On August 18th, eleven sailboats from SYC set sail for Waddington, NY for the annual Commodore Cruise. With the wind Gods on our side, the fleet benefited from a leisurely sail to the newly renovated Waddington docking facilities. After completing the US Custom and Border Patrol requirements using the CBP ROAM app on mobile devices, the group meandered to a patio bar restaurant while some chose a nearby pub, renowned for its famous wings. It is noteworthy to mention that the town of Waddington has done an outstanding job at renovating the lavatory (washroom/shower) facilities as well as the large covered communal area.
The following morning, Cindy Lou II, Oblio and Irish Mist bid farewell to the eight boats continuing their upriver journey and proceeded back to SYC. Meanwhile, Lagan 2, Ricochet, Jenna’s Journey, Sealestial, Whisper, I Is, Rejuvinate and Whirlaway, subsequently joined by Fox Force 3, slowly made their way through Iroquois Seaway Locks and upriver to finally reach the entrance of 40 Acres (Beaurivage) on August 20th. Although the transit made it for long days, the flotilla still took the time to expose less experienced sailors to potential anchorages along the route and even stopped at Grenadier Island for a well-deserved lunch and swimming break. Once at Beaurivage, Snow Goose linked up to the SYC fleet and Persuasion dropped by to say hello.
On August 21st, the fleet headed to the Confederation Basin in Kingston seeking shelter from an incoming wind and thunderstorm. Some even got to sleep with their vessels slightly heeling over while being tied to the dock.
The next day, to accommodate various itineraries, the fleet split into sub-groups. While Whisper, Sealestial and Fox Force 3 headed for Main Duck Island and Snow Goose for Picton/Belleville, the others proceeded to the anchorage at Brakey Bay for one night before starting their return trip via the US shore. (Cape Vincent (2 nights), Clayton (shore visit), and Brockville (BYC)), all on time for those who had to be back at work first thing Monday morning.
Even though the trip calls for some long days to hit the goals initially set, the group and sub-groups still managed to include quality social times throughout their respective itineraries. Be it for congregating at the anchorage at Smith Island, indulging in noodle swimming, lunching and swimming at Central Grenadier, socializing at Beaurivage anchorage and Kingston Brewery (Main Group) and trekking the island with its snake population, watching the overabundant snapping turtles congregation in the cove as well as lunching and swimming on the east coast for the Main Duck Island folks. As for the Eastern group, the highlights were without a doubt, the two days spent at Cape Vincent and the super fun they had swimming, lounging around, laughing, group snacking, socializing on the dock and exploring the town. Some folks even managed to hit the ice cream shop for the massive swirl – yum ☺.
Such an endeavour does not occur by itself and many individuals stepped up to the plate to successfully lead the group throughout the various stages (planning, preparation and conduct). Thumbs up to Mike and Brian (Commodore cruise) and Peter, Paul and Brian (Upriver) and all the others who assisted them and worked in the background. Definitively an experience to repeat in the future.
For those who might be pondering undertaking a similar adventure, I would like to offer the following points:
- Travelling as part of a flotilla exposes you to a breath of knowledge and experience (sailing and area) of the most experienced and seasoned sailors. All this is yours to capitalize on, by either asking or emulating;
- There is also accrued safety and security travelling as part of a group (minor problems, malfunctions and emergencies) as the group or sub-group looks after each other;
- There is homework to be done prior and during such an outing (planning, equipment, provisioning, weather, contingency planning, etc.) to fully enjoy the experience and be somewhat self-sufficient if you ever get momentarily separated from the group; and
- Last but not least, SYC folks are fun to hang around with!
Again, kudos to all those who played vital roles and participated in this adventure. In my opinion, it is one of the best sailing initiatives I had the opportunity to participate in since joining SYC.
Rejuvinate
