Always an adventure...

Home Sweet Home

We got home Saturday night after what we had hoped would be an easy day. Sadly, this had not been the case.

The day had started well enough. We had arrived in Lacolle mid-afternoon the day before with time enough to take off the sails and generally prep the boat to come out of the water again before dinner. We slept on the boat that night and woke up in good time on Saturday morning to eat breakfast and do last-minute prep before the guys came to take the boat out of the water at 9. The mast came down without issue, and despite a bit of water in the travel lift's fuel tank, the boat came out of the water and onto the trailer smoothly. It was done by 10:30, and then David secured everything to ensure the boat was road ready, and we were ready to go shortly after noon.

We hit the road and were approaching Montreal when David noticed flashing lights behind us. "Are they pulling us over?" Yes, yes they were. The cop who pulled us over told us he thought the boat might be wider than the legal limit, and that he had called for back-up to come take measurements. I wish you could have seen "the back-up" or that I'd taken a picture. You can take pictures of cops, right? That's not illegal or anything, like taking pictures at customs, I don't think. In any case, this guy was hilarious. He was probably about 5'7", bald, with aviator glasses. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest, but I don't know how effective it would have been, considering his gut was protruding over his belt and under the vest. Watching him in the rear-view mirror trying to hold up the measuring tape was quite amusing.

Cop #1 came back to the truck after the measurement extravaganza and running our plates, and told us that the boat was indeed wider than the legal limit, and so he would have to impound the trailer and the boat because we didn't have a permit and couldn't get one until Monday.

Needless to say, we were not happy about this.

We drove behind Cop #1, followed closely by Cop #2 (did they think we were going to make a dash for it? Kind of hard to be inconspicuous when you have a 27-foot boat behind your vehicle) for what seemed like forever before finally arriving at the impound lot. We unhooked the trailer and apologized to Circe for leaving her in this terrible place, promising to be back on Monday.

Cop #1 then gave us the paperwork we needed to have the boat released when we got our permit, as well as a $333 ticket. All told, with the ticket, the cost of the permit, the impound fees (they charged us for 3 days even though the boat was there less than 48 hours - highway robbery, I tell ya!), and gas, we were looking at about $700.

Despite our Ontario plates, the Quebec cops were pretty decent about it all and surprisingly un-douche-y. It was nice that they didn't rub it in and make us feel worse than we already did.

So that was how our holiday ended. It was not ideal, but we learned a very expensive lesson. Always get a permit when driving through Quebec with a wide load and Ontario plates, kids. We likely won't be driving through Quebec with the boat again. 

Going back to work was rough, but I was told I looked relaxed and tanned (!!), so that was nice to hear. Both seem to have worn off already, just days later. David goes back to work next Tuesday. The sun is setting earlier and earlier. Temperatures are dropping. I guess summer is ending. But we are in denial. We'll put the boat back into our slip on the Ottawa River next week to enjoy the last 5 weeks of the season. We'll need more sweaters and less sunscreen, but we'll still be on the water, where for a few hours, we don't have to think about anything except which way the wind is blowing...

Cruisin'

We are reaching the end of our journey. The last three days we have stayed put and done a whole lot of nothing. We are in Smugglers Harbor on Valcour Island, one of the best protected anchorages on the lake.



This anchorage is as remote as it gets. We aren't really close enough to anything to re-provision in the dinghy, and there aren't many people around. There is one other boat on the north side of the cove, but they stick to their side and we stick to ours. There have been a few pontoon boats that have come in for a couple of hours and then moved on. It is quite different from Converse Bay, which was much larger and accommodated more boats, so instead of the peace and quiet we have been enjoying here, we had to deal with the screams of small children playing in the water and yappy dogs on big boats.

It is so tranquil here. We are surrounded by rocks and trees and two families of ducks, who seem to take turns coming to the boat to check if there is any food to be had. The younger family likes to dive under the boat, and we can hear their little feet slapping the bottom of the hull. It takes a lot of will-power not to feed them. They are quite adorable.

Our days have mostly been idle. We have both gotten through the books we bought in Vergennes. I was reading The Boleyn Inheritance, and the problem with historical fiction is that you always know how it's going to end (spoiler alert: things never go well for the wives of Henry VIII).

We have made a point of going for a hike every day and exploring different parts of the Island (and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes while we're at it). Each day has shown us something a bit different. Today we explored the area just south of us, with its striated rock formations, like little steps of history.

Other anchorages are closer to civilization, like when we anchored in the Burlington harbour. Grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops were just a short dinghy ride away, yet we were still somewhat isolated from the city.

In Westport, we docked in a marina, with all the amenities at the end of the dock: restaurants, ice, electricity, groceries, washrooms, and most importantly, showers. When we sailed Lake Ontario, we stayed in marinas the entire time, since there aren't too many places to anchor. We ended up rating each marina based on the quality of their shower facilities. Presqu'Ile, near Brighton, was one of our favourites.

This time around, our favourites have been the anchorages. Wilsboro Bay and where we were this week, Smuggler Harbor (note spelling since we are in Amerrrrica) were the nicest ones we found. We also appreciated the food truck lot and Leunigs Bistro in Burlington.

We are heading back to Lacolle today, bringing this adventure to a close (though as we've seen, getting the boat demasted and out of the water is always an adventure in itself!). I have to go back to work on Monday, and I am not looking forward to that. But that is a normal reaction after a holiday. The post-vacation blues. The worst is when you get to work and it feels like you never left. But at least I have this blog, and a few more pictures than usual, so that our experiences are not forgotten in the hustle and bustle of "real life". Plus there is a pretty amazing carrot keeping us going: our year abroad sailing the Mediterranean in 2017. Only three more years! Fear not, I expect there will be more blog posts before then.

Cheating

Monday we weren't sure what to do. We had planned to go to Valcour Island that day, but the wind was blowing from the exact direction we needed to go. Our little motor is not very strong, especially when beating into the waves, so we were not really relishing the thought. Corey offered to let us use his car while he was at work so we could run errands, mainly groceries. We decided it would likely be our last day of civilization, so we went out for breakfast at a place downtown that Corey recommended. We were surprised to have to wait in line at 8:45 on a Monday morning. It turned out to be a very popular spot, and we were sufficiently stuffed by the end of it.

While waiting for our meals we decided that we would take advantage of having a car and go to all the stops the wind had not let us go to. One was Essex, NY, which was a short ferry ride away. We drove south from Burlington to Charlotte (pronounced Char-lot, with the emphasis on the second syllable) and arrived at the dock just as the ferry was coming in. Perfect timing.

Essex is a quaint little town with beautiful estate-like houses built over 200 years ago. Most have been converted into shops or BnBs. It didn't take us very long to visit all the shops and walk along the main drag, so we got back into the car and headed west towards the Adirondacks.

However, without warning, David pulled over to the side of the road and did a U-turn. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I shouldn't have been surprised when we pulled in here:

I personally hate antique stores, but David is fascinated by them. As we went through he identified everything that could be fixed up and put in various locations around our house. "See this cabinet? I could varnish it and we could out it in our dining room. See this buffet? We could sand it and paint it and put it in the kitchen in the basement. It would be worth it to drive back here with the truck and pick it up."  I was anxious to pull him away before he started buying things.

We also made it a bit of a cultural afternoon by stopping at the Crown Point historical site, where the French, British and Americans all built some sort of fortification. The French destroyed theirs when the British were descending on them, and the British fort fell victim to a fire which exploded once it hit the armoury. This is all that remains:

Here is David in the chimney in the soldier's barracks:

Here is the Crown Point bridge we took to get back to Vermont:

Thanks once again to Corey for generously lending us his car. It was lovely to be able to get where we wanted to go in less than an hour, rather than sailing for days on end to get to the same place. Plus we got to see everything on the Lake we'd missed!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is David's birthday, and we're off to what the guide book says is the most beautiful anchorage on the lake: Smuggler's Harbour on Valcour Island.

The Thing About Sailing

There are so many great things about sailing. Just being outdoors is the first major perk. There is nothing better on a hot day than getting off the sweltering land onto the breezy water. My favourite moment is when the engine gets turned off and all you can hear is the sound of the water rushing past the boat as the wind propels you. And this is going to sound corny, but sailing really allows you to get in touch with nature and be one with the elements: the wind, the waves, the sun, the rain. You are truly at their mercy.

The boat is a good place for soul-searching and self-reflection. Once you're away from shore and on the move, on a not-too-windy day, there's nothing to do but let the wind take the boat where it wants to go. This gives you lots of time to watch nature all around you, and think about life and the world, and whatever else may be in your mind. It's a great way to step back and gain perspective.

We love sharing sailing with our friends. Everyone we've taken out has loved it. Because really, what's not to like about being on the water, swimming, eating, drinking, and relaxing? Ok, so there was that one time we brought a couple of friends from the Toronto mainland to the Island and it was super choppy and there may have been some sea-sickness. But that was because we couldn't sail due to lack of wind. Most of the time though, particularly on the Ottawa River, it's super calm and not very wavy, so we can often sail out into the middle of the river and just float around or anchor and go swimming and barbecue some food over a couple of drinks.

When we're on sailing trips like the one we're on right now, I love meeting up with friends. However, this can be tricky, since sailing is unpredictable. You never really know how long it is going to take you to get from Point A to Point B since this depends on so many factors: how windy it is, how wavy it is, which direction the wind is coming from in relation to where you want to go, how familiar you are with the waters and the docking situation at your destination, etc. This was particularly problematic when we sailed Lake Ontario, which was our first big sailing trip. We know lots of people who live along Lake Ontario, so we tried to meet up with a few of them. For example, we had made plans to meet my aunt and cousin in Oshawa one evening. We were coming in from Coburg, and this would be our longest day sail ever. We had no idea how long it would take. Our chart book indicated there was a marina there. However, when we got there, running late, of course, with the sun going down, we found that in fact, there was no marina, and there was nowhere we could dock to go ashore to meet them. So we had to keep going to Whitby, which took us another hour. And my aunt and cousin had to go home without seeing us, because they couldn't wait for us. 

Although meeting up with people is one of favourite parts of these trips, as you can see, it can also be the most stressful part. And for some reason, once other people get involved, I worry more. About being late, about keeping people waiting, about inconveniencing them. I've discovered it makes me quite anxious. I think the solution may be to preface all boating excursions and meetings with a disclaimer that we will very likely be late and that flexibility and patience is required.

So, now that you know what is involved, who's in?

Vergennes

 After our stay in Converse Bay, the weather forecast showed a lot of doom and gloom heading our way for the following day - I've never actually seen a forecast with a 100% chance of thundershowers. We needed to find somewhere where we would be protected, no matter what came. The City of Vergennes, known as the smallest city in the US, seemed like the perfect place to hunker down through a storm. To get there from the lake, we had to follow the Otter Creek 7 miles inland, from the top left corner all the way down to Vergennes in the bottom right corner in the map below.

It was a beautiful ride, filled with anticipation. Our guide book described it as similar to the Lousiana bayou or the Florida Everglades, minus the alligators (lots of turtles though!).  We also saw a bunch of Great Blue Heron! You can sort of see it here:

We finally arrived in Vergennes to find that we were not the only ones to think Vergennes might be a safe spot to wait out the storm. There was no room at the public docks, so we had to anchor a bit further down by the waterfall and power station. Needless to say, there was no swimming while we were there. It was a pretty nice place to anchor, with the sound of the crashing waterfall, which was all lit up at night.

We had a delicious steak dinner on the boat that night, and invited our neighbours over for a drink, since for the first time ever, there was a smaller boat than ours!

 The next day was a very rainy day. For boaters in a safe, protected harbour, that meant a verrrrry lazy day. We slept in, had breakfast, I read, David scrubbed the decks, taking advantage of the already wet conditions, we watched a few episodes of Game of Thrones (thanks to Tara and Rob), then prepared to go out for dinner at Vergennes's nice restaurant. Now, I wish we'd taken a picture, because we got some looks when we entered this fancy French restaurant called the Black Sheep Bistro, dressed head to toe in soaking wet foulies, i.e. Rain gear, then once we were seated, proceeded to strip out of our foulies as if this were the most normal thing in the world. We then had a lovely dinner (lobster is in season in these parts, by the way, so I have been gorging on the delectable shellfish, while David has been favouring fish).

I should take a moment to comment on the food at this fine establishment. Being a French restaurant, they brought us freshly baked and surprisingly authentic baguette. We ordered a bottle of picpoul de pinet, a white from Languedoc. We started with duck cigar rolls (essentially spring rolls) and an apricot dipping sauce. I then ordered the lobster salad which came on a bed of julienned carrots and corn. David ordered the coconut curry haddock. All tables are served accoutrements consisting of a bowl of delicious garlic mashed potatoes and a cone of fries with various dipping sauces: ketchup, garlic mayo, and our favourite, pesto mayo. I ate most of the mashed potatoes because they were so good so didn't have room for dessert, but David managed to find room for a mixed berry sorbet served in a large parfait glass.

It had finally stopped raining when we got out of the restaurant, so once we were suited up once again in our rain gear, prepared for any new onslaught of precipation, we went for a walk about town, noticing that the sidewalks were very crooked and poorly maintained, or maybe it was the wine. We eventually made our way back to the boat, and turned in for an early night. 

This morning we had every intention of leaving Vergennes in good time. We made breakfast on the boat (flourless banana pancakes -yum) then walked into town for a quick coffee in a delicious French bakery called Laundry. This is likely where the authentic French baguette from last night's meal came from. We then walked a block over to the 3 Squares Cafe to buy sandwiches for lunch to be eaten later on the boat, which turned out to be a bit of a wait. We then got distracted by a book sale at the library, and came away with some historical fiction and a book on Bordeaux signed by Robert J. Parker, which could be worth something one day, and a Robert Ludlum book and the Duke Ellington biography for David. At this point it was 1 o'clock and we had to be at the Westport marina before 6, so we ran back down to the boat and took off on the 7-mile journey back to Lake Champlain.

The view in this section of Lake Champlain is pretty spectacular as we are right in between two mountain ranges: the Green mountains in Vermont and the Adirondacks on the New York side. The pictures unfortunately don't do it justice.

We arrived in Westport, New York by 4:30 and went for a walk around town before showering and doing some laundry. We then headed to the marina's restaurant, The Galley, for a delicious seafood dinner.

We've just spent the last hour tidying up the boat! Now we just have to decide where to go tomorrow, or whether to stay here and take advantage of having showers. Sweet, sweet showers....

Vermont Continued

I think we are finally in vacation mode. We left Ottawa a week ago, and from this point on, we have nowhere to be, except back home in two weeks in time for me to start work. It's a pretty awesome feeling. We can stay where we are right now for as long as we have food and ice to keep our cooler cold (probably two or three days) before we have to go back on land to re-provision.

Right now, we are in Converse Bay, about halfway between Burlington and Vergennes.

This is actually the first day where we weren't rushing to get to our destination. It only took us a few hours to get here from Burlington, motor sailing since we were heading very close to the wind. When we arrived, we staked out a good protected spot (even though it's supposed to be relatively calm tonight) then went for a nice, long swim. The sun was particularly hot today. Shockingly though, I am still not tanned. After our swim, it was beer o'clock, and then rum-and-coke o'clock as well as hammock time.

 Now it is dinner time. Tonight, the chef will be cooking smoked salmon spaghetti. We still have yet to determine who is playing chef tonight. Usually, I prep and David barbecues. Not sure where that leaves us for tonight, where neither are really needed.

Yesterday we took Corey out for a "sail" (no wind) and lots of swimming in Shelburne Bay. It was a lovely day!

Last night, Corey and Faye joined us for dinner on the boat. We were on a mooring ball in the Burlington harbour. Luckily, it was a much calmer night than two nights earlier. Getting our guests aboard involved going to get them from shore in our awesome little dinghy:

It really is only a two person dinghy, and the person who is not steering generally has to sit on the floor of the boat, so that only your head is visible overtop (at least in my case). It makes for some pretty comedic entrances.

Dinner was lovely and we hope we have now converted our guests to sailing life. It really is an awesome way to travel.

First Nights Out

We finally left the Marina in Lacolle Wednesday just after noon. We reached the border less than an hour later and docked at the US Coast Guard station, where we filled out a form and showed our passports. It was a pretty painless process.

We then headed about 10 minutes further south to Rouse's Point. A word to the wise: this town can be missed if you are touring northern New York. We did manage to grab a nice sandwich at what was likely the town's only cafe. We were quite disappointed that the "grocery store" we went to was more like a dollar store. Especially since we had consumed all our produce to cross the border. That night, our dinner was a pretty pitiful pantry casserole. Thanks, Rouse's Point.

We headed to Deep Bay, just north of Plattsburgh, NY. We arrived just as the sun was going down, and had time to row to shore in our dinghy to go for a quick hike before dinner. We had a lovely dinner as the sun went down, and had a nice quiet night.

Here are a few pictures from Deep Bay:

The next morning, the couple in the boat next to us from Mont St. Hilaire swam over to say hi, and we picked their brains about where to go on Lake Champlain. They kept their boat in Monty Bay, just north of where we were. They and their two teenage boys were headed to Malletts Bay that night, which as it turned out, was where we had just decided to go.

We set out just after noon and had an uneventful sail, but saw storms brewing in the distance. 

Of course, one of these storms crashed down on us just as we were getting into Colchester, VT. It made for a bit of a hairy docking, but only lasted about 10 minutes. We were able to find delicious produce ashort  walk away from the marina, and then got back in the boat to sail to the north side of Malletts Bay, where we would be protected from the northerly winds.

It was a gorgeous place and we found our friends from Deep Bay from that morning, who invited us over to their boat for a bottle of wine (or two) after dinner. This is the advantage of having a small boat: People tend to take pity on you and invite you to their bigger, better stocked boat instead. No complaints here! Thanks Sophie and Jean!

Here is the sun going down in Malletts Bay, just a couple of hours after the storm:

Next stop: Burlington.