The distance across the river between the two countries is so small that the church bells of Cape Vincent, N.Y., can be distinctly heard on the wharf in Point Alexandria on Wolfe Island, Ontario. And for more than 200 years, that narrow gap in the St. Lawrence was crossed by ferries operated by descendants of the same family.

Now, in a miniature version of the dynamic between Canada and the United States, that cross-border link has snapped. But in this case the cause is personal, rather than any Trump-fueled binational dispute.

The death of the last Horne family member willing to pilot the ferry has idled the ship, which sat out this summer season in its winter dock, weeds growing around it. The vessel and the wharves it uses on both sides of the border were put on the market.

Previously, only the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic border closing had halted the Horne ferry service. And despite the current tensions between the two countries, Bruce Horne, who helped run the ferry for 43 years before retiring, says he hopes the ferry will run again. So do politicians on both sides of the border.