After an odd night that included the maniacal wailing of an F-bomb-throwing lunatic (outside the boat) for a long period of time around 1 am, we were ready to get started on our day. When we had taken a look at the lock the night before, one of the two doors at the exit was open. That’s unusual. When we got up in the morning, it was closed. Huh.

The lockmaster arrives at 7:00 am for the day, and one of our fellow boaters was raring to go at 6:50. He was already at the gate and calling the lockmaster. The boat was a catamaran, and the lockmaster wanted to know the boat’s width. The door to the lock was indeed not working properly, so the lockmaster wanted to know if the boat would fit through. Thankfully, it did, with about 5 feet total of room to spare.

We left our place on the wall and slipped into the lock behind that cat and another boat went behind us. With the door broken, all of us tied up on the starboard side, the same side as the functioning door. That would make it easier for us to maneuver through the door.

Once that lock was done, it was just a straight shot across Lake Ontario. This was my first time seeing this Great Lake, and it was a welcome sight with its Great Lake-colored water. Such a pretty blue that we just haven’t seen anywhere else. Certainly not the brown-tinged water of the rivers and not as brilliant as the turquoise hues of the Bahamas and not as cobalt as the water of the Gulf Stream. Just beautiful Great Lakes Blue.

The ride itself started off smooth and got a bit choppy as we went farther north. Owen tacked back and forth to minimize the discomfort. He’s really good at avoiding beam waves–waves that hit us directly from the side and make the boat rock sideways. It’s more comfortable to have waves come from the stern (which is ideal in our boat) or hit them head on.

Hours passed, naps were taken, and soon we were on the other side of Lake Ontario. We were excited to see Canada on one side of us and New York on the other. We wove our way up the St. Lawrence River, admiring the islands along the way.

We made it to our marina in Clayton and were greeted by three dockhands who were great at what they do. They were young guys, but they knew what they were doing, and we eased right into a slip. Then we learned that the marina doesn’t do pumpouts at the slip, so we backed up and headed to the pump station. Then the guys helped us get back into our slip. They were fun and chatty with us, and they were eager to share stories with us and answer our questions. You have time to learn a lot about people and the area you’re in when strangers are pumping poop out of your boat. Boy, sometimes you type a sentence you never dreamed you would ever write.

Another thing we noted immediately in this marina is that the water in the St. Lawrence River is so clear! We can see the bottom of the river everywhere we look. It’s amazing!

Clayton is an adorable town, and we set out to explore it immediately. The downtown is right off the boat, and the buildings are old but nicely updated. There’s a waterfront area that is busy and friendly, and we’ve seen a dozen or more restaurants nearby. Not all are open early in the week in this tourist town, but at least one was, and one is all we need. We had a nice dinner at O’Brien’s.

We’re looking forward to some fun exploring this week!