2nd Overnight at Lower Brewers

44°23′20″ N 76°19′31″ W

The spot where I tied up at Lower Brewers was really nice so I decided to spend another day at this location. I had a few projects in mind & it made sense to tackle them here where I had lots of room on shore beside the boat.

First on my list was to take the dingy off the swim platform & pack it up in its storage bags – easier said than done!

While I’m traveling on the Rideau I tie up to shore each night so there is no need for the dingy. It also restricts access to the swim platform so into storage it goes.

Step 1 – Haul Up On Shore (the easy part)

Step 2 – Deflate & Stuff Dingy Into Storage Bags (the hard & sweaty part)

After getting the dingy stowed away it was time to tackle the mess in the forward & aft cabin storage lockers.

Chaos reigns supreme! It’s a good thing Catherine isn’t here. She would not be happy & I wouldn’t blame her!

I took inventory of everything I had & even managed to cull a few items & set some others aside for dropping off to a Goodwill Store.

By the time everything was put away it was well past the supper hour. I had a quick sandwich & a great big cold G&T.

Earlier in the afternoon a houseboat tied up in front of me & we chatted a bit. I invited the couple over for a nightcap & we got to know each other a bit.

Jamie & Rita are from the Peterborourgh area & have spent the past month on the Rideau System. Now they are headed home, which is on the Trent- Severn System.

Jamie bought their houseboat as an empty shell 10 years ago & he finished the inside by himself. Heron’s Nest is a pretty nice rig with lots of room inside & a really cool upper deck. I am envious of them with a boat that has straight lines of construction & no plumbing, wiring or engine down in cramped inaccessible spaces below the waterline.

Cheers!

Overnight at Lower Brewers

44°23′20″ N 76°19′31″ W

I left Confederation Basin Marina at 9:30 so I could catch the 10:00am opening of the Bascule Bridge. This bridge only opens at the top of each hour & during weekdays the opening hours are further restricted between 11:00 & 1:00 & then no openings between 3:00 & 6:00pm to accommodate afternoon rush hour traffic.

The ferry that runs between Wolfe Island & Kingston was just coming in as I was preparing to pass under the bridge.

After passing under the bridge I went to Kingston Marina to fill up with diesel fuel and to pump out the holding tank for the fore & aft toilets.

With those chores completed I headed towards Kingston Mills Locks, with the goal of stopping overnight at Lower or Upper Brewers Lockstations.

The lower lock gates at Kingston Mills were closed so that meant some boats were coming down, therefore I would have to wait for a bit before I could “lock up”.

As I pulled in to the waiting dock a lady on a boat that was already tied up came & helped me with my lines.

I noticed that her boat had a (US State of) Georgia registration so I asked where they were from & she said the Atlanta area.

Once I was securely tied up on the dock I had some time before I could go through the locks so I had a chat with Meredith and her husband Scotty on board their boat named “Thunderbolt”.

They are doing the great loop this year & told me that they normally kept the boat on Lake Lanier in Georgia. They are from Milton, Georgia. I told them that I was involved in a modest way in the creation of the City of Milton back in 2006. Scotty said that he worked in an office building close to where CH2M HILL had their offices.

They said they love living in Milton and that the city is very well run. It’s a nice coincidence to meet someone from so far away compared to where I live & to discover something we have in common.

After our visit it was time for me to get ready to enter the first lock.

After locking up, I headed towards Lower Brewers Lockstation. Another beautiful day to be on the water.

By the time I arrived there the Lockmaster told me that there were no mooring spaces left at Upper Brewers so I tied up right where I was.

I had a relaxing afternoon & took a long nap. This boating life can take a lot out of you.

Cheers!

Overnight at Confederation Basin Marina, Kingston

44°13′42″ N 76°28′43″ W

Today Glenn is headed to Cornwall to spend a few days with another long-time friend he made during his career with Parks Canada. But I have a few more things to blog about before we say goodbye.

Last night was Glenn’s last night on board Santosha. I thought I should send him off with the memory of a good meal – especially after the Spamtastic dinner we had a couple of nights before. I’m sure that the cruisers aboard the Kawartha Voyager are still talking about that! 🙀

We went for a very delicious pasta dinner at Chez Piggy Restaurant which is only a short walk from the marina.

photo above copied from the internet

Chez Piggy was founded almost 40 years ago by Zalman “Zal” Yanovsky & his long-time partner Rose Richardson. Zal played lead guitar and sang for the Lovin’ Spoonful, a rock band which he founded with John Sebastian in 1964. They had lots of hits including “Do You Believe in Magic”, “Nashville Cats”, “Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind” & many more.

Zal passed away in 2002 & Rose passed away in 2005. But they left us all with a great legacy!

It’s a fun place to go & the food is delicious. You should go there if you are ever in Kingston.

photos above copied from the internet

After dinner we returned to the boat & had a WhatsApp video call with Glenn’s wife Jay & their daughter Colleen. Jay was supposed to come on the cruise with Glenn but she got “hit” with a really bad sinus infection a couple of days before the flight from Calgary. Hey Jay, perhaps that sinus infection was a bit of a blessing in disguise ‘cause you didn’t have to endure the Spam. There’s always next year… Glenn & I are planning a cruise on the Trent-Severn!

After our video call we hauled out the backgammon board for another series of games. Glenn continued to dominate but he let me win a few games so I would keep coming back for more.

The next morning we had a slow start & before we knew it, Glenn’s friend Peter White had arrived to take him to Cornwall for a few days.

Peter was a Warden for Parks Canada for many years & he even spent some time in Yoho National Park when my brother-in-law was there in the 1970’s – now that goes back a few years, eh!

The three of us went for lunch at a nearby pub & told each other stories about our time with Parks Canada.

Thanks do much for coming, Glenn. It was a blast – far too long in coming. Let’s start planning 2020 Trent-Severn.

After Glenn & Peter left it was time for me to do laundry, wash the outside of the boat, clean up the empties & get ready to head back towards Ottawa. But I left some time to enjoy the sunset.

Cheers!

Overnight at Confederation Basin Marina, Kingston

44°13′42″ N 76°28′43″ W

Sadly, our journey was coming to an end. One more day & we would be in Kingston & Glenn would soon be off to visit a friend in Cornwall for a couple of days & then fly back to Calgary.

We watched the Kawartha Voyager go through the locks & then it was our turn.

The KV was specially built for traveling the Rideau & Trent-Severn waterways. The bow is raised before entering the locks. This helps to provide maximum space for passengers on the ship. It’s very interesting to watch it go through the locks. You can learn more about this cruise line by following this link: http://ontariowaterwaycruises.com/

We just had 2 more sets of locks to pass through – a single lock at Lower Brewers – no craft brewery their either 🙁 & then a set of 4 locks at Kingston Mills.

Photo above copied from Parks Canada website.

We passed through all the locks in time to get the 2:00pm opening of the Basquel Bridge in Kingston & headed for our reserved dock space at Kingston’s Confederation Basin Marina.

photo above copied from the internet.

Hot showers, laundry & only a few steps to numerous restaurants, a grocery store & an LCBO – who could ask for more?

Photo above copied from Kingston City webcam.

Cheers!

Overnight at Upper Brewers Lock

44°24′48″ N 76°18′46″ W

Our next destination was Upper Brewer’s Lock. We heard there might be cold beer there.

Lot’s of mooring space at the dock but no brewery in sight! I guess I must have imagined the craft brewery there serving up free cold brews. Oh well, we still had some cold ones in the fridge.

Shortly after we arrived at Upper Brewers the available mooring spaces filled up in a hurry! The Kawartha Voyager cruise boat was our neighbor for the night.

We had lots of fun chatting with the crew & the guests. I talked a bit with the Captain. He said they were having a very good season. All trips on the Rideau & the Trent-Severn were sold out last year & this year too. It’s obvious that he & his crew take great care of all of their guests. Several of them commented that they were having a wonderful time.

Our flybridge seating area was on the same level as the KV’s dining room deck. I asked the chef what was for dinner tonight & she replied “roast beef”.

I told her that we were available for the first seating but she didn’t take me up on the offer. No surprise there as I was dressed in my favorite oil stained shorts, my paint stained t-shirt & my raggy Bulleit Bourbon baseball cap. Plus I hadn’t had a shower fo several days. I don’t think their cruise guests would appreciate sharing their space.

Oh well, Glenn & I made the best of it. I put him to work on the BBQ. We had Spam “steaks” sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, sea salt & peppercorns along with BBQ’d red peppers & boiled baby potatoes with real butter – all washed down with authentic French red wine!

This was certainly Michelin level cuisine (or more likely the last of the provisions in a Northern Michigan hunting camp). No dress code on this ship’s dining room.

Poor Glenn – he’s such a good sport!

Bon Appetite!