Oh, Canada!

 If you've been following along on our travels you'll know that the last couple of years have been about traveling in Canada. This year is one last taste of this fantastic country before heading south to the Tennessee River. We've really enjoyed the people we've met and places that we've seen during our extended northern tour. 

We started again in Brewerton, NY and Winter Harbor marina which has been our storage port for 3 winters. We arrived as they were preparing to launch Chasing 80 for the season.

 There always seems to be some issue when bringing the boat back to life after hibernation. This year was no exception. I won't say that the marina didn't shut everything down properly but after launch the battery bank was completely drained. Several attempts to get it to accept a charge were tried with no luck. Even if we had gotten things charging I'm not sure that I would have trusted the bank for this season. A phone call to the local, helpful O'Reilly's got 12-6v batteries ordered and delivered in a few days. After a morning installing everything we were back in business!

 This year as in the past 2 our friends Paul and Melissa were traveling with us for the start of our trip. The big difference this year is that they are traveling on their new boat! After leaving us last year they were shopping for their "retirement" boat and found one that happened to be in upstate New York also. After all the formalities that come with buying a larger boat they stored at Winter Harbor also and we had a buddy boat for the first time in years! 

Blue Barnacle/GH 37

We began our trip on Memorial Day and traveled from Brewerton to Oswego just in time. They closed the entire Oswego canal due to high water shortly after we arrived and it remained closed for almost a week! The next day conditions were perfect for crossing Lake Ontario and we headed to Kingston for our check-in which went smoothly for both boats. We could now take down the Quarantine flag and fly our Canadian courtesy flag. (the brown moustache will be addressed in the fall!)

Next up was an order of Poutine so our arrival was official!

After Kingston we made our way over to Trenton and the beginning of the Trent Severn waterway that would take us to Georgian Bay. We haven't been this way since our first loop in 2016 so we were looking forward to seeing everything again. 

The first 20 miles or so have several locks to begin the trip up and over the Canadian Shield. This gave us plenty of practice on small locks and we found a nice rhythm with Blue Barnacle.

 

We spent a couple of days in Campbellford where we got the obligatory picture with the big Tooney.

The boats are behind us.

In Peterborough we found a small farmers market (it's early in the growing season) where we found a nice collection of a favorite of mine...

Butter Tarts

After Peterborough we fell in with a couple of rental houseboats for a couple of days. This is sometimes a problem based on the experience level of the renters but we were lucky. Both boats had Gold Loopers at the helm who just wanted to see the area again! We were able to squeeze 4 larger boats into the locks without any drama.

 As we progressed further up the waterway it becomes much more scenic through the Kawartha lakes region. On our way to Buckhorn Blue Barnacle had an issue where she lost propulsion in one engine but we were able to continue and there is a well respected marina there to get them fixed up. We stayed at the lock wall while they went on to the marina.

Buckhorn

After a nice weekend in Buckhorn we continued our travels and after a few days in a great marina off Lake Simcoe we came to the northern section of the waterway where we start going down. One popular "lock" is the Big Chute where you ride on a platform that carries your boat up and over the hillside. Below is a short video of the process.

 We waited at the bottom as Blue Barnacle came over the hill...

A short time later we cleared the last lock on the waterway and were now in Georgian Bay. It was a sad moment as our buddy boat had to leave us and get back to the US for a crew change so Melissa could go back to work. We felt like our little ducklings were leaving the fold...

We continued up the small craft channel to the town of Parry Sound. It's a bit of a challenge with some twists and turns but not hard to follow on a calm day.

In Parry sound we took a few days off to check out the town. They have a nice craft brewery called Trestle in honor of one of the town's landmarks.

Just off the town docks you can book a float plane for a sightseeing trip around Georgian Bay (we didn't but you'll see the plane again in a bit).

A front came through bringing a day of rain so we extended our stay some. The rainy day gave us a chance to get some work done and rest up a bit. It happened to be a day where a small cruise ship comes to town so we avoided the crowds.

After a nice break we continued making our way north. While crossing the bay we were surprised to see the amount of pollen on the water. I guess we shouldn't have been surprised since the boat has been yellow for 2 weeks...I'm guessing pine pollen?

 One of the nice things about going around a second time (or more) is the ability to take different routes and stop in different towns than before. As we got to the top of the bay we traveled through Collins Inlet and enjoyed some spectacular scenery as well as challenging navigation. 

We spent a couple of days a the Killarney Mountain Lodge which is an iconic resort. People come from all over and year round to enjoy the outdoors while being pampered a bit. The float plane we saw back in Perry Sound apparently swings by on his sightseeing tour.

We really enjoyed our stay at one of the loops "must see" stops. (I'm not a fan of that saying but it really is a nice stop).

In the North Channel we visited some towns less traveled along the route including Gore Bay and Blind River. Both are very small but worth a stop. We scootered in to Blind River to check out their one block of "Main Street".

We had some great cruising weather in the North Channel and had one last stop in Hilton Beach to visit friends before heading back to the US.

We left with a lovely sunrise promising a smooth crossing of Lake Huron (at least I hoped that's what it meant).

Yep...it was nice!

Once we cleared customs (via app) we once again removed the Q-flag and our now proudly flying the burgee of our new home port, Lake Guntersville Yacht Club.

Our first stop was Rogers City, MI. Here we experienced a strange weather event (at least to us). It was a very hot day with highs in the upper 80's but mid afternoon a cold fog began rolling in off the lake and temps in the marina dropped 15 degrees almost immediately! I assume it was being drawn in by the warm instable are over land. A few hours later storms developed and everything moved back out to the lake...odd weather indeed.

Next stop was Alpena which is another place not on the traditional Loop route. We were looking for someplace less crowded for the weekend of the 4th. It's been a great stop with some fun times had over the weekend. We even got to decorate a bit for the big fireworks show and take in their parade. Small town Americana at it's best!

 So that's the latest from the first portion of the trip. We'll be heading back north soon and crossing over to check out the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan this time around. We scrapped plans to visit Lake Superior due to the fickle weather we've been having.

The "Locate Us" link and NEBO app are always live as we travel but I haven't updated the "Where we've been" section yet. It's been a challenge to find reliable Wi-Fi and I don't want to blow through our hotspot data for a posting...sorry!

New England 2025

 So we arrived back to the US in mid August, clearing in at Southwest Harbor Maine. Using the ROAM app we entered our info and quickly got a welcome home notice without the facetime call this time. This is another picture and video heavy posting so we'll get right to it with a minimum of blah blah blah...

 On our approach to SW Harbor we began seeing the lobster boats tending to their traps.

 The water was thick with buoys and heading towards sunset didn't help either. Here's a shot on an overcast day to give you an idea.

 We arrived at Dysart's marine and found our slip between a couple on classic motor yachts. Luckily we stuck the landing without any drama...

Our neighbor Marie

 After getting clearance we headed up the hill to the restaurant in search of our first Maine lobster. We weren't disappointed!  Jill and Kathy had the whole lobster dinners and I had the roll, delicious.

 The Upper Deck Terrace offered a great view of the marina and we were able to unwind a bit after a long travel day.

 After some time exploring Mt. Desert island and catching up on some maintenance items we started south. Our next stop was Penobscot Bay and its charming towns and protected cruising. We stopped in Camden and Belfast and enjoyed them both. We were hoping to stay in Belfast a bit longer but the marina couldn't extend our stay. With foul weather in the forecast we decided to head up to Bangor. It was a nice stop also but we again only able to get 1 night as there were bookings because of a country concert. This is a town less visited by boaters and doesn't have much dock space with power and water.

The arrow is the power connection...

The fact that we were traveling a less traveled path became evident on our chart plotter.

This area still has big tidal swings and lighthouses marking the shoals.

You can see the tide difference on the pier

 Returning down the bay we anchored for a night to let the winds die down before continuing into the more open parts. After the winds it became calm and...foggy!

Rockland

 As we continued down the coast we spent a night in Boothbay as we could again get only one night. It would have been worth exploring a bit if we had more time.

 After a few more stops we headed towards Boston where we had a week reserved. We made good use of the time and did a ton of sightseeing. We were also making a crew change here so Jill & I got to see everything twice! Between the Hop-on-Hop-Off and the subway we were able to see the sites easily.

 The approach to Boston was a bit interesting. As we rounded the point at Gloucester we were heading right into a Labor Day weekend sailing regatta. None of the boats seemed to be heading in the same direction and of course had the "right of way". I finally decided to just hold a steady course and pass on through.

We had a great slip at Constitution Marina to easily access the bus and metro.

 After only a day to sightsee Kathy had to head home. Vickie and Bryan were next to arrive and would travel with us down to Long Island Sound. We spent the rest of the week seeing everything we could.

They didn't know my name...

Classic.

The Sox's were in town and we found a great bar on Lansdowne St. that's in the outfield wall of the park! You can see the game and eat and drink without the price of a ticket...maybe I should keep that a secret...

 One thing we've found in our travels is, if you come to a sketchy alley with an arrow pointing to a bar you should check it out! (But send the innocent scouts in first)

And sure enough...

We did see more than bars, including the old Navy Yards and this cool drydock.

 One thing about Boston is that it's filled with history. They are so proud of this that they make the claim to be the first in just about everything. 

Interesting...

 They even have the Sam Adams taphouse next to Faneuil Hall where Sam and his buddies fanned the fires of independence. Sam Adams is proudly brewed in...Cincinnati!

As we were nearing the end of our stay a strong front came through which extended our time in Boston.

 We waited a bit to let the water calm down before our run out to Cape Cod...should have waited an extra day. Once again it was a remodel of Chasing 80, sorry gang!

Nothing is where it belongs except me.

 Once tied up in Provincetown and on dry land everyone was feeling better. The tides are still big around here.

Two days later after some fun times we headed out in much calmer weather.

 Next we passed through the Cape Cod Canal to Buzzards Bay and the town of Onset that boaters in Boston had recommended. Great town with beautiful architecture.

 From Onset we went to Newport RI where we were able to get a mooring ball for one night on the first day of their boat show. The boat traffic was crazy but it was fun to have a front row seat for the madness!

 Next up was the relatively quite mooring field of Block Island. I guess everyone was in Newport. We were told that the town was basically shutting down for the season after the next weekend. A sign to keep moving south! Speaking of signs...I wish someone had told me this years ago!!

It was maybe a bit chilly

On the way to Mystic CT. we passed by some truly impressive estates. One was the Ocean House Inn.

Near the also impressive digs of Taylor Swift...I can only assume the truck on the beach is security.

 Once in the bay I entertained myself by skillfully guiding Chasing 80 into 3 states at the same time! Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut all meet here...

Geek Moment

 The town of Mystic and the Seaport Museum are not to be missed! Docking at the Museum gets you and your guests access to all the work shops as well as the restorations of some historic wooden ships. You can also tour the grounds after hours when the crowds are gone.

The Barrel Shop or Cooperage

Rope mill

Complete Resto

 Last port call for Vickey and Bryan was Greenport on Long Island. Here they would catch the LIRR into NYC and their flight home. I'm always impressed by their Rome 2 Rio mentality when they travel with us! 

 Greenport was gearing up for their big maritime festival so we had to vacate but not before seeing the retired FDNY fireboat Fire Fighter. I last saw this boat when it was in service. She was supplying water for fire apparatus from Battery Park after 9/11. A true workhorse!

 We stayed on the LI side as we traveled down the sound towards NYC. In the town of Northport we got one of the last mooring balls and found ourselves in yet another festival. Seems like every town was holding the last big shindig of the season.

Not really this bad. The parade just ended

 Jill always tends to question her abilities on deck but I never do! Here she is after grabbing the mooring pendant solo in Northport. Easy-Peasy!

 And a quite night in Northport. Nearing the end of our DECL adventure,

 This trip held many firsts for us including approaching NYC from the Sound via the East River.

 We decided to do something different and took the Harlem River to the Hudson instead of continuing down the East River to the Battery. The decision was made easier because the UN General Assembly was in session and the East River was restricted... We made some time-lapse videos to highlight how interesting this route is.

 We passed Yankee Stadium.

 And more bridges before entering the Hudson above the city.

 This is the point that I considered as the crossing of our DECL loop wake since we had come up the river 2 years prior to begin the trip. At Half Moon Bay Marina we changed the white burgee to gold!

 After leaving Half Moon Bay it was overcast and misty and the leaves were starting to change. A sure sign that it was time to wrap up this years travels and drive south.

 We had one more great treat instore before heading to the storage barn. Our great friends Tim and AJ (as well as Jasper) were at their house in the Catskills and picked us up for a quick visit. You may remember them from earlier entries here or their blog The Adventures of OLOH. Last spring they sold OLOH and are contemplating the next adventure. They have a great place for the contemplating!

 So that's a wrap on our 2025 travels...whew was it a blast?! I plan to put out one last entry on the trip once we have all the totals added up for those that like the stats.

 And one other thing. Remember our friends Melissa and Paul who traveled with us at the beginning of 2024 & 2025? Well after they left us they began looking for their retirement boat...and found it! Turns out the boat was very near to our winter storage location so after the survey and sea trial they closed and stored her in the same yard. Looks like we'll have a buddy boat this year! Meet Blue Barnacle...