Trailering Kismet at Hawkesbury, Ontario

From Orillia to Hawkesbury – Time to Go Home! –

As our trip through Canada’s historic waterways came to a close, the weather chilled up a bit from the hot, humid days we had most of the trip, a signal it was time to go home. We had a full week exploring Montreal, Québec, one of the most interesting cities we’ve cruised to date. Touring Montreal took us back in time, they don’t build over historic sites; they repair and preserve, honoring their ancestor’s vision.

As our last few days, at the Yacht Club Montreal, approached, our thoughts turned to the logistics of getting home. One of the most enjoyable aspects of our cruising lifestyle is first, planning a future trip, getting ready to leave home making sure we have everything needed for six weeks, or so, of traveling. The anticipation of seeing new territory and meeting people and all the unknown encounters during one of our trips is exhilarating.

I’m sure you get the excitement of taking off on a trip, but I have to tell you, as our heads and minds say goodbye to another excellent cruise, the longing for home builds until we can’t stand it any longer. This is the cruising lifestyle! We feel like we have one foot at home and one foot on the boat, wherever she is. We are always looking forward to a cruise –conversely, once we reach the end of a cruise, we look forward to getting home. It makes for a very rewarding way of life and would certainly be a cure for boredom.

The Logistics of Trailering Our Boat Home

Months before our trip to Montreal, Jim mapped out the logistics of trailering the boat out of the country to Canada. Permits are the biggest issue when trailering our boat, Kismet. We already had a year-long permit for Michigan and we would need one for Ontario, Canada. At first glance, we expected to have to get one for Québec, but after consulting the maps and charts, we came up with a great plan to avoid getting the Québec permit. If we backtracked with the boat to Hawkesbury, Ontario, about 70 miles (on land) from Montreal, we could avoid the extra permit. It worked like a dream. Upon arriving at Hawkesbury, we tied up the boat at a free dock while we rented a car to retrieve our truck and trailer from storage at  Lefroy Harbour, in Orillia, Ontario.

Stopping at Marina d’Oka to empty and fill tanks.

The little marina in Hawkesbury turned out to be one of the more challenging launches to date. Easy to see why! The weather was nasty and the launch was filled with debris. There was nowhere to stand to guide the boat onto the trailer. We had no other options on the horizon, so we made it work.