There is something magical about charts. I find myself staring at them imagining private little coves and undiscovered beaches, wide rivers with wooded cliffs, historic towns with charming walks... Anyway, I was hooked so off the family went.
Day 1. The drive up I-83 to I-81 took us through Syracuse, NY straight to Watertown and was exceptionally scenic and mostly uncrowded: 500 miles of rolling farmland spiced with an occasional junkyard. A much more pleasant drive than south to Florida. Some of the hills slowed us down to 45, but it was 70 going down hill. The M-26X towed well. I added a small sway bar to the hitch and should have emptied the fuel tanks before setting out (for a little more tongue weight). Stopping for gas in Frickville, PA, we were lured to Grandma's Restaurant by the 30' tall statue of "Grandma" outside. Turned out to be a neat, antique filled place with player piano music and terrific food. Back in the van, the newly replaced (3 day old) transmission seemed reluctant to move us. A quick check of the fluid level showed none on the stick. Three quarts later we were moving but the remainder of the trip (1300 miles) took 1 quart per 100 miles. At least the oil covered trailer will be well protected from rust! (See "Selecting a New Tow Vehicle" in a future issue) Our destination was the town of Henderson with a quiet free ramp and vehicle storage area recommended by my M-65 purchaser who lives near Rochester and plans to take the M-65 up the Hudson, through the Erie Canal to Rochester next spring. (See "Cap't Jim's Erie Canal Adventure in a future issue) The nine miles from I-81 to Henderson were "under construction". Down here that means bumpy asphalt, up there it means no road . Eventually, we found the "town" ramp and were surprised to find a Lightning Regatta underway. Over 100 19' Lightnings converge for an annual 5 day regatta.
Day 2. After spending our first night aboard, Steven and I rigged the mast, sails, etc. while Joyce and Janet unloaded the van and packed the boat. Normal rules of packing prevailed: about 5 times too much stuff. I never seem to learn. We took fishing rods, snorkeling gear, foul weather gear, heavy hiking boots and enough supplies for a month. We ended up wearing shorts or swim suits, flip-flops, T-shirts and eating almost all meals ashore starting with a great breakfast in nearby Henderson Harbor at an inn overlooking the water. Fresh Raspberry and Blueberry pancakes...mm-mm! Nearby Henderson Marine Service provided a convenient spot to purchase a local chart and port guide book. Charter sailboats were available (for those who can't take their own boat) and bed & breakfasts are plentiful for an auto trip.
Back at the ramp, launching was quickly accomplished, thanks to the 9" draft of the M-26X and soon we were on our way, in light winds under power, to Sackett, a small historic town about 7 miles up the Black River and best remembered for its role as defender of the U S Coastline during the War of 1812. Sackett is a beautiful old town with a great natural harbor (free docking for visitors), quaint local taverns and historic fort. After a sumptuous lunch and walking town tour, we departed at 5 p.m. Still no real wind, although plenty for the Lightning sailors heading back to Henderson. You can imagine their surprise as we blasted past the fleet at 20 mph. I should have brought the water skis to make the shock complete. Janet and Steven have skied behind the M-26X with no problems. We picked a likely looking island about 12 miles away as our destination and were soon anchored and swimming in clear, but very grassy 7 - 10" water. Using snorkel equipment and mini wet suits, it was like swimming in an aquarium, through and around the green tendrils that extended to the surface. Holding was poor, and when 15-18 knots of breeze came up it took 3 anchors to stay put.
Day 3. Explored a nearby rocky "island" that used to be a peninsula before a recent storm severed the thin connection with the main island, stranding several old buildings and wharves (complete with rotting barge.) One wonders what was there years ago, as concrete foundations with chimneys standing like sentries were discovered under a tangle of weeds and fallen trees. Probably a grand old house. After our morning walk we set sail for Cape Vincent a few miles away right at the mouth of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Most of the small towns along the St. Lawrence seem to have had their boom in the late 1800's and were forgotten by the '20's except for a colorful history of rum smuggling. Cape Vincent had its share of 1812 action, but the N Y State Fisheries station with displays and aquariums we found more interesting. Lunch at Aubrey's, whose owner recently died, reminded us to party hearty--life is so short. The beckoning breeze drew us further down river: 13 miles mostly wing and wing at 5 knots with 1 knot current. The Bimini top was a lifesaver as the sun was very warm. Daytime temperatures averaged 85%, about 7% cooler with less humidity than home. Nights required a sheet with a blanket by dawn except for one warmer night where our 12v fan was used for several hours.
Tying up at the town dock at Clayton at 50c per foot (suddenly 26' instead of 65' helps out!) we were right next to the wooden power boat museum. The family elected to stroll around town while I feasted on shiny varnished "rum-runners" and various other small and large historic craft Closing time came too soon and we met for dinner at the "Thousand Island Inn", originator of the salad dressing recipe. We bumped a bit at the town dock with local boat traffic well into the night.
Day 4. The family refused to budge so I walked into town for a hearty breakfast including venison sausage and some conversation with a lively young lady of 75 or so who entertained me with tales from her 50 years in town. Back at the boat sleepy heads were still in bed so in the early morning calm I flogged Mr. Johnson 11 miles downstream in 35 minutes to the town of Alexandria Bay, a shameless tourist trap which capitalized years ago on the narrow river for whitewater canoe trips and fishing. This is the heart of the Thousand Island area with many beautiful old homes, some covering the small island rocks upon which they stand. Some are open for tours or are B & B's. The river is placid now. The completion of the St. Lawrence Canal/ Seaway project in the 60's included several locks and dams to control the river and increase navigability. Some homes and islands were lost to rising water levels. We enjoyed motoring around and through a never-ending wonderland of quiet coves, waterfront homes and old boats.
We enjoyed a late breakfast buffet on a floating barge with a scenic view of Bolt Castle directly across the river on Heart Island. As the story goes, in 1904 4 years of work by up to 300 workmen at a cost of $2.5 million stopped suddenly upon the death of George Bolt's beloved wife, Louise. The 127-room extravaganza with two other smaller castles was never completed. It made a fascinating tour and was the highlight of the trip. Escaping from Alexandria Bay with its 7 disco nightclubs nestled among hotels of long faded glory, we motored over to the Canadian side, stopping for a swim near Wellesly Island State Park. The boundary line zigzags along the river around the islands to accommodate the then residents who felt Canadian or American. Wellesly Island formerly belonged to George Bold, part of his vast farm holdings used to supply meat and dairy products to his N Y city hotel, The Waldorf Astoria. The shallower river water was warmer than the lake providing a very refreshing swim. Despite spotting more fish here while snorkeling I never did break out the fishing gear I had brought along. The Canadian town of Ganaoque (Gan-an-ock-way) 20 miles west of Alexandria Bay had a well run municipal marina and a local waterfront fine dining inn provided dinner. Being early birds we got away with our casual attire. A festival was underway with a rock concert on a nearby point of land next to the marina. Janet and Steve went while Joyce and I fended off mosquitoes in the cockpit.
Day 5. The Blinkbonnie Inn, a fine old mansion turned hotel, provided an outstanding breakfast, and we set out through the Admiralty Islands about 10:30 a.m. for Henderson, 40 miles away. The wind is fluky in the Thousand Islands area. Some little bays had boats heeled over, others 2 to 5 miles away were flat calm. We did some sailing, then stopped in a rocky cove for swimming and lunch where a large power boat wake dislodged our anchor leaving us scurrying to get underway after retrieving the children and avoiding a collision with an inhospitable shoreline. Back through the Lightning Fleet we went (Yes, they were still sailing in the light breeze). Dropping the mast and pulling the boat out on the trailer at 4:30 went quickly. In 6 hours we had covered 40 miles including time for sailing, swimming, island exploring and retrieving the boat on the trailer. The freedom a little extra speed offers is amazing. Driving back to Syracuse we took highway 20 West which parallels I- 90 but at a slower pace, and ended up at a campground in Waterloo ($15/night).
Day 6. Leaving the boat at the campground, we hit I-90 and were among the first visitors to the country's oldest National Park, Niagara Falls. We bit for the whole deal: Maid of the Mist boat trip, Cave of the Winds Falls drenching, scenic movie, garden tour and a walk to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The hydroelectric demands have cut water flow over the falls in half halting the erosion at the falls to an acceptable foot a year. The falls are still very impressive, well worth the trip. Driving into Canada, we followed the Niagara River Park along the shoreline all the way to scenic Niagara-on-the-Lake to a sandy beach for a break. The Niagara River below the falls is a sailing Mecca for boats heading out onto 50 mile wide Lake Ontario which was at its most beautiful in the late afternoon sun, sails dotting the horizon as far as the eye could see.
Cutting diagonally back to our Waterloo campground, we stopped briefly along the banks of the Erie Canal in Lockville where we were tempted to take a 2 hour boat tour, but vowed instead to do the whole Hudson River, Erie Canal, Lakes Ontario, Erie, Michigan, Superior, Huron . . . "one day".
The drive home was pleasant: we just kept adding transmission fluid to "Old Faithful" and laughed when we saw Larry Blair towing his new 26X north bound to his "Great Lakes Adventure". I leave you with Cap't Jim's formula for good times: north in summer, south in winter, spring and fall on the Bay. Happy Sailing!
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