Thousand Islands

WOW!  We lost count at 1129, but according to the guide books there are 1800 islands with 2/3 of them in Canadian waters.  We stayed in US waters until Wellesley Island then cruised north ~5 miles to clear Canadian customs in Rockport, ON.  We pre-purchased a lock and mooring pass for Parks Canada so we wanted to try to stay on their docks when possible.  As you will see, we definitely took advantage of their services.  They had great docks with picnic areas, campsites, toilets, trails and some had trash receptacles and 2 red Adirondack chairs positioned for the best vantage point.

U.S. Ports of Call:

• Henderson Harbor anchorage
• Sackets Harbor - Navy Point Marina
• Clayton - Municipal Dock
• Wellesley Island - Thousand Island Club

Canada Ports of Call:

• Grenadier Island - Parks Canada
• Mulcaster Island - Parks Canada
• Gordon Island - Parks Canada
• Endymion Island - Parks Canada

Sackets Hbr was a base for us to rent a car and drive to Mt Wachuset in western MA for a friend's wedding and at the same time rendezvous with family for a couple of hours since we hadn't seen them since September.  It was really great to attend Jean & Paul's wedding and to see family. The history of Sackets Hbr includes a shipbuilding center for the War of 1812 and Sackets Hbr Battleground.  There are many, many good restaurants to choose from in a beautiful setting.

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Carol, Natasha, Mary, Tom & Scott in Gardner, MA

Jean & Paul are married!

Everyone got to ride the chairlift at Mt. Wachuset

Friends celebrating!

Clayton, NY is home to the Antique Boat Museum (ABM) and we couldn't wait to see the beauties on display.  We dedicated a whole day because we didn't want to rush through it.  So glad we did, it was awesome!  Clayton is a great stop, whether by car or boat, with many shops and restaurants to visit.  We also went to St. Mary's Catholic Church (Mary couldn't pass it up), a small beautiful church dating back to 1844.

1960's Sears Ted Williams outboard

Sweet Launch

Dr. Seuss created adds before writing books

Beautiful wooden boats on display

The workshop

Racing boats

St. Mary's Catholic Church

Steamboat Willy came up a few times on this adventure so of course we re-enacted the scene whenever possible.  Who is Steamboat Willy you ask?  You'll have to search the Internet to find out.

Steamboat Winnie

Steamboat Mickey

Boldt Castle was amazing.  Another full day to explore the history of the castle on Heart Island.  George Boldt (owner of Waldorf Astoria in NY and Bellevue Stratford in Philadelphia) had Boldt Castle built as a birthday and Valentine's gift for his wife between 1900 and 1904.  She died suddenly at age 34 in 1904 and George requested all work be stopped.  The castle consists of a power house, playhouse, castle, arch and more on Heart Island and a yacht house on Wellesley Island.  There were crates of unused material as well as granite steps for the grand staircase still on site, and I'm sure much more we didn't see.

Boldt Castle grand entrance sans granite stairs

Unused ceramic tile - circa 1900

View from the terrace

Ornate entry arch

Playhouse

Yacht House

Docktails with Brenda & Ken and Kathy & Jim from the Bahamas & RMHYC on Wellesley Island.  Thanks for the hospitality!

Parks Canada in the 1000 Islands provided us with the perfect opportunity to island hop and explore.

Statue of St. Lawrence (Mary's brother always knew there was a statue for him somewhere)

Mascot on Grenadier Island - only boat for the night

1000 Island Bridge

Parks Canada Red Chairs

What a view!

What looks to be a few land masses is actually many islands

Gordon Island trail signage

Mascot with new boating friends from Canada

Scott in the dinghy aiding a rental houseboat get on a mooring at Endymion Island.  That's USA in the background