Day's 31

• Alexandria Bay - Cape Vincent NY
• Start 8:45 am
• End 12:30 pm
• Underway 3:08 Hours
• Locks - 0
• Distance 24 miles
• Av Speed 7.7 knots

Good Bye Alexandria Bay, off to Cape Vincent. Cape Vincent is where Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River meet. We stopped here for the night so we can head out into the lake first thing in the morning.

The first thing we needed to do was to stop at the fuel dock to fill up with both fuel and water. The dock hand at Bonnie Castle Marina was by far the best dock hand that we have come across. He was quick to handle the lines, friendly and really seemed to like his job. Bonnie Castle was a little bit out of our way, but the fuel was also 30 cents a gallon cheaper than Alexandria Bay. Well worth going the 2 miles out of our way. We only needed 140 gallons but I wanted to top off before leaving.

The trip was only 24 miles but it was definitely a little sporty as we headed down river. The last 5 miles was into a very strong wind with 2 to 3 foot choppy waves. The boat handles the waves with no problem but the spray was coming up over the bridge and I was soaked.

Cape Vincent was a very nice town, but there was very little to do. We stayed on the town dock, which was free but again there was no water or electric. As we approached the dock, a couple of guys from the marina next to the dock came over to help us in. That was very nice as the wind was blowing pretty hard making docking a challenge.

We took a bike ride to a local winery, and then found a park were we could play in the river. The water was too cold to swim, but it was nice to sit in the water. One of the nice things about the river is how clear it is. In 20 feet of water you can clearly see the river bottom.

We ended the day cooking dinner back on the boat, and enjoying the sun setting over the river as we ate.

We have been getting conflicting reports on what the conditions on the lake will be tomorrow. Everything from it will be flat to 5 to 6 foot waves. We are planning to head back across the lake to Oswego tomorrow. There is no way we want to be out in those conditions, especially since it will be at least 3 hours crossing the lake. I have planned a couple of routes, to give us places to bail out if needed, or to stay closer to shore, where we would be protected from the waves.