For a change in Pace, how about a guessing game?

[simonbeans]

Just for a change in topic trends, here is a little guessing game. What is the relationship of these words:
Islander, Wee Hawk, Conestoga, Rothesay, Keystorm, America, Vickery, Sr Robert Peel, St. Louis and a Honda Pilot? No, nothing to do with compressors or Russian Equipments.

Will provide visual clues later.
Allan

[8dust]

Just the thing for lunch break from cleaning vacation sand out of truck...

Many connected/in eastern Canada, including the birth of the honda pilot.

Sr Robert Peel, a British lawmaker was killed when steped on by his horse,...
and they did ride a bunch of horses in eastern Canada back in the day, and Conestoga wagons were pulled by horses, sometimes, and St. Louis was on the 19th c. western frontier, and you might have passed through with your Conestoga wagon (from Conestoga PA), having left Canada and the Voyageurs for some good greatplanes farmland to settle...

and many of those towns are on rivers, with islands in them...

I'm going to start with horses, with a backup guess of rivers... knowing full well there is more to it than that, but it's all I got at the moment. Either that, or they are all places Alec P. has been in the last month.

[Bryan]

Things you saw or encountered on your vacation over the last couple of weeks?

[frogman63]

Being from the Great Lakes area, I think I can solve most of the riddle. The majority of these are freshwater shipwrecks in the 1000 Islands area of Ontario and N.Y. I may have to use a life line however; I do not have a clue on the Honda Pilot.

[luis]

You dove on the wreck of a Honda Pilot?

[USdiver]

You wrecked a Honda Pilot while wreck diving the others in the 1000 Islands area of Ontario / NY?

[swimjim]

Maybe a Honda pilot fell off a car ferry and became a dive site....... ??? But seriously, I think these are all ship wrecks.

Jim

[8dust]

Well, since I suppose the answer is diving related, I will modify my previous reply and say that they are all connected to the early 18th century Voyageur horse-diving experiments, much of whose work was revived and expanded upon by a more militant French Separatists faction of the Alliance Laurentienne in the mid-20th century. Archival texts reveal that the plan has always been to conduct a lightening fast cavalry assault upriver from Montreal on Ottawa and once the high ground was taken, to move via lake Ontario on Buffalo – gaining key staging and supply routs, then to Erie. When the canal fell into French hands it would be quick work through the Finger Lakes region to the Hudson, a mass horse float to the Big Apple and access to the intercostals waterway, then it’s bye bye Washington DC and we’ll all be measuring things in centimeters and ending every sentence in “aye.” Foolishness… Paranoia… don’t be so sure. Why do you suppose the Mounties wear those enormous ballooned jodhpurs?… floatation, of course! The horses wear scuba and the rider floats just below the surface and breathes into his hat which is easily dismissed as a passing turtle. As a matter of fact, there are multiple examples of campfire songs penned by the brave young soles who once manned Ft. Ticonderoga reminding their freshly garrisoned counterparts to “remember your mother, remember your homes, but always keep an eye for the river turtles – or will be your baguettes you can kiss farewell.”

I stand by the assertion that all items relate to horses.

[Greg Barlow]

Okay, since I am leaving for Bonaire, I better end the mystery, and take my 50 lashes...

While making a "scenic tour" route of the beautiful St. Lawrence, I "elected" to explore some areas downstream from the Islander wreck. Calculating that I was initially working with the flow, I decided to swim 20 minutes, and then turn and go 40 minutes to end up in the general starting area.

The flow was not as strong as I anticipated, and I ended up going too far on my return trip. Upon exiting the water near a boat dock, I asked a group of people how far the hospital was from my location (Islander is a mere stone's throw from the hospital). They informed me that I was 5 blocks from the area. I had around 800psi remaining, so I thought about making the return swim.

I also considered, very briefly, walking the distance. This being HOG (Harley Owners Group) weekend in Clayton, NY. Bet I would have gotten some strange looks on that stroll...

Anyway, one of the people I spoke to volunteered to give me a lift back to the hospital in his Honda Pilot. I accepted his offer... Got some real strange looks from Rob and Allan when I got out!

From hereafter, I shall be known as Wrong Way Barlow.

Greg

[ivan's mermaid]

Don't feel bad Wrong Way, but it did surprise me seeing you stepping out of that Honda. We had some good dives together that ended more normally. I'm want to thank Allan for letting Rob, Greg and I join in on the Rochester Rec Divers outing. This area of NY and the St Lawrence are very beautiful. Here are some pics of the fun.




I'll have to work on getting thse sized better tomorrow. Sorry

[ivan's mermaid]

I'm trying to resize these lets see if it worked this time.

[ivan's mermaid]

[simonbeans]

1000 Islands 2012
Each year my local dive club sets up a weekend in the 1000 Islands. My wife and I usually camp (in a trailer if you call that camping) for a week or so prior to the dive event. Greg, Rob and Barb have journeyed to join us for a multitude of dives, both shore and boat. The dives we do are on many of the wrecks.
The "guess" was answered correctly by numerous forum contributors including the tale of Greg's superior navigation skills and choice of "underwater??" scooter. The Honda Pilot was a classic way to return to the starting point. "Way to go, olde pathfinder Greg."
Some of the wrecks we dove over the week or so were: The Islander, Wee Hawk, Conestoga, Rothesay, Keystorm, America, Sr. Robert Peel, Vickery and the St. Louis. Below is a link to these wrecks for further information.
http://www.1000islands.com/wrecks/
Viability for the dives ranged from 25-40 feet, water temperature from 70-73 degrees. The St. Lawrence does not have a thermocline so whether diving the St Louis as shallow as 4 feet to the Sr. Robert Peel with a maximum depth of 136 feet, the temperature is constant. Below are a few of the photos taken on the wrecks.
For those who care to venture to one of the best fresh water diving locations, let me know and I can put you in contact with dive operations and wreck locations. But, of course, I WILL expect to be joining you.

The ISLANDER



Greg on The ISLANDER



Barb and port side prop of the KEYSTORM at 118'



Allan's portrait with the prop of the KEYSTORM



Rob explores the VICKERY