Tadoussac harbour
Our Port of Refuge, hard to believe such a calm day that it could get so bad!
Leaving Quebec City, Chateau Frontenac
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
While as you can see our trip to the casino did not change our lifestyle! The towns of Malbaie and Pointe-ou-Pic were very beautiful and anyone who likes to garden would love walking around and looking at everyone's landscaping. The growing season is a couple of weeks behind Southern Ontario and the lilacs were all in bloom. This area is also known as the city of lilacs and everyone takes great pride in their gardens. I would highly recommend a road trip along the north shore of the St. Lawrence as there is lots to see and do.
We left our port of refuge on Sunday and made our way to Tadoussac. The weather was beautiful and it was hard to believe that it could ever get as ruff as it did! We moored at Club Nautique de Tadoussac and went for a walk. Again the town was very quaint but a bit more touristy as it is a huge whale watching base. We left Tadoussac the next morning for some much anticipated whale watching. We had seen a few coming in but did not take much time as we were anxious to get to port. We started by heading up the Saguenay and although it is very beautiful it is also very long and you would need an extra week if you were serious about seeing all of it. Our boat is just too slow to get very far and we only say 2 whales so we tuned around and headed back out to find more whales. The weather was perfect for spotting them as the wind was light and the sea calm so it was easy to see them rolling around. Our efforts payed off at one time we were surrounded by about 20 whales rolling and swimming around and under the boat! This was sure a highlight of the trip so far. We also saw quite of few seals swimming by and they were quite cute as the popped in and out of the water. We then headed to another small town called Grandes-Bergeronnes as locals told us we would see so many whales they would keep us awake at night banging on the boat and it was the cheapest marina on the St. Lawrence! They were right about the marina, if you could call it that, but we never did see any more whales so that was a bit disappointing. The people were extremely friendly and their hospitality made up for the lack of whales.
We planned to leave the next morning at about 9 or 10 but woke up to our first day of fog. We tried to leave once but had to turn back as the fog kept rolling in and out. We did not really want to get stuck for another day as there was not much to do there. Bruce said it would be like getting stuck in the Dew Line in the days he was flying up north! We finally got away after lunch and crossed the St. Lawrence to the south shore. We had a great crossing and were able to sail much of the time as the wind was perfect for a change! We pulled into Rimouski at about 1900 and this is by far the largest town we have been to since we left. I hear they even have a mall! May have to go and check it out later. Don and Arlene will fly home tonight so I will have to resume all my first mate duties. It was great having them and all their help was greatly appreciated and made my life a lot easier! We will reprovision today and get a few things done on the boat. We plan to leave in the morning and continue on the south shore. The towns on this side are supposed to be very friendly and beautiful so we look forward to some new adventures.
We left our port of refuge on Sunday and made our way to Tadoussac. The weather was beautiful and it was hard to believe that it could ever get as ruff as it did! We moored at Club Nautique de Tadoussac and went for a walk. Again the town was very quaint but a bit more touristy as it is a huge whale watching base. We left Tadoussac the next morning for some much anticipated whale watching. We had seen a few coming in but did not take much time as we were anxious to get to port. We started by heading up the Saguenay and although it is very beautiful it is also very long and you would need an extra week if you were serious about seeing all of it. Our boat is just too slow to get very far and we only say 2 whales so we tuned around and headed back out to find more whales. The weather was perfect for spotting them as the wind was light and the sea calm so it was easy to see them rolling around. Our efforts payed off at one time we were surrounded by about 20 whales rolling and swimming around and under the boat! This was sure a highlight of the trip so far. We also saw quite of few seals swimming by and they were quite cute as the popped in and out of the water. We then headed to another small town called Grandes-Bergeronnes as locals told us we would see so many whales they would keep us awake at night banging on the boat and it was the cheapest marina on the St. Lawrence! They were right about the marina, if you could call it that, but we never did see any more whales so that was a bit disappointing. The people were extremely friendly and their hospitality made up for the lack of whales.
We planned to leave the next morning at about 9 or 10 but woke up to our first day of fog. We tried to leave once but had to turn back as the fog kept rolling in and out. We did not really want to get stuck for another day as there was not much to do there. Bruce said it would be like getting stuck in the Dew Line in the days he was flying up north! We finally got away after lunch and crossed the St. Lawrence to the south shore. We had a great crossing and were able to sail much of the time as the wind was perfect for a change! We pulled into Rimouski at about 1900 and this is by far the largest town we have been to since we left. I hear they even have a mall! May have to go and check it out later. Don and Arlene will fly home tonight so I will have to resume all my first mate duties. It was great having them and all their help was greatly appreciated and made my life a lot easier! We will reprovision today and get a few things done on the boat. We plan to leave in the morning and continue on the south shore. The towns on this side are supposed to be very friendly and beautiful so we look forward to some new adventures.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
WARNING: This may not be a blog post for parents, children or non sailors!!
While after a quiet uneventful few days, all our 7 p's didn't help us one bit! We left Quebec city with a good forecast, checked the tides and read all the guide books but it we were certainly not prepared for the trip from Quebe to Cap-a-l'aigle! The tide charts told us what time we should leave Quebec City to arrive at our destination at about 18:30. The weatherman said that the winds would be from the Northwest 10 to 15 kts. Cooler temperatures and just a chance of rain. We had a great sail past Quebec City and continued on our voyage. The winds started to pick up about 3 hours into the trip and became stronger and stronger and they were always from the North East, never the North West. The wind was suppose to become light and variable in the evening however that too never happened. We rode against the current for the first 3 hours and then hoped to pick up quite a bit of speed as the tide changed to our favor. This never really happened as the winds became more like 25 to 35 kts from our nose which fought against the current on our tale and created huge waves which slowed us down considerably. Now most times when you get caught in something like this, you pull into the first suitable harbour and stay put however this was not an option as Cap-a Aigle and Pointe-ou-Pic are the only harbours that can be visited at any time of the tidal cycle. In low tide all along the river until this 2 places we would be sitting on mud so we had to continue our trip. This being the only option we were taking huge waves over the bow and pounding up and down for about the last 8 hours of the trip!! Not good. Poor Arlene was hanging on for dear life and I thought if we ever got to shore, she would probably pack up and go home! Non of us were sick, just very uncomfortable. Now this supposedly 9 hours trip became a 13 hour trip and we were forced to come into a strange harbour after dark! We called the marina on the radio and the telephone and got no answer so we were on our own. We got our got out every available flashlight and with the help of all 3 of us on deck tried to navigate our way into the marina. As we got closer to shore the waves died down and we were able to put out the fenders and lines and get ready for docking. Bruce was not about to go in too far unless he could see a suitable dock right away and if we didn't we would have no other choice but to continue further down to another bay with an anchorage. This would have meant another 12 miles and none of us were looking forward to that as you can imagine! As soon as we rounded the corner we could see a nice long dock and the club was sheltered from the wind and waves. You would never know how bad it was outside the break wall. We were never so happy to see a dock in our lives. By this time it was 22:30 and we had had nothing to eat or drink since lunch! We tied up, made dinner, cleaned up all the water we could and went to bed. The next day Bruce was talking to a man here who told him that many people had sailed oceans for years and did this trip once and gave up sailing afterwards. The boat was amazing and didn't let us down. This was the worst we have seen and hopefully will see again!
Today we are taking a much needed break. This town is beautiful and we took a walk down just one road for about 2 K and there must have been 10 B & B's along the way. This afternoon we are going into the Casino in Mal Baie and to of all things a Canadian Tire Store to get some more spare parts that we don't have! Don had to go back up the mast to fix the anemometer again. Hope it works better now .
While after a quiet uneventful few days, all our 7 p's didn't help us one bit! We left Quebec city with a good forecast, checked the tides and read all the guide books but it we were certainly not prepared for the trip from Quebe to Cap-a-l'aigle! The tide charts told us what time we should leave Quebec City to arrive at our destination at about 18:30. The weatherman said that the winds would be from the Northwest 10 to 15 kts. Cooler temperatures and just a chance of rain. We had a great sail past Quebec City and continued on our voyage. The winds started to pick up about 3 hours into the trip and became stronger and stronger and they were always from the North East, never the North West. The wind was suppose to become light and variable in the evening however that too never happened. We rode against the current for the first 3 hours and then hoped to pick up quite a bit of speed as the tide changed to our favor. This never really happened as the winds became more like 25 to 35 kts from our nose which fought against the current on our tale and created huge waves which slowed us down considerably. Now most times when you get caught in something like this, you pull into the first suitable harbour and stay put however this was not an option as Cap-a Aigle and Pointe-ou-Pic are the only harbours that can be visited at any time of the tidal cycle. In low tide all along the river until this 2 places we would be sitting on mud so we had to continue our trip. This being the only option we were taking huge waves over the bow and pounding up and down for about the last 8 hours of the trip!! Not good. Poor Arlene was hanging on for dear life and I thought if we ever got to shore, she would probably pack up and go home! Non of us were sick, just very uncomfortable. Now this supposedly 9 hours trip became a 13 hour trip and we were forced to come into a strange harbour after dark! We called the marina on the radio and the telephone and got no answer so we were on our own. We got our got out every available flashlight and with the help of all 3 of us on deck tried to navigate our way into the marina. As we got closer to shore the waves died down and we were able to put out the fenders and lines and get ready for docking. Bruce was not about to go in too far unless he could see a suitable dock right away and if we didn't we would have no other choice but to continue further down to another bay with an anchorage. This would have meant another 12 miles and none of us were looking forward to that as you can imagine! As soon as we rounded the corner we could see a nice long dock and the club was sheltered from the wind and waves. You would never know how bad it was outside the break wall. We were never so happy to see a dock in our lives. By this time it was 22:30 and we had had nothing to eat or drink since lunch! We tied up, made dinner, cleaned up all the water we could and went to bed. The next day Bruce was talking to a man here who told him that many people had sailed oceans for years and did this trip once and gave up sailing afterwards. The boat was amazing and didn't let us down. This was the worst we have seen and hopefully will see again!
Today we are taking a much needed break. This town is beautiful and we took a walk down just one road for about 2 K and there must have been 10 B & B's along the way. This afternoon we are going into the Casino in Mal Baie and to of all things a Canadian Tire Store to get some more spare parts that we don't have! Don had to go back up the mast to fix the anemometer again. Hope it works better now .
Friday, June 22, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
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Hello everyone. Our friends made it from Toronto about 10:30 on Sunday but we decided to stay another night in Pointe Claire as the weather forecast was not great and we were afraid we wouldn't make it through the locks at Montreal and then be able to find a place to stay for the night so we got Don to go up the mast and fix the anemometer and get a few more groceries etc. We left early the next day and went thru 2 locks. We had to wait about an hour at each lock but other than that, we had a fairly easy day. We motored again as the wind was light and from the wrong direction. So far that has been what we have done most days! We made it to a nice anchorage in front of Sables Island close to Sorel at about 18:30. Some people say you can go to Trois Rivieres from Montreal but I think that would be impossible unless you were through the locks the day before and stayed in Lachine. There is a good place to stay there but unfortunately we didn't know that the day before or we would have tried to do just that.
The next morning we set sail for Trois Rivieres, not too early as it was only about 35 miles away. The winds were strong but from the wrong direction again but Bruce was determined to sail so we tacked our way through Lac St. Pierre so the short trip ended up taking up most of the day, but the sun was shining and we were in no hurry. We anchored in the west branch of the Riviere Saint Maurice right in front of a beautiful beach and had our first swim in the St. Lawrence . The water was 23 degrees and there was quite a current even in the river. This was the first time anchoring in such a current and we have never anchored when the bow of the boat would not point into the wind. The anchor stayed beside us or behind us all night. We dropped the dinghy and went for a walk into town. The people were very friendly and the town quite beautiful!
We planned our departure to Quebec City to take advantage of the currents and left at 0800 only to find that we would arrive earlier than we wanted to. In the end it really didn't matter except just as we were ready to enter the club a storm came up and it started to rain quite heavily. The only good thing was right after we docked a beautiful rainbow appeared over the boat which made for a great photo opportunity for Arlene who loves to take pictures! The evening was spent doing laundry and catching up on a few phone calls. We had quite a storm around 2100 and even though we were at a dock, I think Arlene was a little nervous having a tall mast over her house during a lightning storm! The next day we spent the entire day walking around Quebec City. Bruce bought his first pair of flip flops(crocs). He now has to learn to walk in them. This should be quite funny as he keeps trying to scrunch his toes up! We had lunch and dinner out which was a real treat for me as we had not eaten at a restaurant since we left home! I fell in love with the city and would have liked to spend more time here. Tomorrow we will leave for Malbaie or Pointe au Pic and then on to Tadoussac. I am looking forward to seeing some whales but not to the colder temperatures I am sure we are going to get.
So far I think we are adjusting quite well to living on a boat. We have started to follow the 7 p's of sailing (prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance) and that seems to work better than throwing money into the water. I have decided that I have brought far too many clothes. I have also decided that a boat is a lot harder to keep clean than a house and no matter how small it is you can still lose everything. We seem to have spares and tools for everything but when something breaks, we never have the right part or tool to fix it!
We forgot to bring our camera to Quebec City today but my friend Arlene took tons of pictures so will post some after they go home and e-mail the pictures to us. I am still getting used to trying to fiqure this blog thing out and this is the second time I am typing this blog as the first time only half of it got saved. It is now almost midnight so I hope this works this time as we leave tomorrow and may not have the internet for a few days again!
The next morning we set sail for Trois Rivieres, not too early as it was only about 35 miles away. The winds were strong but from the wrong direction again but Bruce was determined to sail so we tacked our way through Lac St. Pierre so the short trip ended up taking up most of the day, but the sun was shining and we were in no hurry. We anchored in the west branch of the Riviere Saint Maurice right in front of a beautiful beach and had our first swim in the St. Lawrence . The water was 23 degrees and there was quite a current even in the river. This was the first time anchoring in such a current and we have never anchored when the bow of the boat would not point into the wind. The anchor stayed beside us or behind us all night. We dropped the dinghy and went for a walk into town. The people were very friendly and the town quite beautiful!
We planned our departure to Quebec City to take advantage of the currents and left at 0800 only to find that we would arrive earlier than we wanted to. In the end it really didn't matter except just as we were ready to enter the club a storm came up and it started to rain quite heavily. The only good thing was right after we docked a beautiful rainbow appeared over the boat which made for a great photo opportunity for Arlene who loves to take pictures! The evening was spent doing laundry and catching up on a few phone calls. We had quite a storm around 2100 and even though we were at a dock, I think Arlene was a little nervous having a tall mast over her house during a lightning storm! The next day we spent the entire day walking around Quebec City. Bruce bought his first pair of flip flops(crocs). He now has to learn to walk in them. This should be quite funny as he keeps trying to scrunch his toes up! We had lunch and dinner out which was a real treat for me as we had not eaten at a restaurant since we left home! I fell in love with the city and would have liked to spend more time here. Tomorrow we will leave for Malbaie or Pointe au Pic and then on to Tadoussac. I am looking forward to seeing some whales but not to the colder temperatures I am sure we are going to get.
So far I think we are adjusting quite well to living on a boat. We have started to follow the 7 p's of sailing (prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance) and that seems to work better than throwing money into the water. I have decided that I have brought far too many clothes. I have also decided that a boat is a lot harder to keep clean than a house and no matter how small it is you can still lose everything. We seem to have spares and tools for everything but when something breaks, we never have the right part or tool to fix it!
We forgot to bring our camera to Quebec City today but my friend Arlene took tons of pictures so will post some after they go home and e-mail the pictures to us. I am still getting used to trying to fiqure this blog thing out and this is the second time I am typing this blog as the first time only half of it got saved. It is now almost midnight so I hope this works this time as we leave tomorrow and may not have the internet for a few days again!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
This is the picture from the corner of our Blog. Some readers were commenting that they wanted to be able to enlarge it!This is Singer Castle. 
The Locks
Uncle Blake and Aunt Sheila waving from Shore!
Some Small Ships we passed. We saw quite a few ships from Algoma Steel in the Sault!
This is a picture of the Thousand Island Bridge and Kent and Linda's Boathouse in Gan. We used their dock there!
Hello everyone, we are now in Montreal and finally have the internet so this may be a long blog as it has been a few days since we updated it. We can also load some pictures for everyone to see some of the sights. I returned from Toronto on Wednesday and my cousin Lyle lent Bruce a car for the day so he was able to pick me up in Ottawa and we were able to re-provision the boat and do some other running around for supplies. What would we do without our friends and relatives! Dave Burns also delivered our much needed wind thingy (I can't remember how to spell the other name.) Thanks Dave! It was also great to be home and see Lindsay again although I kind of felt like a guest in my own home as she has reorganized everything and I wasn't allowed to move anything of mess anything up!! Love you hon!
We left Prescott on Thursday morning about 08:00 for what we thought would be a short trip to Cornwall, however we had a 3 hour wait to get though the Snell and Eisenhower locks so we didn't get into Cornwall until 18:30. We stayed at the Marina 200 in Cornwall and had dinner with Bruce's cousin Brenda and her husband Bob. It was great to see them. Bruce's Aunt Sheila and Uncle Blake met us as we were sailing by in Morrisburg and waved from shore. Sorry we couldn't make a stop in Morrisburg to see them. We also filled our gas tanks in Cornwall and were glad we did as we payed 1.06 a litre and in Montreal fuel is $1.50 a litre!
From Cornwall we had a little later start as we did not want to go thru the next set of locks that day in case we had another 3 hour wait. We went as far as Valleyfield and anchored in the Bay, that way we could get an early start and get through the locks and make it to Montreal in one day. It was a beautiful day and we spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun
We left our anchorage early the next day and had better luck going thru the Barharnois (sp?) locks. We were just motoring in to tie up to the pleasure dock when the lockmaster came over the loudspeaker and told us not to tie up as we were next to go thru the locks. This was great as there was another boat on the dock who had been waiting for 3 hours. Timing is everything. From there we continued onto Montreal. We feel right at home here as we are at P.C.Y.C in Pointe Claire. They give us 3 free nights so that is an added bonus. The club is very friendly but the docks really need a lot of work and the power sucks, but it is free and we are now retired so we like that! It is also a block away from the Town of Pointe Claire with lots of nice shops and a grocery store and best of all a great ice cream shop that reminds me of the Dairy Cream in Port Credit. The lineup was out to the street last night. We are also able to get on line and that makes us very happy!
Our friends Don and Arlene joined us this morning from Toronto and will spend the next 10 days with us as we continue our trip down the River. We hope to leave early tomorrow for Sorel, Trois Riviere and then Quebec City. Not sure how far we will make it in the next 10 days with them but they are pretty flexible about where we drop them off as they are airline employees too.
We left Prescott on Thursday morning about 08:00 for what we thought would be a short trip to Cornwall, however we had a 3 hour wait to get though the Snell and Eisenhower locks so we didn't get into Cornwall until 18:30. We stayed at the Marina 200 in Cornwall and had dinner with Bruce's cousin Brenda and her husband Bob. It was great to see them. Bruce's Aunt Sheila and Uncle Blake met us as we were sailing by in Morrisburg and waved from shore. Sorry we couldn't make a stop in Morrisburg to see them. We also filled our gas tanks in Cornwall and were glad we did as we payed 1.06 a litre and in Montreal fuel is $1.50 a litre!
From Cornwall we had a little later start as we did not want to go thru the next set of locks that day in case we had another 3 hour wait. We went as far as Valleyfield and anchored in the Bay, that way we could get an early start and get through the locks and make it to Montreal in one day. It was a beautiful day and we spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun
We left our anchorage early the next day and had better luck going thru the Barharnois (sp?) locks. We were just motoring in to tie up to the pleasure dock when the lockmaster came over the loudspeaker and told us not to tie up as we were next to go thru the locks. This was great as there was another boat on the dock who had been waiting for 3 hours. Timing is everything. From there we continued onto Montreal. We feel right at home here as we are at P.C.Y.C in Pointe Claire. They give us 3 free nights so that is an added bonus. The club is very friendly but the docks really need a lot of work and the power sucks, but it is free and we are now retired so we like that! It is also a block away from the Town of Pointe Claire with lots of nice shops and a grocery store and best of all a great ice cream shop that reminds me of the Dairy Cream in Port Credit. The lineup was out to the street last night. We are also able to get on line and that makes us very happy!
Our friends Don and Arlene joined us this morning from Toronto and will spend the next 10 days with us as we continue our trip down the River. We hope to leave early tomorrow for Sorel, Trois Riviere and then Quebec City. Not sure how far we will make it in the next 10 days with them but they are pretty flexible about where we drop them off as they are airline employees too.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
In the last post, we were getting ready to go to bed in Amhurst Bay when the wind picked up and Bruce said "I think our anchor is dragging." These are not words you want to hear when it is dark and windy and you are in a strange place surrounded by shallow water. We decided to raise the anchor and reset. When the anchor was off the bottom, Bruce could see we had hooked a large rock! By this time, the wind was really howling and I was not too happy. We reset but decided that we did not feel comfortable going to bed when the conditions were so rough, so we decided to again raise the anchor and continue to go to the other side of the island where it would be calmer and safer. Again, I cannot stress how unhappy I was to be moving at midnight in the cold, dark and wind! It took us 2 hours to get over to the other anchorage. By this time, we were exhausted but were able to sleep well knowing that we were safe! The lesson we learned was the weather forecast is not always right and don't anchor in Amhurst Bay if the wind is from the Southwest even if it is forcasted to be light.
After a short but good sleep, we continued our trip to Gan. We went to a dock next to the Playhouse Theatre that belonged to a friend of a friend who said it was okay to use it as they were sailing in Greece. We were happy to be on a dock that night as severe thunderstorms were in the forecast for the late afternoon and early evening hours. It never got as bad as was forecasted but all around you could see the storms and we did get some wind and rain. Thanks Kent and Linda for the use of your dock, we had a nice visit with your daughter Kate and her boyfriend Mark. We also saw our friend Don from Ottawa, who we had met the first year we went to the Thousand Islands as well as his wife Louise. Louise, sorry we missed you this time!
The next day we continued to Brockville where we anchored next to Skelton Island. Here we had our next anchoring incident! I don't think we gave Poseidon enough money! The winds were calm and Bruce had put a trip line on the anchor. Somehow the trip line got caught on the rudder and we lost all steering. The boat was safely anchored at this time so we were not in any danger. Bruce however got to use his wetsuit, snorkel and fins a lot earlier than planned and the water temperature was about 17 degrees. I was glad he could not blame this one on me!
On Sunday, we left for a short but very scenic 11 mile motor to Prescott. There we met my girlfriend Joanne from Ottawa, whose friend's dock we used in Gan and my cousin's wife Bev from Prescott. Bev and her husband Lyle run a great B & B in Prescott, right on the St. Lawrence River called the Ashbury Inn. If you are ever in the area check it out at www.bbcanada.com/8197 ! Bev made us all a terrific lunch and then joined us on the boat for dinner. Lyle was away on a fishing trip but we will see him before we leave. Today, Monday, Joanne and I left Prescott for Ottaw where I will fly home from tomorrow to make my doctor's appointment. Will try to post some pictures on our next blog, but we are having trouble finding internet for our computer.
After a short but good sleep, we continued our trip to Gan. We went to a dock next to the Playhouse Theatre that belonged to a friend of a friend who said it was okay to use it as they were sailing in Greece. We were happy to be on a dock that night as severe thunderstorms were in the forecast for the late afternoon and early evening hours. It never got as bad as was forecasted but all around you could see the storms and we did get some wind and rain. Thanks Kent and Linda for the use of your dock, we had a nice visit with your daughter Kate and her boyfriend Mark. We also saw our friend Don from Ottawa, who we had met the first year we went to the Thousand Islands as well as his wife Louise. Louise, sorry we missed you this time!
The next day we continued to Brockville where we anchored next to Skelton Island. Here we had our next anchoring incident! I don't think we gave Poseidon enough money! The winds were calm and Bruce had put a trip line on the anchor. Somehow the trip line got caught on the rudder and we lost all steering. The boat was safely anchored at this time so we were not in any danger. Bruce however got to use his wetsuit, snorkel and fins a lot earlier than planned and the water temperature was about 17 degrees. I was glad he could not blame this one on me!
On Sunday, we left for a short but very scenic 11 mile motor to Prescott. There we met my girlfriend Joanne from Ottawa, whose friend's dock we used in Gan and my cousin's wife Bev from Prescott. Bev and her husband Lyle run a great B & B in Prescott, right on the St. Lawrence River called the Ashbury Inn. If you are ever in the area check it out at www.bbcanada.com/8197 ! Bev made us all a terrific lunch and then joined us on the boat for dinner. Lyle was away on a fishing trip but we will see him before we leave. Today, Monday, Joanne and I left Prescott for Ottaw where I will fly home from tomorrow to make my doctor's appointment. Will try to post some pictures on our next blog, but we are having trouble finding internet for our computer.
Well we finally got off the dock at 07:45 on Wednesday. You couldn't have asked for a better dayto start out. It was a bit cool but the sun was shining and the wind was actually blowing from the right direction! We remembered to throw a few coins to Poseidon on our way out of the Cloband to top it all off, a few friends were even up to bid us farewell. We had a great day as we sailed and motored for exactly the same amount of time and we never had to tack once. We arrived in Coburg almost 12 hours and 70 miles later. We were able to catch the second period of the hockey game but as it became clear that Ottawa was not going to win, we went to bed! Coburg has a great club and a brand new big screen T.V.
On Thursday morning we again set out at about the same time, but the wind was not as favorable as it was the day before. The wind was out of the East and that was the direction we were heading. We motored the whole way and had a very uncomfortable trip for about 3 hours from later on in the morning until the afternoon. For Steve's ears only, we also lost the little swirly thing at the top of our mast! For everyone else, the cups for our anemometer. We no longer have wind velocity! Can't be a good thing on a sailboat! Another 12 hour day brought us to Amherst Bay on Amherst Island. Tomorrow we are planning a shorter day of just about 35 miles to Gananoque. We hope to find an internet cafe' and post this message on our blog and make a few calls home, we may even clean out the barbecue!
So far best thing about living on a boat is that I have not put on makeup or been able to blow dry my hair once. Bruce doesn't recognize me and thinks he has a new girlfriend so he likes it to! The worst things are that we have no dishwasher and have not been to any restaurants!
Before I sign off, I just want to thank everyone who came out to our going away parties. Your support and best wishes mean a lot to us. Thanks also for all the gifts. We will certainly miss everyone but hope it won't be too long before we can see you all again. We love to hear from everyone and look forward to your comments on our blog!
On Thursday morning we again set out at about the same time, but the wind was not as favorable as it was the day before. The wind was out of the East and that was the direction we were heading. We motored the whole way and had a very uncomfortable trip for about 3 hours from later on in the morning until the afternoon. For Steve's ears only, we also lost the little swirly thing at the top of our mast! For everyone else, the cups for our anemometer. We no longer have wind velocity! Can't be a good thing on a sailboat! Another 12 hour day brought us to Amherst Bay on Amherst Island. Tomorrow we are planning a shorter day of just about 35 miles to Gananoque. We hope to find an internet cafe' and post this message on our blog and make a few calls home, we may even clean out the barbecue!
So far best thing about living on a boat is that I have not put on makeup or been able to blow dry my hair once. Bruce doesn't recognize me and thinks he has a new girlfriend so he likes it to! The worst things are that we have no dishwasher and have not been to any restaurants!
Before I sign off, I just want to thank everyone who came out to our going away parties. Your support and best wishes mean a lot to us. Thanks also for all the gifts. We will certainly miss everyone but hope it won't be too long before we can see you all again. We love to hear from everyone and look forward to your comments on our blog!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
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After twenty years of planning (mostly Bruce) and months of preparation (Bruce and Esther), we had said all of our goodbye's and cried all we could (mostly Esther),and we were finally ready to set sail! Unfortunately, the weather Gods were not with us and we are still stuck at the dock! We have always said that we are going to enjoy the journey and wait for a destination so we shouldn't be too surprised when our plans have changed on the very first day!
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