Woke to another beautiful sunny day. We weighed anchor and traveled back down Hay Bay weaving our way through several small fishing boats. Must be good fishing in the bay! Then we turned to wind our way behind Prince Edward Island.
This part of Prince Edward Island has a high forested bluff along the shoreline, dotted with homes. Here the Bay of Quinte narrows and becomes shallower- only 26 feet deep!
Here is our route today.
We cruised up the channel and made a hard left turn around an island near the town of Deseronto. There a bridge, under construction, connects the mainland with Prince Edward Island.
The Bay of Quinte widens again to what is locally known as Big Bay, which is big enough to contain 5 small island. Only one of these has homes on it.
As we cruise further along, we see our destination, Belleview, in the distance. Belleview is located where the Moira River and Bay of Quinte meet. This area was first used by the Anishinaabe (Mississaugan people) as summer fishing grounds. In 1789, Loyalists settled here and dammed the river to support the saw mill, grist mill, distillery and brick kiln. Farming and lumber from the surrounding area fed the mills and added to the prosperity of the town. In the 1859’s the railroad came to Belleville and the town continued to prosper. Today manufacturing is the mainstay of the economy.
We pulled into the marina at Belleview and got the boat connected to electric and water.
After a quick lunch, we headed out to walk the town.
Many large churches and old brick homes lined the East Hill downtown area.
Here are the main street shops and City Hall.
We walked back by the Moira River and saw the old stone buildings that use to house the mills.
Back at the boat, we took off our shoes and relaxed.