Our first trip to Canada has been quite an experience. We made it to Kingston, Ontario late Saturday afternoon. The post popular marina, the Confederation Basin Marina, was full. There was a huge sailboat race going on with sailors from all over – some nationally known. There was also the Taste of Kingston going on. So Kingston was very busy! We found a slip at the Kingston Marina just around the bend. We did have to wait for the swing bridge to open however. It opens on the hour and we missed it by 12 minutes. Our timing is not always the best! Anyway we floated around watching the sailboats and everything else going on. Finally the whistle blew and the bridge opened. We made it in to the marina without any problems, although the wind didn't help us any. We could have this slip for only one night because the person that leases it would be back on Sunday. No problem. We'd find another one. When we finally landed, Mike had to go make the official call to check in to customs. That's all it took, was a phone call. Now we are legally in Canada! After that he took a bike trip into town to see what he could see. He was back in about an hour and said the town was hoppin'! We planned to check it out later. However, that didn't happen. Too tired…… So the next morning we hopped on our bikes to give it a look.
We rode over to the Confederation Basin to see if we could get a slip. We knew of several Loopers who were there and were planning to leave. They wouldn't take a reservation but told us we shouldn't have a problem. We rode around for a little while then headed back to get the boat ready to move. Everything went as planned. The guy who needed his slip back was on the other side of the bridge waiting for it to open. We were also waiting for it to open so we could move over to the new marina. Sometimes our timing is good. We were able to get a slip immediately. No problem. This is a huge marina, but not really well organized. Pure Luck! Once we were secured, we ventured out again. They were having an "antique sale" more like a flea market in town. We rode over to see what there was. Of course, I bought some things – got to have souvenirs! We ate lunch at the Kingston Brewery House. Neat atmosphere. Food good too. While we were riding around, we ran into Steve and Jean of "SunCat". They had parked their boat right next to ours. Of course, we ended up having Happy Hour with them on their boat. Sorry, we stayed so long guys! I think they missed dinner! However, we really did have a great time visiting with them. They are more experienced and have knowledge of this area. We were really glad to learn what we could.
Monday morning we took another bike ride around town playing tourist. After that it was time to head out toward Trenton. However, we planned to stop in Pictan Bay to spend the night. We ended up on a mooring ball. Now this was an experience! The wind was blowing, of course, doesn't it always! We had never tried to use a mooring ball before and this one didn't have any type of rope to grab ahold of. First I tried my hand at the wheel while Mike tried to grab the ball – no success. So then I tried to grab it while Mike guided the boat around. Still no success! I'm sure we looked like rookies!! Finally the guy with the goofy hat sitting on the dock jumped in his dinghy to come out and give us a hand. He was really a nice guy and finally we landed the mooring ball. As he rode off – I could hear him saying "Only 4000 more miles to go!" Okay, maybe we were good entertainment for him. That evening we took the dinghy around to check out the area. There were some really neat boats there. It showered a little but there were no storms. It was a very nice night.
On Tuesday morning, we had no problem getting off the mooring ball. Thank goodness!! We left about 8:30 for Trenton. Trenton is the beginning of the Trent-Severn Waterway which takes us up to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. We made it to Trenton without any problems. Lake Ontario was our friend all the way across. We had heard that some others had some problems crossing with it being rough but ours was perfect. We stayed at Fisher's Marina. Craig, the dock master, was quite helpful and full of information. There were several Loopers there as well. Sweet Pea, Jeremiah, Dreamcatcher, SeaMoore, Salt and Sand, Coconuts and Bade Boomer to name a few. This is a popular spot to stop and provision up before on the waterway.
The first night Mike and I went out on our bikes to investigate the town of Trenton. We rode around for a while until we came across the Royal Canadian Legion. Now Mike is a member of the American Legion so we thought we would see if we could get in. Not only could we get in, we were welcomed with open arms. We met several locals there and were invited to sit at their table. We had a ball! These guys were a hoot! It made me miss the Joplin Elks Lodge. We met several locals there and were invited to sit at their table. We had a ball! These guys were a hoot! It made me miss the Joplin Elks Lodge. They were very interested in what we were doing and where we were going. They also provided us with a great insight to the town of Trenton.
Wednesday morning we had visitors. Mary and Jim from the Legion stopped by to visit and to see our boat. We had a great visit. Wow! We know people in Canada and they even came to visit! How cool is that! Mary, I hope you read this. We really did enjoy our visit with you and Jim. Please tell everyone back at the Legion hello for us.
The rest of the day, we spent shopping and visiting with all the other Loopers. A few had left out this morning. However, several were still hanging around. Most of us are not in any hurry……. We went to Tomasso's, a Greek/Italian restaurant. Dale went with us. Her husband had gone home for a few days. We had great food and great conversation.
Finally on Thursday morning we headed out under the bridge to the Trent-Severn Waterway. There are 44 locks on this waterway which extends just short of 300 miles. Some of the locks are less than a mile apart. The locks are also very small. Most of the time they only lock through two boats our size at a time. The way it worked out we ended up locking through with Coconuts. This is a beautiful 49 foot Kady-Krogen. It's fifteen years old, but you would think it was new. They are from Florida. We planned to stop at Campbellford. That is only about 30 miles away, but we had to lock through 12 locks! We made it but it was a very long day! The Trent-Severn Waterway is beautiful.
Till next time!
Admiral "C"
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