The winds were off the starboard stern at around 15 knots, steady and warm on a sunny July afternoon, blowing up Lake Ontario out of the southwest. The water was flat in spite of the long fetch, protected by Amherst and Wolfe islands off Kingston, Ontario, where the Great Lake flows into the St. Lawrence River, starting its 650-nautical-mile journey to the sea. We were bound for the Thousand Islands, a world-class cruising ground with a wealth of anchorages and a multitude of delights.