WanderlustandWhimSea

After several years of wanting to get here by boat, I arrived in Kingston Canada on 11 July. It’s a big port with lots of boaters. Transients are not usually offered the best docks and we were asked to weave through a series of tight turns into a narrow corner. It is a basic law of boating that a device will fail at the worst possible moment and this was certainly the case with the bow thruster. With a stiff breeze pushing our bow we failed to execute the final turn. Fortunately the Marina had sent out dock hands and they saved our bacon aka fiberglass.

I found the manual and Ed proceeded to troubleshoot the bow thruster. It was a 2 day process that involved 4 Uber rides searching for parts and suitable tools. Boyd’s engine was the answer to finding a “key way”. I didn’t have any Canadian money so the charge was nothing! After crawling into a pretzel for hours Ed declared the bow thruster fixed but it is now used ONLY when we really need it. It forces you to become a better boat handler. This is a case if Ed hadn’t been aboard, I would have either crawled into a ball and cried or struggled to find someone to repair and melted my credit card.

Next stop the Rideau Canal. The Rideau Canal has been on my wish list for a decade. It promises a pristine view of Canada and a summer paradise. As I look at the 95+ degree temperatures at my home in Florida, I’m sitting in the Pilot House wearing a long sleeve TShirt and a fleece. Yeah this is why I spend my summers on the boat.