BB15: Oneida Lake to 1000 Islands

Back from the ‘Nati to the ‘Nati Nomad. After a fantastic week home with family and friends, Kali and I headed back to Brewerton, New York to pick up where we left off. I had met Paul in Orange Beach at the Fall Rendezvous in November of 2025 while we were both planning. He started his solo loop in Florida about six weeks before me and I saw him in Norfolk on the Spring Rendezvous but he had gotten ahead of me since. A few weeks earlier, he took the northern route to Lake Champlain and then backtracked to the Erie Canal. Our schedules finally aligned and he was at Ess Kay Marina when I arrived. It was so great to see him! He was the person I called every day for the first two weeks when I was a rookie and he was so supportive. We were finally going to cruise together.

The randomness of the loop is a big part of what makes this adventure so fun. My first night back, I had not replenished my food yet and Paul asked if I wanted to dinghy over to a restaurant nearby. We ended up eating with Brian, a veterinary acupuncturist who is doing the loop with his wife, and John, a local walleye fisherman with a personality as colorful as his shirt. What an interesting conversation it was.

That Tuesday, we left Ess Kay and made the transition from the Erie Canal to the Oswego Canal and halfway toward Lake Ontario. Gorgeous weather and I was happy to be back on my little water home. We made it through 5 locks and stayed on the free wall just before O5 in Minetto, New York. Lovely!

The next day’s plan was to finish the Oswego so that we were set up for an easy Ontario crossing on Thursday. The Universe had other plans. We made it just past O5 when Paul’s engine overheated and his alarm went off. WTF! After some troubleshooting, he determined it was not going to be an easy fix so he called Towboat US. Lots of looper advice points to getting a Towboat US package in case you are ever stuck on the water. Peace of mind… blah, blah. I call BS! I have talked to 2 people in my 6 weeks on the loop who needed a tow. One was grounded and Towboat US said they couldn’t get to them and they had to wait 6 hours for the tide to rise. They flat out told Paul they were too busy and that he should call 911. What are we all paying for?! Paul did, however, find an extremely kind and helpful mechanic named Kevin Rookie who said if Paul could make it a mile and a half to the next lock, he could diagnose and fix the problem. The ‘Nati Nomad to the rescue! It was finally my turn to pay him back for all the support he had given me early on in my adventure. My girl was a champ! I towed him to lock O6 wall where he took care of the problem and we stayed the night. We went less than 2 miles in 3 hours but he was all fixed up with a new impeller and a cleaned-out heat exchanger. While he was fiddling with his engine, it was a good opportunity for me to try my cockpit shower. I really hate my bathroom’s wet head but a perk of my boat is that I have a shower head on the back with hot and cold water. Once the lock closed for the day, there was no one around so I hung up a shower curtain and took an outside shower. Loved it! We were both ready to keep ‘er movin’ the next day!

We sailed through our last 3 locks and soon we were in Lake Ontario. The canals were beautiful and a really cool experience but being back in open water gives such a sense of freedom. It was almost like being on the ocean again but no dolphins and no dumb crab pots! About halfway across, Paul called me on the VHF… “I want to go swimming”. Me… “Let’s fucking do it”. So we stopped the boats and jumped in the crisp, crystal clear water of Lake Ontario and took a dip. Magical!

Totally refreshed, we continued on. About an hour and a half from our final destination, the Coast Guard issued a squall warning for exactly where we were headed. Now what?! The winds picked up and the water turned to chop quickly. We probably could have pushed through but instead decided to take cover in a small cove and anchor for the night. Another great idea! That night, I watched a sunset ahead of me, had a rainbow behind me, and heard an eagle above me.

The storm passed and we made it to yesterday’s destination, Cape Vincent, in about an hour and parked at a free dock. We were officially in Thousand Islands! We stumbled upon their annual French Fest and besides the fact that the only thing French was their fries, it was delightful. It is the kind of town where you can find your fishing worms in the market’s beer cooler. Anytown, USA.

Thousand Islands gets more beautiful the farther up the St. Lawrence River you go. The next day, we stopped for lunch and a quick gadabout in Clayton, New York. I think this is my favorite town so far on the loop. Big enough to be interesting and small enough to be quaint, it is absolutely charming.

After lunch, we meandered our way through the islands until we arrived at the Thousand Island Club for the night. Laundry, water, a boat wash down, air conditioning, and a great shower. Anchoring and free docks are fun and great for the budget but every 3-4 days, it’s great to act civilized again. This was the place for it. Bentleys and Corvettes in the parking lot and a very high-brow restaurant with members dressed in their designer clothes talking about the performance of their investments. Smelling like happiness, I put a load of laundry in and rolled up in my looper t-shirt and the only pair of clean shorts I had left. Ha!

On my last day in the States for a month or so, Paul and I fueled up, pumped out, and headed to Boldt Castle. It is located on Heart Island and was designed and built by George Boldt in the early 1900s. He and his wife, Louise, rubbed elbows with the Vanderbilts, Astors, Carnegies, etc. They loved the 1000 Islands and he wanted to build Louise a castle as a summer home. She died in her early 40s and before it was finished. He never went back and the castle fell prey to weather and vandals for many years. Much of it has been restored and it is now open to the public and (at least) one cute little bat who was taking a nap.

After our tour, I took the long way to Gananoque, Ontario to check into Customs and stay the night while Paul decided to circle back to spend more time in Clayton. Pending weather and whims, we will likely reconnect in Kingston or somewhere along the Trent Severn.

My quarantine flag. Ready for Canada!

“Lost some friends that I needed losing, found others on the way.” – Caledonia by Dougie MacLean

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