Picture shows; Fair winds out on Lake Ontario

A few more pics on Google Photos; https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lay14AQ77S99NeWQ9

Summer finally arrived in Ontario, albeit somewhat late. Temperatures began to rise, and we were able to throw off the extra blankets at night - not before time!

After completing lots of (long put off) maintenance tasks on the boat we bade farewell to Peter and Pat and our friends in Port Whitby and had a great sail east along the Lakeshore to Cobourg, where we spent a few days anchored inside the breakwater. It was fun watching all the Cobourg Yacht Club boats vying for position as they raised sails in the harbour for their race night. We launched the dinghy and made several runs ashore checking out shops and cafes. The water level in the lakes had shown no sign of abating and although Cobourg marina was open, they had no power to the docks as the power cables were underwater.

Next stop was a pretty, peaceful anchorage in Prince Edward Bay; Van Dousens point is off the beaten track and we were the only boat there. An eagle appeared in the early evening and perched atop a dead tree, an ideal vantage point for spotting its prey. We watched transfixed as it swooped down to strike and flew away with a fish supper held in its talons. Early morning brought three deer down to the water's edge, making their way around the shoreline in the trees, oblivious to us sipping our first cuppa in the cockpit!

From there we headed toward Kingston, dropping the anchor en route in Kerr Bay on Amherst Island. This anchorage is about 16 miles from Kingston and its close proximity makes it popular with locals. We were one of 15 boats anchored there but there's plenty of room for all. Again, there was ample opportunity for spotting wildlife; deer on the shoreline, a pair of hunting Osprey, and numerous Terns performing their dive- bombing fishing technique kept us entertained. I, Belinda, took my first swim in the Lake this year, it was still quite chilly but invigorating! Kit prefers the water temperature to be 30C before he dons his swimmers!

We're now in Kingston, a favourite place of ours. This is our fourth visit in three years, so we know where to find the best shops, cafes and bars. We arrived on Canada Day, July 1st, dropped anchor and watched the celebratory firework displays from the water.

Unfortunately, we'd discovered that our radar is not working but had managed to find an electronics engineer near Kingston to take a look. Obviously, we had to check into the marina for him to come aboard so we've taken a week alongside. The Furuno radar unit we have has been a good one but is now quite old, and despite his best efforts, the engineer couldn't breathe life into it!

Replacement parts are not now available, and radar will be essential for when we hit fog in Nova Scotia, which by all accounts is unavoidable. With no easy fix, we had no option but to order a new one - making quite a dent in the bank balance!

So, we're waiting for the new unit to be delivered and fitted, hopefully in a few days. Meanwhile we're enjoying the delights of Kingston, which just happens to be hosting a 'Busker Festival'; it's fun wandering around town with street entertainers drawing crowds on many corners. The antics of one guy, 'Kilted Colin' were incredible. Not only did he play 'Scotland the Brave' on bagpipes whilst riding a 10 ft unicycle, but he juggled three knives at the same time!! That was definitely worth a donation in his Scottish hat!

The last three days have brought high temperatures and high humidity, combining to feel like 40C and making us feel whacked by the afternoon. Happily a 'cold' front just passed through cooling things down to a manageable 25C -long may it last!