Incoming...

We started the day with a long walk along a path that follows the river. For the first time in all of our travels we came across a “hospital dock”. That seemed an odd name for a dock until I realized that is exactly what it was. There were even “Emergency” buttons to push to get help. Which makes perfect sense. Many of the homes around here sit on islands. Get sick or injured and the quickest way to medical care is to jump in a boat and head for the Hospital's dock. A bit further along and we ended up in a really nice marina talking to a couple who had just finished their own great loop. This is their home base and thus where they crossed their wake ten and a half months after leaving. We chatted for quite a while but, eventually, had to head back to prep for the incoming weather.

Not long after we got back, the Radar and forecast was looking a bit ugly. The big red splotches were still about 20 miles away when the thunder stared to rumble in the distance. The RADAR returns reported possible circulation in the south west corner of some of the storms, right where one would expect tornadoes to form. One of the returns showed a long tail of heavy weather trailing several miles behind the main body in a classic "hook" echo. That one looked to be heading right for us. We are not anywhere near “tornado ally” but Mother Earth appears to be a bit cross these days. If she can conjure up a Cat 5 hurricane in early July she can spin up a tornado on the US & Canadian border.

The floating dock we are tied to isn't the most substantial looking thing around and is exposed to some pretty good fetch in the direction from which the storms were approaching. So Deb and I went into our normal “prep for the worst mode”. Lines were added to the boat and pulled tight. Anything that looked like it might get blown around in a good gust was secured. Our American flag was tucked away and the VHF antenna was dropped horizontal rather than vertical.  The sky darkened and the rain started to fall. Thunder rumbled ever closer with a few lightning bolts actually stroking the ground a few miles away. Others flashed from cloud to cloud. The air took on that uneasy quiet that suggests the sky might actually be falling. And...you guessed it...that was it. Not a single healthy gust. Just enough rain to force us to close up the windows.

From the looks of the RADAR the worst of the storms flowed around us, both North and South of the river. So, two days of forecast severe weather that kept us stationary were two travel days missed. And we don't care. Our storm prep was overdone by factors of ten. And we don't care. Where we are the weather was a non-event. What was it like 10 or 20 NM East or West? No clue and don't care. Prepare for the worst and hope it doesn't get that bad. Because “the worst” can ruin your day regardless of any amount of preparation. And if “the worst' turns out to be mostly a false alarm? We see that as a very good day. This has been a good stop. We have ice cream, had some good walks, and some even better talks with people who are new friends. 

Tomorrow the plan is to fuel up, pump out, and head for Canada.

As good as it can be...

The anchor came out of the bottom and was hoisted aboard around 0615 this morning. There were two reasons for the early departure. The first was in deference to an incoming cold front and its associated storms. We wanted to be secure somewhere before they rolled in. The second reason was that we had no idea where that secure place might be. It appears to be the very heart of the boating season in these parts with every support facility working at full capacity. So we headed west along the river while still searching for a place to park for 48 hours or so. We had about 10 hours of cruising time to figure it out. It is a rare day when First Light departs with no real plan in hand.

The first potential option was a spot on the chart about 10 nm from the anchorage at a place called Alexandria Bay. The marinas located there were all full but there was a rumor of a “town dock” that works on a "first come, first served" bases. There was no contact number associated with the rumor so less than two hours into our day we swung out of the channel and into the bay to take a look. We turned the corner to find a modest looking floating dock that was completely empty. (Modest as it may be it still costs $2 per foot per night to tie to a dock.)

We picked a slip like we owned the place and pulled in. It looks like the slips are sized to take two smaller boats side by side as First Light spans more than half the width. She is a bit long as well. Her bow is hanging out over the dock walkway and her stern a couple of feet out past the end of the slip. There is still plenty of room for other boats to get around and we hung brightly colored flags off the anchor to get the attention of anyone out for a stroll on the dock. With no one around to tell me different we spider webbed the boat in place with a total of seven lines run from the starboard and port sides to various cleats. The we hung pretty much every fender we have along the expected downwind (starboard) side. At the moment small boats, tuners, and wave runners are coming and going like it is a holiday, making for some rocking motion. It isn't uncomfortable though the motion up in the flybridge might be a little hard to take.

Two Looper boats are actually in the marina about 100 yards across the water. A short walk away are two other Looper boats secured in a different marina. We walked around for a couple of hours to visit them...and  to stop at a little store to refill the ice cream stash. When we got back yet another Looper boat had tied too a little way down the dock from where First Light is resting. All of them are folks we have docked with before, which makes the whole thing seem like it was planned. 

We will be here for two days and two nights. On the RADAR the storms inbound for this afternoon looked like they were going to be pretty intense. But they spent most of their energy elsewhere and passed through here as gentle rain. Just enough to force us to close up the boat, making for a hot and sticky evening. Not sure what tomorrow will bring but it does't make much difference. After a series of phone conversations we have a reservation at a marina in Canada for Wednesday to clear customs. Pretty good for starting out this morning without a plan.

That has become the theme of this trip so far. In spite of the challenges things seem to work out pretty well. On the dock we needed to be on to take care of all the mechanical problems. Through our first locks with little wind and no traffic. Meeting a whole slew of fellow Loopers has been a treat. And we have seen some truly spectacular sights along the way. We have learned to take nothing for granted. Just accept the current moment for what it offers, try and make the best decisions we can with the information we have, and move on to the next moment. That is pretty close to as good as it can be. And it has been working out pretty good as well.

From our trip back down the St. Lawrence River: