to appear. And eventually… they did! We sort of saw them (I think I might have seen some of Kate’s red hat; and Steph and Dad claim to have seen both of them from “just a hundred feet away!”) and had a nice view of the bobbing heads of the Canadian Mounted Police galloping along the periphery of the crowd. Then came the jets. Oh dear. Every time they zoomed overhead a maybe-three-year-old kid would burst into horrified tears. Poor kid. They were loud. But we couldn’t help chuckling as his dad who was holding him patted him on the back every time, rolling his eyes as we offered him sympathetic smiles.




Later we sat under a tree by a lovely beach by Marie’s house (she knows all the good spots; after we watched Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s new (fantastic) movie (Steph wanted to see it because it had her favorite actress Rachel McAdams in it and she was great but she played an extremely annoying character, so we bothered Steph about that, pretending the character and the person were the same), Marie drove us to a gorgeous water-overlooking view of Ottawa. It was that awingly peaceful, warm golden-light time between late afternoon and evening). We ate salad, sandwiches, and cookies as Steph entertained Marie with tragic tales of the woes high school as Dad and I shook our heads and lazed in the shade.
When the sky darkened to a velvety black, we watched the fireworks with Will and Kate (…metaphorically?) and walked back to the boat at Dow’s Lake with a couple of friendly Canadians as our guides.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

just saying...

June 28 (Sara):
Every lock we go through, Dad has the same conversation with lazily contented boat-admirers or/and whoever’s helping us with the lines. It usually goes something like this:
“Hello!”
“Hey! Nice day, eh?”
“Yup. We’ve been lucky with the weather.”
“Where you from?”
“Boston.”
(grinning) “So how about those Bruins, eh?”
“Oh yeah, but the funny thing is—” (dramatic pause) “—there are more Canadians than Americans on the American team!”
(big, guttural chuckle) “Crazy, eh?”



June 29:
Nicest night yet. Steph and I sprinted off the dock and splashed into the cool relief of the lake. We shampooed each others’ hair, hoisting ourselves up by the lines that connect the boat to the swaying dock.
“Now, how are we gonna get out?” I asked Steph and myself, vainly attempting lazy acrobatics with the ropes and dock-sides as Steph scrubbed her face with slime-green soap.
“Da-ad!” I called.
No answer. Hmm. I looked around. Aha!
“We could just swim over there,” I realized aloud. And we did. (“Over there” being a serenely grassy spot we’d kneeled by earlier (before our run), admiring a tiny, exquisitely black-blue beetle perched on the fresh green petal of a weed.)
Our pink feet hoppingly hurried through pebbled grass and, once back by the Lucy III, stopped and stood exultingly, towards the ever-new wind, harmonizing, drying— solidifying from water to flesh.
Human again, we unzipped the Wendy Room and slipped into the homey aroma of spaghetti. Mmmmm.


June 30:
“Saraaaaa!”
“Wha…?” I look around groggily. “Oh!”
“Bye! Bye-bye!” Emily and Sydney sing, waving grinningly as their boat zooms by.
“Ahh!” Steph cries from downstairs where she’s doing her hair. “What’s going on?”
“Emily and Sydney!” I call back as their wake rocks our stomachs into churning roller-coaster glee.

We met those two sisters last night after Dad befriended their grandpa. Seeing Dad “making another friend” (he’s very social), Steph and I strolled over from where we’d been washing up in the lock’s fancy bathroom (As we were walking in, Steph pointed to the iconic male and female restroom figures and joked, “Who are those people?” In my exhausted exhilaration my mouth cried, “William and Kate!” Steph rolled her eyes as I sprinted in, calling “William!...Ew…William stinks…” “Kate smells better,” Steph noted, stepping into the girls’ bathroom.— and now the lavatory will forever be known as “William” (boys’) and “Kate” (girls’)…)to the dock where the two men stood by the darkening plum-hued water.



As we greeted the grandpa, shaking hands, a little, blonde-bobbed sprite skipped over, hugging the man’s arm and chortling, “Whenever Grandpa’s around women, I know I’ve gotta watch out.” Her voice was so beautifully, childishly musical, like an especially enthusiastic flute and her smile so large and joyfully façadeless that I asked her, “What’s your name?” “Sydney,” she replied, delighted by my plunge into conversation. After Steph and I introduced ourselves, Sydney pointed to a white power boat. “That’s our boat there,” she informed us proudly, “and,” she continued, indicating a taller girl in an aqua sweatshirt, wavy blonde hair, and red and white plaid pajama bottoms, “That’s my sister Emily.” “Hi,” Emily greeted us with a slightly hesitant smile. We introduced ourselves again, pointing to the far-off white sailboat with the green canvass and horizontal mast. And then they were telling us funny anecdotes about their crazy, rural lives; like the time Sydney fell on a beaver dam and the night Emily crawled through some sewage pipes with her cousins and Emily had thought a crocodile was snapping at her heels (Sydney announced self-contentedly that she had remained sanely behind on that particular adventure). When they asked me and Steph if we had any stories, we looked dumbfoundedly at each other and blamed our deteriorating adult brains for their failure to produce memories but really, in the city you don’t get into exciting conundrums like that. While they were climbing piles of logs and tumbling down ecstatically, we were propped up by pillows, staring dully at the TV. We are active for city-slickers (as my mom calls us), going to the gym, the skating rink, the art studio… but we’re always driving and any blunder is seen as an “inconvenience”, a “waste of time”. We’re constantly rushing, and so have no time to skip through mud puddles and go on twilight walks not for fitness but for no because at all. I’d like to live somewhere where there is no “why”, only the meandering thrill of living.

I want to feel like Iggy Pop does when he sings “I gotta lust for LIFE!”

Monday, June 27, 2011

Departure Canada Cruise 2011






Clayton, NY: June 25, 2011

Marc- We arrived from Boston with our car fully loaded at 3 p.m. The boat loading and preparation took two hours. Our first stop was the Fuel dock at RJ Marine and they over to Grindstone Island for a wonderful night at the Holt family's Long Point. It was a bit bouncy at the outside pier at the Holt's boathouse but docking was easy enough. Tea was served soon after arrival and we enjoyed a great evening and morning of socializing with good friends. The overnight was spent at the white boathouse dock in the background of the photo below since the winds never calmed down in the evening. It did require some careful docking by hand, under the guidance of Emily Holt, to fit the Lucy III in a quiet spot for the night protected from the southwest wind and waves entering Aunt Jane's bay.

Steph- Today was a long day, but for the most part very pleasant. We departed from our friends Shep and Emily Holt’s cottage on Grindstone Island in the Thousand Islands, and ended up here in Kingston, ON at a marina we’ve stayed at before, just a five minute walk from the downtown. After a delicious, and I might add probably the best one on this trip, breakfast, cooked by my parents and my sister, (what was I doing?) we said our goodbyes and returned to the wonderful little village of Clayton, NY for the last time. Sara and I had gone swimming the night before, but as we were on a boat, woke up with that disgusting sticky feeling all fellow boaters know about during the summer. We were therefore glad to return to the mainland to take showers, now a new form of heaven, and wash up, even though we had to live with the possibility of it being our last in awhile. By this time it was already somehow noon, I guess since we had spent so much time talking to the Holts, a lovely couple. As I took the longest to get ready, as usual, my Dad went to look for parts to fix the milky brown oil in our engine – oh yeah, I forgot to mention our engine trouble – and my Mon and sister went to get sandwiches at a nearby deli for lunch. Hair not so straightened but makeup ready, I said bye to my mom since she only stayed for the first night of our trip and is coming back for the second week (Ottawa to Montreal). I guess now would be a good time to mention, rather belatedly, that my parents and my sister and I have just set out for our annual three week boat trip. This year, we plan to travel from Clayton, New York, where we have kept the boat for two years, up through Canada (using the Rideau waterway, the Ottawa River, the Lachine Canal, The St. Lawrence River, and the Richelieu River to return to Lake Champlain and the Point Bay Marina in Charlotte.

We had initially intended to sail last year all the way to Toronto but were impeded by, what else? – Engine troubles. So instead we ventured west towards Toronto on the Trent Severn Waterway on or friends Jay and Joan Gehrig’s catamaran: Windsong. I still can’t believe the engine completely died though, since we were using the original Atomic 4 from 1974 and my dad had repaired it an innumerable amount of times. He has revived our engine so many times before but this time a broken connecting rod finished it off. If you know my father, you know that he can fix anything. Seriously. Anything. From lawsuits to plumbing, to boats to lives (of engines). So you can see how awestruck my sister and I were when he told us that he couldn’t bring it back from the dead. I think that we, out of all boaters, have had the worst luck when it comes to engines. Every year there is a new quirk, and my Dad works tirelessly to fix the problem, as my sister, my mom, and I attempt to aid, but most times only end up playing a another round of UNO or checking out a new town. We can try to help but my dad’s the one who always fixes everything in the end. Wow, okay, way off track. So… where was I? Right, so my mom left and I ate lunch in front of the T.V. in the Islander marina lodge (which is now owned by French Bay, the marina we stayed at for two winters). Shep and his granddaughter Anna came down at around one o’clock to help my dad diagnose the engine malfunction. Although our departure for Kingston was initially questionable since it would have been easier to find a mechanic in Clayton, we finally decided to leave. After a nice three and a half hour motor trip with only a few light rain showers, we arrived in Kingston at 6:30 P.M. The Doc Master let us stay at the gas dock for the night. Dad, Sara, and I then set out on foot for one of our most beloved Canadian cities. It was rather quiet since it was a Sunday night, and we first walked to the old train station, now an information center, for postcards. Sara and I found one that was particularly hilarious, and that we resultantly laughed at for a full five minutes, while Dad talked to the two ladies at the desk, students at Queens, the university in Kingston that believes they are a better school than McGill. Leaving the building with seventeen postcards-no joke- we crossed the street to get Gelatos. They even had sorbetto (sorbet) for Vegan Sara. As we walked along the waterfront, Gelatos in hand, some Canadian geese, my brethren, as my friends call them, approached us, and Sara ran after one, screaming, “I’m you’re friend, I’m you’re friend!” I’m exaggerating, but it was pretty funny when she was admiring them and one flew away. Sara was in that weird mood she gets in, I guess because of the chocolate soy milk she practically inhaled. So when we returned to the boat, Sara made us work out, which is good for those of us who are inherently lazy, so Dad and I biked while she ran. Man is that girl fast!! I still say she should compete in cross-country, but she claims to dislike competition. We then took showers in the freezing cold water of the marina, and returned to a very cozy boat for a very cozy sleep.

Grindstone Island, NY: June 26, 2011

Marc- Return this morning to Clayton to drop Sue off and to check out a few problems with the boat. I put my mechanic's hat on once again since none was available for our engine oil issues. We left at 3 p.m. after an oil change. It was a easy but wet trip to Kingston, Ontario. On arrival we noticed a Boston Fire Department boat at the shipyard nearby. This boat was ready for delivery and did make us feel rather close to home. After our check in with Canadian customs by phone we went on foot to visit beautiful downtown Kingston. The Gelato shop was excellent. After dinner aboard Lucy III we continued to explore the area on our bikes. The paths were nice with many families out along the park areas near the Cataraqui River.

Kingston, Ontario: June 26, 2011

Deaprture at 09:00 after a good coffee and baked goods treat in town. The first locks came soon at Kingston Mills. We continued North stopping at Jones Falls for the night. Steffie and I went right to the ice cream shop below the locks. We all enjoyed a refreshing swim after going up the four locks here.

Jones Falls, Ontario: June 27, 2011

Sara- This morning we left Kingston with the lofty prospect of “Joan’s Falls” to fuel our imaginations. Soon Dad was exclaiming, “Woah! Look how skinny this river is!” and adventure bloomed in our hearts. I grinned and gazed with happy awe at the surrounding forest. “Canada isn’t as built up as back home,” my dad explained. I nodded, and wondered aloud, (thinking of all the happy-go-lucky “eh”-ing folks up here), “Why is everyone in Boston so…unhappy?” because truly, Canadians have every right to gloominess— look at their frostbitten winters! And yet everyone we meet here greets us with a “Nice day, eh?” or a nod and a smiling “Hello”— but actually, I should consider that we aren’t in Montreal. We’re in Nature; scuttling, swooping, slugging Nature! In big cities I suppose everyone keeps his head bent and pushes dully through the crowd, that great phalanx of “quiet desperation”. So maybe Bostonian city-slickers aren’t any grumpier than Canadian ones.

Merrickville, Ontario: June 28, 2011

Marc- We made it a long travel day today and arrived before the worst thunderstorm that I've seen in years. We were having dinner at the local family restaurant when it hit but luckily the boat was well secured and wrapped up for the evening. Sara and Steffie found a candy / ice cream shop in town and we also found an RBC bank ATM.
We have hydro tonight so we will be cool and dry.


Thursday, June 9, 2011

Boat Launch, June 9, 2011, French Bay Marina, Clayton, NY


Marc- Today is the big day for the Lucy III although she is not quite ready for cruising yet. French Bay launched the boat this morning and placed it at a slip at the adjoining Islander Marina that they also own.