We FINALLY Have Internet!

After 6 days we finally have internet!..  Today we called AT&T and they got us internet added to our cell phone for $60 per month...  Formerly we were on the $2 per day plan with no internet, so as long as we are in the US, this works out to be the same, only with some internet....

The last time we checked in we were in Fairhaven NY.  We stayed at the FHYC for 2 days and enjoyed a great 4th of July celebration with those folks...

While we were in Fairhaven, I did my first scuba "job".  A man from the club just lost his most favorite stainless steel boat brush off his dock... I recovered it and he gave Shelley a case of beer... How good is that!

From Fairhaven, we made a short hop to Oswego NY, where Shelley and I got all the sails down and ready for the masts to come down on Monday, July 7th...  That all went well and we were off down the Erie Canal toward the Hudson River.

After we left Oswego around noon, we did 8 locks in the Oswego portion of the Canal and stayed in Phoenix NY just west of Oneida Lake.  That night we listened to an Elvis impersonator giving a free concert in the park...  We needed to Skype our granddaughter so we bought Shelley a beer at a local bar and we were able to catch up with Mackenzie and her family... Our day ended with a triple scoop ice cream...  What a great day!

On July 8th we crossed Oneida Lake and made it to lock 20 near Utica NY. Some firefighters who were having a picnic helped us dock...  then they gave Shelley  FREE BEER! A little while later we met 3 awesome men who were kayaking the canal...  Two at a time Kayaked and the other drove their support vehicle...  What great guys and what a beautiful way to spend time together....

That night there were tornadoes all around us but we were spared...  Originally we tried to stop for the night in Rome NY, but we ran aground trying to get to the dock... we got unstuck and carried on...  it turns out, that Rome got SMACKED by a tornado....  Call it fate... or maybe karma.. but whatever it was, we got lucky...

The next morning we left a little late (08:30) and passed our kayaking friends as we traveled to Lock 15 near Johnsville NY.  The people who look after the Erie Canal System seem to be ALWAYS dredging...  It seems like a battle they just can't win... We have run aground twice and both time the channel was marked over 8 feet.... As we went along I took some time to switch out the incandescent mizzen spreader lights and replaced them with really cool LED lights... Last night we stayed at the lock and walked into the little town and picked up a few groceries...

Today we made it to Lock 7, just outside of Schenectady, NY. We traveled about 45 nm. and had just the greatest weather and scenery you can imagine...  Tonight we will be celebrating life with a couple of steaks, corn on the cob, and a great salad...

Last night where we stopped at lock 15, some locals planted a herb garden for boaters to use...  Shelley picked a few herbs and they will become the garnish for our steaks tonight...

That's all the news for now...  More later and more often now we access to the internet...
Cheers!

Happy July 4th!

To all our American friends and followers, Happy July 4th!  It is nice to see a whole country in a good mood...  We traveled 6 hours to Fairhaven NY in little Sodus Bay in what was another awesome day of sailing...  we were beam reaching for most of the trip until the last hour when we had a 10-15 knot running wind...  after cleaning up the boat we had dinner at the Little Sodus Inn where they make the best chicken wings EVER!  A short check-in as we are really tired today...

A Quiet Day In Rochester

We decided to take it easy today as the weather looked like it was not going to be very pleasant.  We got going late after a nice sleep-in and borrowed 2 bikes from the awesome people at Shumway Marina.  I have to say, we have been at many marinas over the years but there is none quite like this one...  They have a great staff and awesome facilities and did I mention, they also have the busiest bar/restaurant EVER!  The prices are more than fair and the service is excellent...  tonight, Shelley made tacos on the boat and then we treated ourselves to Key Lime Cheesecake at Schooner's (at Shumway's)

Today we had some banking to do so we rode about 2.5 miles each way and treated ourselves to a salad and chicken sandwich at Wendy's...  (we REALLY have to stop our eating out habit...lol) then we stopped on the way home and picked up a few fresh groceries and some really yummy cookies. (another bad habit).

This afternoon I fixed the painter bolt on the dinghy that I ripped out when we left the dock in Hamilton... The next time we have a big space, no wind, and good weather, we will lay out the drifter that tore and see if we can repair it...

Does anyone besides me wonder why The US Boarder Protection Agency needs 7 300hp engines for just two little boats?  Us Canadians must be some real bad-asses eh?

We are heading to bed early tonight and plan to try to make it to Fairhaven tomorrow evening...  A 40nm sail.  The forecast looks promising...

WE MADE IT!

Our wonderful daughter-in-law and granddaughter

That's right... after NINE years of planning, and 4 crazy years of preparation, we are no longer dirt dwellers! We departed yesterday, July 1st 2014 from Hamilton Ontario on what we hope is an adventure of a lifetime....  We left the Burlington Bay at the 09:00 bridge and had AWESOME winds out of the south west ALL DAY...

We made it to Youngstown NY last evening and after a delicious meal at a family run diner we layed in bed and watched a few episodes of Criminal Minds until we sat out in our cockpit to watch the Canada Day fireworks across the river in Niagara-on-the Lake... When we checked in to the USA  we learned that we need a cruising permit to travel through the US...  We will be getting that in Oswego NY when we get there in a few days... Who Knew?

Shelley and I want to thank all the people who dropped by over our last few days to see us off...  We will miss our friends and family so much and seeing you before we left means so much to us...

As far as the boat goes, we tore the painter cleat off the dinghy as we pulled away, so I will be fixing that tomorrow, and today we set our drifter sail for the first time this year and we blew it out!  That either means that is is worn out and needs replacing or I did something  horribly wrong...  but I can't thing of what I might have done wrong, so we are going with "the sail must be worn out"....

We had intended to spend our second night in Oak Orchard NY, but the wind picked up just before we arrived and we decided to sail on to Rochester NY.  What a great decision, the sailing was even better than yesterday and we arrived just before 7pm with a sun tan and an appetite...

We think we may stay in Rochester to help our American friends celebrate their 4th of July...  We heard the fireworks are great here in Rochester...  We will see how we feel in the morning...  So far, LIFE IS GREAT!!!!

Cheers,
Kyle & Shelley