Captain Mark and Sidekick Sue slept peacefully and woke up in their cute little protected anchorage. They used to sleep poorly at anchor, waking up throughout the night, worrying about dragging, but they’ve gotten used to it now.
After some breakfast, they pulled up anchor and ventured back out onto the St. Lawrence, passing under the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge. It was a little chilly and windy in the first part of the day, and Sidekick Sue spent some time in the cabin trying to catch up on some computer tasks. After the internet challenges of last year in Canada, the Explorers invested in a Starlink system (thank you Elon Musk), so connectivity is not a problem this year, even as they ping-pong back and forth across US and Canadian waters. It is working great and they can turn the service on and off with ease, so they only pay for the months they need it. It is also portable and can be moved to the sailboat if that voyage ever gets underway.
Sidekick Sue surfaced from the cabin as they approached Alexandria Bay. The number of tiny little islands dotting the St. Lawrence increased significantly, including the one holding the famous Singer Castle. Traffic on the water increased, but mostly big boat traffic; it seems that pleasure craft boating ended rather abruptly with Labor Day weekend. The Explorers considered doing a loop around Boldt Castle, but changed their minds as the water started to get shallower. Instead, they settled with a half loop around the island, but the trees interfered with getting a good picture. The Explorers had done the castle tour earlier in the summer (and were amazed at the restoration progress over the last decade or so), so they opted to find the public dock in Alex Bay and have some lunch. The public dock in Alex Bay looked clean, new and nearly empty as boating season is winding down.
On the dock they met a delightful couple from Canada that couldn’t say enough wonderful things about boating on U.S. waters. Apparently, they are fed up with the fuel and food prices in Canada, and come down to cruise U.S. waters as much as the rules allow. There are a lot of crazy rules for Canadians to follow… checking in with border control (through an app) EVERY time they stop the boat, people having to leave the country before 6 months is out to re-set the clock, and having to move the boat to international waters before a year is out to re-set that clock. The Canadians were a wealth of information about the next few towns we were stopping in, so the Explorers tried to absorb all they could (which isn’t much anymore LOL). As luck would have it, they have documented some very helpful information about the NYS canal system online (If anyone is interested, it is: Cruising New York State Canal System, Erie, Cayuga, Seneca (pcmarinesurveys.com)
Following this interaction, the Explorers headed into Alexandria Bay for some walking. It was much calmer and quieter than during their visit (by car) earlier in the summer. Last time, the streets and restaurants were packed with tourists. Today, it was mellow, but a fair amount of establishments were still open.
After getting about half their daily steps, they returned to the boat and cast off for Clayton, where they planned to stay for the night. Clayton had a very nice public dock located right in the middle of town. As they were docking, they were approached by a kind fellow, who was out walking his dog, who offered to help them with line-handling. The Explorers were pretty much finished tying up, but they engaged in conversation, only to find out that that he and Captain Mark shared the experience of growing up in Massena. Turns out he was the cousin of one of Captain Mark’s dearest, life-long friends and Captain Mark went to school with his younger siblings. Seems like things like this commonly happen up in the North Country of NY. Anyway, the guy runs some garment print shops in upstate NY and has some shared experience in boating, so they talked for quite a while.
Clayton was a pleasant surprise for the Explorers; they had never been to Clayton before. It was quite the opposite of Alexandria Bay which has a tourist, party-type atmosphere. Clayton was a lot nicer and classier; beautiful tree-lined streets, upscale shops, gorgeous homes, and super-nice restaurants on the water. A good comparison might be Disneyworld (Clayton) with it’s clean walkways, green grass, lush landscaping compared to the County Fair (Alex Bay) with it’s wine-slushies, deep-fried Oreos, trash on the ground and kitschy souvenir shops. The Explorers really enjoyed their walk around Clayton and would love to return for more exploration.
It was getting dark as they returned to the boat. The dockmaster’s office had been closed since their arrival, so there was no one to talk to about staying. While the signs clearly stated that boat parking was only 3 hours, the Explorers decided to stay for the night, hoping they wouldn’t get woken up by the police banging on the windows in the middle of the night (actually, only Sidekick Sue worries about these things; Captain Mark lives by the code of “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission”). The Explorers tried to stay inconspicuous watching TV in the dark. Later, Sidekick Sue spent a few hours working on her computer in a small corner of the sleeping berth with a small desk light. By lights-out, it appeared that no one was going to enforce the rules, so the Explorers enjoyed a night on the dock (although the water was not as calm as their private anchorage the night before).
The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge to Canada
Singer Castle
Boldt Castle hidden behind the trees
Walking around Alex Bay
The “carnival” atmosphere of Alex Bay.
Clayton was a bit cleaner and nicer than Alex Bay.
Billy’s cousin Tom, who entertained us for a while.