The Journey Begins!

The Harry Potter-esque power house at Boldt Castle

Anchored in Alexandria Bay, New York, our view tonight consists of (get this!) a towering castle…what a life! This afternoon we motored in behind Boldt Castle after an eventful first day on the trip south. Casting off our lines early this morning, we left Collin’s Bay in Kingston and watched the dock recede into the distance as the air around us seemed to crackle with excitement. Finally, we were under way! After so much work, so much anticipation and combating with nerves and obstacles over the previous weeks and months, the journey had begun. Feeling the wind blowing in our faces, we gazed out into the gray clouded waters of Lake Ontario, passing gently into misty rain while managing to sail past Kingston. 

The highlights of the day included: getting a bonus sail from K-Town to Camelot Island; testing out the new camera snapping photos of our friends aboard s/v Raftan; passing beneath the Thousand Island Bridge; the ease of checking into US customs with our Nexus cards (just a phone call away!); waving to passing tour boats; and visiting Boldt Castle after a day of travel. 

Our cruising guide to the Thousand Islands describes Boldt Castle as a “colossal monument to love,” and basically it is a “mammoth cottage” intended as an expression of love from George Boldt to his wife Louise. Building began on Hart Island in the 1890s, but sadly Boldt’s wife passed away before construction was completed and in his grief he abandoned the summer house altogether. Since the 1970s restoration work has begun but, as we noticed, many of the upper levels remain unfinished. It is definitely worth a visit, and being anchored only a few hundred feet away, we simply couldn’t pass it up! 

On another note, a few problems we encountered on our first day were: breaking a dodger window (again while tacking), and finding a tear in the trailing edge of the genoa. But luckily these were minor setbacks. All in all we had a busy, misty day and are happy to be cozy at anchor with some delicious spaghetti and a celebratory beer! 

Until next time,

Nicole.

The Thousand Island Bridge with Raftan in the distance