WE ARE HOME!!!! - Youngstown to Hamilton - Total Trip: 1297 Nautical Miles

Goodbye USA ...Hello Canada !

This picture of Fort Niagara is our last sighting of america for this trip. We set off around 7 am ...into the fog and headed to Canada.

The lake was very flat...transplant windless here.....and a little foggy. This is a picture of the mouth of the Welland Canal where the freighters come out....seriously, look hard...we were quite close to it...and wouldn't you know while we were cautiously watching the radar while crossing the shipping lanes and ringing our fog bell...there popped up right in front of us (undetectable on the said radar) some guy fishing ...yes in 225 feet of water in the shipping channel in the fog in a fiberglass boat and no radar detector....what do you say ???

Awe ...we remember what is it like to await the bridge to open..almost home :)

Kelly kills flies and stands in the shade while Kyle awaits the lifting of the noon bridge.

Ties to the wall at he front of our clubhouse. We awaited customs for an hour. They did their inspection duties then "freed" us to go to the club and say hello to everyone. We will be parked on the wall until they figure out a slip for us or we winter the boat....whichever comes first ...lol.

The Royal Hamilton Yacht Club has a very nice pool and bar side pool service...sooo since my temp reading says 96.5 F we are going to go off to the pool soon.

Then dinner and sleep. Tomorrow we go home :) I have warned our housesitter we are coming ! Kelly is super excited about seeing all her friends. I know she loves us but I think she is ready for someone her own age to hang with.

Thursday afternoon we drive to Toronto to official name the boat :)

Oak Orchard to Youngstown NY

Well there it is ..that across the river is Canada.

We are at the Youngstown NY yacht club.
Officially we cannot enter Canada until tomorrow.
We will sail to the Hamilton yacht club and arrive at 2 pm, according to our import brokers report to Canada Customs. He has assured us that all the papers are filed and the duty is paid to officially import the boat :)Good thing the check cleared ...lol


We had a great little walk in Youngstown in the rain. Then called a taxi to take us for chicken wings !!! We had to ...we are sooo close...lol

After wings we went to Lewiston for ice cream :) it is a beautiful little town with lots of shops much like its counter part across the river..niagara on the lake

The fog is rolling into the river.


These are just a few of the many boats moored in the niagara river.

After landing in Hamilton tomorrow we plan to have dinner at the club ( we need to spend some of our quarterly ) If anyone is around come have dinner with us !!!

We then plan to sleep on the boat and do a little cleaning up. Wednesday we are hoping that my mom will pick us up and bring us back to Cambridge ( are you reading this mom ??? lol)

Thursday afternoon we have an appointment in Toronto with the Registry office of transport canada to officially name Blowin' Bubbles ( after another small $300 fee to them for the privilege she will be ready to sail as a Canadian vessel :).

We will continue to blog as we spend the next few years sailing and fixing her up the way we wish. And in 4 years she will take on the world !!

Rochester to Oak Orchard

It was a windy day ! We sailed from rochester to oak orchard in 20 -25 knot winds. it felt nice to actually sail. There was a small craft advisory but we figure we must be at least a medium craft ...lol :)

We arrived at Oak Orchard YC before lunch and settled in quickly. We have been here before and always enjoy it. The club is up a little creek, under a bridge and right in front of ( well actually the between the boats and club house) stands a turtle sanctuary.

It is quiet, beautiful and some of the most friendly people I have ever met run this place :)

All the lily pads are in full bloom.

There are bbq's and a general welcoming hang out area down at the docks. We will bbq our steaks here tonight !

this is the view from the club house up the hill. Our boat is the tallest ( second from left). the turtles are between us and the boats. You can swim behind the boats.

About a 15 minute walk from OOYC is a family farm that was established as a market more than 200 years ago. They sell produce, have an orchard, petting zoo, candy, preserves, gifts, fudge, ice cream and best of all home made pies !!!

Tonights desert is called Family berry pie ( strawberry, rubarb, apple mix)

This is one of their old John Deere's. a 1938 model.

So tonight is steak, pie and relaxing. Tomorrow we will probably head to Youngstown, NY in the Niagara river. ....almost home !

2 Days in Rochester

We have been having fun and relaxing in Rochester. It has been a welcome change to sleep in and not worry about the weather forecast for a few days.

We have enjoyed catching up with some friends.

Coctail hour on Top Gun.

These flags fly over the club and the Gennesse River. We will use them to see whcih way the wind is blowing in the morning before heading out.
the boys having fun...and Tom says his shirt is Coral ....not pink ...okay :)

Our boat is nestled in amongst all the big power boats.

Since the Denny's boat had mechanical problems and they could not make it here we went to Denny's for breakfast in their honour...lol

Me at one of the malls. The malls are huge !! This one is a couple million square feet.

Kelly with all her shopping...hollister, acrombie & fitch, the gap, forever 21 ...etc...she had better hook up with a rich guy ...lol

She is almost ready for school.

Our rental car in front of the mall....just because

Returning the rental car and waiting for a taxi. Sail on we must !

One of the many rows of sailboats here at the club.

Todays excitement...wells besides shopping....Kyle had to fix something up the mast...went up on the main halyard all the way to the top and it got stuck !!!! We had to send the spinnaker halyard up to hold him so he could straighten out the problem...he never did fix what he went up to do...but at least he got down safe with a little help from a couple of the RYC boaters muscles :)

Tomorrow morning we are heading for Oak Orchard Yacht Club to count turtles...you will understand that in the next edition :)

Fairhaven to Rochester

Ahhh...Rochester ...we like it here :)

This picture is of the kids learning how to sail out in front of the club. It is so cute seeing little 4-6 yr olds sailing around.

On the water we also saw other little ones. These swans kept they baby close in tow. And there are lots of mallards around with tiny little ducklings in tow. I would have thought it too late in summer but tells what I know.

We had a nice motor to Rochester. Unfortunately the wind was dead ahead so no good for sailing. But the weather was nice and the lake calm. I passed many boats and left Top Gun way behind us....not used to be the faster boat :)

Russ Perry (Top Gun)is the Commodore of our club, Royal Hamilton Yacht Club.

The man in the middle is Ray. A friend from the Oak Orchard Yacht Club who is sailing with Russ.
And well Kyle is just enjoying a few brews knowing he has nowhere to be in the morning !

Tom & Peggy Dunmore ( Fusion 2) are also friends & members of RHYC. They travel on their trawler with their shelties, Harley & Bella. They had a sailboat until last year but decided the trawler was an easier retirement vessel. It is a beauty !

And well Kelly is a beauty too :)

At the little bar we had drinks and dinner they had this man, Marty, singing & playing guitar. He was great. He played a great mix of new country and old rock....perfect for a place over looking the water where lots of margaritas are consumed :)

The next 2 days we have rented a car and will do some back to school shopping.

Off to Top Gun for Cocktails !!!

Fairhaven - Rest Day!

The calm and peaceful bay in the morning.

The seagulls relaxing until Kelly gets in.

The cookies we bought at the Fly by Night Cookie factory. Always a vacation favourite.

Tonight is Mexican night at Little Sodus Inn.

Kelly awaiting dinner...you can't hide :)

Mexican night $2 margaritas ...gotta love a place that uses Patron bottles as flower vases :)

tomorrow morning we meet TopGun, Fusion & Betty Rose at Sodus Bay and head to Rochester !

Oswego to Fairhaven

Up they go ! We are officially a sailboat again :)
Their is a wire that joins the 2 masts at the top. See the man up there ?


Woo hoo Fairhaven and a much needed swim in the lake.

We spent a couple hours scrubbing the dirt from the ICW off the bottom and side of the boat......see the dicusting brown water stains.....it looks much better now.

Kyle takes the spare air tank and went to inspect the bottom and prop.

We spent a week or so passing, and/or being passsing, by Le Temp.

Le Temp is a beautiful steel boat from Montreal.

This is their girl,Lou and 6 month old puppy, Parsley.

Kelly enjoys swimming around the breakwall scaring the seagulls away :)

Le Temp, with its parsley growing in the back....the dog is named after it...except in French the name sounds way prettier for her.

Eton, Manon, Lou and Parsley racong us for chicken wings & beer :)

Little Sodus Inn...Kyle's favourite chicken wings this side of Buffalo.

And of course you have to have ice cream !

the happy Captian full of wings, beer and well you know ...lol

Night swimming with glow sticks is always a vacation favourite.