Castles & Canada

 TRAVEL DAY 76 - Cape Vincent to Clayton

July 16, 2023

2.02 Hours/16.6 Miles

    Two days in Cape Vincent and the crew of Pau Hana was ready to move on. We waited for the rain to let up as it was a short ride to Clayton. The sky was overcast and the drizzle continued so we pushed farther up the St. Lawrence River.

Clayton, NY

    As we neared Clayton the sky cleared and the sun came out and we pulled into the basin at Clayton Harbor Municipal Marina. Most of the Poker Run boats had left with the few remaining warming their engines for a loud departure.

The Antique Boat Museum

    We walked this much larger town with a terrific waterfront and a lot of activity.  It was around 1 pm so we hiked to the Wood Boat Brewery. It was a suitable stop for the navigator who enjoyed a Gluten free pizza. After a light lunch we walked to the Antique Boat Museum. We didn't tour the massive facility but stuck our heads in the front door and looked around some.

"Muskie" Statue

   

Wood Boat Brewery

    On our way back to the boat we stopped for some great live music at The Hop Spot and met up with the crew of Dos Gatos Locos. One more stop for some popcorn and back to the marina.

   

St. Lawrence River Freighter

  

Cape Vincent to Clayton

TRAVEL DAY 77 - Clayton to Boldt Castle 

July 17, 2023

1.85 Hours/14.9 Miles

    This day the sun came up in a perfect orange ball. The Canadian wildfires still produce a lingering haze in the air coloring the sunrise and sunsets. A planned short trip up the river to visit 1 of the 2 castles in this area. The first is Boldt Castle, just past Wellesley Island and located on Heart Island.

Clayton Sunrise

    Boldt Castle was built by George C. Boldt as a present for his wife, but before the castle and the extensive estate was completed, Boldt's wife died suddenly. He abandoned the project and it remained unoccupied for 73 years until the State of NY acquired it for $1. It had fallen into disrepair and has been extensively renovated with renovations of some of the other floors and grounds continuing.

Boldt Castle

    The wind picked up considerably just as was predicted and all of our boating moves were instituted based on the direction. I placed the boat on the fixed dock at Boldt Castle with our bow into the wind hoping for an easy release when we departed.

Boldt Castle

    The crew and I strolled down the long dock to the ticket window. We were here just at opening time and there were very few other visitors. By the time we left, several tour boats and private vessels had dropped a considerable amount of guests on the island. The docks were full and we were glad we got here before the rush. 

Hearts & B's

    Boldt was an interesting guy. Manager of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, he rubbed shoulders with some of the richest of the time. Guys like John Jacob Astor IV (died on the sinking of the Titanic) and Nicola Tesla and others. He was responsible for introducing 1000 island dressing (named after the 1000 Islands) and Waldorf Salad.

Boldt Castle Power House

Boldt Yacht House

    After 3 hours walking around and exploring the castle and grounds, we shoved off the dock in a pretty strong wind and headed across the river for a fuel stop. We didn't need a lot of fuel but the fuel in Canada is basically double the cost so we felt it was wise to top off. 

Alster Tower

Hearts Everywhere

    The wind was blowing straight down the narrow dead end fairway and the fuel dock was occupied by another boat. I jockeyed the boat around and into the wind. It was a little hair raising to be sure and I finally decided to tie up at the opposite dock nose into the wind until the fuel dock was free. We gave the crowded dock of on lookers a great show as maneuvering a single engine boat in stiff conditions is a challenge. We didn't hit anything but I'm sure they thought it was amusing. We did not. The line crew on the front deck called back "Are you sure this is worth it?". We were here and I was determined to fill my tanks with less expensive diesel. When the fuel dock was clear, we released the lines with the help of another boater and "crabbed" the boat back and over to the dock. 32 gallons of diesel on and a few gallons of blackwater off and we were ready to head out.

Castle Interior

Stained Glass Dome

    Our plan was to head just a mile or so up the river and duck into a group of islands to anchor for the night. The wind was still blowing about 10 mph but this anchorage would provide us some protection even though the winds were predicted to die down to nothing by sunset.  It had been awhile since we anchored and we set up in 11' of clear water. The wind caused the boat to swing side to side some but not extreme. At 5 pm as predicted the breeze dropped and then again at 6 pm. Before sunset and with plenty of light left, there was no wind at all. We started the generator to charge the batteries some and the galley crew fixed a great meal.

Summerland Island Anchorage

    At about 1 am I was awaken by rain coming from the hatch above we had left open to get some air in the bunk. Half asleep I couldn't get the screen out to close it so I had to go out on deck and push it closed. I was soaked but the bunk was just a little damp. Back to sleep.

Clayton to Boldt Castle & Summerland Anchorage

     TRAVEL DAY 78 - Summerland to Singer Castle to Gananoque, CA

July 18, 2023

4.6 Hours/29.9 Miles

    I woke just at first light. A few minutes later, a light rain started. I turned off the anchor light and the cockpit light which drew thousands of bugs to the cockpit of the boat. The rain was only supposed to last until about 9 am which was our scheduled departure for the second of the 2 Thousand Island castles, Singer Castle.

Singer Castle

    Located on Dark Island (although the charts show it as Jorstadt Island, a later owner), Singer Castle was built in the early 1900's by Frederick Bourne, president of Singer Manufacturing Company (Singer Corporation), producer of the Singer Sewing Machine. This castle has an altogether different style and feel than Boldt and although we enjoyed it, it was honestly a little run down and not as "polished" as the other. Singer is owned by a private investment group and used as a commercial enterprise and not well maintained. 

Medieval Entry

Servant Bath

     

Singer Dock

    After the tour, we jumped back on the boat and departed the dock. We now had our sights set on Canada. We had technically passed in and out of Canada twice on our way to Singer Castle and we would pass back into Canada, then out, then finally back in again. 

A house on almost every island

     

    The scenery was absolutely incredible as we passed many of the islands and the tall Granite cliffs on the Canadian side with huge well kept homes. The current was pretty severe as we passed through the narrow and converging channels through Fiddlers Elbow. It was hands on the wheel and eyes on the rocks so the crew didn't take a lot of pictures.

A "stiff" current and confused water

    As we passed through Gananoque Narrows it seemed we had little room for error in the well marked channel. Once through, the water opened up into a broad bay and we could see our target landing. With our new Maple Leaf flag displayed, we tied up at Gananoque Municipal Marina, deployed the Yellow Quarantine Flag and called Canadian Customs. Checking into Canada is fairly easy and straight forward. After a short 20 minute conversation with the Border Officer, we were assigned an entry number and we were free to disembark.

Ready to explore Canada

    We tidied up the boat and decks and set out to find friends and food. We found both. We walked the 1/2 mile downtown to meet our friends from Ottyssey. Afterwards it was docktales with Ottyssey and Last Arrow. It lasted until dusk when we got over run with Mosquitos. Canada has no shortage of bugs and besides the Mosquitos and the Deer Flies, most seem harmless.

DAY 2 - GANANOQUE

   We decided to stay 2 days and allow us some time for chores and planning our next route to Kingston and the Trent Severn Waterway. The prices in Canada seem high until we calculated the exchange rate. Right now, we get a 24% savings on whatever we buy. We went to a bank and exchanged some US cash for Canadian.

Canadian Cash

    Pickleball is always on our radar in any town Pau Hana lands at and the Cruise Director located some nearby courts. We convinced the crew of Ottyssey to play. They were beginners but picked it up quick and we had a blast.

Pickleball Ya'll

    After the chores docktales were planned. Another fun get together with the crews of Ottyssey, Here's To Us What Yacht To Do, Pau Hana and the AGLCA Harbor Host Jim from Tyre-less. We picked Jim's local knowledge brain about our future travels up the Trent Severn.

Docktales

Summerland to Gananoque