Monday, July 2, 2018

Thousand Islands June 17 - Kingston


Marty and Dad take the first overnight shift while Curt and I grab some sleep. Marty gives me a kick at 2 am and reports that they have not seen a single boat and there is still not a breath of wind. Curt makes us coffee and we take the helm. The sky is clear and saturated with stars, so we spend a good long while up on deck using Curt's star finder app to see all the constellations and planets. Mars is shining large, bright, and distinctly red. Out in the lake there is little light pollution so the sky is black and magnificent, especially since we're just a day or two past the new moon, making it barely visible.

The hours pass gently and soon the nearly imperceptible dawn light arrives and we can see the silhouettes of hundreds of wind turbines on the shore, which were the source of the blinking red lights that were visible during the night. There are scores of birds all around us as we approach Kingston, taking flight as the sailboat quietly cuts through their path. We give Dad and Marty a shout to wake up, so they don’t miss the incredible view into the city. Everything is different from the water – the views into cities, the taste of the food, the smell of the air, the perception of time.

We finally reach our destination shortly before 8 am, making it a 22 hour, 140 mile journey. We arrive at my friend Andrew's house (palace), who has a waterfront property on the Bateau Channel east of Kingston, complete with an amazing and massive dock. He is there to meet us and catches our lines as we coast in. It does feel good to hit solid ground.

Andrew takes us into town and we meet Ana, Magnus, Stella, Leif and William at the restaurant in the hotel that Andrew manages. We eat a delicious breakfast together and then go back out to Andrew's place to spend the afternoon, and what an afternoon it is. The kids swim, go for dingy rides, and goof around while the adults lounge in the sun, enjoy beverages, and share some laughs. The day is hot and clear and the sun beats down, giving all of us a good dose of our favourite vitamin.

By 4 pm Dad, Marty and his kids are on their way back to Ottawa. The rest of us are feeling the effects of the sun so after some snacks and an awful horror movie, we call it a night.

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