June 17  Clayton NY

Clayton is such a cool little town it deserves its own blog.  We left Henderson Harbor around eight am, again facing calm waters but thick fog.  We’ll have to come back sometime to see what Lake Ontario really looks like!

It began to clear sometime after noon and we could see the beginnings of the Thousand Islands and the St. Lawrence Seaway.  The border between Canada and the US runs through here, sometimes around the islands, sometimes right through them.  We arrived in Clayton about three-thirty and tied up at the municipal dock for the night.  We were immediately greeted by other boaters and the dockmaster, all of whom were ready to dispense advice about the town, the River, and must-see places to go.

The Antique Boat Museum is about a hundred feet from our dock and we made it our first stop, as it closed at five.  This museum houses a large collection of canoes, river skiffs, pleasure craft, and racing craft in several different buildings, and was currently hosting a show of small steam boats. 

We gleaned a little of the evolution of boating amongst the islands, which were once famous for their castles and resort hotels for the very rich.  This town was built for tourists, and is very hospitable to boaters.  Everything is within easy walking distance, and there are maps available everywhere.  Anyone doing this Downeast Circle Tour should definitely plan to stop here in Clayton.