From Oswego,NY and into Canada.

First, an update!  In my last post, I mentioned how I saw Sylvi and Michael with their sailboat on the side of the canal waiting on a tow.  They were towed and the problem was a blocked water intake for their motor, which was easily resolved. They made it to Oswego and were once again boat neighbors with me.

From Oswego, we headed to Sackett's Harbor, where Sylvi and Michael keep their sailboat.  It was a run across the lake, with calm waters, but a lot of fog. For most of the time, I couldn't see anything different from any direction... it all looked like this:

Lake Ontario -smooth, but foggy.

After a couple hours, the fog cleared, and I left Lake Ontario for the small town of Sackett's Harbor, where I met up with a few other boater friends. Barb and Ross, from Attitude Changer pulled in shortly after I did.   It was a social evening. The only concern I had to deal with was my shower sump pump, which had a bad float switch. One of my new boat neighbors, Tom, offered to take me to West Marine in the morning, where I was able to pick up a spare bilge pump and float switch.

Sunset at Sackett's Harbor

Lighthouse on way to Sackett's Harbor

After a quick trip to West Marine, we left Sackett's Harbor and headed up the St. Lawrence River to Clayton.  In Clayton, Midas Touch caught up with us, so we now have three boats in our little convoy.  Clayton is one of the towns along the Thousand Islands.  We were told of three things that one must do in the Thousand Islands:  The Antique Boat Museum, River Rat Cheese, and the Boldt Castle.  We managed to do all three.  The museum and cheese store are both in Clayton.  We spent two nights there, then headed north to Boldt Castle, which was our turning point to head back towards Lake Ontario and into Canada.

Downtown Clayton from the water

Boldt Castle on Heart Island

After a few hours touring Boldt Castle, we headed towards Gananoque, Ontario, Canada.  After arrival, we checked in with Canadian Customs through a payphone.  It is quite the contrast to what I have been accustomed to in Arizona.  Even at Boldt Castle, there was a U.S. Immigration office, which looked like the easiest job for a border patrol agent I have ever seen.  There were no lines, just a sign saying that if this was your first stop in the United States, check in.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Station at Boldt Castle

This morning, we left Gananoque and headed west. We are staying just west of Kingston, Ontario at Collins Bay Marina.  It has been very windy, which is hampering our progress into Canada.  The weather forecasts have not been accurate, when we can get them.  We are adjusting our plans accordingly.

It may be a while before I post another blog... internet is difficult to find, and the upload speeds are slower than slow.  It took hours to upload the five pictures on this post.  I had a lot more I wanted to share.  I have limited minutes on my phone.  Communication is proving to be difficult in Canada.

Happy Canada Day!