Camelot Island Kayak Camping

 Camelot Island

1000 Islands Kayak Camping

Note: click on images to see larger.

June 21 - June 23

My friend Pat and I decided a good way to celebrate my birthday was to do a two night camping trip to my favourite campsite of the 1000 Islands, namely site 1 on Camelot Island.   So we meet at Clark's Marina in Willowdale about 2 km west of Gananoque off Hwy 2.   I have used this marina many times over the years as a good place to leave our vehicles, parking is reasonable.  We unload the kayaks and set them at the outer edges of the ramp so hopefully not interfering with any power boat launches and begin the loading of gear.

Boat loading at ramp

 Boats loaded and our cars parked in the transient parking area we set off to follow the channel from Clark's down to the Bateau Channel which will lead us out to the Admiralty Island group SW of Gananoque.  Weather is hot with almost no wind so flat calm.   Before exiting the Bateau channel you cross the path of the Howe Island ferry which this day seemed quite busy.  After passing the ferry you are in the Admiralty Islands and we swing by Beau-Rivage a park island then the south tip of Lindsay island then around the north tip of Bostwick island home to Half Moon Bay where church services are held for island boaters.  Somewhere around here we pass a tour boat from Kingston in the design of a paddle steamer which is fake.

Kingston tour boat

From here we aim for Huckleberry Island then set our sights on the Navigation light at Barge island at which point we can see Camelot to the ENE of us at approx 1.25 kms distance.   On arrival at Camelot we pull the yaks ashore and begin the unloading then hauling the gear uphill to site 1 where we set up the tents and get our bedding organised.  I have a cot (Helinox Cot 1) which has made all the difference to the quality of sleep I get, in fact I think if I didn't have it I probably wouldn't be camping as I had found just sleeping on an air mat was way too uncomfortable and gave me a sore back.  Our camp set-up can be seen below.

Kayak landing at Camelot

Camp set-up site 1

First thing we do after set-up is have our lunch as we had been running a bit late we opted to wait until arriving on site before having lunch.  Then we purchase a bag of firewood and pay for 2 days of beaching permits which is over and above the cost of site rental.  Beaching permits allow you access to any of the park islands and is paid for on site.    No more paddling for today so we spend some time gathering twigs and prepping the fire for this evening and then it is time to make dinner, my responsibility for the first night and it is my old staple spaghetti with meat sauce and a ceasar side salad.  After dinner we light our campfire and sit around and just enjoy the evening.

Campfire

Then it is off to bed after a very pleasant day.  Before retiring I dump a pot of water on the embers just to be on the safe side, we certainly don't need any more wildfires there has been quite enough of them around this year!

A little tardy getting up, 7:40 but what the heck it's my birthday I'm allowed to sleep in!   Another lovely day and I'm making today's breakfast; pancakes with bacon and syrup plus O.J. and coffee.   After breakfast we will head out for a paddle.   With breakfast over it is down to the landing to stow some gear in the yaks before heading off for today's paddle.  Just before we leave our camp we have some surprise visitors, a gaggle of Canada geese with this year's young have come up to wander around the grass looking for something to eat.

Today's visitor

We decide to head NE towards the Fleet Islands and along the way we spot yet another of the many Osprey nests to be seen in the 1000 islands.

Osprey nest

Today's paddle

Our course takes us NE following the line of the Fleet islands passing to the east of Prince Regent Island before turning left through the Gananoque Narrows to go NW towards Gordon island which is a park island so we can land there and have our lunch.   I have never camped on Gordon as I'm not crazy about the layout there and the kayak landing at the SW corner is pretty crappy, not great for unloading a kayak.  We paddle around and check it out but decide we will land at the main dock on the east side.   This is quite high and requires a bit of effort to climb up, I then use my bow rope to tether my yak to the bridge to shore so I can't be charged for mooring.

Gordon Is. dock

Having found a suitable picnic table we sit and have a relaxing lunch.  After awhile we hear a boat approach and it turns out to be the parks boat checking the faciities on the island.  Of course the ask if we have beaching permits and we explain we are camped at Camelot and purchased the permits there.  As they had already been to Camelot they would have found our payment in the box so no problem.   With lunch over we head back to Camelot aiming for Sugar island then turning SW but keeping to the opposite side of the islands we passed on our way up to Prince Regent.   Arriving back at camp we prep the fire for the evening and then generally laze around and read for the rest of our afternoon.   There are a fair number of insects to be found on these islands including wood roaches and millipedes that can usually be found under groundsheets and bags but today we see an interesting one making its way up a tree.   Turns out it is called an eastern eyed click beetle and is about 2 inches long, see below.

Eastern eyed click beetle

Now today is Pat's turn to make dinner and she is making me a pizza for my birthday.

Ta da!

Not only that but I get carrot cake with cream cheese icing for dessert complete with candle!

Birthday dessert

Just room for 1

Chef boyardee at work!

So all in all a pretty good way to celebrate a birthday and we enjoy the rest of our evening sitting around the fire.  Weather for tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy warm and humid but no precipation until evening so just fine for our paddle back to Clark marina.  Morning comes and it is not too bad at all, cloudy as forecast but nice and warm with almost no wind. On waking we both begin to break camp, I start with packing up what's inside, sleeping bag cot and clothing then move to dismantle tent. So Pat makes breakfast with her version of egg McMuffin, fried egg and bacon on a muffin, juice and some strawberry/rhubarb fruit dish all very tasty.  The site is supposed to be vacated by 11:00 and I know it is booked for the weekend so after our hearty breakfast we haul gear down to the landing to start packing the kayaks.

Packing up the kayak

By about 10:30 we are ready to roll and our heading will be SW just outside of American waters to begin with, passing Netley island then Deathdealer island and no it's not in the U.S. but who knows maybe they had some inflence on it's naming😉.  We continue this heading to Jolly island where we do pass through some U.S. water but luckily no one shot at us!  At Jolly we turn right to aim for the top of Thwartway island (or Leek island) which is also a park island.

Pat in her Atlantic kayak

From the top of Thwartway if you look NW you can make out the sign for Half Moon Bay, a white crescent moon.  This is where a religous service is held for boaters/cottagers of the 1000 islands and has a pulpit and a wire around the inside of the cove where boaters can tether their boats while they listen to the sermon.  We use this landmark and head for it.

Heading to Half Moon Bay

Pat in Half Moon Bay

From here we retrace our course round tip of Bostwick island then skim past Beau-Rivage to head into the Bateau Channel and the turn off to Clark Marina and home.  Arriving at Clark we find a grassy area where we can drag out the yaks without using the main ramp as the owner was complaining about the time we spent on the ramp so this worked out fine.

Happy paddling!

from

KayakJock

1000 Islands New York State

Grindstone Is. - U.S. Thousand Islands

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November already, and the weather of late has been rather crappy, perhaps foreshadowing the possibility of a harsh winter to come. The temperatures have been running much lower than the norm, so when they predicted a high of 17 c for November 2nd it was a no brainer, get out and paddle as it might be my last chance this season as I need to knuckle down and get some work done at home.

I have done much paddling in the 1000 Islands but only briefly traversed u.s. waters (see my Boldt Castle post) so have had it in mind to make a circumnavigation of Grindstone one of the largest islands belonging to New York state and this seemed like an ideal time to do just that.

Grindstone Island

As forecast, the morning was mild but overcast as I load up the car, but by the time I reached 1000 island parkway the sun was shining and it promised to be a glorious day.  The plan is to circle anti-clockwise as wind from SW changing to W; so into it at the start but later it should be more help than hindrance.  Also I plan to stop for lunch at Thwartway Island before entering u.s. waters.

Launching a few kilometers east of Gananoque at 11:00 my first waypoint will be Corn island where from a distance I can spot a large raptor atop a tree.  This proves to be an adult Bald eagle.   

Put-in

Bald eagle on Corn Is.

I head SW into the wind which is close to the prediction of 9-10 km so very pleasant and I make landfall at the Parks Canada kayak landing in the bay on the SE side of Thwartway (aka Leek Is.) at lunchtime.   These waters are so peaceful now compared to the summer season when they would be just humming with Sea-Doos and a variety of power boats.  Today I have seen two small run-abouts quietly engaged in fishing.   The bay is sheltered from the wind so shirt off and catch a few rays while sitting on the dock to have my lunch.

Lunch on dock

Thwartway

Lunch over I paddle south into u.s. waters swapping over the map in my GPS to a NY topo obtained from the web.  Skies suddenly become overcast with high stratus creating that "calm before the storm" feeling which proved to be unjustified as within an hour it was back to sunny skies.

NW Grindstone Is.

Near Cummings Pt.

Rounding the SW corner of Grindstone the town of Clayton N.Y. appears in the distance.   I have never been there but for a small town it has some interesting attractions.  It is home to the Antique Boat Museum as well as an historical opera house.   I know the museum houses some fast boats once owned by Frederick Bourne, builder of Singer Castle down river opposite Mallorytown Landing.  On an island between Grindstone and the mainland I spot what I first thought might be a Martello tower similar to the one on Cedar island which was built by the British to defend Kingston.   Wrong! Just some fancy real estate.

Clayton N.Y.

The tower

Grindstone appears to be low laying and fairly sparsely populated, the real estate generally not on a par with what you find in the Admiralty Islands off Gananoque; nothing of great interest!    As I continue NE I pass first a laker going upstream then my second small flock today of White-wing scoters which come to the Great Lakes to winter, and I think at least one Black scoter.

Laker

White-wing scoters

From here I enter the channel between Grindstone and Picton islands to work my way up the eastern shore thence back to Canadian waters.  I had thought the tour boat season over so was surprised to see a pontoon boat belonging to Clayton Island Tours come chugging past with about half a dozen passengers. Travelling at a sedate pace, so not a bad way to see the islands for those who can't do it under their own steam.

Picton Is. channel

Clayton Tours

A small strip of land along the east shore is a state park which appears to be for day use only, with docking facilities but no camping or overnight boat mooring.  At about this point I am stopped watching two mute swans fly overhead and taking photos when I hear a powerful motor coming up the channel behind me.  Prepare to repel boarders!  I am being apprehended by a U.S. Border patrol.

Picnic Point State Park

U.S. Border Patrol

Their vessel pulls along side me and three of them step out of the cabin, I was still brandishing a paddle you see, or I might have made a dash for it... Citizenship? Where have you come from? Have you landed anywhere?  I.D.? Yes sir, in a little black barrel in that hatch back there if you care to dig it out! Did you see such and such islands along the way (trick questions). They decided to forgo trying to open the hatch, its a bit of a monkey puzzle for first timers and decide to look up my name, d.o.b. and I tell them I was last in U.S. last week with the cats at the vet (read setting up my drop).   Satisfied I wasn't a mule for the cartel they wished me Bon voyage and enjoy the rest of your day! It was all quite amusing although they are quite serious, they were very polite and hey, no shots were fired!

From here I'm about 6 km back to my put-in, about 1 km to Canadian waters. Squeezing first between Prince Rupert and Sugar islands, then Squaw before skimming past Gordon, one of the Canada Parks islands.

Downstream: a dead calm

Prince Rupert Is.

Kayak heaven!

It's 16:40 and I am back where I started after a very enjoyable paddle, almost 27 and a half kilometers in perfect fall weather and now a pleasant drive along the 1000 islands parkway before taking 401 home.

Psst, wanna buy some ganja? Fresh off de boat mon!

Happy paddling!
Doug