Clayton NY Layover
01 September 2015 | Clayton NY
We needed to check back into the US as soon as we crossed that invisible line...so we choose Clayton NY, a mere seven miles from our anchorage in Brakey Bay. Finding the customs videophone was another issue. It wasn't evident on the charts and our VHF conversations weren't very fruitful. Finally a powerboater directed us to the far eastern end of the Clayton harbor, and we found the floating docks with a (very) small sign indicating the check in point. Easy peasy after that!
What great luck that our dockhand advised us to try the new marina at the far east side of the city. The marina is so new it doesn't have attendants yet...and thus there is NO CHARGE!. Lovely floating docks with power and water, restrooms with showers...what more could we want! We docked our 50+ feet on a 30 foot dock and vowed to put Luci lights on the mast to warn anyone of our extended length. We even had our own swimming pool right off the back of the boat!
A call to Linda and Bob Hagemann got us scheduled for a dinner on the town. (Bob and Linda are Julie's in-laws who live in Watertown, a short drive away). Cocktails on the boat were followed by a delicious dinner at the new hotel just steps away from the marina.
The next day Linda drove me the few miles to the laundromat and grocery store.... thank you, Linda!!! I never could have made that in a walk. We did a bit of shopping in a great cheese shop as well. When we returned to the marina we spotted Uproar mid-channel. Unfortunately, she was aground. It took and hour and a half, and the wake from a powerboat to set her free. But she was able to get to a face dock on a second attempt and the two crews had a great reunion. We will be traveling together now through the end of October.
Monday we toured the Antique Boat Museum. What a treat! Lots of woodies from canoes to speedboats. The guys were lusting over the sexy outboard engines. Lisa and I just admired the woodwork. I would love to try a sailing canoe named 'Pixie'.
Clayton is a lovely little town. It has lots of shops and great restaurants all within walking distance of the marina (except for the grocery and laundromat). We loved dinner at Bella's... a restaurant with a deck on the riverfront where we watched an incredible sunset. On the more practical side, it has an Ace Hardware and a NAPA store, both of which we utilized as we worked on projects during our free dockage allowance. This is a difficult place to leave as it has so much to offer at so little cost.
But we need to be moving on, so we make plans to head out the St Lawrence River to Lake Ontario.