One of the best ways to enjoy an afternoon in the Finger Lakes in on the lake. You can rent a few kayaks & paddle around (I’d recommend sticking with the calmer, smaller Keuka Lake if you’re heading out on your own), or you can hop on one of the many boat cruises that operate on Canandaigua, Skaneateles, Seneca, & Cayuga Lakes. The last time we were in the Finger Lakes, we popped down to Watkins Glen to spend a few hours on the True Love Sailboat.
The True Love has an interesting history: it was actually a movie set! True Love was built in the 20s & sailed the Caribbean in the 50s. It was featured in the movie “High Society” with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & Frank Sinatra. You can listen to Bing serenade Grace Kelly in the cockpit of the boat here:
Even without the cool history, it was so great to be out on the water & just enjoy the feeling of the wind whipping through our hair – as I like to say “We really are schooner people.” The Captain navigated us out of the harbor into Seneca Lake & soon enough the sails were up & flapping furiously. We picked a particularly windy day to sail, which meant lots of heeling. The entire trip was about 2.5 hours & we were able to sail all the way up to Hector Falls & back to the harbor.
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
It was such a relaxing trip – we enjoyed just sitting back & chatting with the other passengers. They have beer & wine available for purchase, but we chose to just sip the complimentary bottled water (juice & soda are also available complimentary). We especially enjoyed chatting with the crew, who were very friendly.
So if you’re looking for a casual, non-athletic way to spend a few hours on Seneca Lake, True Love Sailboat is definitely worth the trip!
Note: Our sail on True Love was provided compliments of the Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce; however, all opinions are my own. It was a really great afternoon on the water!
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