Sailing Cambio

Category: Adventures

  • Cambio Named Storm Emergency Plan

    Cambio Named Storm Emergency Plan

    Cambio Named Storm Emergency Plan For Eastern Caribbean and USA

    Assuming that you can’t get out of the June to November hurricane season that makes the Caribbean dangerous, here are some thoughts about how to prepare for a bigger than normal storm.  This is not a primer, but it is a list of things to consider.  When the stuff hits the fan, it’s easier to use a checklist than remember everything all at once.   Remember that there are thousands or more boats in the Caribbean and most of them survive handily but some don’t, and we see those ones on television. 

    One more thing:   The crew are far more important than the boat.  Keep them safe.

    We are assuming anchoring out is not an attractive option, although many boats will be doing it. 

    Before and on threat of the Named Storm

    1. Watch the weather daily. 
    2. Use the Starlink wifi to check PredictWind and the NOAA weather forecast or the radio. 
    3. When a significant storm is brewing, increase the frequency watching the weather predictions
    4. When a possible storm is discovered, prepare the boat
      1. Fill fuel tanks 
        1. Note that tanks hold 80 gallons and burn .7 of a gallon each hour.  This is 114 hours @ about 6 knots which is an engine range of 685 nautical miles on fuel alone.   
        1. Plan on average size of hurricane to be about 260 nm across and moves at about 13 knots.  It usually moves West – Northwest  
          1. Puerto Rico to Grenada is 500 nm and would take ~5 days. 
          1. BVI to Curacao is 680 nm, or ~7 days
      1. Fill water tanks   
        1. Note 120 gallons @ 1 gallon per day per crew = 30 days water for 4 crew members
      1. Check Inventory provisions for the crew for at least 7 days dry goods
      1. Check service points on the motor, fuel, oil filters, fan belt

    Named storm threatens:  Immediately:

    1. Check for local marinas with hurricane space on dry land. 
    2. Check for local marinas with sturdy hurricane docks.
    3. Check for deep (more than 12 feet) rivers that might be safe havens
    4. Consider a flight away from the predicted path of the storm. 
    5. In the Antilles area this is probably South or Southwest.  Almost all storms approach from the East and turn Northward.

    Decide on a game plan: 1, 2, 3 or 4.  Involve the crew!  And delegate!

    1. Contact marinas for space on the hard
    2. Contact marinas for dock space
    3. Check for river sanctuary.
    4. Prepare a course out of danger (These are not in any order)

    Email insurance company with planned response.  Laura@hoogasian.ca

    If taking refuge on the hard in a marina

    1. First ask which way the opening of the marina faces.  Is it vulnerable to the surges?   Is it safely tucked behind a mountain?
    2. Book a place on land and arrange for haulout.  Ensure that the marina has heavy concrete tie-downs.  Be quick.  The marina will fill up almost instantly.
    3. Do not plan to tie up to a flimsy dock.  Tidal surge can destroy the dock, drive boats into yours, pound your keel into the bottom and generally ruin your day. 
    4. Book a hotel room for the crew.  Everyone else will want to.  Get there first. 
    5. Take every scrap of cloth off the deck.  Biminis, cushions, hatch covers, all sails and stow them below.  Deflate and stow dinghy.  Stow dinghy motor below.  Stow antennas (especially starlink) down below.   Basically anything left on deck can blow away.
    6. Double the ropes tying the boat down.   More if you have them.

    If tying to a marina dock

    1. Try to avoid a marina that has the wind blowing directly into the dock area. A bit of shelter goes a long way.
    2. Book a hotel room for the crew.  Everyone else will want to.  Get there first. 
    3. Ensure that the batteries are full.  Run the motor to charge them if necessary.  So the pumps run.
    4. Do not plan to tie up to a flimsy dock.  Tidal surge can destroy the dock, drive boats into yours, pound your keel into the bottom and generally ruin your day. 
    5. Take every scrap of cloth off the deck.  Biminis, cushions, hatch covers, all sails and stow them below.  Deflate and stow dinghy.  Stow dinghy motor below.  Stow antennas (especially starlink) down below.   Basically, anything left on deck can blow away.
    6. Check all dock lines for chafing.  Add chafe guards.  Lines should be 5/8 thick at least.  Firehoses make good chafe guards.
    7. Gather as many dock lines as possible.
    8. Is the dock ‘strong’?  Fixed or floating?  Is the dock deep enough to handle storm surge?
    9. Put out all fenders (get some more if they are available)
    10. Are the boats upwind and to the side well tied?  If anchored boats drag, are they a danger?
    11. Attach docklines to the pillars rather than dock cleats if possible. Ensure that the pillars are higher than the gunwales.
    12. Tie docklines on both sides, away from the dock deck, if possible. 
    13. Double and triple the docklines.  Tie lines forward, aft, spring lines, and spider configuration. 

    If taking refuge upriver

    1. Bad idea, but if local knowledge suggests it, consider it. 
    2. Book the hotel,
    3. Tie your boat upriver somewhere safe.
    4. Use as many dock lines as you have. 
    5. Remember that the storm surge may come up the river and if you have a 6’ draft, you’d need 12’ or more depth to not ruin the keel or bottom of the boat through pounding.  

    If getting out of the way

    1. Ensure that the batteries are full.  Run the motor to charge them if necessary. 
    2. Let people know what your intended course will be.  “People” include the marina staff, other cruisers, coast guard, insurance company, shore team back at home.
    3. Calculate the speed, position (of the eye) direction (of the eye), and width from the eye to the edge as frequently as you have information. If the hurricane turns unexpectedly, we want to know as soon as possible and perhaps do a course correction.  Write it down!  (In the log!)
    4. Batten down the hatches.  Missing a hurricane doesn’t mean it won’t be windy.    Be prepared to reef quickly or reef early.
    5. Establish formal watches of at least 2 people.  Keep them fed and hydrated.
    6. Pre-make some meals. 
    7. Get the safety equipment on everyone and stay tied on.

    Afterward the storm (select which apply)

    1. Check all running rigging for chafing.
    2. Check all standing rigging that you can reach.  Use a bosuns chair if you can. 
    3. Inspect the dodger, bimini, hatch covers etc.  Reinstall them if needed.
    4. Check the lifelines, and all the stainless-steel stanchions and other bits.
    5. If you can do it safely, check the bottom, propellor, rudder and zincs.   
    6. Clean the bilges, let people know the boat and crew are fine.
    7. Plot a new course, hopefully with crew involvement.
    8. Congratulate and thank the crew.  A celebration meal, even if still out on the waters is a great move for moral.  Be a miser with the rum.
    9. Systematically check the major systems:  Electrics, Electronics, water, plumbing, motor etc.
  • 31 years of learning from Storms

    31 years of learning from Storms

    Matt and I were sitting safely in his living room, sipping whisky and burning stogies and talking about last season on Cambio and next season’s plans.  

    Matt is a teacher here in Niagara and only has July and August off full time and weekends, but there’s plenty of sailing to be done and he’s good at it.

    Matt was on board during the July 20 storm https://sailingcambio.com/2022/07/20/the-storm/ and the two of us worked as well as anyone I’ve ever worked with in harrowing storm situations.  I like the phrase, “The wind hit us about 30nm down the lake and we couldn’t go upwind due to breakages, so we sailed a broken boat 100nm down Lake Ontario to a safe harbour.

    The metrics for this storm were a sustained wind of 43 knots, boat speed of 14.2 knots, and following waves of up to 8 meters, or in the range of 24 feet.   The wind and speed are right off the instruments, but It is hard to estimate wave height. I just turn around when I’m at a top of one crest and picture 4 six foot men standing on their shoulders from trough to crest.  That’s about 24 feet.

    I’ve already written about the first storm I had a bad experience with.  It was in 1991 and involved a 24’ Shark sailboat, 60 knot gusts and 24’ waves.   Sharks don’t usually have instruments so I don’t know how fast we were going before, well, disaster happened.  But it was fast.   The short story is that I broached, was washed off my sailboat 8 miles offshore and had to swim into shore.  The whole story is here in the log: https://sailingcambio.com/1991/09/21/washed-off-my-sailboat/

    I recall one ‘interesting’ crossing from Oakville to St. Catharines with Judy Kingsley.  We had just stopped and got a bucket of KFC chicken and the sunset was fabulous as we left the dock under spinnaker.  The sun went down, so did the spinnaker, and we followed a compass course to St. Catharines.   There was great chatter and lots of talk among Judy and I on the Shark that was fairly newly mine.    The waves built in the dark from the west and we were battered on the starboard quarter until we turned west to surf.  We just accepted that we’d have a couple of hours of uncomfortable surfing motion in big waves and then have to turn right to get into the harbour.  The wind shifted North and that helped us when we turned towards the harbour but we were still surfing down waves. I don’t recall how big, but big.

    The harbour pours out quite a bit of volume and when the wind hits it head on from the north huge standing waves park themselves at the entrance to the mouth of the harbour.    We surfed a lake wave and plowed right into a harbor current wave.  I held on to the tiller.  There were 9 standing waves to hit with short fetches between them.    And suddenly we were though and speeding up the channel under main  and jib.  As we went by the yacht club where a party in full festivity, someone yelled, “Look at that, someone’s coming in under sail!”  then I heard “They must know what they are doing!”  That’s when I got nervous.   Then I heard a familiar voice yell the name of my boat “Humbly!” but Judy and I were policing lines and getting ready to dowse the jib and head into a very small space between two boats along the wall.  We got there, didn’t hit one boat very hard, and breathed a sigh of relief when someone on land grabbed the forestay and we flogged the main and got it down.   It was all a mad flurry of activity. 

    The lines were away, the sails tied down or stowed and I looked at Judy’s face.  Then I looked at the carnage on the decks.   The bones from the KFC bucket had been left on a bench and we’d forgotten them in the dark.  It looked like a mad dog had gotten a hold of the bones and they were all over the cockpit.   Judy and I could just laugh somewhat maniacally.  It was an interesting crossing.

    Four more storms come to mind, defined as ‘being followed by 4 men standing in the trough of a wave’, or 24 feet waves and appropriate winds, and all except one in Lake Ontario.  Nothing awful happened in those storms except an exhilaration and great fellowship among the crew and a build up of experience that almost certainly helped me in the two storms where ‘shit happened’.  

    On deck and to be published sometime this spring will be that last storm, in a delivery of Richard Hinterhoeller’s Niagara 31 with two other doughty sailors chasing a storm down Lake Erie.   Stay tuned!  

  • Help Wanted!! Crew

    Help Wanted!! Crew

    Looking for an adventure of a lifetime? Do you dream of sailing the open ocean and exploring new and exciting destinations? Look no further! We are seeking a crewmate to join us on an extended cruise on our 41′ Cheoy Lee sailboat, Cambio, departing Lake Ontario in August and arriving in the Bahamas in December.

    As a crewmate, you will have the opportunity to experience life at sea, learn valuable sailing skills, and explore new destinations along the way. You will work alongside an experienced captain and crew, sharing in the responsibilities of navigating, maintaining the vessel, and daily life on board.

    After reaching the Bahamas, the adventure continues as we set sail for the US Virgin Islands and surrounding areas. Then, in May 2024, we will make our way to the Azores. This is an incredible opportunity for anyone looking to gain experience in sailing, expand their horizons, and create unforgettable memories.

    The boat’s name is Cambio and you can find out more about our vessel and the journey at our website sailingcambio.com. We are looking for someone who is hardworking, adventurous, and passionate about sailing. So what are you waiting for? Join us on this amazing journey and experience the thrill of sailing the open ocean. Apply now to become our newest crewmate!

  • On July 20 Storm we had the furler destroyed in 43 knots

    On July 20 Storm we had the furler destroyed in 43 knots

    It has been a year since I committed to buy Cambio.  That launched a furious rounds of planning, building spreadsheets, researching options and outsourcing advice by reading and following sailing YouTube channels.  

    It is interesting to compare last year’s plans with this years plans, now that I’ve been through a season with Cambio.

    Last year my plan was to sail the boat all over Lake Ontario in all kinds of conditions.  I needed to have both me and the boat in good enough shape to leave for the Caribbean on September 1, 2022.

    This year I have the same plan, to leave for the Caribbean on September 1 2023

    I’ve a long list of somber lessons from 2022, some of which are covered in other parts of this log. 

    Had I left on September 1 2022, I would have run into hurricanes Fiona and Ian somewhere between about New York and Norfolk.  This would not be good.  I’m very aware for the 2023 season that I’ve got to remember that angry weather will have to be watched and dealt with (aka avoided).  Will I go out to Bermuda and turn right towards Bahamas?  Will I take the ICW? (I don’t really want to spend a lot of time motoring.)  Will I follow the shoreline 20-30 miles offshore while avoiding the Gulf Stream?  And what will the prevailing winds force me to do?  All of this is determined by the weather in close up observations so at this point being aware of future decisions is all I can do now.

    The critical dates for the fall departure are August 1 (which is the go/no go decision date), September 1 (the departure date), October 15 (The New York canal system closes) and December 1 (The nominal end of hurricane season in the Caribbean)

    Last year I had planned to buy some big-ticket items here in Canada. They included in somewhat priority, Dinghy & Motor, Freezer, Liferaft, Watermaker, Ais transmitter (I have a receiver), Wind self steering, Standing Rigging inspection, Solar Upgrade. 

    In the July 20 Storm, Matt and I had the furler and genoa destroyed in 43 knots of wind and effectively broke the boat for going upwind meant that we sailed 40 miles through the storm and then another 100 miles to Kingston on a broken boat and high wind and waves.

    I had a forced 6 week maintenance period in Kingston where the engine was overhauled, the propeller was repaired, the sail was resewn, the mainsail reefing, lazy jacks, and assorted lines were ‘restrung’, and all the major systems, including the standing rigging were checked.  The furler was repaired in October.   Other than the dinghy and motor, which were bought before the storm, the big ticket items simply were not purchased. 

    However, there is a new list.

    • Liferaft.   My advisors tell me this is not negotiable and I tend to agree.
    • More power by installing new solar panels.  I think I’ll be going from almost 200 watts to 900 watts.  Among other things it provides greater redundancy to power the autopilot which is a critical system.  The alternator produces 85 amps when the motor is running.  The batteries may need to be upgraded.
    • Starlink (already purchased)
    • Go Pro (already purchased)
    • Drone
    • Items that are no longer on this year’s budget, if ever, include Watermaker, Wind self-steering, Freezer, AIS transmitter.   I either have enough redundancy planned or don’t need them this season.

    So it has all been about risk management, limited resources (people and money) and building redundancy, all program management concepts that hold over from my previous career.  And the same tools, budgets on Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, even the dreaded PowerPoint. 

    It’s January 3.  I only have 120 days until launch. 

  • Planning the Cambio dream

    Planning the Cambio dream

    This is the first version of the Cambio Dream, from Lake Ontario to Batumi Georgia with stops along the way. Google measurements say it is 17,700 kilometers long, which is 9600 nautical miles. Cambio can do perhaps an average of 100 nautical miles per day, so this is, in total, 96 days, or just over 3 months of straight sailing. Geez i hope my math is right. I expect to take 2 years to get to Batumi, and while I’m sure that the course will change over time, this means there’s about 20 months of sightseeing, lazing around, maintenance, sitting on the anchor and enjoying the scenery. I think that’s a great ratio of sailing versus tourism, and I think tourism may not be the right all inclusive word.

    If you are reading this and have suggestions, please leave comments. This is a high level view of the voyage and it ends 9900 nautical miles from home, so clearly this is only part one.

    So lets start:

    Lake Ontario to New York. Because we have to get to the ocean and sailing seasons are short. I want to get south before it gets too cold, and may have to dodge storms if we leave on Sept. 1.

    Norfolk A great starting off point to test offshore. Also a great naval history (yes, I know I skipped Lunenburg and Chesapeake with their great naval lore)

    Bahamas What a great place to stop for December and drag the keel around interesting islands.

    Turks and Caicos They look like a great place to take a break.

    Monserrat and St. Martin Probably as far south as we can go, but I’d like to see them both. If we arrive in Bahamas in December we have 6 months to mess around the northern part of the Antilles before heading to Bermuda.

    USVI and Puerto Rico Just looks like great cruising. Maybe head to BVI as well but the whole area looks good.

    Bermuda Get out of Dodge before hurricane season starts. There’s no point in trying To Reason With Hurricane Season. This would be sometime in May 2023

    Azores Horta looks like such a cool place to visit. It is the first big crossing and hopefully we’ve learned important white water lessions on the 5-7 day trip from Puerto Rico to Bermuda.

    Morocco I’ve never been to Africa so Casablanca has to be on the list. Hopefully we can take the Marakesh Express ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TYq9RjdYYU ) and visit Tangiers and Gibraltar as we head for the Mediterranean.

    Malaga, Cartagena, Valencia seems like nice places to go and they named an orange after Valencia. How cool is that?

    Barcelona It’s on the list because of the architecture in Barcelona, and a friend I’d like to take to dinner.

    Corsica and Sardinia They are on the way to Rome and I bet I can find some older guys to play backgammon with on either side of the straight that separates theml.

    Rome I’ve never been there, despite a classical education, so it seems like a great place to start the trip down the western coast of Italy, stopping at interesting places.

    Calabria Here in Canada I’ve met a lot of Canadians of Italian descent and most of them seem to have come from Calabria. My barber, my tailor, my other barber, and a host of others have all been decent people, who are proud of their heritage so this is an opportunity to see the land that birthed such honorable people.

    Messina Messina splits Sicily from the Italian toe and it’s a great way to take the shortcut to Malta.

    Malta was the gateway to the East during the Crusades and an undefeated country during World War II. I’m looking forward to seeing ancient buildings and meeting an island full of indomitable spirit.

    Thera I hear the South of Turkey is a wonderful place to spend the winter, if time on the Med must end for winter. But how can we miss the island that houses Santorini? So it is on the list.

    Limnos and Lesbos Two Islands that have some interesting things going on. Limnos produces a wonderful dessert wine that I’ve tried once and loved. It is also known for its natural ingredients,  almonds, figs, melons, watermelons, tomatoes, pumpkins and olives. The main crops are wheat, barley, sesame, honey, and oregano. And I want to try their cheeses. They also say jokingly that the tallest tree on Limnos is oregano.
    Lesbos, despite the jokes (“You aren’t a lesbian unless you were born on Lesbos” – The Mayor of Lesbos), has a million olive trees and so is quite different from Limnos, although it is only a few miles away. Both islands are on the way somewhat to Istanbul.

    Istanbul I was last in Istanbul in 2011. I met some fantastic people, like Simsek and Orhan and Levant in the Grand Bazaar and Deniz, the security guard out by the airport. I had a fabulous time in Istanbul and would love to dock in the shadow of the Galata tower, if they’ll have me.

    Black Sea From Istanbul, the Black Sea opens up. We would want to stay south, away from conflict and explore the more conservative southern shoreline of Turkey until we get to Georgia. I’d like to visit an old friend, Timur, and see the modern architecture of Batumi and Tbilisi, and the ancient Kakheti wine regions. I think it might be nice to winter over in Batumi.
    It is too bad that I’ll likely have to miss the Northern Black Sea like Hungary, Odessa, and Crimea. Whatever time of year we are in the Black Sea I’ve been warned to be off the Black Sea by September 1 due to storm season.

  • Through this whole experience, I hope I’ve exuded patience and grace.  It’s safer that way.

    Through this whole experience, I hope I’ve exuded patience and grace.  It’s safer that way.

    Thursday, August 11, 2022, Kingston Yacht Club / St. Catharines

    So much has happened in the last 9 days, and yet not so much accomplished, I think.   

    Much of my my August 2 angst was in the wrong direction and not well thought out.  Any solution that involved towing, and haulout, and the end to end process of fixing the boat generally broke down when the question ‘after all that, who will fix it?’ popped its practical head up.  And it was expensive. There is a shortage of technicians to fix various things.  I can replace the furler through the local dealer but there are no technicians in Kingston to do the work, even when I ask the local Harken dealer.

    I’m frustrated with some of the stuff that hasn’t been accomplished yet, but there have been some big wins. 

    • I couldn’t find the local Kiwi propeller dealer for days, although when I did find him, service was as great as possible, but waiting for the propellor blades to come from New Zealand is the singular holdup, and it is reasonable, I guess.   
    • The engine mechanic came quickly and did great work.  (Kevin Mcleod of Kingston). 
    • The Kingston Yacht Club seems patient with me but they will have hosted me for a month by the time I can leave, I think.  But if I have to be stuck somewhere, KYC is a club full of great people, and have allowed me to get my boat back to proper seaworthiness. 
    • The genoa was fixed by John Clark at Kingston Sail Loft and it was fixed 2 days faster than promised. 
    • Isabelle, the insurance adjuster is prompt to respond and always cheerful.    

    Matt went home when it was apparent that the propellor would not be fixed for a week or two.  I followed him home shortly after for doctor appointments and a change of view.

    Now my doctor says I don’t need knee replacements yet, and I’m happy about that.

    Then the propellor blades, which were promised for August 16 from New Zealand arrived on August 10 but the service guy is on vacation and we’ll have to wait until he can make time to do it.  I know he’ll show up asap because he interrupted his vacation for a day to come to Kingston to pull off a blade to inspect it and check out the propellor.  He then ordered the match of 3 blade replacements.

    And I’m committed to photograph the 2022 Canada Games sailing events on August 17, 18, 19, and 20 which is inconveniently in the middle of the repairs. 

    So if the fix is in on Sunday the 14th I’ll be able to rush home if the weather window is right. Only the furler won’t be fixed, but everything else should be in working shape on this cruise.  This means that we’ll be moving under main sail and motor only. 

    Through this whole experience, I hope I’ve exuded patience and grace.  It’s safer that way.

    Pierre has offered to crew and that would be a pleasure.  I’ll be careful to pick a comfortable weather window and hopefully interesting ports.   If we have to leave on Sunday Aug 14 we’ll not stop, but if we leave on August 21st it will be a vacation of stops. It would be fabulous to start with Wapoose winery.  Then along the North shore to Toronto and then a usually simple crossing to Dalhousie.   I’d like to spend a few hours each with Lily Storring and Elle Anne, hopefully photoshoots or dinner or drinks.  They are in the Kingston/Gananoque area and maybe Stephanie in Cobourg.  All good people and good models.

  • I don’t think this is right

    I don’t think this is right

    Friday, September 3, 2022

    I don’t think this is right.  I thought we sailed home from Toronto on Thursday, but somewhere in this log I may have lost a day.  If you are reading this, I didn’t go back to find it, and please just go with it.

    We motored on a smooth sunny lake for about 5 hours and pulled into Port Dalhousie.

    After doing a technically challenging docking at the National superbly, I got to my dock in Port Dalhousie and almost rammed the dock.  I went around and got it the second time but I shouldn’t have lost that skill after 6 weeks away.

    I went home, had a shower, and came back to Cambio to do some putaway and such. Instead, I fell asleep on the settee for 3 hours. 

  • Well I’ve been here before

    Well I’ve been here before

    Thursday September 2, 2022 Whitby to Toronto

    We were up early, with the dinghy stowed and the boat prepared for a bumpy and slanty ride. 

    Leaving Whitby was an adventure.  I followed the red buoys to the left to get out and then turned left to head for the marina.  There is a lot of mud on either side of the channels and I had been warned to follow the buoys carefully.   So I kept to the right, where the red buoys were, and promptly grounded in muck. 

    It took a call to the marina where Brian and Bob came out and pulled us out into the clear and we were pulled over the tow line which got caught under the boat. 

    Well I’ve been here before.

    They took us to the gas dock and I refueled and did a pump out while mentally preparing to dive under the boat in very murky waters.   I didn’t like the idea of diving to clear the propeller again when the water was very, very brown.   Brian came back and had an idea.  He took the stern line that was caught and worked it around the stern, pulling it along the way.   He had this idea that it wasn’t hooked on the propellor but it was stuck in the gap between the rudder and the hull.  

    The line came loose and it turned out Brian was right.   I was relieved from having to dive in dirty, murky, skuzzy water to clear the rope!!  

    We left Whitby very carefully using the centre of the channel and got on our way to Port Dalhousie.

    We got perhaps 2 hours out, and we were rocking a lot and sometimes burying the bow into oncoming waves.   I wasn’t worried about Cambio. She handles this stuff well, but both Pierre and my stomachs became a bit queasy and neither one of us wanted to go through another 10 hours of this to get to Port Dalhousie when Friday’s weather was supposed to be calm and sunny.  

    Pierre hinted that we had talked about going to Toronto and I thought that was a bang up great idea, so I instructed Otto to turn right and head for the Eastern Headlands, about 3 hours away.  The wind built to 30 knots and I was looking forward to getting into the Toronto Harbour where presumably the water would be smooth. 

    I phoned the National Yacht Club, searching for a reciprocal berth for the night.  It took me 8 tries before the Officer of the Day answered the phone.  Apparently they are more reliant on VHF radio for communication.  I am more reliant on the phone because the VHF is down below in the cabin and I’m not so comfortable going below in high winds and leaving Otto alone to manage.   But the phone is in my pocket and National is on my speed dial.

    When we got into the Toronto Harbour, I did put Otto in charge under Pierre’s supervision while I went forward and stowed the main properly.  I had started to raise it when we were thinking we were going to Port Dalhousie and found that the halyard was wrapped around the lazy jacks a few times.   After the July 20 storm, Jeff and I had fixed all the lines but I must have forgotten to check the main halyard.  I was pooped after straightening it out.  Shortly after we adjusted course towards Toronto and there was no need for the mainsail anymore.   However I did have to wrap the sail tighter on the boom to reduce the windage when we went into the National Yacht Club basin.    

    NYC is a very well protected harbour,  protected by an ancient break wall that has an entrance that seems to be about 36 feet across. Cambio has a 13 foot width.   The winds were gusting to 30 knots on the beam (from the side) and the waves made it a rather interesting challenge to get through this gap.   To restate that, going through the gap required a high pucker factor.

    So we didn’t know where the dock they had assigned was.  We came into a section of the basin where the wall set in front of the clubhouse and there was space on the wall. I headed for it, with the wind behind me.  I used forward and reverse gears many times before I got the boat alongside, between another boat and the small boat crane.   We had 3 people helping us dock, thankfully.  

    Then they wanted me to move to the assigned dock.   There was no way, in my opinion, to do this given the high wind, the small space we were in, and the surrounding boats.   So I suggested moving the first boat back about 12 feet, and my boat forward about 12 feet.  This would be safer and we’d clear the crane, because it was race night and the crane had to be cleared for the Sharks and J’s to launch.  It was a negotiation but the NYC person in charge understood that it would be bad for my 41’, 25,000 pound boat to hit other boats in that kind of weather. 

    So we tied up, caught our breaths and had a passage drink. 

    Dinner at the National was a buffet, and we were ready for a great meal.  It was good, and we gorged.   Then we realized that the table beside us were the same people that we had met in Belleville.  Actually they recognized us first.  We exchanged short stories and pleasantries, and they left. 

    We went to play Rummy on the boat.   

  • It never happened

    It never happened

    Wednesday August 31, 2022, Whitby

    We stayed another day in Whitby, just to sit out a forecasted thunderstorm.   It never happened but it was a pleasant day.  

    Pierre and I invaded the clubhouse to play backgammon and met some interesting members, who looked at us curiously as if we were bringing new vices to the comfortable room.  Besides the members, the Shark sailors came in, went out into the stormy waters and came back but by then Pierre and I had returned to the boat. 

    The previous owner, Al, was around and I asked him what the process for stowing the dinghy on the davits.  He walked me through it and it was exactly what Jeff had figured out back in August and that Pierre and I had worked on.  Sadly, because I was hoping there was an easier way.   I guess the easier way is to do it a dozen times until it seems easy. 

    The weather forecast was for high winds, off the beam, all day, which would be perfect for motorsailing from Whitby to Port Dalhousie.

  • There was a prediction of thunderstorms for Monday

    There was a prediction of thunderstorms for Monday

    Monday August 29, 2022 Cobourg

    There was a prediction of thunderstorms for Monday so we stayed put at the dock the next day.  We had dinner in the old Yacht Club, which had gone out of business and had been taken over by a local tavern entrepreneur.   The clubhouse still looked like it did before the takeover, with race flags, burgees and trophies all over the place.  

    But this was a shell of a yacht club.  There was a pallor of death and I imagined that all the stories that had been told in there among bonne homme members over the years now smelled a little like musty old books, without the life that comes from camaraderie.  The food was pretty good, however.