From: Alan Asselstine [mailto:majam41@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 7, 2019 12:39 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: 2020 Wellesley Island Rally — October Reservations advised

Hi, 2020 Wellesley Island Rally Participants!

Your organizing committee has set the dates of the 2020 Wellesley Rally: Sat. 25 July to Fri. 1 August at Wellesley Island State Park (WISP) in the Thousand Islands on the New York State side near Gananoque, ON.  There will be a Wayfarer Regatta (races) in Ottawa at Lac Deschênes Sailing Club on August 1-2.  Ottawa is about a two-hour drive from Wellesley Island.  More information on the Regatta will follow.  

Now is the time for you to look at your calendar; consider if you are going to participate in Wellesley 2020; and, if so, make your site reservation at WISP.  

WISP offers camp sites (waterfront premium and standard), cabins (facilities are in a central bath house), and cottages (en-suite facilities and equipped kitchens).  In the past, we have found the cabins to be poorly ventilated and so do not recommend them.  The preferred sites for the rally are in Eagle Area - E loop.  Most desirable are the waterfront sites 59 to 86.  These are near E -Area Docks.  

For the last two WISP rallies, we were able to reserve a block of beautiful campsites all together and in advance.  Unfortunately, the park managers are not able to give us a whole block of campsites this time.  Therefore, every participant will need to reserve his/her own site. 

New York State park reservations open 9 months before your planned arrival date.  If you plan to arrive on July 25 you can reserve a site on October 25.  If your arrival will be July 26 then reservations open on October 26.  Not surprisingly, the most desirable sites go very quickly.  Reserving now in October will help you to secure the best campsite or cottage.  Likely, there will be campsites and cottages available up to July 2020; however there is no guarantee and it is unlikely that the preferred sites will be available.  

Reserving a campsite or a cottage is a two-step process — first set up your on line account at New York State Parks/ Reserve America, and second make your online reservation on the appropriate date.  We recommend that you set up your account, familiarize yourself with the website and fees/policies, and even do a trial run on making a reservation (but of course not completing it) well before the reservations open for your desired arrival date.  Making your list of preferred sites is probably a good idea so that you are ready to pounce when reservations open.  It is challenging to “game the system” on reservations since there can be no changes in a reservation for 18 days after making the reservation and there is a $7.25 fee for any changes.  You can only make a reservation in your name; any change to someone else as the occupant of the site requires a cancellation/re-booking procedure.  There is a function that will show when a particular site will be available, but only if that availability is within the booking window that you are working with.  You can set up an alert that will email you if a site in which you are interested does become available.

Registration Process

Open the Wellesley Island Park site https://parks.ny.gov/parks/52/details.aspx .  Click on “Camping Reservation” that is on the right side of the page. Then click on “My Reservations & Account.”  A page will open that allows existing account holders to enter and check their account.  (You do have to remember your password.)  Those without an account can set one up.  Be sure to write down your password so you do not forget it in the heat of the moment when making reservations!   Return to the park site and make yourself familiar with the selection of campsites and cottages, the fees/policies, etc.    

Reservation Process

On the date that reservations open for your arrival date, but before reservations open at 0900 hrs, go to https://newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/wellesley%20island%20state%20park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NY&parkId=240 .  Sign into your account and be ready to go.  As soon as registrations open select your site.  Once you have secured your site, finish the reservation process with your credit card.  

Please let me know your site number when you have secured a site. 

Alan Asselstine on behalf of the 2020 Wellesley Organizing Committee

Note:  The 9-month window and the 0900 hour have been confirmed. Thanks, Margie.

We will send out a reminder to register just before October 25.