Touchdown

I was somewhat paranoid about inadvertently landing in Canada with some forbidden items so we ate and drank our way through just about everything on the boat before leaving New York. We considered making a celebratory dinner from our remaining ship stores but concluded that building a meal around wieners and canned potatoes wasn’t going to create the vibe we wanted.

We were just unloading the scooters to head to a local grocery store when my sister Nancy called wondering if she and Wayne could contribute to our celebration by dropping in with a bottle of bubbly. Heck, yeah!

The party got off to a rocky start when I discovered the champagne flutes that I had coddled for thousands of miles, did not survive the trip across the lake. Stemless glasses must have been invented by a boater as this bottomless version worked okay.

Not only did Nancy and Wayne provide the libations, they also treated us to dinner at Bella Bistro. The drive to Bella’s was along Bath Road. Many British Empire Loyalists settled here following the revolutionary war – hence the name – Loyalist County. Apparently, everyone of them brought a lilac slip and planted it outside their new home. The roadsides were lined with lilacs in full flower. No wonder I was able to smell the haunting fragrance out on the lake before we arrived.

Bella’s is a farm to table restaurant in Collins Bay. It also has a market that carries prepared and frozen meals that are perfect for restocking boat larders. The only downside for boaters is the nearby marinas are also the second noisiest we encountered on the whole loop. Located next to an active train line, under the flight path of Kingston Airport, and belonging to an active sailing community that does not tie off the halyards, one must be prepared to sacrifice a night’s sleep. The food is worth it but earplugs are recommended.

We had a lovely dinner, sharing the highlights and challenges of the trip. As a retired pilot Wayne was particularly attuned to our need to constantly watch the weather. He particularly appreciated the stories about opening a weather app, checking another two or three times, closing them all, and then opening them up again trying to change the forecast.

Thank you so much, it was a great welcome home and a wonderful way to celebrate the end of an adventure.

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