Friday, June 13, 2008, 2014, Oakville/Port Credit
Well, we finally made it back to Port Credit. Yes, I said "back" because we left in MYSFIT on a two week cruise of Lake Ontario, Western Division. We headed southwest for Oakville on Monday morning with a nice northern breeze, clipping along at about 3 knots. We got to Mississauga's oil refinery to find the winds got scrambled and flukey. The smoke stack from the refinery showed winds (about 100 feet up?) coming from the north yet we were just past it all with winds from the south! The meeting of the two air masses sure got us going in circles. A sailboat, behind us, also from Port Credit, had tried to do what we were doing but gave up and motored past us about a half hour after we spotted them in the distance. Also in the doldrums was a working tug called Annie M Dean. The crew were logging leaks in the submarine sewage line from Mississauga. It should be noted that we were a couple miles off shore when we met them. We semi-circled them once then struggled to leave.
Eventually, the winds steadied and we left our hour long dancing marathon in front of that refinery. Soon we were just a half mile offshore of Oakville harbour (Sixteen Mile Creek). We tried the VHF radio for anyone in Oakville Harbour but nobody answered. Jude checked the charts for Oakville and got a phone number for the Oakville Public Docks. It seems that they were not actually public but they did suggest we try Bronte Outer Harbour Marina. We set sail for it and, an hour later we were hailing them on channel 68. Sure enough, they had room for a 30 foot transient. As we made our approach, just behind us was the Annie M Dean, also making an approach. We got in, registered, docked, and went into town for a "re-tour" of the area. (We had been here a couple years before.) I was getting a cold which was going to add to things.
As we walked about, we notice that heat was slowly being covered by deep gray storm clouds above and we returned to MYSFIT to check the WX weather radio. To our chagrin, rain was planned for the next week. Even worse, winds were going to back to easterlies which would give us choppy seas. Hamilton was slated for some rain and thunderstorms. The easterlies had me concerned, though. Jude and I debated it carefully and decided that, dammit, we had to give up our two week cruise and scoot back to Port Credit the next morning to beat the nasty easterlies.
Rain. Drizzling gray skies greeted us as we pulled out of Bronte Outer Harbour Marina. We had decided before we even left that we would probably have to motor all the way. The probably turned into "did". As we got a couple miles out to our first waypoint, the sea mist turned into an encompassing fog with cloudy blue above us. That, too, eventually turned to solid gray and we spend most of the day motoring in pea-soup fog. We passed waypoint two and headed towards Port Credit, some 6 miles distant, still blind except for the water about 50 feet around us. Each mile, I called out GPS lat and lon to Jude and then the time. She marked our fix on the chart and we continued on. At about 3 miles out, we could hear a power boat off in the what we hoped was the distance, exiting Port Credit. We stopped to listen and track it's apparent passing. We never saw it.
At one half mile from our waypoint just at the bow of Ridgetown, the scuttled bulk freighter serving as breakwater for Port Credit, we stopped to recheck out navigation. Slowly we eased towards the waypoint. Even in the fog, we should be able to see the flashing red light of the Ridgetown. Jude was below scrambling to calculate approach bearings from the Ridgetown waypoint. It just 25 feet away and we were ghosting along at just over 1 knot when I called to Jude, "Ridgetown off the starboard bow!"
We quickly got the docklines affixed, the fenders adjusted, and NUDGE tied up to out starboard side as we slid into Port Credit Harbour Marina. There at the end of O docks was a 40 foot Trojan backing out into out path. We circled each other and separated. We eased into our slip, still in thick fog, tied up and headed to get some much deserved pizza.
The WX weather radio indicated rain all week. Dammit!
|
Comments [0]
Friday, April 25, 2008, 1823, PCHM
We got Mysfit in the water, finally. Actually, we went in a bit early. There are some small rust concerns here and there, but for the most part, Mysfit is doing great. The cradle lost a pad, this time. It seems to me to be a very poor welding job. Thank God it fell off when we lifted rather than when we were aboard while on the hard!
I hope to do lots of sailing this year. Today, we start.
|
Monday, March 3, 2008, 0152, Port Credit Harbour Marina
O Docks at PCHM have begun to sink again. This time, I don't believe it was just ice that was responsible, although it probably was contributing. Last year, once the repairmen finished with O Docks, people could see that part of the dock near the gate were listing slightly on the eastern side. At the time we figured it was just a matter of personal taste on the part of the safety inspector. Today, we can see that, in fact, that part of O Dock was unsafe and the ice made sure it was noticeable.
But, that's Canadian business for you.
|
Jude and I are both working, no car, no kids, no debt, no fun. Well, okay, fun, but once we get our next boat, there will be serious fun!
This is an example of what we are working towards. This particular one, here in Toronto, is a bit above our range, but assuming that the boating market will fall, we just might be able to haggle a lower price and get it. Sure, it will be a very big investment, but I think we both will find it to be cheaper than renting an apartment or buying a house. For a liveaboard, there will be just food, slip/shorepower fees, and maintenance costs. Part time work will cover all that and much more.
|
