Date: Thursday September 15, 2016
Position: Anchored in Chippewa Bay on the American side of the St. Lawrence River, State of New York
Chippewa Bay. Mentioned in music and other literature. Located within the area of the upper St. Lawrence River described as the Thousand Islands. An exceedingly picturesque area. Homes dating back more than a century built on nearly enumerable islands and islets, some homes within one stride of the river. In the days before income tax, some of the homes were considerable statements of wealth. Singer Castle is just one example — very European in its style. Mostly the homes are simple “summer cottages,” ranging in size from one room to sprawling. Boathouses abound. The water level remains nearly constant so a boathouse is a pretty practical idea. Some are very imaginative architectural expressions, nearly castle-like in some instances.
Pride is in a very quiet area separated from the commercial ship channel by Cedar Island. The winds during the transit thus far between Erie and Brockville permitted good sailing and fast sailing in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The transit down the eight locks of the Welland Canal was speedy due to not as many commercial ships transiting as there sometimes can be. So we are ahead of schedule. A great opportunity to find a sheltered and quite anchorage. Today is maintenance day. Soon the ship will be back in the Atlantic with its saltiness. We want to get as much re-coating of the ship as we can to better hold off salt-rooted wear and tear. The crew have the varnish somewhat prepared. Today’s focus is mast and rigging care: tar and slush put on served and unserved wire rigging, coating of the big lower masts with protective wood preserving oil, and paint upon selected areas of the exterior hull.
With a full night’s rest last night and another one coming tonight, based on benign weather and a quite anchorage, there is a great opportunity to care for the ship and get ready for both Tall Ships® Brockville this coming weekend and the long voyage back home to Baltimore starting next week.
Signed,
Captain Jan C. Miles
Photo: Thanks to Rebecca Samler, who caught Pride II firing a cannon on Lake Erie after departing Tall Ships® Erie on September 12, for sharing her photo with us. Click on the photo for a full view.
