Bath Ontario "Loyalist Bay Marina"

Monday June 8, 2015

44 10.959 N

76 45.799 W

The wild weather lasted until the wee hours. Deidre went to bed at about 11 PM after the Tonys, I stayed for a couple of hours more just to convince myself that the anchor was doing the job. At about 3 AM a line of thunder storms rolled thru to add to the fun. After that the wind seemed to settle down to a steady 20/25 knots and we both slept.

The morning dawned gray and windy. It seemed too stormy to approach the marina so we decided to hold off till about noon when the Canadian weather people said the winds would abate. Soon after 11 there seemed to be a break in the weather and we decided to haul up the anchor and head to the marina. All went well and we were secure by Noon. Cavara followed us in 15 minutes later. It was nice to be on terra firma.

We were both flying the yellow flag and so first thing was to call customs and clear into Canada. The appeal of Bath is that there are no Customs agents present, one clears-in on the phone, and that only took about 15 minutes. The rest of the day we attended to boat duties - putting up the mast and radio aerials, washing the decks, loading water, changing fuel filters, sorting out the wifi etc etc. Don and Barb visited Tide Hiker for champagne dinner.

Loyalist Cove - Bath Ontario - yellow flag

Power at the dock was only 15 amps (at 110 V). In the USA we are used to 50 amps (at 220 V). We will need to get used to this idea in Canada. We kept blowing the breaker on the dock. To use the toaster I needed to shut down the battery charger and the freezer!

Kerr Bay (Anchorage)

Sunday June 7, 2015

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Today I called AT&T and received a "reminder" that we were going to Canada – a miserable “emergency” 200 mg monthly data plan for Canada cost $60.00! Our allowance in the USA is 15 gig and we have to ration our use to stay within that ceiling. When we were in Canada two years ago we were not even allowed to buy a local cell phone (or sim card) because we were foreigners.

It was a last minute decision to leave Oswego today. The forecast for Monday was not good and so we would be waiting until Tuesday if we did not leave NOW! At about 10:30 AM we decided to leave at Noon for the 48 NM run across Lake Ontario. Deidre, Don and I made a quick trip to Walmart and then returned the car while Barb was at the laundromat. I radioed the last lock and asked for a Noon opening and we both made it.

We have a reservation at a marina in Bath, Ontario for Monday, but we were not sure if they could take us today (it is a small place) especially as we would be arriving late. So we had a good looking anchorage as a back-up. A front was expected in the area over night with 25 kt winds.

The lake was pretty calm and we made a good start. The lake is very deep – over 600 feet and too deep for our depth sounders. We had planned a 7 hour run, but an hour or so after departure Cavara reported an oil leak and they had to shut down an engine while Don attempted repairs. Amazingly Cavara was able to manage 6 knots on one engine, so we did not lose too much progress. A couple of hours later the hose was replaced and we resumed our normal pace.

We were had anchors down by 7:30 PM with two hours of daylight remaining. The anchorage offered good protection from all points south, which is exactly what we needed. We were expecting bad weather from the South and South West so I laid out just about every inch of the 225' feet of chain in the locker, The anchor seemed to set pretty well. Soon after we arrived a couple of loons paid us a visit. I should have taken a photo - they are elegant birds. As they dived, the water was so clear (with no sun) that we could see them swimming under the water.

By 10 PM (as we watched the “Tonys” on TV), the wind really got up significantly. I went up on the bridge to check the wind speed (our gauge is up there) and immediately lost my hat overboard in the dark. It was blowing about 35 MPH and over the next few hours it gusted way above that. I abandoned the next trip up to the bridge after the wind blew my glasses off my face - I was lucky to rescue them before they went over board. Probably the most wind we have anchored in our 3 plus years on the water.

Oswego - free wall

Friday June 5, 2015
43 27.341 N
76 30.489 W

Easy day today, just 18 miles and 5 locks. We arrived in Oswego at about 11:30 AM and tied to the wall with the usual minor drama and running around. Soon as we were settled we unloaded a bike and I rode over to the post office and picked up the mail - everything we expected was there. Back on Tide Hiker I paid all the bills and signed our tax returns, then back to the PO. Purchased 6 gallons of oil at NAPA on the way back. At 4 PM we headed to the movies to see "San Andreas" which was fun.

Wearing our special 3-d glasses

Saturday, June 6, 2015

This morning I realized that I made a strategic mistake when parking the boat on the wall - we are exactly adjacent to a high rise building that puts the boat in a shadow all morning - so no solar power! We have not needed to run a generator since we left the yard - we have been cruising almost every day and the solar has been quietly picking up the slack. So this morning we decided to fire up a generator so that Deidre could do the washing and we could put a few amps back into the batteries.

Barb and Don had rented a car and headed off to pick a spare alternator and to visit Barbs old stomping grounds in Albany. Deidre went with them for the ride. I stayed back to attend to some jobs and keep an eye on the boats. The radio was on and I heard a familiar voice calling the lock  - could it really be??? Two years ago we had palled up with an Aussie and a Kiwi on "Headquarters" and here they were. They had stored their boat for almost two years and been back in NZ, and only picked it up the day before. An amazing coincidence. It was a fun reunion involving a few beers and dinner out.

Oswego - panels now in the sun

Phoenix, NY (Free Dock)

Thursday June 4, 2015
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Another shortish, quick and easy day in pleasant conditions. A 5/10 southerly helped us the 18 miles over the lake. Followed by another 11 miles to the junction with the Oswego Canal at Three Rivers" and then just a couple of miles north to this little town.

We have passed this place twice before and it looked "festive and fun" but never stopped. Today, it is dead as a dodo. We have found a "sports bar" where we can watch the cavaliers tonight in game #1.

Sylvan Beach - Bulkhead

Wednesday June 3, 2015
43 11.758 N
75 43.651 W

Woke to a cool but sunny day. Underway at 8 AM. (Note that I do not write "before 8AM" or "about 8AM". This is because each evening we agree with Cavara on a departure time for the next morning and that's just that!) Overnight the Cottonwood spores had covered parts of the canal from side to side. You can see it caught up next to the lock gate in the photo below.

We are learning to "stop and smell the roses", so we have decided to spend the night in Sylvan Beach, where the waterway crosses Lake Oneida. We have passed this little old holiday town twice on the previous trip and looked longingly at the carnival and ice cream shops. It was a short day (23 NM) and so arrived and tied up to the wall before lunch. We 4 unloaded our bikes and rode into town for lunch.

Near Rome - Bulkhead - Lock 20

Tuesday, June 2, 2015
43 08.617 N
75 17.558 W

Maybe it will stop raining today? Seemed to rain all night again. Tide Hiker was very soggy when we awoke. Cavara negotiated an early start today - 7:30 AM - as we want to make some miles in this soggy weather. We are outside lock 14 and want to make it 39 NM thru lock 20 AND stop in St. Johnsville for fuel AND stop in Utica to pick up a part that Don has ordered.

St Johnsville has the last "cheap fuel" for a thousand miles or so. We will just be "topping up" with about 125 gallons Their price is $2.90 tax paid - in Canada it will be over $5.00. Our stop in Utica was cancelled - the part was not shipped.

The wet weather seems to be lifting, the overcast a bit higher. At Little Falls we rode up the deepest of the locks - a 40' lift. (AKA Lock 17). May not sound much but when you are "in the hole" looking up, its very deep.

We made it to Lock 20 with about 5 minutes to spare (The locks close for pleasure craft at 5 PM) The weather was clearing and the sun was peeking in and out. We tied up to the wall on the west side of the lock and put out some lawn chairs and enjoyed a beer in the watery sun.

There seems to be an improved tow path along this section of the canal. It seems popular with the locals and we see a lot of people biking and dog walking. A lady walking a dog visited with us and offered to give us a ride to the local super market.

Still and gray morning

Lock 17 entrance - enter UNDER the gate

The door dropping down

Inside Lock 17

Where the canal workers sleep

Some of the approaches are a little "Gotham City"

Tide to the wall just after Lock 20

Canajoharie (Free dock)

Monday June 1, 2015
42 54 584 N
74 34 150 W

Another cold and wet morning. Aloha Friday decided to stay put, Tide Hiker and Cavara were underway at 8 AM because we had miles we needed to cover. It was another cold and wet day, but at least not too windy. When underway we huddled in the wheelhouse with the heater on, but we had to be outside in the locks.

Talking about locks for a moment. Deidre and I have a pretty slick system. There are two ways to secure the boat in the lock:

A. By "holding" lines that are draped down the side - usually one on the bow and one at the stern. The lines are typically cold, wet and very slimy. As we approach Deidre stands outside the Pilothouse door and "calls" the distances to the target line. When I stop the boat adjacent to a line at the bow, she runs forward, grabs a boat hook, snares the weighted line and drops it on the bow deck and heads aft. At the stern she calls directions and distances till she can snare an aft line with a boat hook. Then I run to the bow and secure that line and she does the same on the stern.

That is the easy bit. A slimy 20' - 40' almost vertical rope provides very little leverage "advantage" to hold a 35 ton boat in place. We need to be very careful to keep fingers and feet safe from the strain on the lines. And when its windy and raining...........

B. Some of the renovated locks have installed structural pipes recessed in the side of the locks. Deidre guides me to line up our mid ships haws-hole with the pipe. When roughly in place she threads a heavy line around the pipe and back thru the haws-hole and secures it on the horns. That holds the boat in place and all we have to do is keep the boat parallel with the sides of the lock.  This is a much better system but is only available in about 20% of the locks.

Tide Hiker secured midships in the lock. 

Barb on the bow tending her lock line

Today we made it to Canajoharie where there is 150' of city floating dock with free power and water. We have been here twice before and remember the volunteer "dock master" - David Johnson and his son "Nick". We called him a few miles out and he met us at the dock. The quid pro quo is to spend some money in town - we went out to dinner at the local Italian place.

It seemed to rain all night.