The Triangle

Am posting this in the winter of 09-10 as a way of getting to know how to use the blog.

Tuesday July 7th Crysler Park Marina

Weather dark and raining, but no wind. Decided to take the boat with its newly repaired hose out for a good run, if temperature gauge remains OK and weather holds, then we will continue. Both held, so on to the Eisenhower lock. No hold up there. At Snell Lock, waited for a big ship to lock through, then we were on our way. Weather remains dark and wet. Arrived Creg Quey marina mid afternoon, then the sun came out.

July 5th, 2009

We started our trip around the triangle (Crysler Park Marina to Montreal, up the Ottawa, down the Rideau to Kingston, then back to CPM) on Sunday, 5th of July. It is a beautiful sunny day. Got out of the marina to the main channel and the port engine started overheating. Turned it off and returned to the marina. It was breezy, thank goodness for some sailboaters on our dock who helped us dock. Wayne checked the engine, seems like there is not enough water getting in to cool the engine. Impeller OK, perhaps a blockage in the through-hull; Grant from B dock came over to help with problem solving, very helpful. Hired a diver to check clamshell for obstructions, saw nothing. Tried poking blades down through the seacock and clamshell several times, eventually more water coming in. Seems that something had built a nest inside the clamshell. Had cut off the hose to get at the through-hull, spent the rest of that day and the next day trying to find another hose. Ended up using a heavy plastic hose like one used on a swimming pool hookup.

Getting started

We are setting up this blog to record our adventure as we plan for and travel the great loop. We started our adventure by finding "just the right boat" in Georgian Bay, Kilbear marina, in May of 2008. She is a 36' Senator aft cabin motor yacht, with twin diesel engines. Our big adventure that summer was bringing the boat home through the Trent-Severn waterway to Crysler Park marina on the St. Lawrence River.
Then in July of 2009, we left to do the triangle, down the St. Lawrence to Montreal, up the Ottawa River, and down the Rideau Canal to Kingston, and back down the St. Lawrence to Crysler Park. Good way to get to know our boat better.
We are spending the fall and winter of 09-10 preparing both ourselves and the boat for our trip. Our plan is to leave on July 1, 2010. We will head up the St. Lawrence to Trenton, then back up the Trent-Severn system to Georgian Bay and beyond, completing the loop in the summer of 2011.