Sackets Harbour to Clayton Harbour Municipal Marina, Clayton, New York

 We had a leisurely breakfast on the boat and then set off towards Cape Vincent where many of the looper boats headed directly from Oswego. We entered the Saint Lawrence Seaway and headed to Clayton Municipal Marina past French Creek. This is a beautiful marina of floating docks right near the 1000 Islands Hotel and the Riverwalk and downtown historic Clayton. It was busy with boat traffic and lots of boat wakes that calmed down by nightfall. We walked into town and realized we had visited the Antique Boat Museum and the Wood Boat Brewery on our camping trip along the Seaway Highway in September 2021. We walked over to French Creek Marina and then to the local watering hole, The Navigator Bar. We stopped to shop for cheese and homemade pretzels and sesame snacks at the 1000 Islands River Rat Cheese Store. We followed the river promenade back to the boat to chill in the air conditioning and cook dinner.

Lighthouse on Horse Island near Sackets Harbour

Tibbetts Point Lighthouse

Wind farm

Ferry from Cape Vincent NY to Port Alexandria, Ontario, Canada

Island bird rookery

Historic Clayton

On Saturday morning, we walked to Bella's Restaurant for a wonderful outdoor breakfast of cinnamon French toast. We visited the Ace Hardware store and then back to the boat to wash off the spiders and insects that our anchor light and twinkle lights attracted before we took off for Northern Flow Vineyards and Plant Nursery. The hiway had a wide shoulder so it was a pleasant but hot walk to the fabulous wine tasting on their outdoor patio surrounded by gorgeous flowers and vines. We tried all six of their dry wines and took home a red and a rose. We stopped at Tricia's Rondette Family Restaurant and shared a poutine appetizer of French fries, gravy and cheese curds, a Canadian speciality before heading back. We stopped at the Hunner's  Market for fresh veggies. On our walk back we sidetracked by the St Lawrence Restoration Marina and viewed the gorgeous boats under the boat shed. We ended up walking  nine miles so we were ready to collapse on the boat.

Watching the big ship ships go by

The muskie trophy fish

View from breakfast patio to passing ship

Home of snow plow maker

Front yard art

The tasting room

Inside the nursery

Outdoor tent and vineyard

Our two wine flights

Amazing greenhouse

Along the highway

Turns out we had visited before

Front yard hot air balloons

Beautifully restored wooden boats under the boat shed

On Sunday morning we walked the Riverwalk to Shipwreck Eatery and were the first ones there when they opened at 8:30 am. There was already a line at Bella's down the street that opened at 8 am. We enjoyed breakfast in the chilly air off the water but it had already started warming up as we headed back to the boat to pick up our grocery bags. We headed the opposite direction from yesterday on Hiway 12 over the bridge at French Creek to the John MacFarelane Trail at Zenda Preserve. It was great birdwatching and we ended up walking seven miles by the time we stopped at the Clayton's Shurfine Supermarket which surprisingly had a great selection. We'll head back tomorrow for further provisions.

1980 find in the St. Lawrence Seaway

Beautiful architecture with row of windows along roofline

Avocado toast and pancakes sausage tacos at Shipwreck Eatery on the riverfront

Water is so clear at the marina

View of the marina from Adirondack chairs

Path to Rivergate Trail

Zenda Farms Preserve Trails

Beautiful stone bench where we listened to the birds

The original dairy farm

A Harrier Hawk we spotted 

On Monday we got an early start to breakfast at Kove Kitchen that opened at 7 am. I had a delicious Western scramble over a bagel. After breakfast we headed to the Carlton Shurfine Supermarket to stock up the boat. After shopping we strolled downtown stopping at the Save the River foundation and the art gallery and gift store before finding the Coyote Moon Vineyard tasting room was open on Monday. We enjoyed a flight of their dry white and red wines and purchased a bottle of the red. Down the street we stopped at the St. Lawrence Distillery for a tasting of their four gins and settled one to buy. Back to the boat to relax with a snack on they flybridge and then on the Adirondack chairs in the shade on the shore waiting for our package to arrive that ended up being delayed to Tuesday delivery. Later on we headed back to the river for a pizza dinner at Attilio's Pizza on their balcony back patio.

The Opera House

The best ice cream we returned to for lunch on Tuesday

Plenty to see walking around Clayton

The Hops Place Brewery

Beautiful sunflower and the best political poster

Michael Ringer St. Lawrence Gallery,  local art and nautical gift store

The mural artist has painted the town

Coyote Moon Vineyards tasting room

Enjoyed our gin tasting to pick a bottle out of the four

The newly opened 1000 Islands Artisans and Delicacies

nearby Boldt Castle during the seasons

We planned to leave on Tuesday but extended our stay another day waiting on our new alternator to arrive. We headed back to Coffee Kove Restaurant as it was the early bird opener and had the best bagel breakfast. After breakfast we packed up our backpack with birding binoculars and headed back out to Zenda Preserve to hike the rest of the trails. Turns out we mistook the preserve boundaries for more trails so we followed the circle path stopping at the community garden and at the picnic table where a dog trainer was training her herder dogs around the sheep in the pasture. It was entertaining and we did find another path down to the vineyards and campground before turning around and heading back to town for ice cream for lunch. We enjoyed the sorbet and Italian water ice in the Adirondack chairs on the river front before returning to the marina to pick up our package. We'll wait to see what the remnants of Hurricane Beryl bring as far as rain goest the next couple of days. 

Gorgeous flower beds

Clayton Community Garden where trespasses will be composted!

Huge raspberries ripe for the picking

At the preserve, watched the dog trainer training her herder dogs

Continued past the sheep pen to the vineyards

Watched the sparrows on the vines

Great campsite on the river

On Wednesday morning we headed back to Koffee Kove Restaurant for an enormous breakfast of blueberry pancakes and homemade wheat bread French toast. It started raining as we headed back to the boat but it was a gentle shower and umbrellas kept us dry. We did a load of laundry using the washer and dryer in the women's bath house and managed to stay dry under the eaves while waiting for it to be done. It rained harder most of the day with thunder and lightening and zero visibility at times on the river so we were glad to be at the dock. We had a lazy day and just munched our way through the evening.

Historic homes abound

View from the bath house with Dot's Way on the t-head

On Thursday morning, we went back to Koffee Kove for breakfast and you could not beat the price of $5.00 for an egg, homemade wheat toast and bacon and it was not too much food. We got back to the boat and hosed off the spiders, spider webs and flying insects that the rain didn't wash off. We made one last trip to the liquor store for a second cask of wine, Angry Orchard hard cider and our favorite Summer Shanty beer. We got help at the pump out on the seawall and then headed out and across the St. Lawrence River to Russo Bay off  Grindstone Island. We are surrounded by small islands as part of the thousand islands area.

Leaving Clayton Harbour Marina and the Thousand Islands Hotel behind