Fri July 14: Oswego to Carleton Island S Bay anchorage

It was like Wild Kingdom on deck this morning.  (Having NOT HAD A TV while growing up I have to rely on Rick for this kind of cutting-edge pop culture reference) Many insect species represented + a neon green caterpillar.  There was a pair of beetles either having sex, or eating each other-as with humans it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference… We cast off ASAP, hoping our whipping 8mph speed would blow them all off the boat.

What a difference a day makes-you can see why it was an excellent call to wait:

Lake Ontario yesterday

Lake Ontario today

We cleared Oswego Lock 8, and onto Lake Ontario we went! We have spent SO. MUCH. TIME. in NY….and it’s been grand. But we hope this little lighthouse is the last we see of it, this year at any rate.

I’m curious to see the routing planned for this year.  I plotted everything down to Alabama (winter stop) in Jan, but Rick has been tinkering with it ever since, so I have no idea where we are going day-to-day. Oh-this just in: destination Duck Island anchorage.

On the rest of the Great Lakes we will skirt the edges, but we go across Lake Ontario. This is in violation of my promise to my mom not to loose sight of land.  I’m hoping the fact that we can see the NY Nine Mile Nuclear Power Station, from anywhere on the lake, will count.

The lake was smooth and we had a gentle breeze, so not too hot.  Part way to Duck Island Rick realized that our Canadian health insurance doesn’t kick in until tomorrow-so Plan B, free wall in Cape Vincent, went into effect.

Scratch that-no room in Cape Vincent.  To be fair, there is only room for three boats.  So Plan C was in effect-find an anchorage. We found a lovely one in a small cove off Carleton Island.  We were the only boat, and it was calm and cool.  The dr called to remind me I have osteopenia  and need to do weight bearing exercise (I like cardio better) so I reluctantly lifted my baby weights (3lbs !) while Rick cleaned the boat (clever shirking on my part-I disguise it as self-care).

Then I bravely jumped in the clear green water.  No really, I did!  Ask Betty Mom-she was on the phone with Rick and heard me shriek at the cold!! I did a 30-min swim while Rick, also in the water, cleaned the boat.  Of course he did.  He did get to relax later, tho.

All anchor gear worked as hoped, and it was a perfect evening…. 💤