Home! (Boston to St. Paul, via Buffalo, Midland, Sault Saint Marie and Hager City)

On Wednesday while Jay worked and Danielle attended grad school orientation, Amy, Kathleen and I visited the S/V Corwith Cramer, a 134-foot sailing brigantine owned by the Sea Education Association (SEA), who Amy has worked for over the past several years. The vessel was visiting from its homeport of Woods Hole, MA, and hosted an open house in Boston Harbor. It was a lot of fun to tour the ship, learn more about the SEA’s mission, meet the crew and enjoy watching Amy reminisce with shipmates, past and present. 

Our family reunion in Boston was brief, and we dropped Amy off at the airport on Thursday evening, then drove west to pick up our trailer. It was fun crossing the Hudson River and driving on I-90 in New York, which runs parallel to and is often in view of the Erie Canal. We saw locks we’d transited, dams we’d passed, and channels we’d followed, appreciating the special experience of seeing a waterway from both the land and water sides. 

We hitched up the trailer in Buffalo, crossed the border back into Canada and arrived at Bayport Yachting Centre in Midland, ON, where Dragonfly was waiting for us, arriving right at dusk and just ahead of a round of thunderstorms that lit up the sky and unloaded heavy rains. We received another message from the universe that it was time to stop cruising, when one of the deck windows over our bunk sprung a leak in the middle of the night. Fortunately our forward berth is large enough that there was still room for both of us to sleep without anybody on the wet spot. 

On Saturday morning, we hauled Dragonfly out of Lake Huron at the nearby public ramp, offloaded our gear, changed the engine and gear oils (best done while the fluids are still warm) and left Midland. Less than an hour into our road trip, one of our trailer tires disintegrated after hitting a bump in the road. One of the advantages of a dual-axle trailer is that if you lose a tire, the wheel doesn’t crash into the pavement, which can damage the wheel, bearings and axle. Since our trailer was still stable on the remaining three tires, we could safely exit the highway and pull over on flat ground of our choosing. We installed our spare tire (new this year) and got rolling again, a bit worried about the three other tires of the exact same age, and immediately stopped at the nearest Canadian Tire superstore to replace the spare. An hour later, we were back on the Trans-Canada Highway heading west, behind schedule but not derailed. 

As frustrating as it was to have a blowout, I was reminded of the first phrase that I learned after moving to Minnesota in 1995–“it could be worse.” Our tire failure happened during the day, in good weather, on a four-lane road, we kept control of the trailer, had a spare, and knew how to install it. Thinking back on our summer, this was only the third mishap that we’d experienced; the others being the grounding on the Trent-Severn Waterway, which resulted in a couple of gouges on our rudders, and the flooding in Vermont while home for the wedding, which did no permanent impact. Otherwise, our inexpensive little vessel performed flawlessly, with no breakdowns or systems issues that seem to plague all boats. I’ve always believed that you make a certain amount of your own luck, with good design, maintenance practices and decision-making, but shit definitely happens out there and Murphy’s Law applies to everything. We feel extremely fortunate.

After an overnight stop in Sault Saint Marie, MI, we arrived home on Sunday. We parked Dragonfly in her storage spot in Hager CIty, WI, next to the mast and boom, offloaded a few more things, had dinner at Smokin’ Oak in Red Wing, MN and drove to our St. Paul condo. 

This will be the last post of this segment. Thank you for following our adventures, wishing us well on our voyage and for all of the incredibly positive comments about the blog. It’s been an awesome summer and we have enjoyed sharing it with you!

Boston, MA. Back in the USA (briefly)

On Tuesday we turned out early for a 7:00 AM flight to Ottawa, where we caught a connection to Boston. Danielle picked us up at Logan airport, then took us to Kathleen’s sister Scarlet’s house in Somerville, where our family is crashing this week. Danielle and Jay arrived late last night after a 16-hour road trip from Durham, and we spent the afternoon resting and catching up. We celebrated my late-June and Scarlet’s late-August birthdays with dinner at Bartaco (which has a dragonfly theme), followed by a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, baseball’s oldest active ballpark. Opened in 1912, Fenway was built on a small, asymmetrical city block, resulting in a relatively low crowd capacity (37,755) and a quirky outfield, highlighted by the Green Monster, its 37-foot high left field wall. 

The Red Sox were hosting the Toronto Blue Jays, whose field (Rogers Centre) we coincidentally sat outside eating ice cream the day before. Fun fact: The Red Sox and Blue Jays made baseball history on Monday, when Boston catcher Danny Jansen appeared in the lineup. The game was a continuation of a June 26 matchup that was postponed and rescheduled due to rain, and Jansen was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. In July, he was traded to the Red Sox and became the first baseball player ever to play for both teams in the same game. The Jays won that game, although the Sox prevailed last night, with the hometown fans celebrating by singing “Sweet Caroline” and “Dirty Water” at maximum volume. 

Bonus Question: Who originally recorded “Dirty Water”? (Answer at end of post).

Bonus Question Answer: The Standells first recorded “Dirty Water” in 1966. The song is a somewhat unflattering ode to Boston, with references to muggers, thieves, the Boston Strangler and a title inspired by the polluted Charles River and Boston Harbor. Nevertheless, it has become a favorite of the city’s sports fans and is played after every Red Sox and Boston Bruins home victory. The Standells were a true one-hit-wonder, and never recorded another top 40 song. Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/3NINDFPIYnyT26cWWRomOQ?si=dSO0QvR4TdiIpGhb5E_zzQ

Toronto, ON

We began our somewhat complicated journey home on Sunday, taking a taxi from Midland to Waubaushene, then a bus to Toronto, where we spent two nights. From Toronto we flew to Boston to meet Amy and our truck, before she leaves for grad school in France. Danielle & Jay will be there too, having just moved from Durham, NC to Boston, where Danielle is also starting grad school. From Boston, we’ll drive to Buffalo, NY, to pick up our trailer, then back to Midland, ON, haul the boat out and drive home.

We spent Monday sightseeing in Toronto, Canada’s largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario. After a stop-and-go Lyft ride in the sprawling metropolis’ legendary traffic, our first stop was the Hockey Hall of Fame. More than just an NHL museum, it is an impressive display of professional, Olympic, international and women’s hockey history and memorabilia. And of course, we got our picture taken with the Stanley Cup.

We spent the day in Downtown Toronto and the Lake Ontario waterfront on a beautiful day, until we were gassed, then went back to our airport lodgings and dinner at Arizona Grill Lounge. After living on our small boat for the better part of three months, we both appreciated the relative luxury of our hotel room, with standing headroom everywhere, the ability to walk past each other without turning sideways, and instant hot water in a spotless shower. 

Bonus Question: We’ve visited Canada’s two largest population centers this summer—Toronto and Montreal. Which city is the third-largest?

Photo Journal:

Bonus Question Answer: Vancouver is Canada’s third-largest city. Calgary is #4.

Midland, ON

Today began with a beautiful sunrise, and the weather remained perfect for a day of sightseeing around Midland, ON, population 18,000, which swells to more than 100,000 during the summer months.  

We spent the day bike-touring, starting on the Mid-Pen Link Trail, which connects Midland to Penetanguishene, its immediate neighbor to the northwest. Next we rode the Rotary Waterfront and Trans-Canada Trails along Lake Huron to the Wye River and Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons, a restored, early-17th century Jesuit mission. 

After returning to Midland, we ate lunch at The Boathouse on their waterfront deck, then rode to the Huronia Museum, which has a nice art and history collection and a recreated Huron/Wendat First Nations village outside.

We biked back to Dragonfly, cooked dinner onboard, ducked inside during a passing rain shower and read until bedtime. Tomorrow we’re taking a bus to Toronto, then flying to Boston on Tuesday to pick up our truck and see our daughters.

Today’s Bonus—Dad Jokes!

1. What did the ocean say to the beach? Nothing, it waved.

2. Who won the neck decorating contest? It was a tie.

3. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.

4. Dogs can’t operate an MRI machine, but catscan.

5. How do you make holy water? You boil the hell out of it.

Photo Journal:

Sea buoy from Georgian Bay

MacGregor 26X in Midland Harbour

Port Severn to Midland, ON. Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. End of Loop Leg 2.

It was another beautiful, chilly, misty morning as we awoke at Port Severn, although the sun quickly warmed things up. We’ve lingered a bit finishing the Trent-Severn Waterway, partly to prolong the experience, but also to have excellent weather for boating on open water. Our first stop was Lock 45, the smallest and one of the busiest locks on the canal, where we dropped the final 12 feet to Lake Huron, our third Great Lake of the summer (after Erie and Ontario). After a short trip down the narrow and windy Severn River, we were on Georgian Bay, the northeastern arm of Huron, with more stunning scenery. The wind was light, but the big lake still kicked up a one-foot chop, which Dragonfly easily powered through for the 12 miles to Midland, ON, where we’ll end this leg of the Great Loop. Map Link: Midland, ON. 

The sign on the lock door indicates that the navaids reverse

We are in good spirits, good health and grateful for all the amazing experiences that we’ve had over the past three months—the decision to stop while still having fun was absolutely the right call. In case you’re curious, here are the stats for Leg 2, with Leg 1 from 2023 in parentheses:

Total days: 91 (142 on Leg 1)

Travel days: 66 (72)

Total miles: 1,510 statute miles (2,430)

Daily average miles: 23 (34)

Locks: 159 (49)

Bonus Question: How many cards are there in a Tarot deck? (answer at end of post)

Bonus Question Answer: Dating back to the mid-15th century, a traditional Tarot deck consists of 78 cards.

Swift Rapids to Port Severn, ON. Big Chute Marine Railway.

It was another chilly night and morning, with the cabin closed up (no heater needed yet) and a light mist on the water at sunrise. Since Sunday evening, it has really felt like summer is winding down up here, and it’s not even Labor Day.

Our boating day began with the 47-foot drop at Swift Rapids Lock, then down the beautiful Severn River, with wild, rocky areas and cottages of all sizes. 

Just another day on the Canadian canals

The highlight of our day was Lock 44–Big Chute, the only marine railway in North America. While not technically a lock, it is run by Parks Canada and a part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, and gets the honorary title. The Big Chute is an 80 by 26 foot wooden carriage that lifts boats out of the water and portages them over a road and down a 60-foot slope to the river below, bypassing a waterfall. Slings are used to keep vessels from tipping over, and the expert staff quickly load, balance and move boats of up to 32,000 pounds on this amazing contraption. As at Swift Rapids, the railway was a temporary solution during World War I shortages, with plans to build a flight of three locks in the future. The railway proved to be an effective barrier against invasive aquatic species migrating from Lake Huron into the waterway, and the locks were never built. 

View from the blue line—the carriage is lowered into the water

In the carriage, held by slings. Still floating.

We’re out of the water

At the top, over the road

On the way down

This is way cool!!

Driving away, with an older MacGregor 26 getting into line

Eight miles after exiting the Big Chute, we were docked at Starport Marina in Port Severn, ON, our last stop on the Trent-Severn Waterway, just upstream of Lock 45 (the last one) and the entrance to Lake Huron. Map Link: Port Severn, ON. There’s not much of a town here, just the lock and several marinas and resorts. We cooked and ate dinner in the marina’s lovely clubhouse, chatted with the locals, then streamed some TV shows over the marina WiFi. 

Bonus Question: In the photo below, the chairs are all the colors of the rainbow, but not in the right sequence. Can you place them in the correct order? (Answer at end of post)

Photo Journal:

Beer distributor for boat-in only resorts and restaurants

Bonus Question Answer: Remember ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) for the color order of a rainbow, from longest to shortest wavelength.