Day 49, 7.15.18 - Cape Vincent, NY to Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Although we thought to spend another day at Cape Vincent for the last day of the French Festival, the heat of the day and the strong July sun gave pause to any thoughts of walking about town.  The breeze was freshening out on the water and so we decided to make the run across the lake to Kingston, Ontario.

Running out of the harbor and into the mouth of the Saint Lawrence river where the town is located, we immediately encountered the noticeable current of the river working against us.  Additionally, the winds were also blowing straight at us which meant that we had to zig-zag ("tack" is the nautical term) back and forth across the bay to slowly make progress into the lake.  We certainly could have turned the outboard motor on but there would be no challenge in so doing and besides, we had a beautiful day with cool breezes and sunny skies.  Why ruin the sound of waves lapping against the boat and the sound of birdsong along the shores with the rumble of an outboard motor droning on incessantly?

Progress was made and soon we were out in the lake again.  Feeling like an ocean more-so than a lake, our westward horizon was of water and more water.  Land not to be seen anywhere in this direction.  Wolfe island is the last island westward in the Thousand Islands chain.  It's only a mile or so across the river from Cape Vincent and there you are then in Canada!  It's a big island area wise however and we spent the next seven hours working our way around it and into Kingston.....which is across the river from the far side of the island.  So odd it was to travel so far and see some of the same wind towers on the island that we saw from the other side hours earlier.

Wind turbines and more wind turbines on Wolfe Island, Ontario

A large Brig Ship passes Eclipse on Lake Ontario

It was late afternoon when we rounded the last bay of Wolfe Island and found ourselves looking straight ahead at the mid-rise buildings along the waterfront that was the city of Kingston.  We weren't sure what to do when we arrived in Canada from the U.S. but we had been given a phone number by some boaters that we had met while in Cape Vincent.  Gary called it and was connected to Canadian Customs.  He indicated that we were about a mile from docking in Kingston.  Apparently not being at the dock was not good enough to allow us to pass through customs telephonically and so we were told to call back when we docked.  Petty Bureaucracy indeed!

The city of Kingston appears as we round the last bay of Wolfe Island

Once docked in Confederation Basin in Kingston Harbor, we called again and were asked our names, passport numbers and the some specifics about the boat and what alcohol we were carrying.  After answering a few moments worth of questions, and without having seen anyone, we were cleared to enter Canada.  That was easy!  Let's see how it is when we arrive back in the United States in another month or so!

Kristen's stuffed chicken breast for dinner.

Dinner was chicken breast stuffed with bacon and sharp cheddar and spiced with smoked paprika.  Side dish was a curried couscous with cheese.  Docking fees here run about 40 US dollars per day and include showers, bathrooms, water and electricity for the boats.  We will be here for three nights and from our short walk-about around this quaint little city, I was very impressed and look forward to seeing more in the next few days!

Our moon and Venus over Kingston, ON.