mvalwayshome

Good Morning!!  No sunrise picture today.  We slept in!!  We read that the Trent Severn Waterway is extremely busy during the weekends as the locals get out and enjoy the warmer temperatures.  We didn’t want to wrestle with the kayakers, speed boats, and dinghies in the locks so we decided to stay put, enjoy the beautiful weather and do some walking about the city.

The guidebooks mention that the ATM is right across the street.  The grocery store is 2 blocks over.  This is the first time we have been at a location that the guidebooks are absolutely correct!!  We found the bank and got some Canadian cash using their ATM.  We found the grocery store.  We found the hardware store 0.5 miles down the road.  This is a wonderful little town!

Sign greeting us

Fraser Park is a very nicely groomed park on the doorstep of the marina.  Tree lined, lots of benches, and flowers areas.  Very inviting.  Benches to rest and enjoy an ice-cream and snacks.

Tree Lined walkway

The Gazebo where Friday night’s free music concert was given.  Locals brought their chairs and enjoyed the evening of music.  “Wrought Iron Roots” was the band.  We listened to the music during our “docktails”.   On Sunday, there was a wedding.  What a great setting.

On the parking lot wall next to the Fish & Chips restaurant is this mural.  The amazing thing if that it is made from thousands of individual pictures.

Trenton Mural

As you get closer to the mural.  You can see the definition.  The contours.  All provided by individual pictures.  Some are historic pictures and some are recent pictures.  Very interesting how they made these pictures create the overall mural.

We walked down to the hardware store for an additional water drinking hose.  The hose bib at the marina is quite far from Always Home location.  The water way is right along the street and so is a park-like area.  Fishermen were lining the shore.  People walking their dogs.  Very nice morning to be out and about.  We did see one of the fishermen catch a snake on his hook.  I didn’t get a picture of him struggling to save his hook.  I would have just cut the line and let the snake go.

Park along the river

Saturday morning is the Farmer’s Market.  Quite a bit smaller than I am used to.  All the major kinds of delights were represented.  There were vegetables, a bread vendor, soaps, jams/jellies, and fruit.  We bought some red raspberries freshly picked the day before.  Very sweet.  Delicious!

The Trenton Clock Tower in downtown.  Very majestic.  Easily visible from the marina.  Probably from a long way off as most “towers” are meant to portray.

Clock Tower

On the door are two historic markers.

Two more historic markers which explains some of the markings on the old wooden door.  I wasn’t sure which markings where from the sword knocking or just from age.  I can easily imagine an officer in full regalia pull his sword out and ceremoniously bang on the door.  KNOCK – KNOCK – KNOCK .  I imagine 3 times.  Can’t you?  Does anyone open the door?

Sights along the street of Trenton.  We were walking down the sidewalk when he caught my eye.  I am sure this little guy was looking for something interesting by this door jam.  My immediate thought… if he is out in the daylight…. how many are out during the night?  Hmmmm.  Isn’t he the cutest?!

Found a neighbor!

We did go into a pharmacy to look around.  These caught my eye.  Ketchup flavored chips?  I don’t know if I like ketchup that much to eat bite-fulls at a time.  Yes, they also had BBQ flavored, sour cream and onion, and normal chips.  I have not seen these before.

I mentioned we did go to the ATM and exchange some money.  Here are the 2 dollar coin and the 1 dollar coin.  The 2 dollar coin is called a “Toonie”.  The 1 dollar coin is a “Loonie”.  How durable!!  They would last a lot longer than our paper dollars, I would think.

Toonie and Loonie

The paper money has a plastic type texture to it.  There is also a see-through portion which we assume is the security part.  I really like the space travel motif on the 5 dollar bill.  I don’t see any UFOs represented but they could be hiding behind the astronaut or behind the maple leaf.  Hahaha!

To give ya’ll an idea of were we are I took pictures of some posters near the Fraser Park.  Now, I know where we are as well!

Bay of Quinte

Trenton

What is the difference between Ontario and USA?  Liters, for one.  Diesel is $1.404 per liter.  What does that translate into dollars.  A lot!!  You math wizards let me know just how much we need to spend for a gallon.

Tomorrow… the Trent Severn Waterway!!

Trent Severn Waterway here we come!

Good morning!  Rise and Shine!!  It will be a perfect day to cross Lake Ontario.  Low wind.   It is a brisk 59°F this morning.  Cloudy and cool.  Get your woolens on and let’s get started!!  We actually had to have 2 layers of shirts and our knit caps on first thing.  At 10 mph, that 59°F wind is cold!

5:52am Early Morning – No sunrise yet – leaving Oswego Marina, Oswego, NY

Barge coming our way! – They are early risers as well

The West Pierhead Light marking the entrance to Oswego River.  See the boats ahead of us?  They have been gracious enough to let us follow them all the way across Lake Ontario.

West Pierhead Light – Channel marker

Last look at the great USA from our back door.  Goodbye America.  We will be back soon enough.

Our last look at America as we enter Lake Ontario

I noticed how blue the water was.  Too bad the cloudy day didn’t lend itself to a more pretty picture.  No longer in that tannic brown water we have come to expect.

Clear Blue Water of Lake Ontario

Today we are expecting 1 foot or less waves.  Yesterday, they were having 3 foot seas.  Glad we waited.  How wonderful!!

Lake Ontario – flat water!

Somewhere between the picture above and the picture below, we crossed over into Canada!!  We lost our cell service at least a half hour before.  I don’t know why someone can’t run up some weather balloons and provide constant cell service over the entire lake.  Can you?  I mean, how can any sane person be without cell service and the internet these days?

Noon and we are passing by Scotch Bonnet Island

Do you see all those little black dots on the island?  Zoom in.  You can see them.  They are birds!  That little structure and island is filled with birds!  Is there a market for bird poo these days?  There has got to be a bunch there.  Maybe that is what is holding the island together?

Our second navigation marker is the Presqu’lle Bay Point light.  I thought the sun would come out sometime during the day, but it did not.  The air did warm up to the low 70’s so we were able to take off the knit caps and at least 1 layer of jackets.

Presqu’ll Point Marker

The Canadian Flag fly proudly!

Our first Canadian channel marker.  Looks exactly like the USA but different.

First Green Canadian Marker

There are white things over there we heard on the radio!!  They are swans!!

White swan family

See the little baby swans?  Are they called Swanlets?

Ok, back to paying attention to where we are going.  We will be entering Murray Canal.  The Murray Canal is 6 miles long and nine feet deep.  It was cut in the late 1880’s to make a shorter and safer route for commercial traffic in the upper Lake Ontario area.  You can see how straight it is in the picture below so you know it was man-made.  There are 2 swing bridges on either end.  A toll of $5 ( $4.95) is charged for using the canal.

By this time, there were 2 other Looper trawlers ahead of us three.  They snuck out of the Oswego Marina before us.  I didn’t even see them leave.  A caravan of 5 Trawlers going into the Murray Canal.  We were at the tail end.

Entering the Murray Canal

Trent Severn Canal – Murray Canal

We noticed the boats ahead of us had put up their yellow quarantine flag.  I hoisted ours.  We have to keep it up on the boat until Wayne, the Captain, checks in with the Canadian Customs at the marina.

Yellow Quarantine Flag up

Wayne had put up our courtesy Canadian flag on our front pole already.  Some folks put that up after they take down the yellow flag. I don’t know if it makes a difference.  Our American flag is flying on our stern.

At the Brighton Road Swing Bridge is the man who collects the toll.  He leans out with a cup on the end of a pole.  Here is the boat ahead of us leaving after they dropped their money in the cup.  You can see the bridge tender already looking at us.  Waiting patiently for our 5 dollar contribution to the canal fund.

Toll collection at the first swing bridge

This canal is narrow and beautiful.

Murray Canal behind us

Sights along the canal.

Don’t look! A man is burning paper! Cartons of it.

Kids jumping off the concrete structure just before the second swing bridge

Out of the Murray Canal and into The Bay of Quinte

Bay of Quinte

We have to make a rather round about course to the Fraser Park Marina to stay in deeper waters.  Wayne highlighted the course so it would be easier to discern.  Even then, the water is a skinny.  Lake Ontario was over 400 feet deep in parts.  So, 10 feet seems skinny.

Bay of Quinte

Since we were the last boat of the caravan, we were also the last boat to get docked.

Boats lining up to enter the marina

They sandwiched us all in pretty tight.  The Dock Master had 4 young people helping with the lines.  Very well trained dock hands.  We were very impressed.  Welcome to Fraser Park Marina in Trenton, ON.

Fraser Park Marina Welcomes us.

The Captains went to the marina office and called the Customs phone number.  All the crew members ( wives and families ) on the other boats can’t get off until the Captain has been cleared.  Wayne took his turn.  There is a list of questions that he needed to be prepared for.  Names, birth dates, boat registration number, etc.  It is all listed on the Canadian website.  We had nothing to declare.  We ate all the fruit and vegetables. No eggs.  No cigarettes.  No problems.  The yellow flag comes down and gets stowed until we have to hoist it again to re-enter the USA.

Wayne waiting his turn to talk to the Customs official on the phone

As Wayne was walking back to the boat he proudly ( and loudly) declared that I could NOW get off the boat to pee!!  Good to let everyone know!!

Bridge sign out our back door!

We will be using any of the free wifi we can find.  Hopefully, that is at every stop along our travels.  Otherwise, you may have to wait for updates.  Lovely night, eh?

Good Morning!!  No sunrise picture from me this morning.  We slept in.  Sort of.

The story is…. a cold front came through last night.  We expected some rain.  No big deal.  BUT not the wind!!  Of course, the wind by itself isn’t too bad.  We have had higher winds. BUT, where Always Home was docked, again on a side dock facing the river, it was rock and roll time!  Wayne got up around 3am trying to figure out what the “banging” was.  I got up at 4am because of all the noise.

The wind was kicking up the waves.  The waves splashed the boat.  The waves then bounded off the concrete dock wall and hit the boat again.  Sloshing back and worth.  We haven’t had that kind of boat rolling around since east Florida.  The banging?  I know you were wondering.  It turns out it was a large log that was slowly floating into the marina basin hitting all the boats along the way.  No way are we venturing out into Lake Ontario until the wind shifts and settles down.  Whew.

I ended up in the enclosure with Wayne sleeping in our lazyboy chairs.  Less noise.  A bit more tossing.  The marina was full from all the transients out of the Erie Canal.  All the boats were moving.  By early morning, I was ready for dry land!!  A cup of coffee in hand and I was walking the parking lot looking for things not moving.

Port of Oswego, Oswego, NY

I don’t know exactly what the Port of Oswego imports/exports but it smelled like asphalt all day.  Interesting.

Tomorrow we will be joining 2 more Loopers crossing Lake Ontario.  How exciting!  It will be a 82 mile voyage across Lake Ontario.  That black line in the map below is the USA/Canada border.  It should take us 9-10 hours to cross over the Lake, pass through the Murray Canal, and cruise into Trenton, ON.

Oswego, NY to Trenton, ON

Tonight promises to be a calm night.  We are ready for a good night’s sleep and an early morning departure from the great USA.  Onward to Canada and the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Oswego, New York. Looking north toward Lake Ontario – barge crossing the inlet

Beautiful sunset in Oswego, NY

Good morning!! There are a couple of Loopers leaving just before 7 am to catch the first lock opening at Lock 23 in a week.  We waited until closer to 8am because we wanted to get “pumped out” and needed the dock hands for that.  The crew showed up around 7:30am and were very helpful.  We left with a song in our hearts!  Glad to be moving again.

It was cool and cloudy with a chance of rain.  The forecast was sunny skies in Oswego.  Wonderful!

Leaving Winter Harbor Marina, Brewerton, NY

Which way do we go?? Left to Buffalo or Right to Oswego?  Our boat is too tall to make the many bridges from here to Buffalo.  Besides, quite a bit of the western Erie is still closed.  We will go right toward the Oswego Canal.  Thank you!

Erie Canal or Oswego Canal

View from our flybridge.  Still cloudy but calm.  Up ahead it the last lock we will be going through on the Erie Canal.  Lock 23.

8:30am on the Erie Canal

This lock has ropes attached to the sides.  I was able to snag the ropes rather easily now that we are skilled rope snag’rs after 22 locks along the Erie.

Approaching Lock 23 going down 7 feet.

Bottom of Lock 23 and Guard Gate

The Oswego Canal goes north from the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario.  It is 24 miles long and has 7 locks. Locks 1-8.  There is no lock 4.   All going down.  We will be going down 118 feet or so.

On our way to the Oswego Canal

Lock 1 is in the town of Phoenix, NY.  There is a free dock there with a power.  Looks like a fun little town.  We moved on toward the Lock.

Approaching Phoenix, NY – Lock 1

Phoenix, NY

Lock 1 has cables and ropes.  I was able to snag the rope.  Down we go!

Oswego Canal, Lock 1

There is a 7 foot high bridge right after the lock.  I was wondering how this worked.  The bridge raises in conjunction with the lock.  Makes sense.  20 ft clearance.  No problem!

Phoenix Lift Bridge after Lock 1 on the Oswego Canal.

We locked through with 2 sail boats and 2 small 35 foot power boats.  Lots of room for us all.  We should be locking through with the same 4 boats all the way to Oswego.

Our locking companions

Uncle Joe’s Trading Post – cute but only for small boaters

There was a rumor at Winter Harbor that the Erie Canal and Oswego Canal were opened on July 7th for a cruise ship.  Sure?!  A Cruise ship goes down the Erie?  Really?  Some rumors are true!!  Here it comes!!

Approaching Cruise ship

We heard later that this boat fits into the locks with 1 foot spare room all around.  No need to tie up to the lock sides.  No room left for the boat to swing around.  It just sits perfectly in place as the water is rushed in/ out.  This cruise started in Chicago… rumor said.  Not too tall for all the bridges this boat has to go under.  Fascinating!

Grande Caribe Cruise Boat

“Blount Small Ship Adventures”

Approaching Lock 3.  There were still a couple of boats tied to the wall.  I guess they were in no hurry to move on like we were.

Approaching Lock 3

Here we are in the lock.  Where are those cables?  Recessed into the wall?  Where??

Along the lock wall. – going down 27 feet – Lock 3

Oh – there.  Can you tell that the cable is below my deck?  Just how do I reach that??  My arms are just not long enough!!  It is a good 4 feet away.  Wayne yelled at me to get down on my belly.  I am going to hold a 47000 pound boat on my stomach against a lock wall?  I don’t think so.

Cable is below the side deck.

I jumped up and hog tied a bollard or post and held on!!  I read that may be the only way to secure the boat until the boat lowers enough to get a line around the cable.  Acchhhh!

Holding our boat with a rope around the Bollard Post

We did swing a bit in the lock but none of the other boats were close by.  How in the heavens are we going to do this another 5 times???  There has to be a way…. think fast!

Out of Lock 3 – Oswego Canal

Looking back toward Lock 3

Whew.  Are we thinking fast?  Here comes Lock 5!!  ( remember there is no lock 4)

Approaching Lock 5 – Down 18 feet

I have no pictures of Lock 5.  Again, the cables were recessed.  I tried to run our line through the cable but it was like threading a needle with a wet noodle using one hand.  I just couldn’t get the line around the cable!  Finally, the lock master came around and wound the line for me.  He even had trouble.  “The water is high right now.  I think I need three hands to go this.”  HE SAID.  Exactly!!   We could hear the other sail boats and power boats struggling as well.  The cables were oddly spaced.

Approaching Lock 6 – down 20 feet

A lot of water is rushing near Lock 6.  Current was pretty stiff.  Wayne held the boat steady and I got prepared for another lock.  Lock 6 is supposed to have ropes and cables.  We will try for a rope first.  If I can.

Dam at Lock 6 – current is pretty swift!

I must have had no problem getting a rope or two if I was able to take a picture of the slimy wall!!  It reminds me of the primordial ooze that life springs from.  Yes, I actually nudged some of the darkest goo with my gloved finger.  It didn’t grab my finger… all good.

Slimy walls in Oswego Locks

Lock 7? or is this Lock 8?

We found the Oswego Marina right out of the last lock 8 on the Oswego Canal.  Whew.  We were exhausted!!  No pictures.  The worst locks ever!!  Lake Ontario is right around the corner.  Tonight a storm is coming through.  With luck we will be on our way across the lake tomorrow…. weather permitting.

Wayne did get a kick out of this little boat as it was passing by.  Just how many fishing poles do you need??

Sunset and a fishing boat is leaving –

Early morning fisherman slowly moving along the river.  We saw lots of people fishing along the Erie Canal.  Just not too many people actually catching fish.  I assume they did or they wouldn’t be continuing to put their hook in the water.  We just didn’t see them reel them in.  He looks happy enough on this brisk morning.  July and it is low 60’s°F.  How wonderful!

Quite kayaker fishing in the early morning

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE NY CANAL CORPORATION:

Notice to Mariners

Canal Closures in Central New York

July 1, 2015

Mariners are advised that the following sections of the Canal System have closed to all vessel traffic, effective immediately, due to high water levels and excessive currents caused by heavy rainfall overnight:

• Oswego Canal

• Erie Canal from Lock E-23 (Brewerton) to Lock E-27 (Lyons)

• Cayuga-Seneca Canal from Lock CS-1 to Erie Canal Junction (remains closed)

We need to go past Lock E-23 and then north along the Oswego Canal to go to Canada.  Drats!!!  We did get a bunch of rain overnight.  I heard it was over 4 inches of rain in just a few hours.  Compound that 4 inches with all the other inches of water and the Erie Canal was overflowing!!

We all did boat chores.  Caught up on our reading.  What did all of us Loopers do at the end of the day??  We met at 5pm almost every evening and shared dips/chips and stories.  The marina owner let us use the large bay on the right to gather.  We brought our chairs, favorite liquid refreshment, and a dish to share.  My popcorn was a hit!  Salty and easy to nibble on as we swapped stories of our travels along the America’s Great Loop.

Occasionally, real boat conversations would spring up.  The men compared “engines”… some had Volvo engines, some Caterpillars, and some Yanmar.  Engine stuff, rpm, fuel use, and trouble shooting was encouraged.  How else do you figure out that you are “average” after all?!  Politics and religion are generally not discussed. Weather apps, weather prognostications, and who actually knows when the Erie will really open were all good topics.

I caught the owner’s cat taking a sip of water.  OR trying to catch a snack?  I am not really sure.

Didn’t I see this guy the other night?  He made it all the way from the boat several hundred yards to the sidewalk outside of the ladies room.  All in one day.  I told you he was moving on! haha

The word is that the Erie Canal will be opening soon.

Notice to Mariners

Central New York Canals Reopening

July 6, 2015

Mariners are advised that the Oswego Canal will reopen to all recreational and commercial vessel traffic at 8 am on Tuesday, July 7.

The Erie Canal from Lock E-23 (Brewerton) to Lock E-24 (Baldwinsville) will reopen to all recreational and commercial vessel traffic at 7 am on Tuesday, July 7.

Tomorrow, July 7th!   At least through the Oswego Canal.  Cross your fingers and toes that we don’t get anymore rain!!  There are 10 Loopers here at the marina all waiting breathlessly for the OK to move on!

Wait! One more visitor before I leave to go to Oswego.  I just have to share…

Wayne and I had left the boat to stretch our legs.  I looked over at the flower bed admiring the flowers as always when I stopped.  “Hey, Wayne!  Is that real?”  What?  That!!

SNAKE!

Here is a closer look!  The poor dear looked cold and just needed some of the sun’s warmth.  Head up.  Not moving.  Wasn’t sure if the marina owner put a rubber snake out on the lawn to scare the birds away.  Nope.  It was real!

Moon rising at sunset at the Winter Harbor Marina