From Dede's Perspective:

The McGuires and M/V HOPE are in Canada!!

We left Oswego Harbor on Thursday at sunrise. Had a beautiful ride up the eastern shore of Lake Ontario! Ontario is unique among the Great Lakes, with canals that radiate from its' shores; the Oswego and the Welland on the south side, and the Rideau and Trent-Severn on the north side with the St. Lawrence Seaway on the east. Lake Ontario also receives the discharge from the other four Great Lakes via the Niagara River and passes it to the St. Lawrence for its' ultimate flow to the sea. Although we waited for a "weather window" to cruise Lake Ontario, the winds tend to run up or down the lake and anything greater than 15mph is likely to cause an uncomfortable ride.

Although we are weeks behind our schedule (not sure if we even have a schedule!!), we decided to stop for the night in Sackets Harbor. This harbor is at the mouth of Black River Bay and protected by Navy Point. It reminds me of a "mini" Wickford albeit steep in history. Founded in 1801, it is considered the most historic town in upstate NY. During the War of 1812, Sackets Harbor was a major Great Lakes naval post as well as an important shipbuilding center.

We had a peaceful night against the harbor wall with one other cruiser. Arose early Friday morning for our trip into the Canadian waters. As we crossed over (no, there is no actual line of demarcation!), we came into Kingston, Ontario, Canada, flying our Canadian and Quarantine flags, as well as our USA flag. As we entered the Kingston area, we were surrounded by little "Opti and Laser" sail boats (unfortunately they were not there to escort us in; in fact, I think we entered in the middle of their race!). Kingston is considered the sailing capital of Canada, and actually was the site for the 1976 Olympic sailing event. Kingston is a major seaport and the gateway to the Thousand Islands. The city abounds with history, cultural and artistic events and fabulous dining and shopping!! During the 1800s shipbuilding and national defense prospered, and the city became the first capital of the Upper and Lower Canada's.

We cleared customs with no difficulty; however, we reached a point of frustration with the challenge of phone service!! Let me just say we spent HOURS, and finally got Jim a Canadian phone number with multiple restrictions around calls, data, etc. I turned my phone off, but realized very quickly that I could not live without it!! (Unbelievable how technology has changed our lives!). Anyway, I was able to (for a SMALL fee) tap into my existing plan with limitations on minutes, etc. I realized how very limited my technology exposure and experience has been and is...what is data, roaming, when do I turn it on, when do I turn it off, is accessing voice mail included in my minutes, etc, etc...).

We are at the Flora MacDonald Confederation Basin Marina with 300 other boats as the Canadians prepare to "whoop it up" for Canada Day July 1st...big party time!! Weather predictions have not been favorable for the last 2 days (predict heavy rains and strong gusts of wind...however, we still await the coming of that forecast...guess Canadian weather forecasters trained with those in RI...LOL).

We spent today exploring but a few of the Thousand Islands (yes, we became tourists)...there are 1800 or so actually,, and none ever go up for sale!! They are not to be missed! Many are small, well hidden and quite secluded. About 2/3s of these islands are situated inside the Canadian border. During the prohibition era, the place was a busy, secretive hive of activity where Canadians made their fortune selling alcohol to the American buyers.

Half Moon Bay is a natural rock bay formation on Bostwick Island that has been transformed into a summer place of worship for all. On Sunday afternoons during the summer, worshippers come to Half Moon Bay, remain in their boats to sing hymns, listen to guest preachers and participate in an ecumenical service! The "Cathedral" is said to be inspiring, humbling and natural! David Wallace of Boston, MA, owner of the island, died in 1906 and bequeathed it to be held in trust as a place of worship.

So, as we wait for the weather front to pass (actually, we are still waiting for it to arrive), we are planning our departure from this vibrant city...to head up the Rideau Canal to Ottawa! The locks on this canal were built in 1826, in continuous operation since and manually operated!!

Stay tuned...