YouTube upload

So I got  trying to be creative the other night and put together a slide show of our sailing trips this summer and uploaded to YouTube.  Lets see if I can make this link work!

sailing pics

Trip to 50 Point

50 Point is a great destination in western Lake Ontario.  It is actually a part of a conservation authority, but has a wonderful marina with a restaurant that is not bad.  Great walking trails, fishing pond, and beaches makes it really popular for cruisers with kids!  We sailed over in strong winds but on a beam reach which made for some great speeds!  It is a bit weird as you can’t see the entrance to the marina/park until you get quite close and the masts are obscured by trees, so it seems like you are sailing towards the shore on a suicide mission.  Get into the channel though, and our immediate response was “wow”!  Spent a lovely evening exploring and headed back the next day without a hint of wind.  About 5 miles out, we just stopped and went for a wonderful swim in what seemed like the middle of Lake Ontario.  The winds started to finally pick up and off we went for a great sail home. 

The County

Cobourg

Our next trip entailed 2 weeks exploring Prince Edward County, otherwise known by locals as “the county”.  It was quite literally, the best vacation we have ever had.  We got a late start due to T Storms AND the fact that a foot pedal water pump broke the night before and was leaking all over the floor.  Again, the repair was a little more complicated than it should have been as the new models have a reverse water flow direction that required another trip to the store to get an extra foot of hose! 

Murray Canal

Our first night was spent in Whitby and then off to Cobourg the next day for a few nights to visit family etc. (plus we love Cobourg).  As I recall, we had really nice winds (10-12 knots) for most of that.  Departing Cobourg, we sailed past Colborne which is where Ruth’s Dad lives high up on a hill with a great view of the lake.  As we sailed into view, Ruth was on her cell phone with him asking “can you see us yet?”.  Finally he spotted us and asked Ruth if we saw him.  Given that we were about 5 miles out it seemed a silly question until we saw a brilliant flash from the top of his hill…he was flashing us with a mirror!  Only Ruth’s Dad would think to do something like that!

you said the bridge was 95 ft right?

Lake on the Mountain

We had a lovely sail into Brighton and decided to do the Murray Canal the next morning.  After our dinner another boat came in and tied up just in front of us.  They had a real challenge docking and given the ideal conditions either meant fatigue or inexperience. I asked them where they were headed and they stated Nova Scotia.  Wow!  I was impressed.  They planned to leave the boat there for the winter and then sail across the Atlantic to Scotland the next year.  Ok, even more impressed, until he pulled out the charts and asked me if I thought they could get through the inland route north of the county (which was the route that most boats take rather than deal with the very exposed south shore).  I assured him of this but in the course of the discussion found out that they did not understand the green/red buoy system (they are reversed in this route when heading east).  I did my best to explain this to them but wasn’t convinced that they got it.  I heard the next day about a boat an hour or two behind us getting grounded in the Bay of Quinte (where you really HAVE to pay attention to them or it means trouble).  I am seriously guessing that it was them – and I really hope that decided against Nova Scotia this year!

County sunset

After a wait for the Murray Canal to open (who would have thought that it was closed until 9 am) we had a great sail down to Picton where we spent a couple of wonderful days enjoying the town (except when Ruth wanted to go shopping), having great meals etc.  This was the only place Ruth wouldn’t dock.  We headed into the club fairway which was very, very  narrow and Ruth yelled “I am not doing this”!  I grabbed the wheel and got us in to the slip, but it was tight!  By the way, if you are ever down that way, Lake on the Mountain has an amazing restaurant.

Our next easy sail was down Aldolphus Reach and back up the other side to a place called Waupoos.  And we fell in love with Waupoos.  The water was so clean in the marina that you could swim off the boat and, in fact, I caught a beautiful bass right off our slip!  We spent 4 days in Waupoos day sailing and socializing with other sailors including a couple from our club that showed up.  Words cannot describe what a beautiful place it was.

Waupoos moose

We headed back and spent a night (for the first time for us), anchored in a bay behind Ram Island.  On the way we were reading about proper anchoring procedures which suggested having a system of hand signals so we wouldn’t end up yelling at each other.  Made really good sense but, of course, we didn’t do it with the inevitable result that we ended up yelling at each other while I was up front trying to set the anchor while Ruth was not understanding my verbal instructions because she couldn’t hear me and doing the opposite of what I needed.  We finally got the anchor set only to worry that we were too close to the island and needed to re set a little farther out.  We finally got settled in, forgave each other and had a lovely evening.  One minor issue though was that the anchor light wasn’t working properly, so I hoisted a 360 degree flashlight up on a halyard and that worked just fine until about 4 in the morning when the wind came up and it started clanking against the mast.  Ruth didn’t seem to think that it was appropriate that I was out on the deck at 4 in the morning stark naked and messing with halyards and such.  I didn’t care, I just wanted the damn clanking to stop!

Belleville

Our next day was spent right in the teeth of 25-30 knot winds.  It didn’t matter which direction we were going, we had a headwind and ended up motoring all day.  We packed it in in Belleville just after lunch.  Huge winds and a temp of 37 degrees C made for an interesting day.

The following day, we headed west again and backtracked through the Murray Canal.  Part way though we started going slower and slower and the helm felt really weird, like we were having extreme weather helm.  My brain is thinking that something was seriously wrong with the engine or the rudder but we made it through the canal.  The boat in front of us immediately started backing up and huge clods of weeds started showing up at the surface.  Ah ha!  It was weeds churned up by yesterday’s winds!  I copied their moves, cleared all the weeds off our rudder and off we went with everything acting just like it should! Good lesson to learn.

We had an uneventful trip back stopping in Cobourg again for a while where we had to repair our genoa with some sail tape from a local marine store (time for a new one me thinks).  We planned to be home on the Saturday, 15 days after we set out, but as we approached the Scarborough bluffs, Ruth suggested that we pull in at the bluffs for one last night and get home Sunday.  We were both clearly just loving this trip and neither one of us anxious to leave the boat!!

Youngstown NY

Our first trip wasn’t until the Canada day weekend (July1). We sailed over from Toronto to Youngstown NY as a part of cruise with our club.  Sailed over in 20 knot winds and we were flying!  We opted to moor on a ball, which was the first time doing this and really enjoyed bobbing in the Niagara River. We toured the town, found the best ice cream shop and had the best view ever of the Canada Day fireworks at Niagara on the Lake. I had the chance to tour the local fort and ended up chatting about canoes with one of the tour guides.  After a while, in response to my questions and observations about a canoe on display he said “you must be Canadian”.  

I like to think that I saved my wife’s life that weekend.  The water was very enticing off the stern of our boat and Ruth decided to go for a swim.  At the last minute, I suggested tying a line to her wrist just in case the current swept her away.  She jumped off the boat and promptly started moving downstream at a good 3 or 4 knots!  She quite enjoyed my pulling her in.

Well, I haven’t been very good at updating my blog!

I am pleased to report that the prop repair held perfectly for the season and I was assured by the guy who redid the repair that it will hold for 20 years or more! So far so good and on haul-out, it is a solid as a rock.

We got the boat back from its final repair after launch, put on the mast, rigging and sails and were off sailing as much as we could!  Well, actually it wasn’t that fast as I had to install a depth sounder/fish finder first, given our depth sounder doesn’t work.  Another simple job of “popping it in”.  This simple procedure entailed a major wire fishing job for the transducer cable including taking apart the steering pedestal, overcoming my fear of all things electronic and electrical and sorting out a host of logistical issues. I will never forget the feeling of pushing the power button expecting either 1. Nothing, or 2. Sparks and smoke, to see a message pop up on the screen asking me to select English, French or Spanish!  Also, being relatively new to the boat I took some time to replace the fuel filter and impeller as I had no idea when they were last replaced and didn’t want them failing on one of our trips.

The first step though was some sailing lessons for my wife, Ruth.  A very competent sailor, Donna, from our club, agreed to mentor my wife, which, I felt, was a far better tack to take then me teaching her!  We were anxious for Ruth to be able to dock so I would be the one jumping down to the slip and managing the lines…but learning to take the helm to relieve me and execute MOB procedures was important too.  Donna was truly amazing.  So good in fact that the problem now is that Ruth loves the helm so much that I rarely get a turn at it!  Rather than screaming from a sharp heel, she is now yelling “yahoo”!  I recently docked our boat singlehanded and our dock neighbour stated “you did that almost as well as Ruth!

Not a fun launch - arggg

I am totally pissed.  A boot load of $$ to repair the P Strut, shaft and cutlass bearing.  It was done a few days before launch.  I worked like crazy on the hull, raising the water line, painting a new boot stripe and cleaning and polishing.  Went into the water on Saturday looking like a million bucks. 

 Launch went fine except the water was not pumping to cool the engine - solved that when I discovered the water pump belt was not on the pulley!  Put it on and it went just fine.  It was then that I noticed water trickling in from the fiberglass mound over the P strut repair.  Not good.  And now I am running down to the marina twice a day to pump out the bilge (don't have an electric one - just the old manual pump).

I called the mechanic who at first didn't believe me - but he finally showed up on Sunday and tried applying some water proof epoxy stuff that didn't work.  The only solution he said was to haul it out and redo the repair.  He made arrangements with a yard in Toronto (about 8 miles from here) to haul it out and asked me to take it over in the morning.  I reluctantly agreed and cleared my work schedule for the morning.  But tonight, I went down to double check things.  Did the usual bilge pump thing, checked the rate of flow (which was a small trickle) and then thought I would start the engine and test it out in gear (a friend was on hand to watch for anything changing at the site of the repair).  As soon as I put it in gear, he yelled at me to turn off the engine as the water increased from a trickle to a steady stream.  Thankfully, the water flow decreased when I turn of the engine.  I suspect the P Strut is still loose in there.

I phoned the mechanic and told him that there was no way in hell I was motoring to Toronto with the risk of a total failure midway.  He suggested that perhaps I could sail it over!!  So now I am in a battle with the mechanic to get it towed over ASAP and fixed once and for all!  Next time I do it myself!

Oh how I envy every one else having a stress free launch!

Just venting....


UPDATE:  the mechanic phoned and has arranged for a tow in the morning and has hired an expert to do the job right!  


UPDATE #2:  picked up the boat on Friday in Toronto and motored back to Mimico checking the repair every 15 minutes.  Not a drip - so far so good!!

Latest project

I was frustrated last year with not having a specific place for a variety of items that I need from time to time.  And, of course, just when I need the binoculars is when I can't find them!  It is amazing how things can get lost on a boat.  Yes storage space is great, but how do I remember were exactly I put something?

This latest project is designed to fit on the wall of the head (outside the head) right next to the nav table.

total cost was $18 for the wood and everything else I needed was around the house.  I chose maple rather than teak to save on cost and provide a contrast to the teak in the cabin.  I think I am going to like it!

Well, at least I am saving on diesel fuel!

Sailing, from a certain perspective, is a low cost activity.  Right?  Lets see.  Our Yanmar 2GM literally sips diesel fuel and $12 worth of fuel will go a long, long way.  When the sails are up, travel costs are zilch…the wind is totally, 100% free.  Our club has reciprocal rights with other clubs around Lake Ontario so we can pull into almost anywhere on the lake and dock for a free night or two.  Again, not bad.

But then, there is the boat itself.  We have a lot to do on this boat and we knew that when we purchased the boat.  $3,000 for a new bimini and dodger. $400 or so for a new stove.  The electronics are fried (am thinking I will keep with my handheld GPS for a while). $100 for a new 20 – 30 amp converter which we owned for about 3 minutes before it rolled off the slip into 20 feet of murky water never to be seen again.  On and on it goes.

I need to replace the screens and gaskets in 8 opening ports.  The replacement kits are, I discovered around $26 each.  After some discussion on Sailnet.com, I was relieved to find I could buy the gaskets for a dollar or two and glue in replacement screening that I can buy for a couple of bucks at Canadian Tire.

But then there are the unplanned expenses.  At haulout, I had a boat mechanic winterize the boat and in the process, he informed me that I had a problem with the prop shaft and the transmission gasket.  The “P” bracket was loose and a whole bunch of other things were wrong (I started to glaze over a little while he was describing the issue to me) that entails a total replacement of shaft and associated parts.  Total cost $5,000!!!

I phoned the surveyor who looked the boat over before we bought it.  He informed me in no uncertain terms that it was perfectly fine when he went over it and that there must have been some damage done after the survey.  I can say I didn’t hit so much as a floating water bottle!  However, when the boat was being lifted out of the water, the aft strap from was too far aft and the boat was promptly dropped back into the water so the strap could be moved farther forward.  Could this have caused the damage?  Off to my insurance company I go to see if we can possibly get some coverage.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

But at least I am saving on diesel fuel right?

A most enjoyable visit

Departing Cobourg (with a malfunctioning head), we were forced to motor due a total lack of wind and heavy fog with a steady rain.  We had a ring of visibility around our boat of about 25 feet.

At some point in the morning, a small greenish bird flew into our ring of visibility – we were about 4 kms from the shore.  It circled the boat a few times and finally swooped in under the dodger and settled in on one of the lines by the winch.  The bird was panting and absolutely exhausted.  You could practically see his heart beating!

Not sure why the bird was out there – perhaps lost, but I think he was most relieved to find something to land on.  He sat there panting and looking at us…while we sat there looking at him!  Of course, our camera was down below and we didn’t want to move to get it and end up startling him or scaring him off. 

He (I am just guessing the bird was a “he”) started to settle down and spent some time fluffing his feathers up and preening himself.  His panting had abated to regular breathing and seemed to take a shine to us!  Still, we didn’t want to move.

After what was likely 20 minutes, he gave us a look, flew out from under the dodger, circled the boat three times (as if to say “thanks for the rest”) and headed  north – which was fortunately where the shore was.

I think, after checking some books, that it was some kind of warbler.

As we wrestle over a new name for our boat (this will be another blog), one name that comes to mind for me is “Warbler’s Rest”.

First job - "popping in" a new head

The head was old and not working and clearly the first job I needed to do on my boat.  My wife had a lot to do with this decision. 

I ran down to the marine store and picked up a new head for a very reasonable price. The guy at the store said it would be easy job – “just pop it in” he said.  I unbolted the original...so far so good, disconnect the hoses and out to the garbage it went.  Took out the new one and, of course, the base was a totally different configuration so the existing bolts wouldn't work.  So much for just popping it in. Not a big deal though, folks told me I could just screw in the new one to the base and it would be fine.  I did exactly that, reconnected all the hoses, opened the sea-cock and flushed away - it worked!  Except, a few hours later, I noticed water leaking onto the floor.  A few hours of messing around with O clamps, some makeshift sealant and the problem was pretty much solved.

Off we go for our first cruise to Cobourg Ontario.  We took, three easy days to get there and, although it took a while for either of us to admit it, our boat was starting to stink - really bad.  In Cobourg, I bought some deodorizer, scrubbed the head and convinced ourselves that the smell was a bit better.

While in Cobourg, we took some family members out for a sail.  It was a nice breeze and we were heeled over moderately. My sister in law went down below and quickly yelled that something was wrong.  There was some evil looking, offensive smelling liquid sloshing around on the cabin floor.  Back into the harbour we go and I start exploring for the problem.  Low and behold I find a couple gallons of the aforementioned liquid in the bulkhead under the holding tank.  Clean that all up, scrub it with bleach, tighten up the clamps on the pump out hose and we should be good as new!  Clearly, the next morning it was not.

We made it back to home, with regular cleanings and on further inspection discovered that the hose from the head to the holding tank was old, brittle and leaking profusely!  Temperatures were 36 degrees Celcius and rather than enjoy the breeze and scenery around our marina, I was spending hours in the head and the lazerette (where the holding tank was placed) sweating profusely and trying to pull out 12 ft. of hose which was full of aforementioned liquid and trying to do so in a fashion that would not entail the contents of the hose spilling out all over the inside of the boat.  I waited until dark to remove the old hose to the garbage at the end of the dock as I really didn't want to lug it down the dock in front of all our new boat neighbours!

I put in a new deck fitting to simplify the "plumbing" and after about 4 litres of sweat and a week and a half of my time sweating in the bowels (so to speak) of the boat, the head, which they told me I could "just pop in" was replaced successfully!

I am sure my next project will be simpler…

A little context

So, I confess to being a tad overwhelmed.  

This past summer, my wife and I became the owners of a 1983, 28 ft. Sirius sloop sailboat.  I had sailed a fair amount growing up in Nova Scotia but was never a boat owner.  Well, actually I did own a boat, but rather than the 26 ft sloop I fantasized about, it was a 8 ft 9 in row boat that I purchased with the proceeds of a paper route.  While the boat never enabled me to explore the high seas, it did enable be to row over to the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Club where I could crew on all types of sailing craft.

Many years later, after moving to Ontario and getting wrapped up in the challenges of day to day life for 30 years or so, I decided I wanted to get back into sailing.  We had just moved to Etobicoke to a condo with spectacular views of Lake Ontario and 2 yacht clubs. It wasn't long before I was taking the Basic Keelboating course at Humber College as a refresher and drooling over the yachts I was watching from my window.

We couldn’t just go out and buy a sailboat though, because we had no idea whether my wife would like sailing or not and it would totally suck to buy a boat that my wife refused to set foot on.  I put an ad in Kjiji offering to pay the docking fees in exchange for shared access to a sailboat.  Sure enough, in a couple of weeks, I had a deal and we were off sailing!  I didn’t like the boat (a CS 27), but it got us out into the lake and as it turned out, my wife took to sailing like a duck to water.  She loved it!  Time to buy our own boat….

In July 2011, we purchased a 28 ft Sirius Sloop.  It seemed an ideal layout with the head to aft and my internet research indicated that it was a good sea-worthy boat despite only a few hundred having been made before the Ontario sailboat manufacturing crash in the 80’s. We knew, going into the deal, that there was some work needed on the boat but having dealt with housing repairs for 30 years, I figured I could poke away at these projects while cruising off into the sunset on a broad reach with my wife at my side.

Problem is, some of these issues had to be dealt with right away and I was faced with a  plethora of mysterious systems that I find totally confusing, and all kinds of interesting challenges for which I had no preparation to deal with!  One of the things I didn’t know to start was that every sailor I talk to has a different opinion on how to deal with the issue AND, if you put the word “marine” in front of any product, it automatically doubles in price!

This blog is about our adventures owning a boat, figuring the nautical world out and generally becoming part of the Lake Ontario boating scene.  Consider it therapy for me as I lay awake at night figuring out how to replace a “thru-hull” in a fashion that doesn’t eventually sink my boat.

Getting ready to bring her home!