From Montreal to Kingston Ontario

Carillon Lock - tallest lock

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.”

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

112 Locks! That is how many locks we did beginning from the Federal Lock at Troy NY to the Georgian Bay.

Federal Lock – Troy NY

Champlain Canal – 11

Richelieu River – Chambly Canal – 9

St Ours

St Lawrence Seaway – 2

St Anne de Bellevue

Carillon

Rideau Canal – 45

Trent-Severn Waterway 41 (includes 2 hydraulic lifts and a marine railway)

Which side will you lock on? Port or Starboard? That was often the question. The answer often lied in which way the wind was blowing. Kathy preferred locking on the side the wind would push you towards which makes it much easier to put your lines through.

The worst locking experiences were when the wind pushed you away from the wall.  Often that leads to the stern of the boat being too far from the wall to grab the lines. We did develop the technique of backing up a bit to bring the stern in.

The Ottawa Flight of 8 locks was perhaps the most fun. We arrived just before the

Ottawa Flight of 8 Locks

beginning of the Quebec Construction Worker holidays. A two week holiday set by congress for the construction workers. Most of Quebec follows suit and takes vacation those weeks too. So many boaters were getting a jump on the holiday and leaving early.

When we arrived at 8 am for the 9 am lock there were already about 15 boats in line. The lock holds at most 6 boats depending on the size of the boats. We had no idea when we might get through the locks. Once you start the locks you continue through 8 locks that rise up to the city of Ottawa, Canada. It takes several hours to go through all 8 locks.

Fortunately, the lockmaster was expecting many boats and they sent 3 flights of boats

Ottawa locks - view from the top

up in the morning. We were the last boat to make the morning locks.

We were in the party lock! One boat had local music blaring and dancing on their front deck. It certainly made for a fun experience. We also were getting a good taste of the Quebec people.  The people we met while waiting to get into the lock were very helpful with local customs and such. We would meet them multiple times through the Rideau Canal system and we would each help the other.

Once up the locks we were in Ottawa and had difficulty finding a place to tie up because of the Holiday. A young man riding a bicycle saw our Looper flag and began talking to us and following us to the docks. We found a spot that seemed too small but could hang off the edge and have the front of the boat under a bridge. This young man handled our lines and helped us get into the spot. We thanked him profusely and he was off. Unfortunately there was no power at this spot. The Canadian Parks people suggested that in the morning we might find someone leaving who had a spot with power and we could move. Mike got up early and scoped out a terrific spot with power, not only that, we met Randy and Eileen fellow Loopers and the Quebec couple who helped us with the locks found a spot there too.

We were off to explore Ottawa and the changing of the guard with our new looper friends. At lunchtime we split up and went our ways for the day.

Because of the construction worker holiday which lasts 2 weeks we would be in the locks with many boats every time. You didn’t have to decide port or starboard the lockmaster would tell you where to go. Lockmasters look at the boats wanting to go into the lock and arrange them in such a way as to fit as many in as possible. That means often there would be 3 boats across with the middle boat attached to one of the end boats. We even met a pontoon boat whose captain said the lockmaster had them go in the back sideways!

Cruise ship in the lock

There is usually docking space before and after each lock. We would try to get as far as we could each day. It was all going well until we caught up to the flock of boats on vacation. We had to stop sooner than we wanted because there was no room at the lock ahead. We docked below the lock where there was only room for 2 boats. It was nice and quiet while the 12 boats on the top seemed to be having a party. Where we were though, we could swim.

In my mind that is what I thought a day would be like. Travel, dock, swim repeat. Finally after all this time on the loop I got to swim and I loved it.

We left early in the morning with the other boat to get to the next lock by opening. There were 12 boats already there that did not get to lock through the day before. We thought we would be there for hours. In addition the lock was held up because they were locking the other direction first. With our new friends that we spent the night with and a new friend we met at the lock we had a good time waiting and we all got in the second flight down that day.

More trouble ahead as the boats are still backlogged from the holiday. We can’t get to the last lock on the Rideau because there are too many boats to lock through. We stayed at the next to the last lock and the fellow boaters were so welcoming and helpful.

It was one of Kathy’s favorite nights. We were able to have a picnic table and set our chairs up by the table. We ate outside and had a real “camping” night.

The next day we finished up the Rideau Canal and heading into Kingston, Ontario to rest up a day or so before moving on to Trent and the Trent-Severn Waterway.

We have met some incredible people and God has certainly put the right people in our path at the right time to give us needed help, advice and friendship!

Next up – Trent-Severn Waterway

Montreal Adventures by Bike

“Out there things can happen, and frequently do,

To people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew.

Just go right along, you'll start happening too!”

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

A boat can't go everywhere, so sometimes it would be nice to have a car available.  Since we don't, we brought our bicycles on the boat.  We strap them to the bow railing and unload them when we want to go somewhere that is too far to walk. 

A recent example was our visit to Montreal.  Although there are two marinas right downtown in the Old City, one was closed due to a labor strike and the other was full.  So we were directed to a less-expensive marina seven miles south at Lachine. 

Port de Plaisance de Lachine is in a beautiful park like resort setting on the St. Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Lachine Canal that goes to downtown Montreal.  Your boat must have a height of less than 8 feet to travel the Lachine Canal. If our dinghy had a motor, we could have traveled that way.  But since it only has oars, we unloaded our bikes.

Montreal has many bike paths, including along the canal and the river.  On a sunny morning after rush hour, we selected a path. After a brisk 40 minute ride, we arrived downtown. 

 

We had corresponded with another "looper" couple that we knew was in Montreal, so we arranged to meet them for lunch.  In the meantime, we enjoyed wandering around the old port. We even saw a demonstration march by the labor union that had closed the city marina. 

The four of us found a nice restaurant with outside roofed dining that had a view of the Jacques Cartier marketplace.  When the predicted downpour arrived, the   wait staff quickly closed the transparent curtains so we wouldn't get soaked.   We lingered over lunch and dessert while it rained, enjoying a discussion of loop experiences with the other couple.  We also exchanged cards. Most loopers have boat cards (like business cards) printed up with their contact information to stay in touch.

We then rode our bikes a couple of miles through city traffic to reach the Museum of Fine Arts.  One of us has an aggressive biking style in the city, cutting in and out of buses and running red lights, while the other has a laidback style that allows all other traffic to go ahead.  Since these are incompatible, one of us has to modify our style to suit the other.  It takes patience on the part of both of us.  But we did arrive safely at the museum and enjoyed a couple of hours of varied art exhibits housed in six buildings. This included seeing furniture built by Mike’s stepmothers relatives!

Old Port Workers March

So far the visit to Montreal had been textbook perfect.  But then the trouble started. When we retrieved our bikes, Kathy's rear tire was flat.  She had left her repair kit on the boat, so Mike contributed a tube from his kit and we fixed the flat.  Since the tube was a slightly different size than the tire, we headed for a bike shop to repair it correctly. 

We wanted a new tire and tube, but the tire was out of stock, so we settled for a tube and headed for "home" down the bike path.  Within a mile or so, the tire went flat again.  We again put Mike's spare tube into the tire, which got us to another bike shop.  Likewise they did not have the correct size tire, so they put a new tube in the old tire and off we went.  You guessed right; it went flat within a mile.

At the same time, Mike realized that he had left our backpack at the bike shop, containing phones, money, and passports.  He hurried back, but arrived too late; the shop had closed. 

The day was not ending as well as it had began, but the worst was yet to come. 

We put Mike's spare tube into the tire yet again and started for home.  Riding behind Kathy, Mike noticed her tire begin to lose air.  Despite his prayers that it would hold up until they arrived back at the boat, it did not.  Out of spare tubes, we ended up walking the last three miles to the marina, arriving at dark.

Mike rode to the supermarket to get food for Kathy to make a late but delicious supper.  We believe that everything happens for a reason, and someday we will know the reason.  But we did discover that our adventurous spirits were still intact and we were able to laugh about our troubles. 

The next morning Mike got up early and biked all the way back downtown to the bike shop where he had left the backpack. 

Fortunately an observant staff person had retrieved it and locked it in the shop for safekeeping.  The shop returned it and Mike was able to return to the boat with phones, money, and passports safe.  

As a follow-up, we have ordered several new tires for Kathy's bike and we have a spare for Mike's. 

Next up- Montreal to Ottawa

Lake Champlain

And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.” 

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Our previous post described the locking process in the Champlain and Chambly canals (as well as other canal systems).  Between those two canals is glorious Lake Champlain. 

The scenery is some of the most beautiful that we have seen anywhere in the USA.  The Adirondacks are on the west side and the Green Mountains are to the east.  The shorelines are lush and hilly, with picturesque villages and cities in both Vermont and New York. 

Not only is Lake Champlain beautiful, it is filled with history. It was crucial in our country’s defense during the Revolutionary War. Benedict Arnold was instrumental in delaying the British from squelching the revolution and allowing us time to build our

navy and army.

Oh yes, and the many ferries that go across the lake.  There are very few bridges, mostly on either end, so ferries are a common sight.  Some of them are cable ferries; as boaters, we had to give them a wide berth to avoid getting hung up in their cables as they crossed. When 3 ferries are going back and forth the timing of going in between is tricky.

Lastly, Lake Champlain is dotted with islands and bays, which are inviting spots to anchor. Too bad we didn't realize that fact when we approached Burlington VT, just ahead of a storm that brought several days of howling winds and waves. 

Instead we docked right downtown and got pounded severely for three nights.  In hindsight, we should have sought the shelter of a bay for at least two of the nights, to minimize the effects of the wind.  Malletts Bay, just north of Burlington, would have been a good spot and is very popular with the locals.  

Mike's cousins gave us a grand tour of the surrounding countryside, including Smuggler's Notch and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory.  We had a great lunch at Stowe, the famous ski resort town.  The next day we went to church then had lunch at St. Albans and dinner at the cousins.  Having relatives like that is a great way to see an area.

 

When we left the Burlington Marina, we did anchor out in Malletts Bay after all.  Anchoring seems magical, with nothing around you but water and sky.  It was very peaceful and relaxing.  We also anchored at Valcour Island, where the water was so clear we could see the bottom.

Unfortunately we could see that our anchor had not dug in very far, but it was caught on a rock.  Fortunately it was so calm that the boat barely moved all night and the anchor stayed put.  We had been advised to invest in a really good anchor, one that was heavy and would roll over and re-dig itself if the wind shifted.  So we had confidence in our 35-pound Manson Supreme and we slept well. 

A third place we stayed was Burton Island State Park, which can only be reached by boat.  We hiked to the other end of the island with Millie, our dog, and once again enjoyed the peace of being out in nature and surrounded by water. Millie even enjoyed going in the water and cooling off.

Our next stop was the Chazy Yacht club near Plattsburgh NY.  We left our boat there for a month while we visited Quebec City, attended the wedding of Mike's godson in Akron, sold Mike's house in Owego NY, and attended the wedding of Kathy's daughter in Philadelphia. 

Now that we have no land home we are what loopers call “all in”.

Once we returned from those activities, we were ready to enter Canada and start boating in earnest.

Transitting Locks

“Fame you'll be famous, as famous as can be, with everyone watching you win on TV, Except when they don't because sometimes they won't..”

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Locking through takes a bit of practice. The first lock we encountered was the Federal Lock in Troy NY. Fortunately for us, we were the only ones entering the lock.

It was our first experience locking and reading up on it didn’t help us much. The wind was a big factor. It blew our boat away from the wall. What we didn’t know was that by attaching the front line and pulling it tight we were pushing the back end of the boat even further from the wall.

The only audience we had was the lockmaster. He took pity on us and gave us a little instructional of how to do locks. It would take a few more locks before we would get the hang of locking through and we hoped we wouldn’t have to be in a lock with other boats while we learned.

Moving into the Champlain Canal things improved. The locks were smaller and easier to handle. While we did have some issues with getting both ends of the boat against the wall we were making improvements in each lock.

First we decided to hold onto the ropes instead of looping a line through. This made the job much easier. We could easily pull up along side the wall of the lock and grab lightly a line. This gave us lots of practice so that we when got to the Rideau Canal where we had to put a line through the cables on the wall of the lock.

Next up was the Chambly Canal. This canal is so quaint. It winds through the Canadian countryside. It is only wide enough for 1 boat to go through at a time in most spots. The lock hands hand you a rope for you to hold onto. These locks were so easy to get into and out of.

Our experience with the Canadian locks was quite pleasant. After your first lock the lockmaster finds out how far you expect to go. There after each lock expects you. Bridges magically open without calling. Locks magically open upon arrival. If there is any deviation from that the lockmaster informs you and instructs you where to wait and when to go.

After lock 4 on the Chambly we were told locks 1-3 wouldn’t be ready for a while and we could tie up on the wall before the bridge. This was great timing for lunch. In addition we were having trouble with an alternator on the port engine and we were able to troubleshoot it and fix it temporarily before continuing on.

Once we were in Canada we discovered that we were the entertainment for the day. Many families and tourists come to the locks to watch the boats lock through. Locks 1-3 on the Chambly were filled with spectators.  Lucky for us we were pros by this time and didn’t embarrass ourselves.

The last lock of the day was a bit different. This dock had floating docks inside that you tie up to. This was so easy compared to putting ropes through a cable.

Resting up at a marina for the night was nice. We were able to do some laundry.

With trepidation we headed out to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. How awesome it was to turn the corner and see the big river. Being that it was Sunday morning there was little traffic on the Seaway. However, there was one fully loaded ship that made 5-6 foot wakes. We were pretty shaken up hitting them. Fortunately Mike throttled down and we took them without damage. A few items made it to the floor in the cabin but nothing broke and no one went overboard, but it was scary.

We were warned not to travel on the weekends, but here we were traveling on a Sunday. As the day got later the traffic got heavier. We entered an area that recreational boaters in the Montreal area flock to. It was chaotic to say the least with water skiers right next to boats going through. I wouldn’t put my life or my child’s life in danger like that.

Just past that summer time fun we entered the Montreal locks. Here we learned that those who don’t follow the speed limit have to wait until the time comes that they should have arrived. At the first of two locks we spoke to the lockmaster about the speed limit. He wasn’t worried about the sailboat or us in the lock as we go slowly anyway. There were 3 fast boats also in the lock. The 3 boats took off quickly and we never saw them again until the next lock. We came around the corner and the lock light was red. As we kept approaching it turned green and we were pleased with our good fortune to time the lock so well. Off to the left tied up at the waiting dock were our 3 fast boats from the 1^st lock. The lock made them waits until the sailboat and we arrived.

As I said in Canada the lockmasters call the next locks and tell them who is coming. The lockmasters know when you are to arrive and if you mind the speed limit you will arrive with open locks.

Finally after a long day we arrived in Lachine for our Montreal adventure!

The Hudson River

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.

About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."

Dr Seuss – “Oh, the Places You Will Go”

T

here are so many options to choose from on The Great Loop. While there is a overall route, it is the decisions you make on where to stop and what to see that makes The Great Loop uniquely your own.

One of the reasons Kathy was so excited about the Great Loop was her growing up on her dad’s boat on the Hudson River. For that reason we decided to stop at Cornetta’s in Piermont, NY. Kathy’s dad had her boat there

Cornetta's Piermont, NY

for years before retiring to North Carolina. Piermont is not usually a stop on the loop because you need to have a small draft and need to go in mid tide or higher. That is a shame because Piermont is a wonderful small town filled with shops and history.

Dave, the dock master, met us in his powered rowboat and led us to our slip. He was an older gentleman so I asked him how long he had been at Cornetta’s. He had been there for years so I asked him if he knew my dad. Wow. Not only did he remember him, the owner remembered him and they shared fond memories of my dad with me. This was a memorable stop.

Since we were at Piermont that meant we were close to where I grew up. I wanted to show Mike what a wonderful place I grew up in so off we went on our bicycles on a ten-mile trip to Westwood, NJ. We saw where I went to school, where I lived and the downtown area. We had “lunch” at Conrads- a lunch of ice cream. Mike wanted something for the bike so we went to the bike shop still owned by the Albert’s. Mark remembered me from our years at school. We had attended elementary through high school together. What fun memories.

After Piermont we were off to Bear Mountain. We anchored out, took the

Bear Mountain

dinghy to shore and hiked up to the top. It is hard to believe that it had been almost 50 years since I had last been there.

Continuing up the Hudson, we passed West Point and other beautiful places. We stopped at Hyde Park Marina near Poughkeepsie. It was just a waypoint stop over to do laundry and some shopping before heading to Mills Norrie StatePark.

Mills Norrie State Park is beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed the quiet setting of a state park while still being near the action. Again this is another spot loopers often skip as they stick to the main stops.

We toured the grounds of the Vanderbilt mansion and rode our bikes past the Roosevelt library. Our friends George and Nancy met us the second day. We took them for a boat ride to Kingston, NY and back to the state park. We drove to the Culinary Institute and had a wonderful gourmet lunch. We crossed the Walkway over the Hudson. Then, Mike gave us a tour of where he worked and lived in Poughkeepsie.

The Hudson River is famous for all the different light houses along the way. Each one is different. Here is a photo of one of them.

Our generator wasn’t working. It had been smoking when we tried to run it. On one of our Hudson River stops we picked up a local boating magazine and saw that there was a genset expert in Albany. So before going on to the locks we stopped to get the generator looked at. Things were looking bleak. It seemed at first we might need to get the back end rebuilt. As Mike was trying to remove that we realized it was too much for us to handle. However, Mike did send a picture of the wiring in the back end to our electrician who immediately noticed the wiring was wrong. The genset expert came back and rewired the generator correctly and miraculously it worked. It should have been shorted out from previous attempts to start but God was with us. Now we will be able to anchor out or tie up at a free dock that doesn’t have electricity.

We still had daylight so we decided to try our hand at the Troy Federal Lock and make it to Waterford NY for the free town dock. We desperately wanted to get out of the wakes of the Hudson and have quiet waters. We pulled in at 7 pm and there was still a spot for us on the free wall.

Next up – Locking through the Champlain Canal

Maryland to New York Harbor

“Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

We spent a week at Kent Island to get our electrical panel updated. One of the highlights of the trip has been seeing friends and meeting new people. At Kent Island we were thrilled to get together with Stu and Nancy Tripler who are originally from my hometown of Harveys Lake. Stu is the new Camp Director of Camp Wright on Kent Island.

From Kent Island we headed up to the Bohemia River. The weather was calling for thunderstorms in the afternoon. We calculated the time of the storm’s arrival with our estimated time of arrival at the marina and we felt we could make it. Little did we know how close we would call that!

Filling up with diesel for this trip was proving to be difficult. The marina at Kent Island had a broken pump, as did another marina along the way. We found diesel at a marina in Great Oak Landing. By the time we arrived there the wind was picking up pretty strongly. We had a lot of trouble getting into the fuel dock. But we learn fast and what we learned there will come in handy when we arrive in Bohemia.  The dockhand checked the weather for us and the storm was now coming later, good news. We should definitely make our stop in time.

Traveling up the Chesapeake was going well. A look behind us and we could see the storms were probably in Baltimore. I was a little worried that they might catch us but we were traveling into blue skies. Just before the entrance to the Bohemia River the Coast Guard sent an alert to take shelter quickly because the storm was moving quickly. I could only hope that the warning was given early enough to allow time to get to that shelter. The wind was picking up even more and we were worried about being able to dock the boat.

Arriving at the marina just before the storm, four dockhands met us to get our lines. They knew it would be difficult. But, as I said we are quick learners. Because of our experience with wind at the fuel dock I was ready! I tossed the bowline to the first dockhand, quickly moved to the spring line and tossed that, finally to the stern and barely got that line to the dockhand. But, they now had us. We could tie up and set our lines for the storm on its way. This was a big storm. Many at the marina were out with camera’s taking photos of the approaching storm. We were just glad we were in on time. Point scored!

The storm was just the beginning of a pattern of unsettled weather that kept us at Bohemia for several days. We spent our first anniversary there. I was able to ride the bike into Chesapeake city and explore. We contacted Foster and Susan fellow loopers whom we met last summer and gave us invaluable advice before we bought our boat. They were able to meet us and we had a lovely dinner at Schaefer’s Canal House.

Finally a favorable weather window arrived and we were off to Delaware City.

Delaware City Dock is an interesting place. They have a long line of docks along the river and many transient boaters make this their stop before heading down the Delaware to Cape May, NJ. They have docking down to a science.  They are able to turn your boat around on the dock so you are facing in the right direction for leaving the next day. Each evening they give a weather report on the suitability to travel down the Delaware.

On their recommendation to leave at 9 am we took off.  The recommendation was perfect. We picked up a favorable tide into Cape May and had great seas.

At Cape May we stayed at Utsch’s Marina. We got our bikes out and explored Cape May’s beaches. Cape May also has a nice downtown area that is closed off to traffic. We stumbled on to their sidewalk sale day.

With trepidation we left Cape May to make our first Ocean hop. Seas were 2 feet with 8 sec period.  For those who don’t know that means the seas were relatively calm and we had a really nice time travelling to Atlantic City. It was fascinating to see the shore from the ocean.  We were blessed to see a whale and 2 groups of 3 dolphins jumping in the water. It was such a highlight to see that.

The next thing that worried us was getting into the inlet but that too turned out to be no problem.

Atlantic City was a familiar place and it was good to go someplace I knew. We enjoyed riding our bikes on the boardwalk. We had to leave our boat there for 2 days while we went back to Pennsylvania for my son’s graduation and my daughter’s bridal shower. It was so good to see family!

Weather strikes again and it doesn’t look like the Ocean is a safe way to travel to Manasquan. We decide to take the Intracoastal Waterway up. It is a chilly day and the Intracoastal is very calm. We take the advice to leave Atlantic City 2 hours after low tide so we travel on the rising tide and have no problems with water depth.

Thump! What was that? Thump again! We don’t know what that sound meant, but the boat is going ok- until it doesn’t. Suddenly the boat seems to be hesitating. We aren’t sure what is going on and check the charts to see where we might be able to stop and get it looked at. Fortunately, after taking a sharp turn the boat seems to be working again. We figure something must have been stuck between the propellers and the rudders. Being ignorant we continue on to Barnegat Light House NJ.

After doing research, we found out if a fishing line got wrapped around the prop bad things could happen. We found a balloon with string wrapped on the swim platform support and that worried us about what else might be under the boat. We called a diver to come out and check the boat out.   Good news! Yes we hit a piece of wood. There is a small scratch but there is no damage and everything looks great under the boat. Point scored!

Never having been to Barnegat Lighthouse before we took the opportunity to tour it. We witnessed a

couple get engaged at the top of the lighthouse! We rode our bikes to the beach and lounged there for a bit. It was still not my beach day because it was cold and the water even colder.

All the material we read warned about going through the Barnegat Inlet. We watched many boats going in and out of it while we visited the lighthouse. We struck up a conversation with a boater at the dock about the inlet. He said it was no problem, just follow the buoys and go with the tide. So we did.  It was easy.

Seas out in the ocean were a bit bigger than our first hop. It was a bit rough until we got away from the shoreline.  The seas also got smoother as we got closer to Manasquan.

At Manasquan we stayed at Clarks Landing Marina right near the center of town and near the beaches. The weather had decidedly become very summerlike. It was predicted to be in the 80’s the next day.  That means – Beach Day! It was a wonderful day at the beach. Relaxing. Sit was sunny and not too crowded. Perfect!

Off we go to NY Harbor. What an exciting day to be traveling up the ocean to the harbor. We were like little kids as we saw the NYC skyline in front of us. Ships all around. In front of us was the Statue of Liberty and after that Ellis Island. The new World Trade Center towered above the city. Liberty Landing Marina was right in the center of it all. From our dock we could see the back of the Statue of Liberty. The World Trade Center was just across the river from us. The NY skyline lit up at night was a sight to behold.

My friends Dan and Linda, from high school, are back in the states from their missionary work in Japan and it was a pleasure to have them visit us at the marina. It was great to catch up and hear about their work and plans.

We have just completed what we consider a tough section of the loop. We did it well. We successfully watched the weather and made wise decisions. Took the advice of those who had gone before us and as a result had a mostly uneventful safe travel. Point Scored!

Next up - The Hudson River

Bicycling on the Great Loop

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act.”

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

It is great to travel by boat. The scenery is fabulous. The pace is relaxing. The rolling of the boat can lull you to sleep at night.

But – life needs to happen. Groceries need to be bought. Laundry needs to be done.

Many loopers either walk or take a loaner car from the marina.  Those options work if the stores are close. Often they are not.

We, like other loopers, have brought bikes along with us. They are fastened to the bow rail while we are under way. When we arrive at a marina we take them down to shop, do laundry or explore.

Because of the exposure to water and salt, bikes will rust out pretty quickly. The advice we got was to pick up cheap bikes at Walmart and throw them out when we are done. I know how bad those bikes are at Walmart and really didn’t want something so cheaply made. Babcock Bicycles in Endicott, NY sells used bikes. We were fortunate to get some vintage bikes.  They are outfitted with baskets, racks and panniers. We love them. They ride nice and they were built to last.  Everywhere we go people comment on the bikes!

It is however, a constant battle against rust. I am constantly cleaning them up and putting protective coatings on them to keep them from developing cancerous rust. But, they are so much fun to ride it is worth all the work to keep them working and looking good.

Our first try at a big shopping trip to stock up the pantry loaded up both Mike’s and my bikes. Mike looked at our cart at check out time and said “are you sure we can bring this back to the boat on our bikes?”  Acting confidently I said “of course”. But I wasn’t really sure at all.  I did know that my daughter who does everything by bike carried a lot of things at once so I was hopeful. As you can see by the picture we did manage to get it all on the bikes and ride about 2 miles back to the boat in Portsmouth, VA.

I tried to do a big shopping trip just before we left Kent Island by myself.  I bought way too much to carry home.  Balancing such a load is critical. First I put too much weight in the front basket. That led to not being able to control the bike. Rearranging the load to balance all the baskets out and having a light load in the front basket gave me control of the bike.

The bikes also bring freedom to explore the areas we are visiting.  When we arrived at Cape May, NJ we took the bikes out to go to the beaches. 

We would not have been able to do that if we had to walk. The beaches were several miles away. We also used them to go down the boardwalk at Atlantic City. Mike used his bike to return a rental car we used to go to family events in Pennsylvania.

Next up – Maryland to the New York Harbor