July 10 Kingston to Trenton

July 10

After a few days in Kingston it was time to depart.  We had a good time, took the tourist trolley around town to learn a bit more of the city history and see some of the historic sites.  While originally established as a French trading outpost the British took it over and then built 4 forts along the waterfront to ward off those pesky Americans.  Interestingly, not a single shot was ever fired from any of the compounds.  

One of  the 4 cannonades  protecting Kingston

We made time for a self-guided tour of that big city hall building.  Went to the farmers market on the square behind city hall and got some fruit and produce – it’s the oldest continually operated farmers market in Canada.  Visited 2 of the 3 breweries in town and ate some BBQ Poutine.  So, a pretty good but busy time overall.

Sunrise at Kingston before our departure to Trenton

The trip from Kingston to Trenton is a 90 mile run and we had originally considered making it a 2 day trip with a stop in Pincton.   But the weather forecast for the second day was calling for rain and thunderstorms, so we decided one long day trip was the better option.  So out of the marina and on the water by 6:30 AM would put us in Trenton by late afternoon.  Two other looper boats would be making the same trip but because they run faster than us they would leave a little later, pass us, and still get docked ahead of us. 

"United 771" passes us 

Followed by "Cat n Dogs"

On our slow boat from China we just took our time, running 7 kts, 1600 RPM and squeaking by on a little over 2 gallons of diesel per hour. Rather than taking the open water passage on Lake Ontario we took the protected route around the back side of Amherst Island and then zig- zagged our way through the Bay of Quinte.   Sort of a humid, hazy, flat calm morning for much of the trip with Martha and me taking turns at the helm.

Flat calm but hazy start out the St. Lawrence and onto Lake Ontario

23 wind turbines supplying power to Amherst Island

A nice refreshing SW breeze on the bow picked up after lunch and provided a little relief from temperatures in the lower 80’s.   We arrived at 3:30 and got docked without issue.  Trent Port Marina was opened in 2016 and is by far one of the nicest marinas we’ll see on the trip.  Friendly staff, wide walkways, immaculate grounds, secure, floating docks, fantastic bathrooms, captains lounge, super clean, and FREE laundry.  

This is where we met our first harbor hosts – Eric and Karen - 2 years ago who were so helpful with transporting Martha from Campbellford back to the marina to get her car on our trip in 2017.  We’ll stay here a few days to meet up with them when they arrive for the weekend.   The marina was gracious enough to put us on the same dock they keep their boat rather than the normal transient dock. We’re anxious to get going on our trip through the Trent-Severne waterway but wouldn’t think of passing through without spending some time visiting with them.

After being in Kingston for a few days, Trenton feels a bit small.  It has the essentials close to the marina – grocery stores, liquor and beer stores and a few restaurants and cafes, but the town looks a bit weathered with a few too many empty storefronts downtown.  Like too many  towns these days, there’s a main  road  outside of town where most of the stores and  restaurants have relocated.

Our friend Jax doing what any modern angel would do - checking text messages.

Journey for July 10