We put together a last minute recreational trip for last weekend. We
drove from the Philly area on Friday afternoon -  the drive should have
been 6 1/2 hours but was more like 7 1/2 due to traffic and the normal
wait at the border.

We stayed at this place: www.chaletcabins.ca It was not my first choice,
but it was a prime dive weekend and there was also a big powerboat race,
so it was all we could get on 2 days notice. I told Cindy to get us a
castle, we ended up in a birdhouse. It was very small, and more like
camping with a bed and running water bathroom, but it is right on the
river and the nights were pleasantly cool, so no big problem there. It
is owned and run by some nice people, and they appreciate divers.

THe boats we checked with were all booked except for Seewayvision
www.diveseewayvision.com We knew these guys from a trip to the Jodery a
few years back, so we booked a 3 tank day with them for Saturday for $65
Canadian. Lunch was included, and they cooked hamburgers and hot dogs
until no one wanted any more. This was a really good deal.

Seewayvision is a unique and well set up boat, and the captain is
exactly what I look for in a captain. They put more people on the boat
than I would like, but it turned out to be not a huge problem either.

Our first stop was the Daryaw, a French built freighter which sank in
1941. We descended into the 75 degree/ 40-50 ft vis water and were
immediately greeted by the huge twin screws and rudder when we reached
the wreck. There was a current, but not too bad. The bottom is about 95
ft. We swam around the turtled wreck, poking underneath often. If you
stay up on the hull, you can easily see the huge gash that sank her. We
explored the wreck, and then spent some time poking around the crew's
quarters, and it was time to go.

When we got back to the boat, they started cooking lunch, as the captain
had decided to stay on this mooring until the power boat race went by.
The race was entertaining, and the mate cooked up a tasty and plentiful
batch of burgers and dogs.

Our next dive was supposed to be the Parsons, but because of the
spectator traffic, the captain decided the Gaskin would be a better
site.

Gaskin is an 1800's wooden sailing ship that was later relegated to a
barge. She sank in 1889, and the hull is still pretty much intact in 70
ft. Current here is very moderate. There are lots of artifacts here, but
you cannot take them (that's why there are still lots of them). It was a
very cool dive - wooden ship, well preserved. you don't see this in NJ
or FL.

Our next dive was supposed to be a drift, but boat traffic was insane,
so we went to the wreck Muscallonge. This is a powerful tugboat built in
1896 and sunk in 1936. The boilers and engine are huge for a ship this
size, and we spent a good part of the dive poking around the workings.
The bottom here is about 90 ft, and we elected to stay a little longer
than we had originally planned and take our time ascending.

We got back to the dock and went back to our cabin to clean up. We then
went to Seewayvision's dive shop to get some fills, and then went to
dinner. We didn't immediately find any really fine dining, but we did
find decent food at decent prices.

We were planning on doing the Conestoga from shore on Sunday morning
(the dive shop had given us detailed instructions on how to find and
dive it), but when we got up it was pouring rain and the air temperature
was about 64. We decided on a leisurely breakfast and then driving home.

It was a great weekend, and the cost was pretty low as diving weekends
go. The dollar is not as strong against the Loon as it can be, but
Brockville is still a good deal. Warm water, good vis, non-idiots,
really different and spectacular wrecks, and friendly Canadians - why
don't more Americans go there? We're going back very soon, before it
gets cold.

al