August 5, 2013 Picton Bay Ontario

So no pictures.  No ability to upload data here.  We only have our cell phones (voice) or text messages.

We docked in Picton Bay Ontario last night.  Couldn't make it to Trenton before dock.  Tied up to a rickety old dock with Sweetwater the boat we are traveling with.  We will be in Trenton Tomorrow and into the Trent Severn canal.

 

August 4, 2013 Oswego, NY

We left Phoenix around noon and made it through lock 7 by 4pm.  We tied up on the wall between lock 7 and lock 8  which is a cement wall with cleats in a park-like setting.   Thanks Dennis and Ron for the help!  We found 2 other looper boats here already and Ron the Canadian who's here in an open bow runabout from across Lake Ontario.






I ended up peddling to Radio Shack for a usb-9 pin serial connector so I could use a handheld gps to feed our navigation software.   Our two normal Garmin gps units both failed.  Yes, very odd.  The store was only a mile away except the mile was up hill.  And it was not a trifle little foot hill either.  

It was a very windy day and the boat in the locks was moving all over the place.  But luckily we had Kathy along to help so nothing untold occurred.

Tomorrow Canada ... if I can keep this jury-rigged gps stuff working!  We're hopefully going to cross the lake (Ontario) with another boat so we should be ok if we do loose our navigation capability.

August 3, 2013 Phoenix, NY

At last!  On the move again.  We left Winter Harbor around 3:30 and went through lock 23.  It admittedly took a some time to get back in the maneuvering groove especially with the new props installed.  Much better!

We pulled along side the Phoenix Town wall for tonight and maybe tomorrow depending on the weather.   Nice little town and great people.  It's a wood dock, at least the portion we are on, and there a tables with umbrella's and chairs .  Very nice.  And we've had multiple conversations with inquisitive dock walkers.

Tied up along the Phoenix Town Wall

We're doing this segment of the trip without the solar panel array being functional and today both GPS units decided they couldn't get a solid fix on any satellites.  But this too shall be solved... I hope! ;-)

Our own little party deck with on the bike

Kathy has joined us so we're a crew of three now, much easier in the locks and long distance runs we may do.  Of course she took my bike to go exploring :-)

August 1, 2013 Winter Harbor in Brewerton New York

Solar Panels on

We are whole again!   All the electronics work, the enclosure doesn't leak (it rained today) and the props have been swapped out with no apparent shaft issues although the rudders are a bit sloppy but still ok.  The only questionable equipment is the solar panels which are in perpetual "night" mode meaning they aren't supplying any voltage to the batteries.  I hope its just a wiring issue but we'll see tomorrow.

New Props

The satellite works as wonderfully as it did before all this started and Mary is happily flipping through channels again.  And the forward stateroom is now emptied of all the radar and satellite antennas along with some fly bridge electronics and cushions.  Its a bed again!

Although the boat is still disarray with all the fly bridge stuff strewn about on the sun deck, we will get that rectified tomorrow before we head off to the store to load up for the Canada segment of the journey.

Now, all we have to do is pay the bill which will require a steady ingestion of rum to steady my hand when writing the check.  I really abhor scribbling zeros in that little amount box on checks.  But maybe I'll just suggest to Mary that she scrutinize the billl:  "... but we may not be able to buy Christmas present for the grand kids if we have to pay all this...".:-)

The boat yard cats have discovered us and the one named Max regularly hops on board unannounced and explores every nook and cranny on the boat.  Mary is strangely tolerant of such trespasses.  My stash of cat treats is rapidly being depleted however so there maybe a sudden drop off in his visits.







We are planning on leaving Saturday afternoon for Oswego and then on to Canada.  It will be good to be on the move again!

July 31, 2013 Winter Harbor in Brewerton New York

Topless no more!

The radar arch was hoisted into place and Will and Charlie got it all bolted down and managed to thread all the wires back through the arch.

Meanwhile Geordie and Andy replaced all the support poles and stitched up the canvas and were able to re-fit it all back together.  Impressive.

Tomorrow (I hope) will be the solar panel installation seen here prior to the frame being dismantled.  Mary's dismay is not related to the solar panels.  We ran out of coffee this morning.






And also tomorrow we'll be hauled out of the water to remove the old dinged up props.  We'll replace them with a spare set of propellers we have on board.  

So Mary maybe correct once again.  She predicted we'll be leaving here by Sunday, while my more pessimistic assessment of another weeks delay seems destined for "your wrong again" column.  Oh well.




 

July 30, 2013 Brewerton NY at Winter Harbor

The radar arch has been painted and the hinge straps are ready.  We just might actually get out of here by the weekend!

Otherwise we're just doing normal boat chores.

July 27, 2013 Brewerton,NY at Winter Harbor Marina

Removing the solar panels

The work continued Friday July 26 with the removal of the solar panel array and then the radar arch.  Talk about that airy feeling up top.

There goes the radar arch

And the weather, which has been cool and sunny will be turning to rain later this afternoon and into Sunday.  So we've begun to cover and remove what we can although there isn't much to protect except for the bridge instruments, and the cable access holes.  At least it'll get clean and the carpet will dry.

Anyone visiting us here will have to endure a partially disassembled boat, non functional boat.  But the dinghy is perfectly functional so boat rides aren't entirely out of the question.