Thousand Islands, NY

 July 2 – July 8, 2011

 

For a few days, we had been watching the weather for a good day to cross Lake Ontario.  Our plan was to leave on Saturday, July 2^nd, because the winds and waves were supposed to be relatively calm and that looked like a good day for the crossing.  The weather held and we caught the first lock opening that morning to leave the New York State Canal System in Oswego and enter Lake Ontario, along with Danny & Susan and Ted & Nancy McCarley on “Aloha Friday”.  

 

Our first stop in Thousand Islands was Cape Vincent, where we stayed at the free town dock.  Our friend from Clearwater, Parks Honeywell, met us at the dock and took our lines.  Roger had met Parks last November at a Dunedin Coast Guard Auxiliary meeting and discovered that Parks used to own a Krogen Manatee.  In fact, he built a dock for it at his private island in Thousand Islands where he spends the summers.  He sold the boat some time ago and it is now owned by Ray & Linda Corrette, who named it “Summertime”.  Last fall, Parks invited us to spend some time at his island as we were planning to cruise in the Thousand Islands.  

 

Roger and I had been looking forward to this part of the trip and we were so glad that it worked out.  In fact, Parks extended another invitation for us to stay at his friend, John Gonazalez’s dock in Clayton the next night so that we could go to a 4^th of July party (actually on the 3^rd) for the Coast Guard Auxiliary members of a Thousand Islands flotilla.  After we enjoyed a nice night and day in Cape Vincent, Parks came back and helped Roger take the boat to John’s house.  It had been a long time since Parks was on a Manatee but it was like riding a bike!  I drove Parks’ truck to John’s and met the guys there.  Several Coast Guard and local policemen who patrol the St. Lawrence River in that area were there also.  We had a great time at the party.  I met a nice couple that went to the same grammar school and high school as I went to in Rochester, NY, as well as the aunt of my brother Bill’s good friend.  Talk about a small world!  

 

On the 4^th of July, we woke up to a gorgeous day and from our cockpit, we watched kayakers, sailors, and even a sea plane enjoying the morning.   It took almost 2 hours to get to Parks’ island from Clayton.  He is in Goose Bay, very close to Alexandria Bay, NY.  His island is named Norway Island and is about 3 acres.   Some of his Coast Guard friends were visiting him when we arrived and they all met us at Parks’ dock.  We tied up and stayed for 5 days.  Norway Island is surrounded by gorgeous views and is in a wonderful and peaceful setting.  I mean, who would ever want to leave there?!?!  Well, maybe in the winter…

 

Parks showed us around the entire island.  His house sits high up on the island so the views are majestic.  He was a wonderful host; I did all our laundry at his house and he was a great tour guide.  He took us out on his 1967 Lyman, a gorgeous wooden boat, and we watched the Alexandria Bay fireworks in the St. Lawrence River on the 4^th.    We also went to Clayton, NY and visited the Antique Wooden Boat Museum.  We caught up with our cruising friends and toured the museum and had lunch in the quaint little town of Clayton.  This is a definite “Do Not Miss” if you are anywhere nearby in the summertime.

 

The day before we left, we took our boat and toured Boldt Castle.  In 1900, the castle was built by George Boldt, who was the manager of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, as a dedication to the love of his life – his wife Louise.  When she died suddenly four years later, the castle was not finished, but he stopped all construction because he couldn’t imagine spending his summers there without her.  The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired it 73 years later and has been improving it since it fell into complete disrepair.  It is beautiful love story, a magnificent structure and is another reason to visit Thousand Islands.

 

After Boldt Castle, we went to Alexandria Bay and filled up our fuel tank before going back to Parks’ island.  The logistics of living on a private island were very interesting.  There is no trash pickup by the town and no mail delivery by the postal worker, so you have to plan ahead.  Along with his classic Lyman wooden boat, Parks has a pontoon boat that he uses as his transportation between the mainland and Norway Island.  It is about a 15-minute boat ride between his island and the mainland, but you hope you don’t forget the letters you were going to mail or your cell phone that you left on the counter because it’s a project to go back for them.  He also owns a piece of land on the mainland, where he built another boat house, with a garage for his pick up truck, which is his land transportation.  And he parks his motor home there, which is what he drives to and from Florida.  My head is spinning trying to keep all of this straight.  We shared so much with Parks in just 5 days—we have memories that will last forever.  Even our cruising friends said how much they enjoyed him.  It’s hard to write the words, but maybe you’ll get the idea from the photos.  

 

We were sad to leave Parks Honeywell and Norway Island, but we needed to move on with our trip.  It was good timing that Parks’ brother-in-law Charlie had arrived so that his island wouldn’t be totally quiet after we left.  We’ll look forward to seeing Parks in Florida in October.