KAYAKING

KINGSTON TO BROCKVILLE

Friday August 25, 2000

Got up and carried my pre-loaded kayak from my livingroom, where I had been packing it all week, and stuffed it in the back hatch of my little 1987 Sprint. I drove to the Cataraqui Canoe Club in Kingston and met the rest of the trip members. There were seven of us all together. Bob Tolley and I (David Workman) both had old River Runners. Leif Erickson had a newer River Runner (R5) with a storage compartment. Don Seisling, Margaret Milne, Sherri Davy (group leader), and Arthur Chow all had sea kayaks.

First Break - Milton Island	Beaching at Grass Creek Park	Choppy Water

We set sail at 9:30 a.m. on Lake Ontario. I could notice a definite sluggishness from my craft with the extra weight. Once we rounded the point at the Military College the wind and waves helped to push us along. We stopped for a small break on Milton Island where Arthur went swimming. Our next break was for lunch at 1:00 at Grass Creek Park. It was at this point I realized I’d forgotten my lunch for the next three days. I guess I’ll have to live off all that fat I don’t have. Sherri kept us amused by chewing on a bee and getting stung. They had terrible drinking water there. Don agreed.

We paddled till 4:15 to McDonald Island. After circling the island several times, we found a suitable camping spot. I shared a site with Leif & Sherri which cost us \\$3.25 each. Don and Art claimed a more elevated site as did Bob and Margaret. I found a watergun and shot everyone until I was voted off the island. Most of us went swimming. I managed to slice my foot on some zebra mussels. Not to be outdone, Sherri broke her toe tripping over a root. We sat around the campfire while Sherri told us ghost stories about an Indian massacre on McDonald Island. Molly and her dog Shorty from the next campsite joined us for a while. They had come from Pennsylvania on their boat, "The Spirit II." We all cooked our suppers Went to bed at 10:30. I didn’t sleep at all. Luckily I brought a book to read.

Saturday August 26, 2000

Put my book away at 7:30 a.m. then I watched everyone eat breakfast as that’s a luxury I don’t usually allow myself. We broke camp leaving it for someone else to fix. We repacked our kayaks and carried them down to the shoreline. By 10:30 we were on the water watching the annual Poker Run races with the cigarette boats. They helped make the area quite choppy. Once again the wind and waves were with us all day so we did a lot of surfing. It was excellent. Some waves were chest high and the rollers made it feel like you were on the ocean.

Leif & Sherri	Leif, Sherri & Arthur	The River Runner

Dave Pilots the "S.S. Workmanship"	The St. Lawrence River	"The Group of Seven"

Lunch was at 12:30 on Mulcaster Island. I went out on the floating dock to think about going in for a swim. The decision was made for me when I lost my balance and fell in. It amused two kayakers from New Jersey. I talked everyone into stopping in at my Uncle Bill Browning’s on Lyndock Island. It was too difficult for most people to get out as the docks were quite high and the waves quite choppy. I ran up with everyone’s water bottles and surprised my Uncle. I borrowed water from his water bottles and spilled a gallon or two on his floor. I left him soaked yet waterless. Leif had been holding my kayak for me. He said a wave actually washed it up on the dock. The currents in the Thousand Islands were quite interesting. Just past the international bridge, we ran into the Poker Run again. There were large swells and later it became extremely choppy. A canoe would have been impossible.

We Place 1st in the Poker Run	Mulcaster Island	Leif & Thousand Islands Bridge

At Club Island we were a bit lost. Leif and I went on ahead and did a circumnavigation hoping to meet everyone back at the start. Unfortunately they had followed us so we ended up going half way around again to find them. Eventually we found the correct island which was Grenadier Island. We arrived there at 5:00 p.m. and joined up with 5 more kayakers from Brockville. I shared a site with Dave McAdoo (\\$5.00 each…this camping trip is going to be the death of my bank account). The others were Ted Ward, Murray Golledge, Ron Bunce and Linda Vice.

Dave, Don and I went for a hike. We ran into Art who went with us as far as the school house before turning back (possibly to escape the killer bees when I took a flash picture of their nest). The remaining three of us went to the cemetery and didn’t get back until it was dark. We felt safe though, as Dave assured us he was an American and had a gun with him. Later, Art and I kept telling everyone we were going to wake them up at midnight to go to the cemetery for a s顮ce. Everyone gathered around to watch me make my chemically heated Chicken Caciatore. We each chipped in .25 for firewood…all this frivolous spending was really getting me down.

Leif Surfs the Sea	Bob & Margaret Ride the Swells	"The Group of Seven" at Grenadier

Killer Bee Hive at the Old School	Unfortunately, Arthur Was Allergic To Bees. We Divided Up His Gear & Pressed Onwards.	Later We All Chipped In & Purchased Him A Proper Gravestone

Sunday August 27, 2000

I had a much better night’s sleep of 4 hours. At 7:00 a.m. I watched everyone have breakfast again. One thing I did do, was to make sure I had plenty to drink. I made sure of having a sip from my juice bottle at least every hour as I usually get very dehydrated. I highly recommend hourly sips as It works. The twelve of us left together. We enticed a young kayaker into taking our group picture. He ended up with about 7 cameras. He was a good sport. The weather today was dull and windy and most of the time it was against us for a change.

Dave's Poison Ivy Campsite	Preparing To Leave Grenadier	Dave W. Prepared for a Storm

...And Then There Were 12	Grenadier Island Shortcut	The Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria

We stopped for a break at a small government owned island. Tom and Mary of the "7^th Heaven" yacht asked me how I got enough gear in my kayak for three days. I was laughing and saying I had lots of room since I didn’t bring any lunches. When we left, Mary brought over a large bag full of goodies for my lunch. I was pretty embarrassed. Everyone in the group said that that was a unique way to go on a trip…none of the others had considered begging for their lunch.

Resting In Bay As Group Passes	Name That Castle	No, It's Not Boldt Castle

We stopped at a small unmarked island in the United States. No one was around to ask for our passports so we claimed it in the name of Queen Elizabeth. I opened up my new lunch to discover that what I thought was a pudding cup, was actually a fruit cup. I was disappointed and wanted to take it back but I was distracted when Bob showed everyone how to slice his hand on a tin can. Nurse Sherri was able to bandage him up. We fought the waves all the way to Brockville where the newest members left us. At Bateau Bay, Bob, Art, Leif and I took a detour to look through the clear water at the old sunken boats below, while everyone else went on ahead. We waited for Art while he made a pit stop. He said he found some bodies in the woods...and here I was hoping no one would discover them for a few more years. Brenda of Brockville kayaked with us for the last 2 miles.

Explorer Leif Erickson	White "Seagull Dropping" Island	Island of the Two Labradors

We arrived at Henry Street in Brockville at 3:30 which was our final destination. Some guy nearly ran over Sherri’s kayak while backing down the boat ramp with his truck. Sherri had arranged a shuttle back to Kingston. Leif and Sherri live in Brockville so, thanks to Leif’s father bringing Sherri’s car, we were able to get their kayaks home in Brockville. The rest of us piled our crafts onto a trailer and headed back to Kingston. I went back with Sherri, Leif and the shuttle driver. We all got our cars and went on our separate ways.

WHAT I TOOK AND WHERE I STORED IT

FRONT RIGHT:

1. 2 bubble pads

FRONT LEFT:

1. Coiled rope
2. Wetskin rain suit and nylon windbreaker double wrapped in plastic bags

REAR RIGHT (IN ORDER FROM FARTHEST AWAY FROM SEAT):

1. Tent wrapped in garbage bag
2. 20 L dry bag - Sleeping bag
3. Sitting on top of my dry bag was a tupperware dish with my compact Olympus camera inside.
4. 10 L dry bag containing;

1. Sweater
2. T-shirt
3. 2 prs socks
4. Jeans
5. Warm shirt
6. Bathing suit
7. Surgical gloves
8. First aid kit
9. Tensure bandage.
10. Blue Pouch containing;

1. Harmonica
2. Toothbrush
3. Toothpaste
4. Writing pad
5. Pen
6. ? a comb
7. Flashlight
8. Elastics (No matter how well prepared the man, he can always use an elastic band)
9. Duct tape.

REAR LEFT:

1. Zippered carryall containing;

1. Small coffee pot with spout
2. Knife/Fork/Spoon set
3. 1 bottle of propane
4. Mini propane stove and stand
5. Camping pot kit with cup, brillo pad & matches
6. Candle lantern
7. Extra straps
8. Garbage bag
9. Large (2 foot long) tupperware container containing;

1. 2 litre bottle of juice (pre frozen)
2. 2 steaks (frozen)
3. 2 packages of dried fruit.
4. 1 peach
5. 2 plums

LOOSE BEHIND SEAT:

1. Kayak skirt
2. Life jacket
3. Small bungey cords (4)
4. Mechanics rag (used as a flag when towing kayak with car)
5. Bag of dried banana chips...which broke distributing banana chips all over my craft.

BESIDE MY LEFT HIP:

1. Frozen bottle of lemonade (1 Litre)

UNDER MY LEGS (BOTH SIDES):

1. Pink hard styrofoam slabs (2) one on each side
2. Under styrofoam on left side – 1 chemical meal double wrapped in plastic bags
3. Under styrofoam on right side – Tupperware container containing;

1. 8 granola grain bars
2. 8 granola chocolate bars
3. 2 cream of broccoli cup of soup packs
4. 6 poptarts

MIDDLE IN FRONT:

1. Sponge bungey corded to centre section

IN MY POCKET:

1. Change pouch with some change and \\$45.00

WORE:

1. Sneakers, no socks
2. T-shirt
3. Short pants
4. Around my neck I wore a waterproof container that held;

1. Matches
2. Knife
3. Whistle

(Using fishing line I tied the above waterproof container to my Frogee glasses holder).

NOTES:

I elastic banded a spongelike pad to the backrest which worked very well. Also used my lifejacket as a back rest.

Left Over After Trip:

1. 1 plum
2. 2 poptarts
3. 1 cream of broccoli soup packet
4. 2 granola bars
5. 175g trail mix
6. 200g nuts
7. 175g cookies
8. 1.5 L of juice

Next Time:

1. Small rope for tying kayak to dock would be handy
2. Try waterproofing my skirt as it did leak a little.