Al’s wind  issues  continue - bad news for him, good news for us, as Al decided to quit rowing early and so had time to jot down some thoughts and text them in. Peg   

Bath, Ontario to Hidden Harbor, NY – 37 miles

Up at 5 … rowing by 6 to beat the winds that come up in the afternoon … and they did!! I was past the 2 6-mile open water passages when the wind did kick up big-time, so if I’m going to make it across/around Lake Ontario, it’ll have to be with early starts!  

I rewarded myself with two swim stops today … cold, clear water, better than a shower!

Sadly, my early start precludes choice of cuisine ... today, early, ‘Fast Freddy’ in Bath served up a thin tuna on wheat and a soggy roast beef on white. As bad as it was, there is no fare here at Hidden Harbor (or perhaps it’s hidden?), so lean times tonight.

A bit of a SNAFU calling in through customs this afternoon. Baltimore Homeland Security provided me with a code for ‘remote re-entry,’ but such was not recognized by the local authorities and, like Lucy, “I had some ‘splainin’ to do.” 

Other highlights today included the thrill of riding some massive rollers coming into the St. Lawrence from the lake … being followed by the same seagull for 3+ hours as I crossed the border (I named him Peter and thanked him for his escort) … the power of the current pushing out of the lake into the St. Lawrence; on each 6 mile sprint across open water, I lost at least 2 miles on my heading. No big ships in sight, but I had plenty to do … not disappointed!

Let’s give a shout-out to Bill Ball, the new owner of Hidden Harbor Marina; he just came by to greet me, show me the men’s room and facilities ... all no charge. Canadian kindness has met its match here tonight!  The transition from the relatively intimate 240-mile Trent-Severn to these huge waters is dramatic; I’ll see a lot more canal in two days when I get to the Erie, but for now, water to the horizon and big rollers make for breathtaking vistas … oceanic, and fresh!  

I tell the people I meet that one purpose of this row is to raise some money … in this case for financial aid at Boys’ Latin … and if I’m brazen enough to accept cash from strangers (twice!!) and free services from the likes of the beneficent Bill Ball, I should also remind you, Gentle Readers; many of you have shown largesse during earlier rows. Financial aid puts a lot of wonderful kids in my classroom and in our schools, young men who otherwise would not have access to a school and community like BL.

So … if you are so moved, hit the link that I’m told is somewhere on the blog (Ed. note – it’s on the right on the home page) … and do what you can? I’d be rowing anyway … but this is the classic case of making lemonade out of an aging rower.

As I have been sitting here writing and looking out over the gas dock at Hidden Harbor, Bill just pumped 112 gallons of gas into a fishing boat. At what point does a 22’ fishing boat become a tanker?

Sorry for the episodic entries; long days at the oars are not conducive to longhand writing at night. The essays will come later; I have a lot on my mind, but no keyboard to hammer … yet!