Meandering Magees: O Canada

Saturday, June 30, 2018
Day 454
5,946 miles

The last day of June saw us arrive in Canada! First, how we got here.

On Wednesday afternoon the head mechanic at Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton, NY inspected the engine mounts on the boat to diagnose the issues we were having. The good news is no parts had to be ordered. He also discovered that the screws on all four engine mounts were loose, which was the probable cause for our transmission high pressure and vibration. He said he would be back on Thursday to do the needed work.

The 1000 Islands region on the St. Lawrence River was an area I had wanted to go to on True North, but the the time planned for that was now being used for repairs. So Mike and I rented a car from the Syracuse airport (15 minutes away from Winter Harbor) Thursday morning and took off for Clayton, NY, where the 1000 Islands region begins. (Greg drew the short straw and had to stay back on the boat to supervise repairs.)

Downtown Clayton. Mike is the blue dot down on the right. These benches provide a prime spot for watching the activity on the St. Lawrence River, or as the locals call it, simply "The River".

Our day started at the Antique Boat Museum. It is the premier freshwater nautical museum in North America, showcasing over 300 beautifully preserved wooden boats. Located on the St. Lawrence River, some of the boats are in the water tied up to docks, and others are housed in several buildings on the 4.5 acre campus. In 1965, an antique boat show was organized in Clayton, which became an annual event and grew in size. The museum was built to permanently host the show and give the public a chance to view the boats year round.

This boat reminded Mike of his Grandpa Grace's boat on Higgins Lake

All the boats have been meticulously restored. The wood just gleams!

The Chris-Craft Boat Company began in Algonac, Michigan

The museum also restores old wooden boats

An early model jet-ski

We then took a 3 1/2 hour boat tour of the 1000 Islands and Boldt Castle. While on the tour, our guide had a running narration of fun facts and history of the area. He was quite entertaining and a bit corny. Here's one example:
While telling about pirates in the area, he said, "How much do pirates charge for corn on the cob?"
"A buccaneer". He kept us laughing.
Fun Fact: Ever wonder how Thousand Island Dressing got its name? It was first made here.

Meandering through the islands

There are homes on islands on the U.S. side

And on islands on the Canadian side. There were so many pretty and unique homes, but my pictures just didn't accurately reflect the size and beauty.

The smallest of the 1000 Islands. To qualify as an island, the land (or rock) must be above the water line all year round and have at least one living tree. This one checks those boxes.

This is a postcard but shows a much better view of the area than any of my pictures.

We were allowed an hour and half to tour the grounds and buildings on Heart Island, the home of Boldt Castle. George Boldt was 13 when he immigrated to the U.S. from Prussia. He started in the hotel business as a kitchen worker in New York City. He eventually owned 2 hotels in Philadelphia, but the majority of Boldt's wealth came when William Waldorf Astor hired him in 1893 to manage his luxury hotel - The Waldorf. In 1897 he convinced John Jacob Astor (William's cousin) to merge his hotel with the Waldorf, thus creating the Waldorf-Astoria. Boldt was the most successful hotel magnate in America, being the first to put a restaurant in a hotel and introducing room service.
(On a side note, John J. Astor perished on April 15, 1912. He was a passenger on the Titanic.)

Again a postcard to get a good aerial view of Heart Island

From the brochure

Boldt bought Hart Island in the 1000 Islands, off of Alexandria Bay, New York. He renamed it Heart Island and in 1900 began construction to build a 6-story castle as a present for the love of his life, his wife Louise Kehrer Boldt. Louise passed away suddenly in 1904. George sent a telegram to the construction crew to stop work and leave the island. He never returned.

George Boldt

Louise Boldt

In 1922, Edward John Noble, inventor of Life Savers candy purchased the castle from Boldt's children. He opened the castle (which was unfinished) to the public but never continued construction. For 73 years the structures on Heart Island sat empty, and were subjected to harsh weather and vandals. The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority bought the island in 1977 and has spent over $15 million restoring the castle, outbuildings and grounds.

Our approach. This is just the power house!

The grounds surrounding the castle were gorgeous. Hard to see, but the outline of the flowers are hearts.

Heart motifs were incorporated all through the castle

Dining room

Grand Staircase

This is the Alster Tower - the next structure scheduled for restoration. Boldt intended it for recreational purposes and a guest house. Beyond the rail is a 2 lane bowling alley. The Tower was the only structure on the island that was completed and the family stayed here while the castle itself was being constructed.

Our stop in Brewerton turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the loose engine mount screws were discovered which also led to shaft realignment. And the tour boat trip was a good way to see the 1000 Islands region without having to take True North the 60+ miles north to the St. Lawrence River.

The final shaft alignment was finished by 9:30 on Friday morning so we left Winter Harbor Marina and 2 miles later we entered Lock 23, our last one on the Erie Canal. We turned north and entered the Oswego Canal, which ended 24 miles and 7 locks later. Oswego, NY sits on the south eastern shore of Lake Ontario. Just like when we drive from Michigan to Florida and it seems like it takes forever to get through the state of Georgia, it feels like we have been in New York for a LONG time while traversing the Hudson River, the Erie, and Oswego Canals!

Our route this last week:

Starting at bottom right, follow the line up from Kingston to Troy. Go left to just before Syracuse and turn north to Oswego.

Oswego, NY - our last port in the United States until we get back to Michigan.

There were 5 other Looper boats in Oswego when we got there. Most were heading to Clayton, which is a run along the shore of Lake Ontario north to the St. Lawrence River. Due to the lake condition forecast for Saturday, they all decided to wait until Sunday. We were comfortable with the wave report of 2-4 feet so we set off for the 70 mile trip across the lake to the Bay of Quinte in the providence of Ontario, Canada. We have gone out the pier heads into Lake Michigan hundreds of times, but these pier heads marked our crossing of another Great Lake - Ontario. With our engines secure on their mounts and aligned shafts, True North was able to scoot at her normal cruising speed of about 23 mph. Thirty -one miles farther and we docked at Trent Port Marina at 1:30.