Sackets Harbor, NY – Cape Vincent, NY – July 1, 2008

We awoke to fish flies all over the boat, so Darrell hosed off the boat before we got underway. We left at 6:45, on our way to Cape Vincent. It was a very beautiful day, mostly clear with puffy clouds on the horizon. It was slightly cool, just enough to be refreshing. We arrived and were tied up by 10 a.m. There is a large visitors dock here that can hold up to 10 boats. There is no charge for this and you can stay 2 nights.

Cape Vincent is located at the mouth of Lake Ontario where it meets the St. Lawrence River. As we entered the St. Lawrence River, Wolfe Island Canada was just off to our left. We can easily see Wolfe Island from our dock at Cape Vincent and ferry’s cross the St. Lawrence River hourly from early May to mid October. Cape Vincent is also the beginning of the area called The Thousand Islands.

The first 50 miles of the St. Lawrence River is called The Thousand Islands. (There are actually more than 1700.) These islands are the rocky tops of mountains and you must be very careful navigating around them. The water may be 1 foot deep in one spot and over 100 feet deep a boat length away. There are also many bays and coves, narrow passages and wide open areas. The channels are well marked and there are many places to anchor. There are many small towns along the shores, but most of the islands are privately owned and have cottages and summer homes on them.

We went to lunch at a local café. The food wasn’t as good as we had hoped for. The afternoon was spent walking around town and looking in some of the stores. The library was having a book sale so we stopped by and found a couple of books. Beth took some clothes to the Laundromat. Our washer can’t handle a full set of sheets so it’s easier to do it there.

Last night over dinner we made a tentative plan for the next few days. We will stay on the US side of the St Lawrence River for a few days and on Friday, July 4 anchor in Alexandria Bay, next to Boldt Castle. We’re told there’s a huge fireworks display that evening. We will then cross into Canada, clear customs and cruise on the Canadian side.