The adventures of MR5 as she cruises America's Great Loop
Welcome to Canada! Kingston, Ontario
June 26-27, 2026
After 26 days afloat, 467 nautical miles (537 statute miles), 30 locks ranging from “easy peasy” to “who designed this thing?!”, and two lake crossings—one merely big and one gloriously Great—we finally made landfall in Kingston, Ontario. “Welcome to Canada!”
Our first official Canadian experience? Checking in with the Canada Border Services Agency… by phone. After nearly a month of navigating rivers, canals, and the Great Lakes, we didn’t even have to leave the boat to cross an international border. We’ll happily take that as a win!
Here are some highlights of our time in Kingston.
Chris is doing a happy dance after putting up the yellow quarantine flag. The flag is required until the check in process is complete.This was our first marina in Canada and was located in the heart of the city.This is the Kingston City Hall building. It is located across the park from the marina.Directly across from City Hall, we were entertained by a phenomenal band, Big Smoke Brass. In addition to having great lungs, they had some great dance moves. Check out the tuba player!This fountain in the park across from City Hall has 13 spouts:, one for each province and territory in Canada. The marina is in the background.The trolley tour was a great way to see the city and learn about the history. (Can you see the Portuguese flag?)Many of the older buildings that are still standing are made from limestone, an abundant resource in this part of the world. Many of the others were lost to fires.Kingston was once the headquarters of Canadian Locomotive Company, a prominent manufacturer of railway locomotives. The Royal Military College of Canada is the equivalent of West Point, US Naval Academy, and US Air Force Academy.Kingston hosts the oldest farmer’s market in the province of Ontario.During our trolley tour, we came across the beach across from Queens University. It had the appearance of spring break.These young folks were celebrating summer and Canada Day a few days early.Of course, we had to try the local popular dish of poutine: French fries smothered in cheese curds, bacon, and brown gravy. Ok, I had enough.Gail and Tim brought champagne to toast our joint achievement of reaching Canada. Their journey has been longer than ours having started in Raleigh, NC.Goodnight Kingston! Chalmers United Church Saint Mary’s Cathedral
