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FLORIDA BAY

FLORIDA BAY

Marathon, Florida

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EVERGLADES

EVERGLADES

Shark River

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RENDEZVOUS

RENDEZVOUS

Palm Island, Florida

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LOVERS LEAP

LOVERS LEAP

San Juan Islands – Stewart Island, WA

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SOUTH SOUND

SOUTH SOUND

Tacoma, Washington

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BLAKE ISLAND

BLAKE ISLAND

Puget Sound, Washington

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FLORIDA BAY

FLORIDA BAY

Marathon, Florida

Kingston
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Kingston, Ontario, Marks the Start of Our Rideau Canal Cruise

After making a loop through the Thousand Islands, on the Saint Lawrence River, we returned to the canal system in Ontario. The first stop was Kingston, the southern starting point of the historic Rideau Canal The French established Kingston, Ontario in 1673 as a trading post, Fort Cataraqui. In the 1780s the British took possession of the Fort and officially named the city, Kingston. For a short three-year period, in 1841, Kingston was the capital of Canada. In 1844 they moved it to Ottawa, at the northern end of the Rideau River. As we walked around town, we noticed a more European…

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Thousand Islands
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Thousand Islands – Fifty Miles of Beauty

The Thousand Islands, an archipelago of 1,864 islands, lies between the US and Canadian borders. We were looking forward to cruising around the islands to get a feel for the history of the area. We saw many islands with unique houses sitting on rocks–some small cottages, but many were masonry castles. The Thousand Islands area is known for its recreational boating and historic houses. The wealthy built summer homes with big boat houses filled with classic wood boats. Lots of visual interest for the captain and crew as we maneuvered Kismet around the archipelago. Familiar With Thousand Island Dressing? It originated in this summer resort…

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Boldt Castle
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Boldt Castle – A Vision of Love! – Heart Island, New York

Thousand Islands – Home to Bolt Castle! Ever since we did the Great Loop boat trip in 2005/06, we have wanted to visit the Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands, in the Saint Lawrence River. We didn't take that route. Ever since we've had it in our minds to return to the area to visit the Thousand Islands and the amazing Boldt Castle. Millionaire George Boldt, in the late 1800s and into the early 20th century, worked for the wealthy Astor family as the General Manager of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in New York City. George's vision was to build a 120-room…

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Clayton New York
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Crossing Over the Saint Lawrence River to Visit Clayton, New York

Clayton, New York is Home to the Antique Boat Museum Clayton, New York, and the Thousand Islands area, on the Saint Lawerence River between New York State and Ontario Canada, are places we’ve always wanted to visit. We knew we'd have to cross the border again to dock on the U.S. side of the river. We would have to cross back again to Canada to resume our trip to Montreal. The border crossing felt seamless as we used the new mobile app from the Department of Homeland Security, called CBP Roam, to check into Clayton. One highlight of visiting this small town…

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Trenton
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Gateway to the Trent-Severn Waterway – Trenton, Ontario

Last Day on the Trent-Severn Waterway for the Crew of Kismet! Frankford was a fun stop and we're glad we spent the night there, but now that the Trent-Severn Waterway is behind us, we are antsy to move on – time to explore places we've not been before. It seems most of our cruises include revisiting a few past favorites along with exploring new territory. This 2018 end-of-summer cruise is no different. We redid the TSW north to south this time, backward from when we did our first Great Loop trip in 2006. Looking back, starting with the Ranger Tugs and…

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Frankford Lock
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Peaceful, Friendly Stop in Frankford, Ontario – Trent Severn Waterway

We Looked Forward to our Stops in Campbellford and Frankford – Cruising to Campbellford today, followed by Frankford, Ontario tomorrow. At this point on our Trent Severn journey, we were only three travel days, 18 locks, and 50 miles away from Trenton, Ontario, and the end of this amazing Canadian waterway. We departed Hastings for a leisurely 19-mile cruise to Campbellford for a quick overnight stay. After negotiating several locks we arrived at the roomy dock wall at Old Mill Park where we knew, from our earlier visit, we’d have electricity and be able to fill up our water tanks…

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Peterborough Lift Lock
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Riding the Bucket at Peterborough Lift Lock – Ontario, Canada

Powered by Gravity – Lock 21 Features the Unique Peterborough Lift Lock! The day started off like most other days on this journey, however, on this day we were excited to be locking through the Peterborough Lift Lock. Built in the early 1900s, the Peterborough Lift Lock is quite a treat for boaters transiting the Trent Severn Waterway. Peterborough lift lock is on the Otonabee River section of the waterway. It is a Canadian National Historic Site, fashioned after smaller lift locks in Europe. Considered to be a marvel of modern engineering, because gravity powers it, the Peterborough Lift Lock is the…

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Lakefield
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Lakefield Lock Wall Was a Dreamy Stop – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

Lakefield Lock 26 was one of the most picturesque stops on the Trent Severn Waterway The historic little town of Lakefield resides in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. After transiting five locks, Lakefield was our planned stop for the day. The approach to the lock was a long, narrow, twisty, rock and tree-lined canal. We were the only boat there when we arrived, later joined by a young couple on a speedboat who camped, in a tent on land, by their boat. We tied up on the lock wall before the lock (the upside of the lock). Although, at first…

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Bobcaygeon
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We May Never Leave Bobcaygeon – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

Stopping in Bobcaygeon was a Highlight of our Trent Severn Waterway Cruise! – Jim and I have been talking about Bobcaygeon for some time now, especially when we made plans to cruise the Trent Severn Waterway again. We missed stopping in Bobcaygeon last time, on our first "Loop" trip in 2006. So, for us, it was always the place on the Trent Severn that we regretted not stopping at. In 2006, after we locked through to the upper side, there weren’t any spots available, either below or above. So we pushed on through. It was mid-June, and the height of…

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Fenelon Falls
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Locking Up and Down to Fenelon Falls – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

It was a cloudy, windy day on our cruise to Fenelon Falls – The overcast day was unfortunate since we were to transit Kirkfield Lift Lock 36 on that day before we docked at Fenelon Falls. Located in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, the hydraulic lift lock would be the highlight of our day on the water. I wanted to get a few good photos of the trip. We remember it as being a very scenic ride up in the “tub” when we came through the Trent Severn during our Great Loop trip in 2006. The channel leading to the lock is…

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Talbot Lock
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Locking Through – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

Trent Severn Waterway – Canada’s Renowned Inland Passageway – Jim and I cruised the Trent Severn Waterway once before, it was on our first Great Loop trip, in 2005/06. That time we did the whole waterway, this time we will only do the stretch from Lake Simcoe, south to Trenton. No Big Chute for us this time. It will be interesting to do this waterway from north to south. Last time, we were traveling home to complete our “Loop” in Charlevoix, Michigan, so we went from Trenton to Severn, ending up in Georgian Bay. Our end-of-summer trip plans start with the Trent Severn Waterway…

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Rendezvous Day Three
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2018 Great Lakes Rendezvous Day Three

Rendezvous Day Three – Started Off on the Docks with a Big Pot of Coffee and the Best Butter Tarts we’ve ever had – Baked fresh at Wilkes Bakery, in downtown Orillia, that morning. These tarts are so fresh and buttery,  if you eat one it’s hard to stop! After mingling on the docks with our "sweets," we reconvened at the Royal Canadian Legion for John and Laurie Gray's presentation on the Great Loop. The presentation was followed by lunch. There was a huge interest in this presentation by the attendees. Many would like to do the "Loop" on their tugs. We spent…

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Rendezvous Day Two
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2018 Great Lakes Rendezvous Day Two

Yesterday Was Fun, But the Rendezvous Day Two Was Action Packed! – The scheduled meals and presentations, of the rendezvous on day two, were easily accessible, located across the street from Port of Orillia, at the Royal Canadian Legion, which worked out well. The RCL folks were easy and delightful to work with, they made us feel like members. After breakfast Ranger Tugs Customer Service Rep Tim Bates conducted a Q & A for everyone, which continued on the docks with one-on-one sessions on attendees' boats. Much appreciated by all. We left open a 3-hour window for "free time." Attendees could…

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Pot Luck
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2018 Great Lakes Area Rendezvous – Day One – Potluck Dinner on the Dock

DAY ONE – 2018 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous – We all came for this! A gathering of TugNuts and Tugettes. We love our boats, and there's nothing like a rendezvous to bring this happy group of boaters together to have a good time. We started the festivities before the actual event began, with the BBQ dinner at Lefroy Harbour Resorts, on Thursday night. On Friday more boats arrived at Port of Orillia, by Happy Hour Ranger Tugs littered the docks, every shape, size, and color, and one Cutwater Boat. Several people came but didn't bring their…

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Orillia
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Kismet Arriving for the Rendezvous in Orillia – Ontario’s “Sunshine City”

Orillia, Ontario – Location of the 2018 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous – Our friend, Mark Renshaw is the one who suggested Orillia as the location for this year's rendezvous. Mark is a Ranger Tug owner, and he's from Orillia. Jim was looking for a location on the Trent-Severn Waterway because it is one of our favorite canal systems. Boaters could cruise the beautiful Trent-Severn after the event. Fifty-five percent of attendees were Canadian, 45% Americans It was a surprise to us how many local Ranger Tug owners signed up for the rendezvous. Due to Lefroy Harbor selling…

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Lefroy
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Lefroy Harbour Resorts Rendezvous BBQ & Seafood Boil Feast!

Lefroy Harbour Resorts is Also a Ranger Tug dealer – Lefroy Harbour Resorts is located in Lefroy, Ontario, on Simcoe Lake. They have been a sponsor of our Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous’ since we started the first one in 2014. During the initial planning stages, last spring, Ryan Stovold offered to host a pre-rendezvous reception at Lefroy for the participants, Thursday evening, the night before our event started in Orillia. The friendly staff at Lefroy welcomed everyone as if we were all long-time friends. Just as when we arrived at Lefroy a few days ago…

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Charlevoix
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Round Lake Retreat in Charlevoix the Beautiful – Our “Forever” Homeport

Escaping to Charlevoix for a Three-Week Vacation! – When we arrive home after being away for the winter, we typically have a slew of chores to do at home. That's after we put the boat away for a couple of months. Well, we got through the list and soon our thoughts turned to scheduling summer cruising time in the Great Lakes. Jim and I used to have a slip in Charlevoix, Michigan on Round Lake. It was our home port for many years before we retired and started long-distance cruising. Charlevoix is a second home for Jim and me. We still know…

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Trailering
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Trailering Kismet North for Summer Cruising in Northern Michigan

On the Road Again! – We were dubious about trailering Kismet back home; it was already mid-April. The temperature should be okay, right? We kept a close eye on the weather as there were serious low digits on the horizon for our hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. Ideally, we'd like to not have to winterize the boat when leaving Florida. Not looking too good as our departure day inched closer. We even stayed a couple more days, hoping not to do this chore. However, as serious blizzard conditions headed for Traverse City, our outlook seemed glum. We couldn't wait much longer as we…

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Loading
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Time to Go Home – Loading Kismet in Fort Lauderdale

Think we have the hang of loading the boat now! After six years of trailering our Ranger Tugs R27, we guessed that loading the bigger boat onto the trailer would be harder. The only other time we trailered the boat was in the Pacific Northwest last fall. We took delivery of her in August and cruised for several weeks before loading her again. The boatyard lifted the boat out of the water by a travel lift and placed it on the trailer. That's a good thing because we were a little intimidated by the whole OVERSIZE LOAD requirements, rules and regulations. We wondered how…

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Fort Lauderdale
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New River Rendezvous with Family – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale – One of my favorite stops on the water! I love the boating activity on the New River, and the River Walk for an early morning stroll, or late afternoon explorations up and into Las Olas. I suppose the most fun we have is watching tug boats tow mega-yachts past the cockpit of our boat. We'll sip cocktails and dream of all the places we could go in those big yachts. But, then we'll say, "With that bigger yacht, first of all, you'll need a bigger crew to get around, to clean and maintain. Secondly, loss of privacy…

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Miami
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Passing Miami’s Shoreline on Our Way to Lake Sylvia, Florida

A sunny day on Biscayne Bay for the crew of Kismet as we left Boca Chita. We cruised straight toward Miami, then veering to the east of the towering urban area. Our destination to anchor tonight was Lake Sylvia. After spending a month in the laid-back Florida Keys, Miami's tall buildings stood off in the distance as a stark contrast to our adjusted, and now mellow, attitudes. Our two days on the island provided closure as we prepared to leave the Keys to transition back into city life. We’ve anchored at Lake Sylvia before. It's minutes from Fort Lauderdale where we had reservations…

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Boca Chita Key
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Boca Chita Key – Miami’s Playground!

Within sight of Miami’s towering shoreline sits Boca Chita Key – This breezy manicured isle is the northernmost island in the Florida Keys. Once a mangrove-covered island, it soon became a hot spot for affluent industrialists. Mark Honeywell created the current structures on the island in the early 1900s. Wealthy boaters frequented the boating paradise as a balmy retreat from the fast-growing city life of Miami and Miami Beach. Boca Chita Key, now frequented by day boaters looking for a Bahama-style picnic retreat, can be a busy place. People may come by a small ferryboat, it shuttles people back and forth for…

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