5 locks down

We left Brockville early this morning, and we ended up doing 5 locks today.  The first lock was the Iroquois lock which only dropped us 10 cm.  Which was great for me and the crew.  We got to see what needed to be done and how everything worked.  The next two locks were the one's in the USA.  They were easy because they had a float build into the wall that you tied your boat too with a line in the middle of your boat and then it adjust automatically.  These two locks dropped us 45 feet and 35 feet.  The next two locks were back in Canada above Montreal.   These two locks dropped us another 45 feet each.

We also passes under two drawbridges.  These were the most difficult of all.  There was about a 2 knot current running downriver under each bridge.  When we came too the first bridge we had to do circles for a 30 minutes in the current.   All i was thinking was "please engine don't stop"  If it did we would have gotten sweeped under the bridge before we could have done much.

So here we are about 20 miles from downtown Montreal.  We plan on going there tomorrow.

Oh ya. .... we stopped at this marina and after we docked the owner meet us at his fuel dock and ask me how much my boats depth was.   I told him it was 4 feet 9 inches.   He said good because we I was had 5 feet of was.  3 inches to spare.  Time for a shower and a beer.

Thousand Islands

We made it through the islands today with no problems at all.  What a great place to travel through it's to bad we didn't have more time to look around.   We stopped at Boldt castle today and it was an amazing place to visit. Went for a swimming in the Saint Lawance river as well.

We were make over 9 knots in some places were the water came together in the gaps.  We stopped for the night at Brockville,  Ontario.  Torromow we we should arrive at the first lock of our trip Iroquois lock.  Then there is too more locks that hopefully we will make it through tomorrow as well on the USA side.

Waupoos to Collins Bay

Collins Bay Marina

We have arrived in Collins Bay Marina yesterday afternoon.  This marina is only a few minutes away from Kingston, Ont.   It's a wonderful place to stop at and there are large berths here with power and water.  It's a little way in the bay but this provides a very protected berth.  We though that this would a good place to weather the small storm that will be passing over us today. 

There is also a Chandelier just across the bay called Marine Outfitters which offer the best selection of items that we found so far on this trip.  You can even buy a square frying pan,,,,,,which RaeAnn did.  I guess she is getting in the boating lifestyle.

And we are off

And we are off!

Day 1- and the feeling of standing on a cliff getting ready to base jump is the feeling I think I have ( not that I would know what that feels like but that's the image I have.   Excited anticipation mixed with the feeling of impending doom.......

I arrived in Toronto easily enough on a quick 2 hour flight from Halifax and after a 2 hour drive to Belleville we arrived at "home" around midnight and went straight to sleep.   The next 2 days were full of conversations that went something thing like this:

Todd:  " why are you taking everything out of the cabinets?"
Rae:  "no I love the way you put it all away...I'm just going to adjust it..... all." 
Todd:  " ......"
 Rae:  "I love you!......"
 Todd"  "........"

And then we were off!  And you may ask yourself; "When would a mountain raised girl with dirt and manure between her toes ever imagine she would own a ginormous sailboat and living on it sailing halfway across Canada...."   Never, would be the answer.  But here I am, the girl who gets seasick just looking at sailing magazines, sailing across our great Country.   Blind dog in tow.......

The first few days have been WONDERFUL!   Not a sniff of seasickness (and yes I realise I'm on a lake, but it LOOKS like a F'ing ocean ok?)   We have had great luck where we have stopped the 1st in Prynar's Cove, where apparently even letting your dog shit costs your right arm.  And yesterday and today we have been in Waupoos Bay Marina which is and idyllic place everyone should come to.    I grabbed the zodiac and Harley and I went off to explore.  The bike rentals here are free and when I asked why the young man stated they couldn't guarantee they would actually work so just take whatever you want :)   I stumbled upon a long flat road that led me to trespassing on a farm where someone had told me there would be a barn with a freezer in it and all the frozen lamb I could carry with an "honour box" to put cash in.  And after images of the Pickton farm flashing through my mind I found  a blue barn covered in honeysuckle surrounded by sheep (likely knowing their family were inside, made into rosemary sausages) I made it out despite the angry sheep glaring at me and hopped back on my bike only to stumble upon a winery that just happened to be having a free Beach Boys tribute concert. So I obviously loaded up on wine and local chocolates, grabbed an ice cream and sat in a rocking chair to listen. 

 So, riding a bike when you haven't been on one since you were 9 should be easy....... it isn't. It's not at all like that saying "it's just like riding a bike".... and now that I am safely back home and sitting on an ice pack feeling older than dirt I can safely tell people to shut the hell up when they say that :)


Tomorrow we are off to Kingston to wait for my mom to join the party as our 'crew', and to hit the grocery store along with the marine maintenance shop!     Happy sailing.......

i DID  tell him to smile....

Harley's ready!

Wwaupoos Bay Winery

  

From Bellville to Waupoos

We sailed from Bellville on June 27 at 9 am.  The water was flat and the winds were calm on that morning.  I had the go-pro all setup to record our departure from the marina but I guess I pressed the wrong button and all I got were a few pictures and not the video I was hoping for.
After we left I found the boat steamed along well at 2200 to 2500 rpm's which gave us 6.5 to 7 knots of headway.  After 5 hours we reached a placed call Prinyer's Cove.  This was a good place to anchor and spend the first night on the hook.  The bottom was very muddy, but the powered windless is great for hauling on all of that chain.  This is the first time I had a windless on my boat.  Prinyer's Cove was a nice little marina but they seemed to nickel and dime you to death as you can see from this photo.

Prinyers Cove Marina

The next morning we woke up and had a great cup of coffee in the cockpit and we watched swans in cove.  By the way when they are mad they seem to make a sound like and outboard motoring starting.  Harley found this noise very unsettling and I think he want to eat them.

Prinyers Cove,Ont

We departed the cove that morning and steamed/sailed around the head lands to Prince Edwards Bay and then on to Waupoos Marina.  We got a berth here for two nights.  Yesterday we went to the Waupoos Estates Winery and a few bottles of wine for the trip back.  Is was only a short ride in the zodiac to their dingy dock.  I also went for a swim and got to take a look at the bottom of the boat for the first time since it has been in the water.  Every think looks good and I am surprised at the size of the wing keel on this boat.  With the wing keel we only draw 4.7 feet of water.
Last night I found that there was about 2 cups of fuel in the sump of the engine compartment.  I think that I located the leaks on two of the fuel hoses that are attached to the fuel filter.   I removed the hoses and cleaned up the ends and re-clamped them.  Ran the engine for a bit and it doesn't seem to be leaking any longer.  I guess we will find out when we motor over to Kingston (Collins Bay).

Waupoos Marina

Blue Moose

Harley's new favorite spot.

Bellville

We have been staying at the BQYC since we got here a few days ago.  It's a very nice place to visit and everything that you need is close by.   The people are very friendly and helpfully.  There are showers ashore that you can use.
There are lots of people fishing in the park that is attached to the marina. They are catching trout, bass and sunfish right now. There is lots of wild life in this area as well.
Finished a few more projects on the boat today, took the dingy for a ride around the habour to test the engine.  Seems to be work well.  Now it's up on the davits on the back of the boat.  Leaving here tomorrow morning for Prinyer's Cove which is about 30 nm from here.  There we will anchor for the night.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BAY OF QUINTE YACHT CLUB

The first official records of the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club indicate that the BQYC was originally formed in October, 1876. Full yachting activities commenced the following season. The first Commodore of BQYC, Thomas Kelso was at the helm of a new yacht club that boasted a compliment of eighteen to twenty members and eleven yachts.  

   The Bay of Quinte Yacht Club was one of the four founding members of the Lake Yacht Racing Association (LYRA). The other three founding members of LYRA were the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, the Oswego Yacht Club, and Toronto Yacht Club. The first Lake Yacht Racing Association races were a series of regattas held in Toronto, Oswego, Kingston, and Belleville. The Belleville LYRA Regatta was sailed on August 12, 1885 in Big Bay.  
   Activity at the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club lessened at the turn of the century and ceased altogether with the advent of the First World War.
 
*It is of interest to note that the recorded annual BQYC dues for the year 1922 were ten dollars.
 
   Interest in yachting on the Bay of Quinte resumed following World War One. Many regattas, including LYRA, and other yachting events occurred during the next several racing seasons. This interest was short-lived. Few records of BQYC Club activity can be found relating to the years 1926 to 1950, however, informal sailing races were held on the Bay of Quinte during the 1930's.
Following the Second World War, local yachtsmen showed interest in resurrecting the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club. In the fall of 1951, thirty-five yachting enthusiasts met at the Wharf Street Debating Club. Among those in atttendance at this meeting were Bill Bell, Bob Boyce, Ernie Colebourne, Morley Smith, and Elwood Wickerson. BQYC was reborn.
Mr. J.J. Morch was elected as Commodore of the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club for the term 1951 - 1953.  
   At the 1951 meeting, it was decided that a Clubhouse would be built at the site of an old swimming pool located at the southern end of Victoria Park. The swimming pool was filled in and parts of the pool were used for the new building's foundation. Part of the present Clubhouse was built in 1952 over an old bathhouse that existed on the site. The Clubhouse was approximately forty-three feet long and thirty-three feet wide. The construction of the BQYC Clubhouse could not have been completed without BQYC members contributing many hours of manual labour as well as money and materials.  
   In 1978, the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club played an active role in the City of Belleville's Centennial Year Celebrations. A historical booklet, "Yachting on Belleville Waters", was published by BQYC under the leadership and guidance of Commodore Bud Simmons. A Centennial Sailpast was planned for July 1,1978 by a committee of BQYC members chaired by Pete Petto. Approximately three hundred boats from around Lake Ontario joined local boaters for this event. 

 

1st crew arrives

Well the first crew RaeAnn arrived last night at the Toronto airport.   What a long drive back on the 401 Hwy.  Now I know why I don't live in Ontario with that amount of traffic. RaeAnn was happy to arrive back with the family and to see the boat.  Harley was happy to see or at least smell her since he is blind.

Today we spend the day cleaning,  storing and preparing the boat for the trip back to NS.   We are going to leave Bellville on Friday for a two day shake down cruise on our way to Kingston,  Ont.

RaeAnn also went up the mast so we could put up a new flag halyard.  Now we can fly our Shearwater yachet club burgee.