CHAPTER # 3 Every 25 years we change course.

 BIG SIGH OF RELIEF, and many tears.

We are back in Canada, docked in Collins Bay Marina, Kingston, where we will get hauled on Monday. The boat has been listed on Craigslist, TheCatamaranSite.com, F/BProut Catamaran & F/BMarketplace. We will actively work to sell her over the winter.

Now we need to formalize plans for the winter [where do we live, etc.] I know we have many options but we're too overwhelmed at this point to make any firm decisions. We're just coming to terms with putting our HOME [not just our boat] up for sale.

Anyway, sorry if you were vicariously ready to go south. We did the whole what if's; pro's and con's and this was our best decision.

You're just gonna hafta buy a boat and do it yourself!
[This one's for sale and ready to go!]😁

ABOUT FACE

 

We are going back home.

We got through 4 locks on the Oswego system and realized that this is much too difficult for us to manage anymore. In a wild wind, neither of us can hold the boat. Rick has pain in both shoulders and his legs. I have still not gained back my strength and balance and am a liability when he needs me. We are both worried about each other's health. And we both need to be safe.

This was not an easy decision - we both love the boat and all that it has been for us through the years - even working on it was a great satisfaction and pleasure, but sometimes you just have to be realistic.

We're not retiring to rocking chairs just yet. When She's sold, we will go out west, but right now we need to stop beating ourselves up.

We will miss the opportunity to visit all of our friends all the way down to the Bahamas, but we do have a car.

When you make a tough decision and you feel relief, no matter how sad you feel, you know you've made the right decision. And that's how we both feel sitting on the wall of Lock 6, turned to go back north.

All reaction

WE"RE GOOD TO GO!!!

 Good afternoon. After much gnashing of teeth, several phone calls to different offices, and many tears, the Syracuse CBP officer and his lovely Fish-and-Wildlife partner showed up in the worst part of the rainstorm. He wouldn't get out of the car and told me I was doing it wrong... and he was right!

We told him it wouldn't work on my phone or the monitor station inside,so we all went inside to try it again.

He was quite gruff at first, and we tried several times before he saw my mistake. We tried on the tablet and my phone and he typed some; I typed some while he watched me. Rick talked to the woman and answered her questions about the boat. Affter several re-tries, he realized that we didn't have a decal. No decal, no permit. That was supposed to be purchased well in advance of coming over, and that's why we got kicked off the system. He called someone who said, "Just put in zeros". It worked, he told me to go on line and buy one. We'll have decal in Canada cuz I just bought it on line and they mail it. Liz can photo and text it to us, buI I have the receipt. At one point, he also updated the app on my phone, so we had to start the process all over again!

By the end of the hour, we were laughing and hugging. They were both very nice and helpful, [the marina manager said she was surprised at how friendly he was this time] so thanks Officer Cobb!! We're cleared to go south.

We are staying at this dock another night. We could go trough the first lock and sit at the free town dock, but these guys have been so helpful, we have no problem sitting here. We are going to get a taxi and go to Walmart for a few fresh things and just to de-stress. Its a lovely afternoon. The rain has stopped, the sun is out.

Have a good day, everyone and relax! Hoping to find something akin to TWO BUCK CHUCK in a merlot!

WAITING FOR PERMIT

 So we spent from 8 am this morning until 300 pm this adternoon trying to get the CBP Roam app to work and get us a cruising permit. we tried my phone - no good, an android. Rick's tablet -can't because you need two email addresses and we can't share one [we only have one each and othergoose]. Since I alreadylogged in on the computer, I am registered but my computer can't do anything but especially access CBP roam. We tried 4 times at the marina office but their tablet access cuts off in the middle of the appplication. We call 3 different numbers only to find that the only thing we can do is wait on the boat until Monday morning and call the office in Syracuse, who will send someone to personally interview us!! The marina lady was great - did every thing she could to help!

So we're here overnight! And since CBP Roam makes you sign an agrement that you're not selling the boat, I guess we have to bring it back to Canada. :(

Anyway...good incentive to clean the boat up. She needs a good vaccuum nd scrub inside and out! ttyl

 Missed a couple of days .. sketchy internet, but

I have internet this morning so here goes;

We are at the end of Long Point, waiting to cross.
We had to move the baot at 1:00 am this morning becaue we were in too shallow and the winds were pushing us on shore. We started up and moved around to the back side of the island. We thought we were hitting something.. turns out we forgot to pull up the swim ladder. By morning [6 am] we were sure we made a good choice... the winds were up and waves higher. It would have pushed right up the creek , so to speak. We started out at 7 am and as we rounded the point some old windsurfer guy - gray hair was ripping across from island to island.

We managed to get about 2 miles offshore but the waves were topping at 8 feet out of the southeast with winds strong enough to make our windgen sound like a banshee. [Wind reader is on the wast - not connected cuz its lying down] The weather guy [ out of Rochester - the ONLY weather we could get] said mid-lake was SSE14 miles/hr. That would be on our nose. Not good for crosssing. So we wait - I'm ok with rain [or snow] just not bad wind/waves. They elephants were having a great dance by the time we got back to shelter!
It's fairly calm in this area, I can see the wind blasting the tops of the trees, so when I can get good intel, we'll consider starting out again. We are discussing options, and doing little chores while we wait. Not sure how long I can keep this internet going, so ttly sometime.

OUT OF THE TRENT !!

 Today is Thursday Sept 19. I only say that because I need to keep the dates in my head. Its 5 pm and we are anchored in front of a cemetary, presumable Brighton or Belleville. We're not quite at the bridge. Wemade it through the last locks, got to Trenton, got fuel and did some other chores and left again. It wasn't worth $89.00 to us for a hot shower. The lake is 19 degrees and lovely. We just finished a cooling swim. THe air is still 27 and the sun is brutal.

Tomorrow we will be at the jup off point to cross Lake Ontario. At the gas dock we met a little sailboat that had just come down from Thunder Bay, thru the Welland, and reminded us of things we had forgotten about... the canal is restricted to certain times and days for pleasure craft. We might have been stuck there.

Last night at Lock 5 while having dinner we were surpirsed by a van pulling up the restricted road and parking beside us. Hmmm not liking this... they got out and the lady said "you must be sue & rick" It was friend of a firent , Sue Allison, and for the life of me I cannot rememebr thier names, but they had been looking for us to say hello. They came aboard and we talked for about 2 hours; really nice people, so thanks Sue Allison for sending them our way. It was delightful evening!

Thsi morning , the dock master got there EARLY and let us in! Then he took off to get his partner. It was a slow start. Next lock, we had to wait while they brought up a big boat. The last lock, we had to wait because someone parked their boat RIGHT AT THE BOTTOM in front of the gate, and we wouldn't be able to get by it. Rather than let us scratch it [lesson] they moved it around the corner. Heeheehee, so when the people eventually came back, they wouldn't know where to find it. [Lesson]
We are very tired right now. I'm tired of manoeuvering into the locks and Rick is tired of catching the walls, so 2 days of just motoring will be great! Rather be sailing but...
t slovely and quiet here...no trains or cars along the shore. Pretty sure no-one will be partying n the cemetary tonight. ttyl

September 16- Lock 5 TRENT

 

SO this is Wednesday ,September 18. We got up this morning at Campbellford, and headed to the grocery store, where we got everything we needed for a week or so. Fresh veggies for salad and fruit.

I was walking across the park from the washrooms and a bunch of bikers called me [ bicycle bikers.] They asked me to take their picture in front of the huge Toonie in the park.[The designer is from Campbellford], so we got to talking and they asked if I was local; I said no I was on that sailboat. Oh, wow, can we take a picture of your guys and our bikes in front of it? So we did. They were from all over the place and they have this biking group that meets and cycles everywhere. One of them said, “I saw your boat yesterday. It was anchored in front of my place on Rice Lake!” Someone else asked about sailing Lake Superior; someone else was surprised when Rick gave them a boat card that said our address was Hepworth.

After we chatted for awhile, they left on their trek and we packed away the groceries. We were at the lock which was about a1/2 mile down the river by 9:50 am. The lock finally opened at 10:20. This is why we can’t make any time!!!

We got to Lock6 at 3:25 tonight. They were hoping we wouldn’t make it but we did, so they let us through and told us where the bathroom key was hanging at the top of LOCK 5. So tomorrow morning, sometime around 10-10:30 we’ll start going through the last 5 locks, and arrive in Trenton tomorrow. All we need is a bank and then we can go out to the edge of Lake Ontario and prepare to cross. After that, comes a whole other set of issues starting with a cruising permit for the States.

Right now I’m listening to what sounds like yappy little dogs, but its geese. My god, they are annoying sometimes. I just want quiet!!! Listening to the engine all day, turn on and off … every time you enter a lock, you have to shut off the engine. At least the States doesn’t make you shut it down!!! Not good for a diesel!

Going to cook supper myself tonight. Last night was a bad idea…not happening again for a long time!  It’s still very hot down here but the sky is turning. We just need two more days! Please!!!

Hope everyone is well, and happy and safe. Take care. TTYL