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Here is the
entire kit and caboodle: car, boat, and canoe. We take the canoe
along when we will be at a mooring so we can get to and from the
boat (see Boat). The trip from Alexandria to
Parry Sound is about 650 miles. It takes in the neighborhood of 13
hours to get there. Note that Nathaniel is holding Taz. Taz
usually accompanies us to Canada. |
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This
is the our friends' dock and cottage (obscured by trees). We are
about to thread our way through their Flying Scot and motorboat to
tie up at the dock. Their friends have the cottage next door to
the right. They are from Rochester, New York. |
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The
boat cannot stay at the dock over night because if it starts to get
windy or rough, the dock and the boat beat each other up too badly.
So we anchor just off shore. Unfortunately, the first year we took
the boat up I did not have a big enough anchor and the boat would
really not stay put in any kind of wind. I always sleep aboard and
when the anchor dragged I ran up, started the motor and looked for
another place to spend the night. Now I have a 16 lb. Fortress and
the boat stays put. |
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This
is one of my favorite places to spend the night with the boat. It is
one mile across the sound (a narrow point) and exactly due north. I
can usually find it even if it is very dark. I just motor in with
the rudders and centerboard up, cut and raise the motor before it
hits bottom, and beach the boat on the sand. I put the anchor on the
beach and spend a peaceful night grounded there. In the morning I
fix some coffee and watch for activity at the cottage. Then I go on
over, anchor, and attend breakfast. This is a good shot of how the
rudders come up. |
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Here
is a shot of the boat sailing in the beautiful Parry Sound area.
There is usually a reasonable wind and the temperature is always
pleasant. If there is not a wind we use the 50 horsepower Honda
outboard to get around. People are always coming up to take a closer
look at a sailboat that has that big a motor on it. |
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People
really stare when they see this. Yes, we water ski behind the
sailboat. It's not powerful enough to slalom behind, but it will get
you up on two skis every time. The boat goes as fast as 20 mph if it
is not too heavily loaded. This is our friends' son. He was just
learning to water ski and did a great job behind this boat. |
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One
of the things we do there is go to the beach. We just run the boat
up on the beach, get out and do the beach thing. The water is a
little cold in most years, but it is crystal clear and very
refreshing. Note that Cindy has fallen off her chair, or it
collapsed or something. I don't remember the incident very well,
except that everyone was greatly amused. |
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Here
is another place where we go for the day. As you can see there is
uniformly spectacular scenery. We usually drag the grill ashore and
cook some white-hots, a braut type sausage indigenous to the
Rochester, New York area. |
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This is us, with our anonymous friends, and Julia and Jeff. We all fit nicely
on the boat. It's nice to have a boat that allows you to take the
whole group out for a sail. |
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We
always go into town at least once for a meal at this restaurant. I
always get the fish and chips which is pretty good. We try to sail
the six miles to town and then motor back after dark. One of our
friends has put
in a bright light on his dock so it will be easier to find. The
other restaurant we always go to is Burton's Log Cabin, a French restaurant that is the
best I have ever been to. The food is GREAT! |
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This
is a great illustration of the low water level this year (May 2001).
The water should be up to at least Jeff's waist or more likely his
chest. Hopefully the water will recover somewhat next year. |
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This
is a shot of the cottage next to Jeff and Julia's (which is in turn
next to our friends'). It is for sale and we are thinking about buying
it. (We did buy it, in 2001.) |
