Day #2: On to Kingston, Ontario

Nellie on her mooring in Picton, Ontario

Good news, we survived the first night away from the dock.  Granted, our chances of not surviving were small--but still, they're not zero.  

Ontario's Spring has been slow in coming.  Today the temperature never made it above 60°F.  Lake Ontario is a chilly 49°F.  Spring runoff is causing widespread flooding.  It's also hemming us in.  The canals, Rideau to the north and Erie to the South, are closed due to high water.  This leaves only the St Lawrence as our pathway to the Atlantic.  

Bicki's proof that Kingston is incomplete without her.  

When I turned the anchor light on last night, Bicki recommended that I leave a reminder note to turn it off in the morning.  I didn't.  Thus today I committed the nautical faux pas of running 38 miles with an anchor light on.  While not the end of the world, it is a clear statement of incompetence.  Actually, two statements of incompetence: one, for leaving the light on and; two, for not listening to my wife's good advice.  Live and Learn.

38 miles from Picton to Kingston, Ontario

The winds picked up to 24 mph as we left Picton and stayed steady on our nose all the way to Kingston.  Some spume spotted the windows.  Other than that, it was a nice five hour cruise.

A total of 38 miles today, 68 miles in 2019 and, 8305 miles into the Great Loop.  Safely tired to the dock in Kingston's Confederation Basin.  DBH

Day #1: Goodbye Belleville, on to Picton.

Windy but calm seas in the Bay of Quinte.

We're underway!  It feels so good to say that. To get to this point we spent a week working on Nellie on the hard, and yet another week's work while she was in the water.  Today's shake down cruise went very well.  While our rear view camera failed 30 minutes into the journey everything else performed flawlessly.

Bicki looks stressed out on the dinghy ride into Picton.

The winds gusted to 20+ knots but on the narrow Bay of Quinte we never saw more than 1' swells.  It's nice to have an essay ride on the first day out.  Once in Picton we tied to the mooring ball belonging to the tug Hoot.  Being in the tug fraternity has all sorts of benefits ;-)

We took the dink ashore in Picton and had a nice walk around.  

John cooks ribs, it's what's for dinner.

It's 30 miles from Belleville, Ontario to Picton, Ontario.

It was a short but tiring day.  Clearly, the crew needs to develop their sea legs.  Happy to be away from the dock and in Picton, Ontario.  30 miles today and 8,268 miles into the Great Loop.  DBH.

Day #93: Winter Quarters in Belleville, Ontario

2018's 1800 mile loop.

We're back in Belleville so that's a wrap for 2018! In all 1,813 miles this year and 8,232 miles since leaving Naples in 2016.

24 miles from Napanee to Belleville, Ontario

It's a beautiful summer afternoon and we've started doing the myriad chores necessary to prepare Nellie for her winter hibernation. I can almost hear Nellie saying, "Wait, it's too soon to quit cruising." This echos every child's lament captured so well by this stanza:

And does it not seem strange to you,
when all the sky is clear and blue,
and I would like so much to play
to have to go to bed by day.

-- Robert Louis Stevenson, Bed in Summer

Until next 2019. DBH

Day #92: All the Way to Napanee, Ontario

With ships this size Nellie is clearly no longer in the shallow, narrow Rideau Canal.  

Our two day stay in Kingston was a day longer than planned as yesterday's 20 knot plus southwest winds pinned us down. However, the extra day was used to great effect. We found the Pan Chancho Bakery on Princess St. Their baguettes and cinnamon rolls are wonderful. In fact, to escape their siren call Bicki had to tie me to the mast.

Our very first port of call this cruising year was the village of Napanee. We thought it appropriate then that it be our last port of call too. Pictured above is the view heading up the Napanee River.

Electronic chatting is wonderful to have but you can't always trust it. In the photo above we're clearly in the Napanee River but the plotter shows us going over the land.

50 miles from Kingston to Napanee, Ontario.

Inspecting the engine's raw water strainer for grasses and other detritus is part of the  getting underway ritual.  It's not a fun job but neither is it usually an unpleasant one. Today was a definite exception. Lodged in the bottom of the strainer's basket were five unlucky and now two-day dead minnows. How five little fish can put off such an egregious odor is beyond understanding. Normally I empty the strainer's contents into the sink and then scoop up the goop with my hand and throw it overboard. This procedure started years ago when I realized that the stainless steel strainer basket costs $150 and accidentally dropping it overboard would be...unpleasant. Today, however, with eau de minnow wafting about, I couldn't get the strainer over the rail fast enough. And, although mightly tempted, I didn't drop it overboard--did I mention strainers cost $150?  Discouragingly, even properly disposed of the minnows "presence" remained aboard.

Update: after arriving in Napanee a passerby on the dock said, "What a beautiful tug but what's that horrible smell?" Seems there's still some clean up left to do.

Safely tied to Napanee's wall where we're driving the village's houseflies crazy. DBH

Day 90: The Rideau Ends in Kingston, Ontario

This morning while exiting Morton's Bay.

Working hard at Washburn Lock #5.

The winds hit 30 mph while going down the River Styx.

 In Greek mythology the River Styx divided the worlds of the living and the dead.  A ferryman transported the newly departed, for a fee, across the river.  In pre-canal times (1832) it was called the Cataraqui River, so it's probably a safe bet that using the name Styx was stygian humor by the Rideau's builders.  

23 miles from Morton's Bay to Kingston, Ontario.

Making it to Kingston is a milestone as here we cross our wake after completing an 1800 mile loop through New York, Vermont, Quebec, and Ontario.  

Tonight we're safely tied to the docks and celebrating in downtown Kingston, Ontario.  DBH

Day #89: At Anchor in Morton's Bay, Ontario

It's a good thing we have electronic charts as I wouldn't believe this constricted channel is the right way to go.

Nellie joins the crowd going through the Jones Falls Locks.

Interesting the things you don't know. In the picture above we're side-by-side with a beamy, 52' Californian. Still, there's plenty of room in the 35' wide lock as our combined beam (with fenders) is 27'-8". So, here's where the learning bit comes in. While descending we notice the lock's walls aren't straight up and down but rathered angled and pushing us towards our neighbor. In fact, the bottom of the lock is 4' narrower than the top. Now there's only 3'-4" between us. Again, close but doable.

Looking down the set of three locks at Jones Falls.

Notice the 1'-4" protrusion into the lock, just to the right of the bollard, on the left side of the picture above? Now, while departing, the space between us and the Californian is 2'. You get the picture, it's a tight fit. What seemed ample at the top was paultry at the bottom. Flash forward, we lived and no insurance companies were called.

A tight chicane into Morton's Bay.

9 miles from the Opinicon Resort to Morton's Bay, Ontario.

Tonight we're on the hook in Morton's Bay. It's a beautiful fjord with a very narrow entrance. We're all alone. Does it get any better? DBH

Day #88: What's the Opinicon, Ontario?

Narrow waterways abound.

Kayaks are nice as they don't crowd the narrow waterway.  However, just coming around the corner, and unseen in this picture, were three beamy 40' boats.

Narrow waterways are one thing.  Crowded, narrow, shallow waterways whose banks and bottoms are solid rock are quite another.  It's time to talk about the Canadian Shield.  According to Wikipedia it's "a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks." The key term here is rocks and I can attest to the fact that they're everywhere.  It's said that a captains only job is to keep the water out of the boat and the boat off the rocks.  Today that was a challenge.

After running the Shield's gauntlet we stumble across a little bit of heaven in the Opinicon Resort.  It has a dock, pool, hot tub, beautiful grounds, and great ice cream!

10 miles from Westport to Chaffey's Locks, Ontario.

The Opinicon Resort comes highly recommended. So, while cruising by we decided to stop in and check it out.  The dock hands welcomed us like long lost friends, until, that is, they heard we didn't have reservations.  "We're fully booked", is not something you want to hear, but they were.  After a moment's silence, and after their appreciative looks at Nellie, we heard "But I think we can fit you in."  Grateful to be on the very full Opinicon docks.  DBH