Category: Sailing

I’ve Grounded Too Often

Saturday August 27, 2022, Belleville to Murray Canal

The convoy of 3 boats left Belleville with the intention of going through the Murray Canal.   The Murray canal has very narrow entrances, with shallow areas on each side of the ‘ditch’ under water. In one area there is a shallow 3 feet on the north side and less than 6 feet on the other side. The available width is just 60 feet or less.

We were told by the swing bridge crew to hold position in this underwater canyon.   I started getting close to the less than 6 feet north side and tried to turn around in narrow space. I hit Doug’s dinghy, and broke a couple of expensive fittings. He yelled at me to reverse and I tried, but failed to do so in time and ultimately hit his boat.   I’m very angry at myself for being intimidated by the shallow water and screwing up Doug’s day.   It was completely my fault and it haunts me even when I write this a week later. He got a quote for the broken pieces and I reimbursed him immediately, but it was a pittance for my ruining both our days. I was so shaken I got grounded on the south side and plowed through soft mud that was about 5.5 feet deep (I draw 6 feet). We left 30 foot trail of muddy water behind us before we got clear.    I’ve grounded too often lately and I still have to go through the dreaded Presqu’iIe Bay tomorrow where the navigation buoys don’t necessarily keep you from running aground.

It is at the second swing bridge that boats must pay $5.50 for passage through the Murray Canal. As you approach the open bridge, a person passes a long stick with a bucket on the end and boaters are supposed to drop the money into the bucket as payment.   It is a quaint custom, but it is their way and it works, I guess. Pierre dropped the money in and we passed through.

August 27, 2022
Belleville: Wayne is definitely a fantastic host

Friday August 26, 2022, Belleville

Nothing happened today except had a great evening with Dalhousie friends Doug and Patti Jo, Whitby friend Klaus who just bought a house in Seeley’s Bay, and Joanne the fearless single hander in Nonsuch 36 number one and Tony, who watched the Ticat game for most of the night.

It was supposed to rain and thunderstorm but all it did at the dock was rain a bit. No sign of thunderstorms but that’s just fine. It was a day of rest.

I tried to figure out the sewage smell in the aft cabin but couldn’t find the leak. The compartment was painted with gloss white paint and there were no signs of dirt in the compartment. The holding tank looks brand new. Doug suggested that it might be the pipes that are leaking through their skins after being old. When I get home, I’ll swap them out and see if it fixes it. Until then, hold your nose.

This club, Bay of Quinty Yacht Club is very friendly. A fellow named Wayne took me up to the local Metro to get provisions. Provisions is always grub and booze and they had both at this Metro. Wayne is the club host, for lack of a better word. He maintains the flower gardens, manages the guest docks and generally works around the club. Wayne was good enough to plant tomatoes for the public and we picked one to make a real treat on a cruising boat: a bacon and tomato sandwich. Wayne is definitely a fantastic host, and the club is also very comfortable.

August 26, 2022
The tow line was caught tight in the propellor
Tuesday August 23, 2022, Waupoos

Geezus I thought the boat was in perfect condition, but I seem to have spent the day screwing it up all by myself. I did non of the 3 things I meant to do today that I listed yesterday.

Pierre and I motored from Kingston Yacht Club in a very heavy rainstorm that had no thunder or lightening. It was wet in every crack of the boat and every crack of the two of us.   But it was exhilarating, even so. The weather lightened up at 1pm and we arrived at Waupoos Winery at about 3:30.

My contact at the winery said to anchor about 50 feet off the dock. I saw a big white building and thought it was Waupoos Winery.   It wasn’t. It was about a half km east of the winery but we hadn’t figured that out.

The chart said 12 feet, and I draw 6 so of course I ran aground in the sand. My first grounding, albeit a soft one. The depth meter said 5.9 feet and we were going very slowly so there was only a slight change in velocity.   No problem. I’ll just back up.

So I did.

I had forgotten that the dinghy was being towed behind me. I ran it over. It ended up wrapped around the bow.   The dinghy brand spanking new tow line caught the brand spanking new propellor and the engine died. I ran forward and dropped the anchor. It worked wonderfully.

The tow line was caught tight in the propellor, even though it has a cutter, and was attached fast so I couldn’t pull it out.

Oh well. We have to clear the dinghy and put the motor on anyway to go visit the winery.

There is a design flaw on the block and tackle mechanism that raises and lowers the dinghy motor from its perch to the back of the dinghy.   A cleat is up top that is practically unusable. We had to take the cleat out of the equation and lower the motor onto the dinghy. I’ll move the cleat down someday but until then it really can’t be used easily.

By the time we had dinghy and motor in place it was too late to dive on the propellor and cut the line away. So I’ll do that tomorrow morning. The flaw in that thinking is that if I end up on a lee shore in a blow tonight, I’ll be up the creek with no motor.   All I can do is sleep lightly and well and do the dive early. Stay tuned. This was poor foresight on my part.

We got to the winery, got a tour, and a tasting, bought a couple bottles of wine…yadda yadda Actually Waupoos Winery has a whole farm to table program with cattle, pig, sheep, and other food animal farms. They feed the leftover grapes, apples, peanuts, hazelnuts, and other leftovers from their processes to the animals, which you can dine on at the restaurant. It is one of the most complex and well thought out farm to table programs and it is clear that they are very proud of the program.   I hope that it is sustainable.

Tomorrow it is:
- Dive on the propellor
- Breakfast
- Motor to Deseronto and decide whether to try for Belleville or not.
- Do one of the three things I didn’t do today.
Long day.

Oh yea. As I open the coach hatches the pain in my shoulders reminds me of the goddam dinghy motor that wouldn’t start. It’s only been run one time before and I am not fucking impressed. It should have started on the first pull, not after many that gives me bruises and strained muscles. I wanna scream at the salesman because that’s all I know. It’s a.. aw sheet, I forget.
August 23, 2022
We’ve had enough of storms
Monday, August 22, 2022, Kingston Yacht Club

So lots has been solved and some new problems have popped up, but I haven’t been here in Kingston since maybe August 13. There just hasn’t been anything I need to do on Cambio and I was committed to photograph the 2022 Canada Games in Niagara.

The lads from Kiwi (Canada) came by in my absence and dove on the boat to replace the propellor blades. That, I believe at this writing is the only thing that is doable to make the boat safe and transportable back to Niagara.

I talked with Cody at South Shore Yachts about the furler and he will inspect it when I get it to him in Niagara on the Lake. I have confidence that he’s the right guy after a conversation with him at the Niagara on the Lake Sailing Club during the Canada Games.

New issues which I discovered when I got back to the boat yesterday include:
- A battery drain on the windlass battery or a problem with the charging system. It is down to 9.45V and that’s too low. Work for tomorrow.
- There is a kybo smell in the aft quarterberth, which probably means that there is a leaky pipe near the waste tank, as there is no undue smell in the head. Work for tomorrow.
- The salon table is loose. This is definitely due to the storm, but I think I only need to reseat some screws or to tighten them. Work for tomorrow.
Now which one is the priority? Which one has the greatest chance of success? I’ll sleep on it and work on the smelly one first.

The original plan was to head out on Monday for Wapoose, then through the Adolphus Reach, then along the north shore to Toronto, then cut South to Port Dalhousie. Monday rained all day with thunder storm warnings all day. The same is called for Tuesday morning to we’re playing it cautiously. Wapoose is only 4 hours so that’s a good shakedown for the newly repaired Cambio. But we’ve had enough of storms.
August 22, 2022
It was a bumpy ride from Cobourg to Whitby.

Tuesday August 30, 2022, Cobourg to Whitby

It was a bumpy ride from Cobourg to Whitby. The wind was on the nose and we motored through messy sets of waves.

About 5 hours later we arrived at the dock in Whitby, just a few docks down from where I had taken possession of Cambio in early May. I felt badly that the topsides showed new scratches which happened while I had been learning how to dock. Most of them will buff out but I haven’t done that yet and probably won’t until spring commissioning.

August 20, 2022
I’m still dockbound

Tuesday August 2, 2022, Kingston Yacht Club

I’m still dockbound.

I’m still dockbound. We left this morning to head to Rochester and then along the southern shore. The forecast was perfect for a 3 day sail. However, 4 feet from the dock it was apparent that the motor was not working in forward, so Matt leapt nimbly to get us back tied to the dock. I called Kevin, the motor mechanic and he arrived about an hour later and certified that the motor was working fine but that the propellor had an issue. When he was fixing the motor last week it seemed ok, but we didn’t fully test the whole system and I feel now that I should have taken him for an ‘end to end’ test on the lake.   But that’s spilt milk.

The problem is that nobody has a complete solution. I need a tow. I need a haulout. I need someone to check the propellor (which means removing the propellor and taking it to “The Prop Shop” for fixing “because they don’t leave the store”. So numerous calls later with the insurance folks, a towing company, and the prop shop and I was no further ahead for having solutions to each step of the process.   The guy who tows broke down and needed a tow himself. Another towing guy offered to tow us tomorrow, but the guy who lifts the boats out of the water was not in the shop today, and may not be tomorrow. And he has no workers who can take a propellor off.   Confused? I sure am.

So 4:30 rolls around without a full game plan and I decide to have a rum and coke and try to look at the whole process.   I look up the KiwiProp Canadian dealer and discover he is in Picton, about an hour away.   He promptly returns my call on his answering machine and we talk about the process and the fix.    So the best news is that he asked his service guy, Bernard, to take a day off his vacation in Waupus and drive down with snorkel and mask and look the propellor under water. If the solution is to replace blades, then chances are we are able to leave tomorrow afternoon. If the solution is to replace the whole prop, then it has to be ordered from New Zealand and will take a few weeks.

Here’s hoping for luck tomorrow.

The Kingston Yacht Club has been very understanding but I’m starting to feel uncomfortable after 11 days here. They are so nice and accommodating but I don’t wish to be the guest who stays too long.   Here’s hoping for the second time in 4 tries for luck tomorrow.

August 2, 2022
The day that I planned to make two big decisions
Monday August 1, 2022, Kingston Yacht Club

August 1 was the day that I planned to make two big decisions. Here they are.
- I’m postponing my trip to the Caribbean until 2023. Physically, I’m not ready, and a few other contributing factors. I do feel that the boat is almost ready.
- After last week’s storm Cambio and I bonded and I’m going to keep the name Cambio.
List of repairs and things done to Cambio after the storm. (Jeff had a BIG hand in all of this)
- Take down and inspect the furler
- Put the furler back up without the sail. The furler needs work that I can’t do.
- Tied down the genoa on Portside of the mast for the journey
- Fixed the genoa. Kingston Sail Loft did a marvelous job of reconditioning it after the storm, and 2 days ahead of schedule.
- Purchased the furling line to replace the frayed and broken one when furler is fixed.
- Adjust the davit lines so that they work well to drop and retrieve the dinghy
- Tested the dinghy motor. Works
- Replaced the Portside Main Traveler block
- Patched the hole in the dinghy that was made during the storm.
- Tied the MOM unit to the lifelines so it is useable again.
- Reinstalled the lazy jacks
- Fixed the reef lines so we have 3 usable reef points again.
- Tied down the anchor.
- Had the motor tuned. The -storm had shifted sediment in the fuel tank that was messing up the engine.
- Replaced the kettle broken in the storm.
- Inspected the cockpit VHF microphone. It isn’t working.
- Charged all lights
- Inspected the bilge
- Fixed hose ripped out of the water heater
- Reattach the Bimini strut aft starboard. It worked its way out during the storm.
- Removed the genoa sheets
Left to do
- Get the furler professionally fixed.
- Fix the cockpit VHF microphone (appears to be a problem with the wiring that goes to the radio) and is low priority.
- Test the anchor in real life situation
- Finish the R.E.S. (Redundant Electronic System) -> Jeff
- Replace the Genoa Sheets
- Propeller blades
August 1, 2022
I’m watching the wind carefully
Wednesday July 27, 2022, Kingston Yacht Club

Work continues.
- Picked up the Genoa today. JC did a fabulous job of repairing it, but he said he’d never do it again.
- The base of the bimini support on the starboard rear came loose, or we just noticed it yesterday. We fixed it with new screws.
- Mechanic Kevin Mcleod came by today to finish fixing the motor. It is in great shape as he leaves and I hope it will get us home because it may be a big motor trip.
- Jeff secured the anchor, which had come undone in the storm, I believe.
- We redid the reefing lines and made sure they ran free and clear.
- The ropey things that guide your mainsail when taking it down; we adjusted those. The storm had wildly misaligned them. (lazy jacks)
- Zip ties made the MOM unit back to being safe and reliable. (Man Overboard Thing)
- Harken sent the manual for the Furling system. The game plan there is to get quotes from Masthead Rigging and South Shore Yachts to repair or replace the furler. It is unusable at this moment.
- We are planning on leaving on Tuesday at 7am. Motor through the Adolphus Reach and come out just after Trenton. Then pick the best time to cross the lake. Windy isn’t giving me the best answers or I’m not ready to listen. But I’m watching the wind carefully.
- Jeff continues to work tirelessly and it shows all over the boat.
The Genoa Sheets were damaged in the storm and will have to be replaced
July 27, 2022
Another storm hit last night.

Monday July 25, 2022 Kingston Yacht Club

So another storm hit last night. I measured winds at 43knots, or 80 km/h. Fortunately, I was at the dock in KYC but it still shook the boat enough to wake us up and check the lines.

Today Bob came back and climbed the 65’ mast again to reinstall the genoa furler. Where do such people come from. The morning after I arrived he showed up and helped, no, led the takedown of the furler, gave information on what might be wrong with it, and went up the mast to take the furler down for inspection. It is up now but won’t turn. When we get the sail back, we can raise it manually but can’t furl it and it is so heavy that it will be a 2 person job on a boat with 2 man crew. I’m thrilled that Matt is coming back for the return trip. He was awesome crew during the storm and aftermath. Did I say that already?

July 25, 2022
Early this morning the hose fell off the water heater

Sunday July 24, 2022 Kingston Yacht Club

I’m going to put all the things related to the storm and its aftermath In the big log entry below and start fresh as of today.

Early this morning the hose fell off the water heater and filled up the bilge while emptying all the potable water tanks. It was easy to drain the bilge with the electric pump but it seems that the automatic bilge pump did not kick in. Something to investigate soon!

Jeff helped diagnose the problem and was able to attach the hose to the water heater under the starboard aft bunk. This is the second time that a hose has left its pipe and drained water into the bilge. The first time a hose let go was a couple months ago and it was under the floorboards under the sink. That time Jeff fixed it as well.

Water tanks filled up to full on July 24, 2022

July 24, 2022