Saturday 5 August 2017

Finale

I know that it has been a long time since we last posted and everyone is asking if we very left Collins Bay.  We yes we did the next day.

We woke up to a very windy day. The Admiral was very happy that we had come across Lake Ontario the day before as she certainly would not have been happy!! The trip to Trenton was choppy but no problem. We did see evidence of the high water on the Lake, apparently 4-5 feet above normal!

Sandbagging on houses along Bay of Quinte


We Arrived at Trentport and needed help to tie up as the wind was very strong and blowing us off the dock. It is amazing that dockhands taking the lines still think that they can hold 65,000 lbs. without cleating the line!!!!
It was nice to see the Denali waiting for us. Thank you Doug and Mickey. We drove into Trenton for an early dinner and then back to the boat for an early start back to Rigaud. Fortunately we did get away in plenty of time to stop at the SAAQ so Bill could renew his driver's license but not his health card as they do not take scanned copies!! Jennifer was able to overnight it to us for Monday so that Bill could get it done before heading to Maine on Tuesday.
We are looking forward to the Lobster Run. Nice to be on solid ground if even for a short time!! Home for a couple of days then back to the boat to start the journey up the Trent. Bill's sister Marilyn is joining us so that the Captain doesn't have to work so hard!! Hopefully the water level will be down as when we left we could not have gotten under the bridge at Trenton.

The Lobster run was great fun with good friends and good times. After spending a few days at home, we went to the cottage to pick up the kayaks, then on to the boat to drop off some stuff and then on to Toronto. Bill's sister Marilyn had arrived from Vancouver so it was a very nice evening all together.
The next day it was off to Bayport with Jennifer's car to drop off the Denali and then back to Toronto.  Saturday,. Jennifer drove us to Trenton and we started up the Trent as by now we could get under the bridge.

Heavy water flows along Trent System


A great trip that was uneventful, yet challenging given the high water flows, the heavy weeds near Peterborough and especially the slalom course as you leave lock 45 at Severn Bridge entering into Georgian Bay. Marilyn was a great help and as it was her first trip on the Trent seemed to enjoy herself. Unfortunately the weather was not the greatest but we still had a good time. Jennifer joined us for a couple of weekends. She handled the locks while Sandy drove the car to the next spot where we would spend the evening.

At the end of it all we decided to take a few weeks off the boat.  A trip home to Rigaud for a week then to the cottage to finally open it for the season.

 


We have now been back in Georgian Bay for 2 weeks and will continue to cruise until labor day.  Jim and Debbie Pyke on Drift Away arrived last night so they will join us on our cruise for the next few weeks.

It was a lot of work to do this blog but it was worth it to have a permanent memory of a one in a lifetime trip (at least for us)!!!!
We were on the boat travelling for nearly 9 months. A long time to be away from home, friends and family. Fortunately Jennifer was able to join us for a good part of the trip and Bill's sister and Sandy's sister were both able to come for a visit. While we were at Longboat Key we were able to see Fred and Liz and Bill was able to join them for several golf outings. We also went to the Bahamas with Chuck and Sylvie. We did get together with Jean and Rusty and also saw Stuart and Patsy twice, once going down and then again returning.We also had a quick visit with Doug and Mickey and Betty who were visiting with the Taylor's at the same time that we were there. It was so good to see familiar faces and spend time with friends that we knew. Our time on the Chesapeake was much more fun as we were sharing this experience with Jim and Debbie and Abby!! Being able to see so many friends along the way definitely contributed to our fabulous journey.
Bye and thank you for following us.

Captain Bill and Admiral Sandy



Sent from Sandy's IPad