Oswego is a small city on Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Oswego Canal. Our tie-up spot for the night at Oswego Marina was a wall next to the fuel dock. As we prepared R&R for departure, I was shocked to see the first mate on a boat just ahead of us climb all the way to the top of the mast to fix an antenna!
We left Oswego with a goal of traveling 60 miles to Rochester, the next major port west on the lake.
The weather was cool and clear and we had excellent views of lakeshore dunes and towns. Our first few miles were in choppy 2-3 foot waves, but then the wind dropped and the “shining big sea water” became almost like glass. We decided to continue on to Wilson NY, just short of the Niagara River and Canada.
After a long and beautiful 127 mile day on Lake Ontario, we arrived at Bootlegger’s Marina in Wilson, New York.
Due to COVID, Canada’s borders are closed to US pleasure craft so we can’t go north into Canada and we also cannot pilot our own boat south through the (Canadian) Welland Canal that links Lakes Ontario and Erie, bypassing the Niagara Falls. But…hiring a Canadian captain and crew converts a pleasure craft to a commercial vessel, and commercial vessels can travel through the Welland Canal. So, on July 2 Canadian Captain Bill Barnaby and his crew will move R&R from Wilson through the Welland Canal to a marina in Buffalo.
We cleaned and prepared R&R and then drove a rental car home to Michigan for a July 4 holiday celebration with family.
I, with nephews Trey and Drew, plan to pick up R&R in Buffalo on July 6 and travel a few days, and Rhonda will meet us at a port in Ohio. Looking forward to all of it!
Lake Ontario is beautiful! Interesting that Interesting that a Canadian captain can move your boat through the Welland Canel. Enjoy your holiday at home in Holland, Rick and Rhonda.
What a fantastic day to get some miles on Ontario. The water looks perfect.