Hi Steve:
We traveled to the 1000 islands about twenty times in our 35-1. Because
we went with two boys who really wanted to be in the thousand islands we
tried to shorten the time to get there. You may want to take your time
in the Bay of Quinte. Here's what worked for us.
Go when the weather forecast is good for about twelve hours. Leave early
(7:00 am). When going east you want to get to Coburg in one day. If not,
Newcastle is the only other option. Last year we made it to the west end
of the Murray canal in one day, but we had strong winds. (passed Coburg
after 7.5 hours from Bluffers Park)
We prefer to stop at Bellville only for gas then move on. Usually we
anchored at the entrance to Hay Bay - just around Willow point. Pryniors
Cove is a popular stop over. The Ports book has good recommendations.
Kingston Yacht Club has gas and possibly a slip. From there you can walk
to the stores. The marina is also good, closer to the shops, but may be
noisy.
If you have twenty four hours you could try for Main Duck. There we have
many happy memories - and a few scary ones to. Ensure you arrive in
daylight. Try to get into school house bay. Be careful in the bays to
the north. The flat rock does not hold well. The bay to the south is
better. You don't want to be at Main Duck in an east wind.
Lake Ontario is a big lake. Be prepared for weather you don't want.
Ensure you are able to reef easily. Have some food you can eat without
cooking. Plan your travels so you don't need to go home in bad weather.
Generally if you get a good trip down the lake you will pay for it when
you go back. This year with the light wind however this may be avoided.
You may want to take extra fuel to allow you to make distance on the
lake without needing to go in for fuel.
The wind will increase as the sun rises, especially in the channels.
When coming west from the Thousand Island leave early ( I prefer 6:00
a.m.) Experience has taught me why the Olympic sailing course is at
Kingston - WIND. By leaving early you can be well past it by 2:00 when
the thermals, funneling and SW wind make going westward a challenge.
North of Amherst Island we were down to 1 knot on the motor. A reefed
main sheeted hard and almost to windward plus the motor on got us past
the open water off Bath.
The Thousand Islands has many places to anchor. Unfortunately, they have
installed mooring pins, but if you are not used to anchoring a pin gives
you a quite night.
If you are anchoring make sure you have a proper anchor light. Folks
travel in motor boats at night. Also, good lights make it more obvious
who is dragging during a storm at night. And the guy whom you may be
dragging onto will appreciate it and be better able to respond.
Our favorite spots were Mermaid, Leek, and Camelot. Unfortunately, the
islands are not the same as they were in the 80's and 90's. An
alternative is to go to Waupoos Island. It has great anchorages and
other amenities. That's as far a many folks go now. And stay for many
days. Last year we went for the first time and will do it again. It's
well documented in Ports.
May I recommend BPYC at Bluffers Park as a place to stop, if needed.
Have a good trip.
Don
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