Blue Belle Cruise 2011: July 27, 2011

A few observations from"the crew" The Lord may have rested on the 7th day, but it's been 12 days for Blue Belle before a two-day stop. We're here in Kingston, Ont. on a beautiful sunny day making plans to do "touristy" things before entering the Rideau Canal which will be a 170 mile slow speed run. (Is "slow speed run" an oxymoron?)

The trip has had some ups and downs but fortunately more of the former than the latter. The low points were the seven straight days of unbearable heat with heat indexes often in the 100 - 105 degree range. We stood on the decks sweltering outside Lock 17 on the Erie (which happens to be one of the deepest in the world at 41 feet) waiting for the lock door to be repaired. The lock master came on the VHF and said "I don't want you folks to get stuck down there and then I can't get you out." Good Lord, get me a gun! A virtual 41 foot grave in 100+ temps. with no escape surrounded by slimy walls. Yikes. Compared to that, having a seagull crap right on my shoulder yesterday from about four feet up was nothing.
On the plus side, the scenery never gets old. While most of the towns along the Erie Canal are depressed, the people are friendly and helpful. the Thousand Islands make your head spin.....natural beauty everywhere, and so much of it. As we approached Canada and travelled throughout the Thousand Islands, we encountered more and more French-speaking boaters. I had three years of French, but remember very little of what I learned. I do observe that the French Canadiens might be saying dastardly things, but it almost always sounds nice. We have noticed that there are very few boats like ours (down east style) up in this area. Most are fiberglass cruisers and Blue Belle draws a lot of attention, all of it positive. However, I was not heartened moments ago when a guy came by to tell me how much he loved our boat and had seen one just recently owned by a couple also in their 70s because it's so easy to handle. Seventies!!!!

So, perhaps it is true that while we started this trip in our 60s, we now look like 70-year olds. I had worried the other day that I was taking on the look of a two-week-old Chiquita banana, bruised all over with lots of spots on it. I have bumped into every available corner of this boat.

With the unrelenting heat, we have also compromised any semblance of a dress code. I have become one of those old women that I used to make snide remarks about. "Does she have a mirror in her house?" Well, frankly, no. We have a 1' x 2' mirror in the head that is not big enough to scream back at me: "Take that oufit off! My God, you are in your 70s!!!" Shut up. It's cool....although not cool-looking. I don't care.

It occurs to me that I am now rambling. The cell phone rates here in Canada are through the roof so I should reserve this chatter for a time on the phone with a patient friend (i.e. sister) when the rates come down. At a later date, I'll vent on the situation with the refrigeration (or lack thereof) on the boat. We are off to Kingston Town!