Cruising Lake Ontario’s North Shore And The 1,000 Islands

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The Weather Rules

The phrase “the weather rules” is a common one in sailing and cruising.  We usually have an outline of where we want to go and when, but have learned to keep an open hand depending on the weather. 

From Toronto, our next destination was Oswego via The Thousand Islands, but we were detained for a bit in Cobourg by the weather. When waiting for favorable weather, it’s sometimes hard to not feel restless to get going.  How do we combat that?  For one thing, we try to limit the time we’re on the weather apps – as if studying the weather will change it! Then we try to refocus our attention on exploring and enjoying our current location, however short or long we are there. We had a chance to put this theory into practice during this leg of our trip from Toronto to Oswego.

Bluffer’s Park Floating Homes

Leaving Toronto, we were making slow progress (due to the weather) and stopped at Bluffer’s Park for a place to sleep.  It was interesting to see all the floating homes which are part of the marina complex.  One was for sale and we inquired about the price.  Weather it is a waterfront home or a home that is actually floating on the water, it seems anything involving water carries a higher value than inland.  This neighborhood was out of our price range. We’re happy with Meraki, our nomadic floating home.

Cobourg, Ontario

Ribfest and Music Festival

We arrived at Cobourg, Ontario and heard music from a nearby bandstand.  They were having their Ribfest and Musical Festival.  I guess that means barbecue for dinner, yum!  The advertisements for each contestant’s bbq sauce made it hard to choose.  We made our decision and headed to the tables setup for eating near the band stand.  Our dinner music was loud rock.  “Our kids would love this music!”

History and Architecture

Another highlight of Cobourg that’s hard to miss is Victoria Hall; a prominent historical building which now serves as Town Hall and a multi-functional space in downtown.  We are not architecture experts, but that doesn’t diminish our enjoyment of noticing interesting buildings and learning about the history.  “Let’s go inside and see if we can look around” I suggested.  It was super interesting to walk around and see the old courtroom and a nice event space with a fancy ceiling.    

Favorite Foods In Town

Coffee Shop and Bakery

We were in Cobourg long enough to develop favorite spots to frequent for coffee, bakery items, and meals.  While walking to the grocery store and hardware store, we noticed signage for “Vdoma” which we couldn’t pronounce.  It prompted our curiosity and I suggested, “Let’s get something to eat or drink during our walk”.

Inside, we noticed a world map and asked the young man about it.  He explained you can put a pin on where you are from if you were born there.  What do you know, MN was free so we were able to put a pin up there!  Every time we stopped in (who’s counting?!), we enjoyed one of their delicious bakery items and a coffee or tea. 

Food Prep

For a meal out, it happened similarly where we saw the signage for a restaurant called Food Prep that piqued our curiosity.  When you first walk in, they have big coolers filled with food for take out that you just need to re-heat before eating.  “When we’re ready to leave Cobourg, let’s get a few of these for our fridge!”. 

They also have deli style ordering with tables in the back for sitting and enjoying your meal.  Many of the patrons were also using the space for working on their computers, similar to a coffee shop atmosphere. 

During one visit when it wasn’t too busy, I asked the cashier about the history of the place.  She shared how they started during Covid as a way for people to pick up ready to heat and eat meals during a time we couldn’t eat out at a restaurant.  They just recently added the option to order food and stay and eat it on site. 

Ice Cream

You didn’t think I’d forget to check out the ice cream in town, did you? Ice cream is one of my favorites! Wearing a fleece jacket, I didn’t think it was too cold for ice cream.

Big Wind and Waves

Some of our waiting for weather days were due to big wind and waves.  It didn’t matter which direction you were heading on Lake Ontario, nobody was moving in and out of the marina on those days.  The boaters who were anxious to leave may not have appreciated the the big wind and waves, but local kids were! They walked out on the break water and let the spray from the big waves get them wet. Their version of a splash park?  Those waves crashing over the breakwater looked pretty powerful and dirty to me.  I kept my distance. 

Activity On and Near The Water

Not everyday of waiting for favorable weather was filled with big wind.  Some days we waited because there was a high chance for thunderstorms or the wind would be on our bow.  We kept reminding ourselves we want our passages to be manageable and enjoyable and “we’re not on a schedule”.  We settled back into waiting for better passage weather. In the protected waters of the harbor, people were practicing rowing, dinghy sailing, and paddle boarding.

Friends In The Marina

With other cruisers in the same boat as us waiting for weather, we met a few friends.  It is always fun to share stories of where we’ve been and where we’re headed.  We received some helpful tidbits about the next leg of our journey.  And as is often the case, depending on which boater we talked to, we might receive the opposite opinion.  One boater preferred and defended why we should take the inside route and another stressed the reasons we should go around the point.  Which did we do?  Read on!

Bagpipe At Sunset

We stayed in Cobourg long enough to have a bagpipe player at sunset on the wall right next to Meraki.  We’re not sure how often or which nights they play so it was an unexpected surprise.  It was a fun way to end the day!

Time To Go

When the weather finally changed and was conducive to our route, it was time to move on.  Some of our stops during a big trip serve as an overnight and others we get to hang around and find what makes a place special and unique.  For Cobourg, we discovered and enjoyed the combination of history, local coffee shops and restaurants, green spaces to walk and bike, and water-based activity and community.  We quickly fell in love with Cobourg.  “Until next time!”   

Prince Edward, Ontario

After an idyllic day sailing, we arrived to our anchorage just as the sun was setting.  Now is the time of decision to go inside or outside. 

Inside or Outside?

From our anchorage, we could take the inside route using the Murray Canal to the Bay of Quinte or the outside route around Prince Edward Point to Waupoos.  Being on a sailboat, we prefer to sail in open water whenever we can so our answer was definitely leaning towards “the outside!”  Would the weather cooperate?  This time it did and we had a wonderful sail with a bird joining us for a bit. 

Bird onboard

Neither of us know when the bird hopped onboard, but we were a bit from shore and the little guy looked tired.  Our feathered friend kept us entertained by moving about Meraki’s cabin top and checking out the bow sprit.  As we passed by some islands, he flew away.  “Hope you enjoyed the ride!”

Waterfront Tour of The Thousand Islands

Feeling a little crunch of time to get to Oswego (where we’ll begin the canal section of our trip south), we knew we couldn’t stay long in The 1,000 islands.  A passing tour boat gave us the idea we could just stay onboard Meraki, not visit any towns, and make it a private boat tour while enroute to Oswego.  Experiencing a place from the water vs. on land gives a different vantage point and focus.  We’d focus on the natural beauty, sights on the shoreline, and the variety of boats we’d see from the water. 

Cable Ferry

After Waupoos, we anchored near Simcoe island.  Before moving on, we wanted to see the cable ferry.  Our timing was perfect to go down and back the channel between Simcoe island and Wolfe Island and see the cable ferry in action.

Circumnavigating Wolfe Island

From there, we circumnavigated Wolfe Island staying at anchor in various bays along the way.  When it was time for a shower, we took a quick dip in the clear and refreshing water.  “This swim platform is one of the best upgrades we made on Meraki” Tony exclaimed.  I agree!  It makes getting in and out of the water for a swim so much easier. 

Cape Vincent

After being at anchor for about a week, we were happy to tie up to Cape Vincent’s newer town docks and stretch our legs.  We found an adorable and friendly town as we got our land legs back.  Tony especially enjoyed the history museum.  When the volunteer noticed Tony’s interest in vehicles, he brought him to another building that housed the old ambulance.  That was so sweet! 

Fish Tacos

A highlight for me while we were there were fish tacos.  We often find restaurants that have pizza as a budget friendly option to eat out.  How did I get from pizza to fish tacos?  Our waitress brought us glasses of water and menus and started in with the “specials” for the evening.  “Did you say one of the specials is fish tacos?” I asked.  Tony knows those are a treat for me and suggested we save pizza for another time.  When the tacos came, they were a work of art! 

When the bill came, we had assumed the “specials” meant they were a lower price.  Nope.  These were the chef’s special and a bit pricier than we anticipated.  Oh well, they were worth it.  In case you are wondering, we did go back another day for pizza and it was one of the best pizzas we’ve had.  They have a good chef!  

Oswego

Knowing we’d be a motor boat after Oswego to transit the canals, we were especially thankful for a beautiful day and good wind to sail there.  As we approached the harbor, we saw what the guide books had described as more of a commercial port. 

We stopped at the fuel dock to fill up before our motoring journey on the canal systems. The marina gave us the slip right next to the crane to prep for our mast removal. 

Construction Time

Tony had brought along the tools he might need to build our mast support cradle, but not the lumber.  We asked about a nearby lumber yard.  “Before you head to the lumber yard, see if any of those pieces in our lumber pile will work” they offered.  Wow, that is a big lumber pile!  We actually didn’t need to buy any lumber, just a few pieces of hardware.  What a blessing!  Our mast cradle is a bit overbuilt, but that suits Tony just fine.  He prefers to overbuild things and have confidence it will do the job.       

Mast Down

The marina provides a nice checklist of what to do to prep your boat for mast lowering or raising. We did our part and then the marina staff takes over. We could tell they’ve done this many times. All went smoothly, until it didn’t. 

Not all boats have a mast tie down, but our Com-Pac 33 is one of them.  It was new to us and new to the staff helping us.  It was hard to loosen it and once loose, part of it fell into the mast.  We all assumed it landed at the base of our mast (on the cabin floor), but we didn’t find it there.  We looked into the end of the mast and didn’t see it. As the end of the mast swung out over the water, the part decided to exit the mast – plop! into the water! We decided to not hire a diver to look for it and added it to our list of things to do: order a replacement before we raised the mast at Hop-O-Nose Marina. 

Once our mast was secure on the boom cradle, one of the guys suggested putting an old lifejacket around the base of the mast to protect it “just in case we hit one of the lock walls”. Tony wasn’t convinced we needed it, but agreed to tie one around.  “If nothing else, it gives a good visual for our increased length” he commented. 

Do you think the life jacket was a good idea? In my next post, you’ll find out as I share about our trip down the Oswego Canal, Erie Canal, and Hudson River.

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