Just as we were getting up and ready to start the trek west on the Erie Canal, we received word that the dam at Lock 13 needed repairs. It would be 5-6 days before the Locks at 12-14 would be operational. A few days later it was revised to 2-3 weeks. It is now day 13. Next Thursday the locks will open up for three days and then shut down for the season. We will be there at 7 am.
The good: we are tied up at the free floating dock at the Waterford NY Visitors Center. We have power, water, close by laundromat and supermarket. Last weekend I had opportunity to take a trip to Ontario to visit family and this weekend we are in Montreal to visit family. Life is good!
It is getting downright cold in the evenings all thru to the next morning.
Naples is beckoning.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
to September 11 - the last two months (Part One)
Well, here we go again. This is the third year in a row that I lost steam while cruising and stopped blogging. I have all the excuses you ever want to hear.
We have had an incredible summer. It has been all about good food, incredible scenery, fun meet ups with fellow boaters, visits to boatyards, and setting some plans for the next couple of summers. We were thrilled to meet up with son Jason and his wife Shayna as they travelled to Nova Scotia, and niece Emily and her husband Seth and grandniece Morgan on their way to Acadia Park.
Maine is incredible. It was much easier than we thought it would be. We expected difficulty in finding reasonable places to stay, in avoiding rocks, in getting fogged in, etc. etc. But aside from fog (and we found ourselves comfortable with it), it all worked out. There are wonderful, secluded areas in Maine where it is just you and me and the dog.
We toyed with the idea of leaving the boat up there but couldn't quite come to terms with leaving the boat out in the cold and freezing its little hull off. Then when we began to think about where we would like to cruise in 2014 and 2015, we decided Brewerton, NY would be the best starting point. Rusty wants to do Lake Superior as well as the Down East Loop (around Gaspe and Nova Scotia). I do too. If we do Lake Superior in 2014, we would do the Down East Loop in 2015 and then leave the boat in Maine. By that time Rusty will be 70 and our need to explore unfamiliar waters might be satisfied. Maine is that beautiful that we can see ourselves spending our summers there on the boat.
For the record:
July 19-20 - After a meet up with Emily and family in Richmond, we headed back to Bath in time for the opening of the farmers market at the waterfront. Artisan cheese, breads, micro-greens, all yummy. A new coffee maker using lower wattage was purchased.
July 21 - The timing of the currents along the 14 mile stretch between Bath and Boothbay was tricky. There was Upper and Lower Hell's Gates and we had to pick our poison as to which one was going to be a ride for us. It just so happened that as we zoomed along we met a tour boat and passed it with no more than two feet between us. Rusty says going into Montreal was scarier for him as pilot, but for me as passenger, this stretch took the prize. We ended up at Five Guys Island on a free mooring and then blew it by getting two, almost three lb. lobsters. They were so big we had to cook them one at a time. The second one became really good lobster rolls the next day.
July 22/23 - Boothbay was a short run. Touristy. Met Deb and David, Significant Other, fellow Monk 36 owners and had drinks with them on our boat. They brought over some really tasty boiled shrimp and shared their recipe!
July 24 - In spite of the fog, we left Boothbay and hoped to get to Round Pond. 4-5 ft. rollers changed our mind and we ducked into a good anchorage in Poorhouse Cove. Winds blew like crazy later on.
July 25-27 - Six hours of choppy water and we were in Rockland, spending two days on a mooring ball. We were able to dinghy in and enjoy the town from time to time. Rainy and windy, that is what I remember. And an organic market that sold incredible local yogurt. Some of the creamiest we have tasted. On the 27th, we pulled up to the dock for their two hour complementary tie-up to view the Wyeth art at the Farnsworth Museum. We scooted over to Belfast and moored not more than 100 yards from the dinghy dock. The significance is that Rusty rows and we don't have to attach the motor to the dinghy.
July 28-30. We love Belfast. Vibrant downtown, interesting shops, great foodie shops and yet it has a (very) small town feel. Met up with Dick & Suzy, Cerca Trova, fellow Monk36 owners over drinks and dinner. They have given us the idea of leaving the boat in Maine. Went to a books signing event in honor of former Senator Olympia Snow. Met up with Don & Margaret, former Monk36 owners we met in Fernandino Beach, FL two years ago. They had witnessed our dinghy and motor overturning in 45 MPH winds. Of such begin the bonds of friendship. They told us about Chase.
We went on Tuesday morning and were blown away. It is a farm to table type restaurant that also sells their farm products in a big area at the back of the restaurant. The freshest herbs and veggies I have ever seen (except maybe at the Jean Talon market in Montreal). Their bakery has some things available early morning but the breads come out at around 10:30. If you show up at 11:30, you are out of luck. They make a terrific baguette and these tomato/cheese tartlettes that taste so good. They are open one day (Fridays) for dinner and if you want to make a reservation you need to do it weeks in advance. "if you know when you will be vacationing here next summer, that is a good time to make the dinner reservation."
Tuesday noon we headed to Smith's Cove, a short two hour run, to anchor near Eric Clapton's Blue Guitar.
July 31-Aug 1 - The weather was good and we decided it was time for me to put on some cetol on the hand and cap rails. Rusty helped with the prep work which made everything go faster. Just about the time I was finishing, we received a call from Jason and Shayna. They were passing through and we were delighted to be able to meet them for dinner in Castine, only a dinghy ride away from the anchorage. The next day we headed back to Belfast look at boat cushions that Don and Margaret had but we discovered that all Monks do not have the same settee footprint. Within two hours we were on our way again and on to Broad Cove in Islesboro, but not before we ran up to Chase for some more tartlettes.
We have had an incredible summer. It has been all about good food, incredible scenery, fun meet ups with fellow boaters, visits to boatyards, and setting some plans for the next couple of summers. We were thrilled to meet up with son Jason and his wife Shayna as they travelled to Nova Scotia, and niece Emily and her husband Seth and grandniece Morgan on their way to Acadia Park.
Maine is incredible. It was much easier than we thought it would be. We expected difficulty in finding reasonable places to stay, in avoiding rocks, in getting fogged in, etc. etc. But aside from fog (and we found ourselves comfortable with it), it all worked out. There are wonderful, secluded areas in Maine where it is just you and me and the dog.
We toyed with the idea of leaving the boat up there but couldn't quite come to terms with leaving the boat out in the cold and freezing its little hull off. Then when we began to think about where we would like to cruise in 2014 and 2015, we decided Brewerton, NY would be the best starting point. Rusty wants to do Lake Superior as well as the Down East Loop (around Gaspe and Nova Scotia). I do too. If we do Lake Superior in 2014, we would do the Down East Loop in 2015 and then leave the boat in Maine. By that time Rusty will be 70 and our need to explore unfamiliar waters might be satisfied. Maine is that beautiful that we can see ourselves spending our summers there on the boat.
For the record:
July 19-20 - After a meet up with Emily and family in Richmond, we headed back to Bath in time for the opening of the farmers market at the waterfront. Artisan cheese, breads, micro-greens, all yummy. A new coffee maker using lower wattage was purchased.
July 21 - The timing of the currents along the 14 mile stretch between Bath and Boothbay was tricky. There was Upper and Lower Hell's Gates and we had to pick our poison as to which one was going to be a ride for us. It just so happened that as we zoomed along we met a tour boat and passed it with no more than two feet between us. Rusty says going into Montreal was scarier for him as pilot, but for me as passenger, this stretch took the prize. We ended up at Five Guys Island on a free mooring and then blew it by getting two, almost three lb. lobsters. They were so big we had to cook them one at a time. The second one became really good lobster rolls the next day.
July 22/23 - Boothbay was a short run. Touristy. Met Deb and David, Significant Other, fellow Monk 36 owners and had drinks with them on our boat. They brought over some really tasty boiled shrimp and shared their recipe!
July 24 - In spite of the fog, we left Boothbay and hoped to get to Round Pond. 4-5 ft. rollers changed our mind and we ducked into a good anchorage in Poorhouse Cove. Winds blew like crazy later on.
July 25-27 - Six hours of choppy water and we were in Rockland, spending two days on a mooring ball. We were able to dinghy in and enjoy the town from time to time. Rainy and windy, that is what I remember. And an organic market that sold incredible local yogurt. Some of the creamiest we have tasted. On the 27th, we pulled up to the dock for their two hour complementary tie-up to view the Wyeth art at the Farnsworth Museum. We scooted over to Belfast and moored not more than 100 yards from the dinghy dock. The significance is that Rusty rows and we don't have to attach the motor to the dinghy.
July 28-30. We love Belfast. Vibrant downtown, interesting shops, great foodie shops and yet it has a (very) small town feel. Met up with Dick & Suzy, Cerca Trova, fellow Monk36 owners over drinks and dinner. They have given us the idea of leaving the boat in Maine. Went to a books signing event in honor of former Senator Olympia Snow. Met up with Don & Margaret, former Monk36 owners we met in Fernandino Beach, FL two years ago. They had witnessed our dinghy and motor overturning in 45 MPH winds. Of such begin the bonds of friendship. They told us about Chase.
We went on Tuesday morning and were blown away. It is a farm to table type restaurant that also sells their farm products in a big area at the back of the restaurant. The freshest herbs and veggies I have ever seen (except maybe at the Jean Talon market in Montreal). Their bakery has some things available early morning but the breads come out at around 10:30. If you show up at 11:30, you are out of luck. They make a terrific baguette and these tomato/cheese tartlettes that taste so good. They are open one day (Fridays) for dinner and if you want to make a reservation you need to do it weeks in advance. "if you know when you will be vacationing here next summer, that is a good time to make the dinner reservation."
Tuesday noon we headed to Smith's Cove, a short two hour run, to anchor near Eric Clapton's Blue Guitar.
July 31-Aug 1 - The weather was good and we decided it was time for me to put on some cetol on the hand and cap rails. Rusty helped with the prep work which made everything go faster. Just about the time I was finishing, we received a call from Jason and Shayna. They were passing through and we were delighted to be able to meet them for dinner in Castine, only a dinghy ride away from the anchorage. The next day we headed back to Belfast look at boat cushions that Don and Margaret had but we discovered that all Monks do not have the same settee footprint. Within two hours we were on our way again and on to Broad Cove in Islesboro, but not before we ran up to Chase for some more tartlettes.
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