Mike and I got up early and got the boat running before the girls got up for our short 10 mile ride down the St. Lawrence to visit Singer Castle on our way to Montreal. We had another great weather day and the holiday boat traffic was heavy. We arrived at Singer Castle before the 1st tour boats allowing us to grab one of the only 2 spots for personal water vessels. While waiting for our tour we secured a spot for “Gemini who was about 30 minutes behind us.
“A historic landmark on the island, “The Towers”, was long known as “Dark Island Castle” until recently renamed “Singer Castle”. The island is situated only a few yards south of the Canada-United States border that runs along the river. We took the guided tour which took about an hour.
Most of the architectural work at Dark Island is attributed to the prominent American architect Ernest Flagg. His client was Frederick Gilbert Bourne, president of the Singer Manufacturing Company (now the Singer Corporation, producer of the Singer Sewing Machine. His daughter, Marjorie Bourne Thayer, made large additions in 1928. Flagg also designed the skyscraper headquarters for the company in New York City, the tallest building in the world at the time. Flagg is known for many major American projects, such as the United States Naval Academy.
The island’s castle was the last of several “castles” built at the Thousand Islands during a brief interval (1888–1905). Bourne undertook the project while the larger Boldt Castle was nearing completion nearby. The architect modeled the stone structure, planned in 1903, on a castle in Woodstock, England that was described in Sir Walter Scott’s book Woodstock.”
We were going to swim the the cold crystal clear water but there was another looper waiting for dock space so we moved on towards our next destination Prescott, Ontario where we would check into Canadian Customs. We called Customs about 50 minutes prior to our arrival to Prescott but we were put on hold for 45 minutes so Murphy’s Law kicked in and they answered the phone right when we were getting ready to enter the Sandra S. Lawn Municipal Marina. so I had to idle in the river while dealing with the customs questions. It was suggested to fully disclose our items to declare which I did. I was told by other Loopers that alcohol was accepted as ship’s store but to my suprise my good deed would not go unpunished and I was informed that Customs Officers would meet me at the dock to inspect my vessel. After meeting with the officers I was charged $200.00 Canadian for my alcohol on board. In the long run it was still cheaper than buying anything in Canada and paying up to triple the cost.
After settling in we went to O’Heaphy’s Irish Pub for a quick meal and back to the boat. The city was pretty quiet so a relaxing evening was overdue.