Long weekend
20 May 2014 | PCHM
Scattered overcast events then blue skies
I could hardly wait for the long weekend. After work, Friday night, I went home to sleep. Saturday morning was cold and a bit windy so all I did was putter around below. Later in the morning, I motored to Gazebo Bay and tested the anchor (a very small Danforth). As usual, the winds were directly out of the south about 3 knots. I had 150 feet of nylon braid that I had from Mysfit so I used the 150 feet already on the boat as backup. I paid out about 75 feet over the stern in 10 feet of depth and let it drag a bit on its own for fear of a spinning prop. I checked the GPS for about a half hour; we did not move more than 20 feet. That afternoon, MiaoMiao came down to see the boat and we motored about the Credit River and Gazebo Bay (again) with her at the helm. Ever the one for photos, she had me taking photos of her from every possible angle from all parts of the weather deck. But she was having fun. Surprisingly, she did not get uncomfortable at all from motion sickness. She was happy at sea! Cool.
Saturday night, movies. Lots of movies. I set the shore-powered heater on the cabin sole and removed the center piece of the V-berth to let the heat in. But this made the V-berth very narrow on either side; a bit cramped for sleeping spread out like I usually do. I watched movies until I could not stay awake any longer.
Sunday morning was flashes of low overcast clouds followed by clear blue skies; winds non-existent. The marina waters, flecked with white seagull and arctic tern bombs, was mirror-like. Fortunately, the crowds of white birds were nesting and not flying about much. (My car, however, was hit 10 or 20 times.) Rob and Jude came down for a sail and we motored out, raised sails and.... sat on the smooth glassy wrinkles Lake Ontario had become. Down came the sails and we motored about to just northeast of Jack Darling Park. Rob was pretty good at the tiller but Jude, as always, huddled at the main hatch, both wearing floatation jackets.
Back in the slip, Rob mentioned a cracking sound as I tied us up. I had pulled a cleat from its fiberglass base. Later, I emailed Jim Quibell who advised me on how to fix it. (I have never worked with fiberglass before.)
The roller furling genoa has a small rip in the green sunshield edge; again, an email to Jim showed me how to deal with it. I think Jim is going to think I am a newbie, the way I keep breaking things.
The number 1 battery is not responding well. The battery charger, working the night before, now refuses to charge anything.
Monday, a holiday for us Canadians, was, again, sprinkled with low overcast then clear blue skies. I single-handed down to Lakefront Promenade and back in, first just a breath of a breeze, then a nice quick dash under a 10 knot south wind. I decided to play with the whisker pole only to begin a life and death battle over who was going to stay on board. (Later, in an email, Jim Quibell could tell that I definitely was a newbie. But, he just referred me to Forespar's website to diplomatically point me in the proper direction of some much needed seaman's education.)
Heading back to PCHM, it rained enough to scare several sailboats to run for the marina. No, I was not running from the rain, I was heading back because, well, I was just heading back. Anyway, one of the sloops was within hailing distance and we began a very short, impromptu race which I soon began losing. Then I realized they were motor-sailing. Oh well, it was a nice, 5 minute race.
More movies, chicken soup from the propane stove, and enough cookies to make me gain 5 pounds. Had a nice chuckle that afternoon, though. A Chinese family from Beijing had apparently just bought a new 30 foot power cruiser and was going through "training" with the sales guy. Then, half an hour later, after the guy left, they were trying to tie dock lines. I had to come over and show how to do cleat hitches... with nobody but the young son speaking English. They had bought a water hose but when they hooked it up and turned it on, it turned out to be a garden "soaker" hose, the kind with a gazillion tiny holes to water grass with. I told them that the hose would not be good for the boat. They were surprised that I spoke (about 3) words in Mandarin but I explained that my wife was from China.
After reading manuals again for an hour, I buttoned everything up, looked lovingly at my new lover, and headed to my chicken-pox'd car. As much as I loved watching those magnificent white creatures, I sure wished they would go far out to sea to fertilize the waters. Anyway, the weekend confirmed that the sailing life, attached to a marina, was what I needed in my life. I may be in debt deep enough to float my eyeballs, but I am so very happy. I just wish my family could understand that.