Category: Sailing

My plans to go south in September are at risk
Friday, July 8, 2022 Port Dalhousie

I’m still doing the perp walk from the boat to office to get any Wi-Fi at all. That’s my bitch today.

I haven’t heard if my water pump arrived yet. If it does, that will be my job tomorrow. If it doesn’t, I want to dismantle a few bars on the pushpit so I can access the dinghy and I should sort the anchors out. But the weather is supposed to be outstanding so my plans may get waylaid by an afternoon sail. I need to get at Canadian Tire:
- Plumbing tape
- A large wide slot headed screwdriver
- 25’ of dock line
My plans to go south in September are at risk. My doctor says I’m a prime candidate for both knees to be replaced and I have the same osteoarthritis in my L4 and L5 spine. My original plan was to make the decision on August 1. If the boat was ready, and I was ready, then September 1 I head to Oswego. The boat will be ready; the boat came to me almost ready, but I wonder if my knees will make single handing a serious problem. This is depressing but several things can happen.
- The wait list for knee replacements is 2 years. Why don’t I go and come back for the operation?
- I may find a travelling partner which would give us 4 legs to work the boat. I’d like that.
- I may settle in to for the winter here and look forward to the spring and a whole new plan.
- What else?
The next 6 weeks are important to this planning and stay tuned. It’s a beautiful boat and I plan many miles below the keel. Having the August 1 decision date means I don’t sweat the decision until that day. No worrying. Simply preparing and planning. It would be painful to worry every day about what to do. I’ll worry on August 1 and not before.

The pump did not arrive today. So I’m waterless for the weekend and don’t have that to install.
July 8, 2022
Logging the fillups
Thursday, July 7, 2022 Port Dalhousie

I guess I should log the fillups
- Emptied the black water tank July 3, 2022
- Filled the water tanks July 3, 2022
- Filled the diesel tanks approx. June 25, 2022
July 7, 2022
This morning I ordered an emergency ladder. It will trail a little line and can be deployed in case of man overboard.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022 Port Dalhousie

I didn’t get down to the boat until late today. This morning I ordered an emergency ladder. It will trail a little line and can be deployed in case of man overboard. The boat currently has a solid ladder that fits at the side gates but that is normally stowed deep in the lazarette and since I’ve been sailing with new crew and short handed, getting the solid ladder out and installed fast enough to save a life will be problematic. The new ladder folds up very small and deploys with a tug on the line and instantly. I still must figure out where to mount it but I’m certain that it will make the boat safer.

I am also considering a whisker pole. I don’t have a spinnaker or asymmetrical downwind sail, but I’m going to have to lift the dinghy on deck. The mainsheet is pretty solid and I think that it would be a problem to use it to lift the dinghy (or a heavy, wet sailor) up on deck. This is going to take some thought because whisker poles are expensive and once I buy one I’ll want a downwind sail to use with it. All of a sudden, I’m spending $6000 between whisker pole and sail and I’m going to give that a lot of thought before I open my thinning wallet. And none of this is on the list of things to do that I logged yesterday.

Picture for effect and because the boat photoshoots are turning out wonderfully. Katie is a personal trainer and a marketing guru and we shot a few days ago. I’m over the moon with the way that thee sunset changes the skin tones into rich deep colours.

June 28, 2022
Planning for a Trip to Kingston, roughly between July 18 and August 5
Monday June 27, 2022

I’m planning for a trip to Kingston, roughly between July 18 and August 5, including a relaxed travel time each way. Mini trips include Prinyer’s Cove quiet anchorage and Waupoos winery, accessible by dinghy from Waupoos Marina, and perhaps renting a taxi for a day of visiting other Picton wineries to do some research.

I created a bit of a hullabaloo in the Facebook group for Cheoy Lee owners by posting a sunset picture. Most of the comments were positive but one guy decided that I should have shown more of the boat because ‘that’s not what the group is for’. I’m still going to post pictures taken on, of, and around the boat. My theme is lifestyle on a Cheoy Lee. If they don’t like bikinis, they are going to hate the picture of a used joker valve if I’m unfortunate enough to have to exchange it.

I have 2 and possibly 3 photoshoots this July 1 weekend that I’m really looking forward to. And I’m taking a few days off from the boat now because the last 4 days of photoshooting took a toll on my back and knees. I finally got a couple of sets of kneepads to save my knees but I forgot to put them on for the photoshoots. Photoshoots require a lot of attention and I’ve got to remember to use them.

A few new things to do.
- Stow the spare anchor and chain so the main anchor is easily usable.
- Test the windlass process at least once
- Hunt for cobwebs and wipe the surfaces down.
- Clean the Fiberglas coach roof.
- Police all the lines on the boat.
- Put off caulking parts of the deck for a couple of months.
- Work out the launch the dinghy/get it unhooked/mount the motor/etc. process and try it out a few times.
- Stick some telltales on the main and a few more on the genoa.
Today’s photograph is of Cassie, who is training for a physique competition in 6 weeks. The late sun has given her body a glow that just makes her look peaceful and happy, even teetering on the pulpit.
June 27, 2022
I’ve been photographing fitness models on the boat for the last 4 days.

Sunday June 26, 2022, Port Dalhousie

I’ve been photographing fitness models on the boat for the last 4 days. Thursday was Katie, Friday Charlene, Saturday Leslie and Cassie, and today I left the boat and shot the torch run for the 2022 Canada Games. That was all fun but I’m in muscle pain from dancing around the boat. The boat is an amazing platform to shoot models and sunsets on.

I took the sitting box off the bow. While I liked the idea of a quiet morning at anchor with a piping hot coffee, it blocked a lot of my view and I think it was a hazard. Docking was much better last night without it. As a result I only have two granny bars, one on either side of the mast, since the forward one is gone.

June 26, 2022
Charlene: Photoshoot on Cambio

Charlene visited Cambio for a sunset photoshoot. She’s got a great story to tell so visit her on Instagram at @model.charlene and make friends

June 24, 2022
Lost tools

Friday June 17, 2022 Port Dalhousie

And another couple of days go by. No sailing since the epic sail with Lilianne and SteveO.

Fixed the lifering. Lost the tape I bought to do some wood gluing. Lost the needlenose plyers I think I need for the lifting harness for the motor. Putting off getting the box taken off ahead of the mast because I think some of the model pictures planned will look good with it. But when I take it off, it is a few Allen key set screws and untie the box. Unless I lose the Allen key.

June 17, 2022
Entertaining under sail

Wednesday June 15, 2022 Port Dalhousie

Where does the time go? 5 days without sailing. But I got laundry done on one of those days, and some minor shopping for parts that should be in a particular store but are not, and therefore Amazon for a 2 day wait and slow it goes.

I had an 11 hour sail with Lilianne and SteveO. Perfect wind, waves and company and we got to within about 3nm from Toronto before we turned back for a total of about 34 nautical miles. It was my first night docking and Steve’s first ever docking and Steve pulled the right ropey things at the right time and the docking went beautifully. Great job SteveO!

June 15, 2022
Vang and outhaul

Friday June 10, 2022, Port Dalhousie

I’m thinking that I want the vang and outhaul to come back into the cockpit. They currently terminate at the mast and that’s a long way to go to trim for a wind change (not that I am racing, but y’know). More later.

June 10, 2022
What is ATSR?

Thursday June 9, 2022 ATSR in Port Dalhousie

It’s amazing how 4 days go by so quickly since my last entry. I haven’t sailed since Saturday but have been cleaning and doing the odd fix here and there. The water ran out, and it shouldn’t have because we just filled it up. Rather than play “find the tap” I called Al the previous owner and he straightened me out. I have 3 tanks and while they are connected, they are connected by pipes that have off switches. We have only been drawing from the 25 gallon tank, which we did not refill. All is good now.

It raises the question, “What if I had been offshore and thought I had ran out of water?” These few months of familiarization are a critical education for me.

What is ATSR?   In Nelson’s navy, if the captain didn’t want to write all the things his men were doing each day, he would enter ATSR in the log, which means “As The Service Requires”. Since I have to write the log and also do all the little stuff, which is important no matter how small, I think ATSR is appropriate.

I should finish the story about the podium and the lost life ring. My good friend Keith offered to help me pick up my dinghy and motor in Oakville.   I asked him if we could go downtown first and pick up the life ring. Of course I had to tell the story to convince him.    It was pouring rain when we got there. Keith double parked and I ran the 20 or so meters to the marina office.

I burst through the office door to get out of the rain and I must have looked like a madman, dripping wet with a fire in my eye. The first thing I saw besides two guys I didn’t know, was the Cambio life ring mounted on the wall like some glassy eyed bad taxidermy. “Hi, I’m with Cambio” (don’t show your intentions until you know theirs). They just looked up and said “There it is, Go Ahead and take it” and went on discussing lunch plans.   I took it and ran out into the teaming rain.

June 9, 2022