It's Monday morning and we've come to the place where each part of our remaining three days is planned. Bob has gone down to the boat to meet Sean. The work on our WiFi signal booster/aerial continues. Will it work? - still not sure.
On Saturday, we packed boxes of food (mostly taken from our kitchen cupboards) and bags of clothes into the car, brought the boat into the dock by the club parking lot and transferred everything to the boat. I filled once partially empty lockers with food and clothes - we even found an empty space for my collection of books. Bob stored many of our newly purchased charts and cruising guides by laying them flat under the cabin seat cushions.
Yesterday, on the way to the boat, we stopped by the "propeller guy's" condo to pick up a special screw. Late tomorrow afternoon or early Wednesday morning, Bob is having the boat pulled out so that he can replace one of the prop screws. (He discovered the faulty screw when the boat was out of the water last week.)
We spent Sunday with Krista, Sean and Michelle, had lunch on the boat, did some biking (using the "folding" bikes we'll take with us), read some magazines and had dinner "on the deck" at the club. Incidentally - after Krista and I returned from our bike ride, Bob discovered that one of the bike tires needs the inner tube replaced so we'll add that to the list of final tasks for the next couple of days.
Sean will drive us to the boat Wednesday afternoon. Bob has his last Cruising Squadron meeting Wednesday night - and then - we're off on Thursday morning for a ten month "sail" on Sea Change. Many have questioned how we'll manage so much time together in sometimes stressful situations. Well - we'll see about that but we're pretty sure that we're equal to the task :) - and can even have a good time in the process.
Did I say that "we're off on Thursday morning?" - well yes - but since we're sailors - that would be we're off - weather permitting.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Waupoos Race Picture
Here were are in the Waupoos round the island race. This is Bob in race mode - note his race focus and intensity - and note my own. Thanks to Eileen Woolsey for the picture.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Time to Get Serious
We're back from our Waupoos cruise. As expected, this was a training cruise for me. I was more involved in more aspects of running the boat than I have been in the past. If I wasn't at the wheel or fooling around with the new GPS, I was "studying" - reading my book, Cruising for Cowards. In spite of it's title, this has proved to be one of the better cruising primers that I've read - full of information about living happily and safely on a sailboat - so much so that I passed it over to Bob to read chapters on electronics and boat maintenance. Incidentally, the authors allow that if you were truly a coward - you wouldn't be taking off to do long distance cruising on a sailboat.
As part of my trip preparation, I routinely backed the boat out when we left docks and also docked the boat a few times. I've a lot of work to do on the docking part and although I've calmed down a lot during the whole process, when I feel that the boat has "gotten away from me" and I'm not understanding why she is moving in a certain way, I still tend to panic. A boat turns differently than a car, has no brakes and is affected by winds and currents. When backing up, one also has to account for the tendency of the boat to kick to one side ("prop walk") and when going forward, in addition to the wind, and turning issues, there is the problem of peering past the nose of the boat that seems awfully far away and trying to judge where you are in relation to the approaching dock. I try to remember that Bob had his years of learning before he became as skilled as he is now at the wheel. During the first few years when we had Chance Encounter, we often came in too close or too far away from the dock, or found ourselves seemingly "stuck" in the middle of a channel between rows of boats trying to maneuver in or out. It would be easiest to just go back to assisting and to stay away from the helm - but it's safest if I learn to handle the boat confidently in various situations - so, in spite of my fears, I'll keep at it.
Using the new GPS is a different story altogether. Now here is something that I took to easily. I was fairly quickly able to figure out how to place way points, build routes and modify the various screens available. Bob got so sick of the beep, beep that announced each push of a button, that I had to turn it off. He also began to worry when I approached the navigation pod for fear that I was going to mess up the appearance of the screen that he had just carefully set up. His fears were groundless .... of course ;-)
While away, we kept thinking of things that we had to do - what needs to come to the boat, be taken off of the boat, still be bought for the trip, what needs to be installed, fixed, or added. I made a long list of "to dos" and now that we are home, we'll begin to check them off. There's lots still left to do - and we have just under a month. These will be busy days but we feel as if things are falling into place, and that we will be ready (or mostly ready) on departure day.
As part of my trip preparation, I routinely backed the boat out when we left docks and also docked the boat a few times. I've a lot of work to do on the docking part and although I've calmed down a lot during the whole process, when I feel that the boat has "gotten away from me" and I'm not understanding why she is moving in a certain way, I still tend to panic. A boat turns differently than a car, has no brakes and is affected by winds and currents. When backing up, one also has to account for the tendency of the boat to kick to one side ("prop walk") and when going forward, in addition to the wind, and turning issues, there is the problem of peering past the nose of the boat that seems awfully far away and trying to judge where you are in relation to the approaching dock. I try to remember that Bob had his years of learning before he became as skilled as he is now at the wheel. During the first few years when we had Chance Encounter, we often came in too close or too far away from the dock, or found ourselves seemingly "stuck" in the middle of a channel between rows of boats trying to maneuver in or out. It would be easiest to just go back to assisting and to stay away from the helm - but it's safest if I learn to handle the boat confidently in various situations - so, in spite of my fears, I'll keep at it.
Using the new GPS is a different story altogether. Now here is something that I took to easily. I was fairly quickly able to figure out how to place way points, build routes and modify the various screens available. Bob got so sick of the beep, beep that announced each push of a button, that I had to turn it off. He also began to worry when I approached the navigation pod for fear that I was going to mess up the appearance of the screen that he had just carefully set up. His fears were groundless .... of course ;-)
While away, we kept thinking of things that we had to do - what needs to come to the boat, be taken off of the boat, still be bought for the trip, what needs to be installed, fixed, or added. I made a long list of "to dos" and now that we are home, we'll begin to check them off. There's lots still left to do - and we have just under a month. These will be busy days but we feel as if things are falling into place, and that we will be ready (or mostly ready) on departure day.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Waupoos
We're here at Waupoos - made quite good time considering that we didn't leave the club until just after noon on Monday. We stopped at Whitby Yacht club for the night and barbecued our dinner there along with people from 2 other boats also on their way to the Cruising Squadron rendezvous.
On Tuesday we were feeling quite proud of ourselves as started out early, by-passed Cobourg (the usual next stop) and went straight to anchor at Presqu'ile for the night. This meant that, weather permitting, we were well positioned to sail around "the outside" and arrive at Waupoos on Wednesday afternoon. There was a time when I would never have considered putting in such long traveling days on the boat - but here we were - fast tracking it to the beautiful places just like everyone else.
We had a lovely evening cooking on our little kettle barbecue, and watching the sky - but the next morning was a trial. Reports of possible storms convinced us to go "inside" via the Murray canal. We began pulling anchor about 7 a.m. and we were still at it almost an hour later. There was tons of sea weed wrapped around the anchor chain that had to be laboriously pulled off with the boat hook. Finally, Bob was done (we talk of switching roles soon :) ) and I began to pull the boat around to head out to the channel - but wait - no water coming out of the exhaust! The intake is plugged! - "Stop the engine!" - so there we remained drifting (just a little - thankfully - no wind) while Bob cleaned out the strainer, and with a small hand pump, tried alternately forcing and sucking air through the intake hose to clear it. No luck - so eventually he disconnected the hose entirely and removed a big clump of seaweed. Once everything was back together we were on our way - but not so fast... I went down to get the bowls of cereal waiting below and found the strainer still in the sink - Bob had forgotten to put it back in - so engine off again! Basket replaced, we started off and kept going until we were passing by Belleville (about 11:20 a.m.) when the sky lit up and we heard rumbles of thunder - so in we went to the Bay of Quinte yacht club. A short sailing day!
Yesterday was bright and sunny with good wind so we had a fast sail and we were anchored beside Waupoos Island by 4:00. There were some club boats already anchored and several others arrived about the time we did.
We had a perfect anchored-out night - swam off of the boat, ate well, and then went to bed - only to be woken up in the middle of the night by the anchor alarm. The wind had shifted and the alarm had been set for a relatively short distance. Bob got up and rushed toward the companionway - but didn't zig when he should have and walked right into a wall. It was several minutes before he replied when I asked if he was all right. He was and the boat was where it should be - and then I began to laugh. Even now, thinking about Bob heading straight for the wall cracks me up.
This afternoon, boats will begin pulling anchor and moving in to the docks at the marina. Since tomorrow is the annual "around the island" race, there will be other boats coming in as well and tomorrow night there will be a big outdoor barbecue for everyone. Apparently we are participating in the race - it's just "for fun", I'm told. Hmm, I wonder....
We have still to do our usual biking up to the fruit and vegetable market - and then there's our annual dinner at the Waupoos Winery - we'll take our dinghy and tie up at the dock out front. It's so lovely to sit on their terrace, eat dinner and look out over the vineyards and lake.
Anchored or sitting at the dock at Waupoos is life at it's best. The trials of anchors and seaweed are forgotten. The unwinding has begun!
On Tuesday we were feeling quite proud of ourselves as started out early, by-passed Cobourg (the usual next stop) and went straight to anchor at Presqu'ile for the night. This meant that, weather permitting, we were well positioned to sail around "the outside" and arrive at Waupoos on Wednesday afternoon. There was a time when I would never have considered putting in such long traveling days on the boat - but here we were - fast tracking it to the beautiful places just like everyone else.
We had a lovely evening cooking on our little kettle barbecue, and watching the sky - but the next morning was a trial. Reports of possible storms convinced us to go "inside" via the Murray canal. We began pulling anchor about 7 a.m. and we were still at it almost an hour later. There was tons of sea weed wrapped around the anchor chain that had to be laboriously pulled off with the boat hook. Finally, Bob was done (we talk of switching roles soon :) ) and I began to pull the boat around to head out to the channel - but wait - no water coming out of the exhaust! The intake is plugged! - "Stop the engine!" - so there we remained drifting (just a little - thankfully - no wind) while Bob cleaned out the strainer, and with a small hand pump, tried alternately forcing and sucking air through the intake hose to clear it. No luck - so eventually he disconnected the hose entirely and removed a big clump of seaweed. Once everything was back together we were on our way - but not so fast... I went down to get the bowls of cereal waiting below and found the strainer still in the sink - Bob had forgotten to put it back in - so engine off again! Basket replaced, we started off and kept going until we were passing by Belleville (about 11:20 a.m.) when the sky lit up and we heard rumbles of thunder - so in we went to the Bay of Quinte yacht club. A short sailing day!
Yesterday was bright and sunny with good wind so we had a fast sail and we were anchored beside Waupoos Island by 4:00. There were some club boats already anchored and several others arrived about the time we did.
We had a perfect anchored-out night - swam off of the boat, ate well, and then went to bed - only to be woken up in the middle of the night by the anchor alarm. The wind had shifted and the alarm had been set for a relatively short distance. Bob got up and rushed toward the companionway - but didn't zig when he should have and walked right into a wall. It was several minutes before he replied when I asked if he was all right. He was and the boat was where it should be - and then I began to laugh. Even now, thinking about Bob heading straight for the wall cracks me up.
This afternoon, boats will begin pulling anchor and moving in to the docks at the marina. Since tomorrow is the annual "around the island" race, there will be other boats coming in as well and tomorrow night there will be a big outdoor barbecue for everyone. Apparently we are participating in the race - it's just "for fun", I'm told. Hmm, I wonder....
We have still to do our usual biking up to the fruit and vegetable market - and then there's our annual dinner at the Waupoos Winery - we'll take our dinghy and tie up at the dock out front. It's so lovely to sit on their terrace, eat dinner and look out over the vineyards and lake.
Anchored or sitting at the dock at Waupoos is life at it's best. The trials of anchors and seaweed are forgotten. The unwinding has begun!
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