Annie – W1 thru W8 (NY to Canada)

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 1

From NYC to Hudson River

On June 22, we left the NY city area and started our cruise along the Hudson River heading north. Hudson serves as a vital waterway for transportation and trade since colonial times. It is 315 miles long with mountainous regions. I enjoyed cruising the northern part of the Manhattan area where the Empire State Building is peeking in and out of the other buildings, I like cruising under George Washington bridge and the Tappan Zee bridge instead of the usual driving through them and getting stuck in traffic jam.

As we head further north outside the city, we start seeing more of the rural and mountainous regions of NY. The first days of week 2 was extremely hot, almost 100degrees so we stayed 3 days in Haverstraw Marina since they have an Olympic size pool. Then to Poughkeepsie where Steve’s manager at T-Mobile came and had dinner with us. Then next to Kingston, a small town with lots of history. In every marina, we meet 3 to 5 boaters like us doing the Americas Great Loop. All of them friendly and some interesting stories. At this point we are the newest in the crowd, many of them started In Feb / March from the south.

Here are some pictures for this week’s adventures.

As Dr Seuss says, “Today was good, Today was fun, Tomorrow is another one>””

George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey and New York, worlds busiest motor vehicle bridge

Record breaking temperature, thank goodness, there’s a pool at Haverstraw Marina

West Point Academy on the West Bank of the Hudson River, a military school known for it’s rigorous academic and military training programs.

Happy Birthday Dan, hope you enjoyed your special day.

Monte visited us at Poughkeepsie marina and we had a lovely dinner.

Poughkeepsie motor vehicle bridge and walking bridge right behind it

Heading towards the Poughkeepsie walking bridge elevator, very convenient

View on top of the Poughkeepsie walking bridge. This used to be a railroad bridge and now serves as a popular destination for walkers, joggers and cyclists.

View from our boat, Poughkeepsie bridge at night

Mathilda Steam Tug Boat at Kingston Maritime Museum

Steve is pointing Kingston in the New York Map….. like “you are here”

Kingston Bridge at night, changes its color every 20 seconds, very pretty

Week 2

Troy – Albany 4th of July

After leaving Kingston, we continued our cruise along Hudson River heading north. Passing many towns with US flags reminds you that this is the 4th of July week. Oh I miss the Bristol 4th of July concerts back home. We decided to anchor in Athens for the night just to test our anchoring skills. Then the next day we head to Albany, then to Troy, and went south back to Albany as the boaters at the marina told us we can watch the fireworks from our boat. Then on Saturday, July 5th, went back to Troy for their highly recommended farmers market. They closed 3 main roads for this event and it was well worth it. Not many loopers go back and forth between marinas but we did because I did not want to miss the fun.

Here are some pictures for this week’s adventures..

First time anchoring and the anchor holds.

The Egg in Albany – a multifunction venue for concerts, broadway, and cultural shows w/ 1000 capacity.

Albany has 4 identical government buildings, A, B, C & D. Simple enough.

Troy’s Oh Corn restaurant serves Venezuelan cuisine, it’s so good.

Huge Farmers market in Troy but you have to bring your own shopping bag

The Uncle Sam Monument symbolizing American patriotism erected in 1876.

Week 3

Erie Canal Locks

On July 6th, we left Troy and started our Erie Canal adventures where we experienced getting in and out of locks, first we go up in water level up to Lake Oneida then we go down till we hit Oswego. It’s quite an experience especially the first 3 locks where I was just learning how to handle the lines so the boat is secured while we’re inside the lock. The good thing is the locks aren’t too busy those times. After the 3rd lock, i finally got the hang of it. We had to do 30 locks to get to Lake Ontario and we finished it in 5 days. It was pretty tiring especially if it is hot & humid and the lock is deep and the water flow is slow.

We met several loopers in the locks but not the same ones everyday. Boaters seem to move different speed. We made really good friends with Lil’G (Gina and Don) from Texas.

Here are some pictures for this week’s adventures.

Troy Lock #1, so nice we are the only boat on our first lock

Waiting for the lock to get filled with water to the same level as the other side of the door.

Erie Canal Visitor Center in Waterford right after the first lock

This is me & Over Yonder inside the lock.

Rest Stop after Lock #3. Erie Canal celebrates its 200 years anniversary from 1885

Cruises available to experience the locks

Each lock station has a board that tells the Lock number, name, lift depth, and distance to the next lock

Erie Canal was opened in 1825, exactly 200 years ago

I’m in-charge of the bow line and Steve for the stern line while inside the lock

Sometimes, i can go back of the boat to where Steve is to take pictures

My Filipina friend Gina with her motor yacht Li’l G inside lock #19

My Uber ride, first time riding a Tesla. Not too shabby.

Week 4

Welcome to Canada!!!

We left Oswego to cross Lake Ontario a day early since the weather forecast shows high winds in the next few days.

Here are some pictures for this week’s adventures.

This is a major attraction in Kingston, I’m not a fan of jails

This Martello Tower served as a defensive fortification against US during the War of 1812

Wolfe Island Wind farm Windmills in the horizon – 86 wind turbines

This was our home for 3 days, an extra day due to strong winds

Gananoque Marina in the Thousand Island area

This is Little Toot boat, if you are familiar with the children book

We found one of the thousand islands that we like

That’s why you don’t go to shallow water

Great Canadian hospitality, Julie lend us her car to go to the grocery

We got our provisions, ready for next adventure

Week 5

Trent-Severn Waterway

Trent Port Marina was the best marina we’ve seen so far. Everything is clean and new, inside and outside. There are a lot of loopers in the marina and they put us in the same area so I met a lot of loopers and made connections here. The live band you can hear from your boat added a good vibe.

Trent Severn Waterway starts right after we left the marina. We did about 6 a day, two nights we stayed overnight just outside the lock and others we stayed in Campbellford marina where we did a bunch of fun stuff while in town.

Here are some pictures for this week’s adventures.

Just arrived at Trent Port Marina, first thing, get gas

Then get wine. This place has herbs you can pick for cooking

The Trent Severn Waterway – our adventure for the next 2 weeks

In locking, first we go in, then wait for lock to get filled with water to the top level

Entering a back to back lock, this is about 50+ feet lift total

Water level goes up to the black water line

Then the door opens and same process follows

Campbellford marina, quite a fun town for a 2 night stop

Bought too much from here, satisfied my sweet tooth for days

This Canadian guy’s hat says “Canada is not for sale”. Who is buying it?

Got to do Zumba with these ladies at the park

Home for the night, Lock 18. Each lock station seem to have their own design.

Sometimes, it’s great just to sit and do nothing

Week 6

Lift Locks and Big Chute

We started this week with a stay at Peterborough Marina where we met the nicest Canadian boaters

Here are some pictures for this week’s adventures.

Peterborough water fountain which shoots water up to 79ft

Cookout party at Peterborough Marina. These Canadian folks invited us on their cookout for 2 nights.

Canoes everywhere, comes in all shapes and sizes

Peterborough Lift Lock (aka Elevator lock). The chamber on the right is for weight balance.

Everyone secured their boat on the black line,

Then we exit on a much higher water level. Amazing experience

We have passed the half – way point of the waterway

Sometimes the lock has small boats and jetskis

This time I had the chance to watch the lock from top. They go from higher to lower level.

Dinner by the falls at The Locker At The Falls Restaurant

Sometimes we find a clear water to swim and cool off

Heading to Orilla Marina, famous stop before the Big Chute Marine Railway

Orilla Marina – another nice and well maintained one

A small town with great restaurants and shops, and on opera house

Great dinner at the Common Stove Steakhouse, by the chef’s counter, with the Clear Choice crews. Absolutely delicious!

Getting in line for the Big Chute Marine Railway

Long line, we were called on the 4th group

This is me in the front seat of the Big Chute

View from the Big Chute, feels like a roller coaster that doesn’t go fast

And we landed, another amazing experience

Just like that, we finished the Big Chute ride. On to the last lock of Canada

Lock 45, the last lock of the Trent-Severn Waterway. What a relief.

We did it!
Now on to the Georgian Bay Adventures

Week 7

Georgian Bay & North Channel of Canada

Many people say that this is the best part of the loop and they are right. We are so lucky to have met the Harbor Host boat “Pura Vida” who gave us tips on where and how to navigate the North Channel. They gave us fantastic advice on where to stop for anchorage, they are all so beautiful that we really enjoyed a lot.

Here are some pictures for this week’s adventures.

Parry Sound is the hometown of Bobby Orr, a famous Boston Bruin hockey player in the 70’s. He’s regarded as one of the greatest defensemen in the history of the NHL.

Pure Vida, Ray & Jane, my favorite harbor host

There maybe more islands than people in Goergian Bay in the winter time

This is called Georgian Bay and 30,000 Islands

This house is still under construction and it already has a flag

My job is to point these markers to Steve

Now i know why they call this 30,000 island

Sometimes, there just have too many rocks to navigate, we need to stop and relax.

A tree and a rock with wind mills in the background

A proof that wind turbines don’t kill birds

Home for the night – Indian Harbor anchorage with other loopers.

The dinghy can navigate closer to these rocks

Found a good place to tie up and climb these rocks

We went back out on the dinghy to watch the sunset

Steve is checking what to see in the other side of the rocks

This is a tough climb but it’s worth it, so beautiful

That’s the hills we just climb, do you notice the face in the rocks? These two campers carried their canoes over as they don’t want to go through the rapids.

Then we decide to ride the dinghy to the other side and check the rapids

Heading to the devil door rapids, It’s a long dinghy ride to the other side of these rocks

Once we get to the other side, I can feel the water is moving faster

Our dinghy with the electric engine cannot beat the rapids, i got scared as we were going backwards Steve has to get out and pull me like a mule..

Thank God we made it back to the anchorage. Homemade ice cream after all that adventures.

Week 8

Last week in Canada

The Canada I know now is not the same as Canada I know before. Every day we see or do something I really enjoyed. The views are spectacular. We started this week at Killarney Mountain Lodge Resort where they offer many activities to guests. Lots of loopers stop here before they start the cruise in the North Channel of Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world.

Here are some pictures for this week’s adventure before we head back to US.

The Canadian flag is a big as a king size sheet

For those who can’t hike, there’s a lighthouse at the lodge

Books in the fridge to keep their freshness longer

Killarney Northwest Lighthouse, on to the next desination

Cruising along Baie Fine heading towards “The Pool” & Topaz Lake

They call this place “The Pool”, a very protected water deep in the Baie Fine River.

You can either cliff dive or hike down to swim at Topaz Lake.

North Benjamin Island, a top pick for anchorage

Next stop, Kagawong marina with Water Falls just 20 minutes away

Bridal Veil Falls, I got to swim and go behind it

Steve is thinking whether to swim or not

No restaurant in Kagawong, however they have a great chocolate store, that’s more than enough.

Gore Bay Marina, the last marina we stayed in Canada

This place knows how to cook their fish, yum

Two of my favorites, fish & chips and ice cream

My last purchase in Canada, it’s for a good cause

Last night in Canada, Vidal Island Anchorage

Thanks Canada for a wonderful month of great adventures!!!