Oswego Canal to Oswego, New York and crossing Lake Ontario to Clayton, New York on the St. Lawrence in the Thousand Islands Area

We  left Brewerton, NY on Sunday, July 5 to take the Oswego Canal to Oswego, Ny on the Oswego River and Lake Ontario.  There are 8 locks on the Oswego Canal. We went through the first one at 8 am and got to Oswego around 12:30. We went through most of the locks with The Dash and 2 more boats: Sassy Girl and Moonshine. Once at the Oswego Marina, we walked to the nearby events the town had for July 4th, which they celebrated on the 5th, including the fireworks that evening. We visited and ate or had drinks  at Southern Fare, Old City Hall Brewery, GS Steamers and Dockside Bar and Grille. The fireworks we watched very near our boats along the riverfront. 

On Monday, July 6th we walked to nearby Fort Ontario which overlooks Lake Ontario with a stunning view. Also on the walk I saw a firehouse museum and a memorial to 911. Later on we walked to the Maritime Museum and  then ate very good barbecue brisket at Old City Hall Brewery. The brewery is located in the Market building dating back to the 1836 where ships came in to trade and later severed as the first City Hall. 

On Tuesday, July 7 we crossed Lake Ontario (about 50 miles) to the St. Lawrence River and Thousand Islands region to the town of Clayton, New York. The ride got a bit choppy in the middle of the lake so we increased our speed during that part. I took a photo of the chart at one point and was surprised to see the depth was 167 feet!  However, Tim informed me that it was up to 450 feet later on! Once we got to the St. Lawrence River it was very smooth. We stayed at the Municipal dock on Mary Street and the staff was very friendly and accommodating.  We had a boat part delivered to the nearby city hall and they picked it up for us. Our buddy boat The Dash also had a part delivered.  The guys spent the day helping each other with installing parts on their boats. We were grateful for Lance's skill and knowledge! The town of Clayton was beautiful and had a river walk and park, hotels, shops, restaurants, and an Antique Boat Museum and much more. I took a walk and explored the town. They guys completed the projects sooner than expected so we all walked to The Hops Spot for dinner!

On Wednesday, July 8 we took a 5 hour boat cruise of the Thousand  Islands through Clayton Island Boat Tours. I was not familiar with the Thousand Islands area but they are actually a chain of 1,846 islands on the St. Lawrence straddling the US and Canadian border.(By the way, this is where Thousand Island dressing was invented.)  Our guide pointed out several of the islands in both countries and their history and we stopped at 2 Islands on the US side. We stopped at Heart Island and toured Boldt Castle built by George Boldt who ran the Waldorf-Astoria in New York in 1900. It ceased being built in 1904 when his wife died at a young age of 45. He never returned to it and it was acquired in the 1970s by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority and has been renovated and is open for tourism. It was pretty grand and amazing to say the least. We also stopped at the historic Rock Island Lighthouse which was a great tour since we could actually climb it. The guide pointed out that there was a shipwreck very near there when the original keeper house was  built taller than the lighthouse . The wreck can still be viewed by scuba divers. Later that evening we had pizza at the Wood Boat Brewery back in Clayton. 

Thursday, July 9th was our last day in Clayton. We toured the nearby Antique Boat Museum. They have many wooden boats there and offer boat rides. They also have  sailing lessons and skiff rentals. Later on Sue and I visited the many shops in town before it rained. Tomorrow we take the short ride to Ganaque to begin our time in Canada!