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240 miles on the...Trent-Severn Waterway

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Arriving in Trenton and the start of the Trent-Severn Waterway - for Westbound travelers, anyway - marked the second leg of Molly's journey from NY to Michigan (or the third leg if we count Bay of Quinte). For scores of other boaters, primarily Loopers, the TS (Trent-Severn) is a popular alternate route that bypasses lakes Ontario and Erie and offers relaxed cruising through beautiful country. In fact, by coincidence, we arrived in Trenton just as an AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association) seminar was wrapping up, so several Loopers were already tied up at Trent Port Marina . We didn't spend much time exploring the town of Trenton, but there didn't seem to be too much to see. The highlight for us was discovering that 30mL vials of insulin are available over the counter for only $30/each at Canadian drugstores, which was good since we were about to run out far away from home and our pharmacy. After a night or two in the Trent Port Marina, we mot

Boldt Castle, Bay of Quinte, and Trenton

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We spent a calm, restful night anchored off Heart Island in about 7' of water, then weighed anchor around 9:30 in the morning and headed a few hundred yards toward the west end of the Boldt Castle guest dock/seawall, which had 4'-5' of depth. The park prohibits docking before opening, so we (I) practiced maneuvering Molly and laying her up alongside the dock, first on starboard and then on port, while waiting for 10 o'clock. Molly tied up on the seawall. The water gets a bit shallow to the right of the frame. Boldt Castle today is an impressive structure, reminiscent of the Vanderbilt mansions, but it wasn't always that way. George Boldt, millionaire proprietor of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, began construction on the castle in 1900, intending it as a gift for his wife. Four years later, however, his wife passed away unexpectedly. Boldt ordered all work to stop immediately. Masons, carpenters, sculptors quite literally walked away from the