Cape Vincent, NY July 31, 2015

We left Clayton, NY for the last time today at 12:30. Why anyone would want to dock there is beyond the four of us to understand.

Last night was pleasant enough as I mentioned yesterday, cocktails with the locals, etc. Then in the evening, the winds died as they should. It was a pleasant night for sleeping with a great breeze blowing through the open hatch in the V-berth. But, at 3:00 AM the breeze picked up significantly and water started to slap on the hull. By 3:30 the boat was rocking and rolling really badly. At 4:00 AM I got out of bed and added an additional dock line and bumper. For the rest of the evening I laid semi-awake trying to estimate how many feet the bow was rising and falling - 1? 2? - hard to tell. This is the one time on the trip that Kerry asked me to put out the red fenders.

The thing is, it's not just the boats on the outside wall that rock like this. The permanent dockers on the inside do it too. The docks are open at the bottom and the waves just roll through the entire harbor. And if the boats are not moving because of the waves, the wakes from some inconsiderate power boats zooming around keeps the boats rolling. We can't imagine why people dock there.

At 9:00 Jim and I went to the Boat Show while Kerry and Jola went for a facial. We met back at the boats at noon for lunch, and were gone by 12:30.

The boat show was very interesting. The Antique Boat Museum is there all the time, of course, and it is interesting just by itself. Add the Boat Show and you have a great event. Lots of boats for sale, for auction, a flea market, etc. They have tons of old boat stuff. I said to Jim, I hesitate to call this stuff a bunch of junk because it could be invaluable to someone restoring an old boat. He was thinking the same thing. 45 minute rides  were available on the old boats for $25, which is a good deal. We did that the last time we were here.

Nice antique boats giving rides

Restored boats going up for auction on Saturday

Not all boats for auction are in pristine condition

The trip to Cape Vincent was 17 miles, and took us 2 hours. We were going against the current and a 15-20 knot wind but in a powerboat is wasn't a big deal. Coming into Cape Vincent which is very near the entrance into Lake Ontario we ran into bigger waves. Apparently we made a spectacular entrance to the harbor as we had white water busting over the top of Annie against the color of a turquoise sea.

Jola took a picture of Annie in the St. Lawrence River, and also caught a pilot climbing aboard a freighter. Cape Vincent is a key center for pilots to board the big lakers.

The entrance to the harbor is protected by a breakwall. The marina entrance is closer to the east end. Jim suggested that we enter the west end to allow more time for Kerry to set up bumpers and lines for docking, which was a great idea. Thanks, Jimbo!

The best thing that can be said for the Anchor Marina is that is is just across the street from the liquor store. Bob who runs the store is a great guy. He likes boaters and gives them a 10% discount. He is also a Vietnam vet so we got along fine. We were able to buy a case of Cribari Chianti jugs. We love that brand but it is no longer sold in Ohio. He even delivered it to our boat. The docks in the marina are a bit rickety and there is no power for Jim. It is only $1 per foot though. It is tricky to twist into the harbor too, so we are already stressed about leaving.

Anna appears to be a permanent dry docker

Cape Vincent is a nice little town. People are friendly. The American Legion has a Friday night fish fry. There was a musical performance going on in the park. We had a great fish fry dinner at Captain Jack's after cocktails on Annie's upper deck. The decor at dinner was a bit unusual as you can see. The restaurant does not own the boat barn.

We hope to leave early tomorrow for Sackets Harbor, winds permitting. It would be difficult for us to escape the docks in a strong west wind. It should be about 20 miles. A small craft advisory starts tomorrow morning and goes through the evening. After that the winds appear to be near 20 knots for the next 3 days which would be pretty much on the nose as we go to Oswego. Marty is coming in on Monday and we hope to be in Oswego on that day. It is starting to rain and get windy now,  but we still are having a beautiful sunset.

KERRY'S COMMENTS:

Don and I are living in a tiny house, correction floating tiny house.  I have always wanted a houseboat and I finally got one.  "Anne" is approximately 352 square feet and has all the amenities of home, just on a much smaller scale,  Living aboard has been so much fun.  Anyone who knows me knows I am an organizer and a space planner.  I have had many challenges fitting all of our necessities on board. For the record though, I have one shelf of clothes and Don has two large drawers and one shelf.  We each share the hanging locker which is about 18" wide.  Who says women have more stuff?