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Author Archives: JH

July 10 – Pelee Island

10 Jul

We have officially been to the most southern point of Canada! We are anchored out on the west side of Pelee Island and are watching the sun go down. We left the Detroit River this morning and headed to toward Pelee Island with the cooling towers of the nuclear plant clearly visible for miles. It took us a long time to get those out of our sight. We sailed again today and it was great! It also kept Dennis occupied – he was constantly trimming the sails and making minor adjustments of lines and other nautical things. This was good for me because I like to listen to CBC’s Q from 10:00 until 11:30.

Last night, we met up with Rick and Michelle. Rick bought many of Dennis’ North Channel and Georgian Bay charts through Kijiji. He and Michelle are going up to the North Channel – leaving on Thursday – in their 25 foot C & C sailboat. They are very nice and we wish them the best of luck on their trip. I hope the weather is good for them!

On our way down the Detroit River, we saw some wildlife:

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It must have been a good day for birds because as we went by a bald rock close to Pelee Island, we saw this colony of birds:

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We got anchored safely and went swimming right away. According to the boat thermometer, the water temp is 31 degrees! It was quite warm but still very nice! The water is clean and there were many schools of tiny little fish around the boat.

We took the dinghy ashore and walked along the pebble beach. It was a bit painful on the feet but I didn’t complain (too much!). We walked almost to the end of the island – it has a sandbar at the end that had hundreds of seagulls.

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We walked back through the forest area (on a path!) and saw all sorts of interesting vegetation that we don’t see in Parry Sound! The picture of the tree is neat because it looks like it is growing from both ends.

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The forest is full of birds and mosquitoes (although the mosquitoes don’t bite unless you stop and admire the vegetation) and it was much cooler in the forest as compared to the beach.

We had another swim once we got back and are now getting ready for bed. Tomorrow, we go to Scudder Marine and will tour the island in search of Margaret Atwood!

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Posted by on July 10, 2012 in Sailing in Lake Erie

 

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July 9 – Windsor

09 Jul

We have arrived safely in Windsor. Actually, we passed Windsor a couple of hours ago and are in LaSalle – which is south of the Ambassador Bridge. We originally planned to stay at Lakeview Marina, but because of their problem with weeds (see picture below), there wasn’t enough room for us. The marina had to clean out each well with a machine that resembled a combine.

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It all worked out because now we are about two hours ahead – we are going to Pelee Island tomorrow.
At the Lakeside Marina, we got fuel and a pumpout and the dock attendants watched the boat while we walked over to the grocery store and bought insurance for our trip to Cleveland (Friday to Monday).
We motored down the Detroit River and you will some good shots of both downtown Windsor and downtown Detroit.

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Here is a shot of us going under the Ambassador Bridge:

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Our only adventure today was when we tried to dock the boat at Westport Marina – because of the pillars being in the way, it was a very tight squeeze. We actually had to back out of one slip and try the next one down because the boat was too wide so the rub rail got a bit of a workout. We also hit a steel and wooden board (I assume you tie your line onto it). It completely got knocked over!
As you can see from the picture, it was a tight squeeze! Oh well, no damage done – we’re happily relaxing now and I am hoping the captain will look after supper while I go for my bike ride!

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Posted by on July 9, 2012 in Sailing in Detroit River

 

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July 8 – St. Clair River and Lake

08 Jul

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These photos were taken today as we motored down the St. Clair River. It is a very interesting and busy river with lots of industry and just as many houses and cottages. The picture of the houses is from the American side – they are looking at the beautiful smoke stack on the Canadian side. It is actually the coal generated power plant. I guess we have to have to have these factories somewhere, so Sarnia seems to be as good a place as any.

Our trip down the St. Clair was uneventful – lots of boat traffic. There were four or five large ships as well as a ton of powerboats, jet-skis and even waterskiers! The trip took about six hours and we totally enjoyed seeing one beautiful house after another (the factories ended fairly quickly after Sarnia).

If you look on our Spot, it appears that we are anchored in the middle of Lake St. Clair. This is true but the lake is only 10 – 15 feet deep, so you can pretty much anchor wherever you want as long as you have the right anchor and chain. Dennis has assured me that we have more than enough – 250 feet of chain and an excellent anchor. I have to believe him.

We originally wanted to anchor closer to the shore but the shipping channel is right there. The depth goes from 30 feet to 7 feet way too quickly so if we ever broke loose (and of course this would happen in the middle of the night!), we would drag into the channel. So, we are safely on the other side of the shipping channel and if our anchor drags, we’ll be able to go 18 miles until we hit the shore. This would probably take 20 hours or so, so hopefully we’d have enough sense to notice!

Here is a picture of a ship going by.

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Nothing much else is happening. Tomorrow, we have about 18 miles to get to Windsor. We are meeting Rick, a guy Dennis sold his North Channel and Georgian Bay charts to. We have to go grocery shopping for a few vegetables and some fruit. Should be a good day – nice and sunny but not blistering hot!

A special happy birthday tomorrow to Nick, who is staying at the house for the summer!

 
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Posted by on July 8, 2012 in Sailing in the St. Clair River

 

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July 7 – Sarnia

07 Jul

We have officially left Lake Huron! We left at about 6:30 this morning to get to Sarnia. We had an excellent forecast and were actually able to sail the whole way (we had some help with the engine towards the end – otherwise we’d be over in the US somewhere). It sure makes a difference when you are going with the wind rather than going against it!
Just before we crossed under the bridge, a huge racing sailboat went past us – it was very impressive!

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We crossed under the bridge at around 3:00. Here is a picture of it as we raced past.

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We headed down the St. Clair River to the Sarnia Bay Marina, called them on the radio (they actually answered) and proceeded to our slip. We both just about had heart attacks when the depth meter read 3 foot 6 (our boat has a a five foot keel). Dennis kept plowing through though and I held on tight in case of a sudden stop (there are no seatbelts available!). We made it in safely and realized that the weeds were causing the depth meter to read the such shallow depths.

It turned out that we are at a powerboat marina. Check out the picture of the lone mast:

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The marina is very urban – no more quaint little places anymore – we are city boaters now! It seems odd to be on the water surrounded by factories, apartment complexes, sirens, and lots of car traffic. We are very close to the Bluewater Bridge though and Sarnia is a big city.

We might anchor tomorrow night or we might keep going to Windsor. The St. Clair River won’t take long – there is quite a current! Reminds me of the Mississippi!

The final picture is of Dennis standing beside the Marina sign. The reason we took that picture is because of Jack Kennedy from Parry Sound (probably not the same guy but you never know!)
Anyway, we’re off tomorrow but we’re leaving at a respectable hour: 10:30 or so!

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Posted by on July 7, 2012 in Sailing in Lake Huron

 

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July 6 – Bayfield

06 Jul

We left Goderich at 9:00 this morning after I had gone for my jog in the heat along this great hiking/biking path. We will have to go back to Goderich in the fall when it is cooler and ride our bikes around so that we can fully appreciate it.
The wind was coming from the north – 10 knots – so it was good sailing. We just drifted down the lake and took turns jumping into the water. It was so nice to cool off!
We arrived in Bayfield at around 1:00 and called the Harbour Lights Marina several times on the radio and on the phone but they weren’t answering. I had made reservations the day before. We went quite a ways into the river and the channel got more shallow and more narrow and we still hadn’t heard from the marina. We circled a few times but Dennis didn’t want to go further in just in case it would be too hard to come back out. We then called the other marina – The Village of Bayfield Marina and they answered right away, so we promptly docked there. All in all, this is a better marina for several reasons: they answer the radio, it is closer to town (5 minute walk), we have a great breeze coming in from Lake Huron to keep us cool and Dennis can view the steady parade of boat traffic.

We walked into town (five minute walk) and looked around. There are all sorts of interesting shops – very artsy place. I found a sports store and am getting a new bike computer installed later on as my old one stopped working. Dennis went to Bayfield Marine but didn’t find much. All in all though, this is a very good place to stop.

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The above picture is of a boat coming in under sail. Of course when Dennis was at Bayfield Marine, he heard all about it. The boat lost its power so had to sail in. It worked out well all things considered.
Another small powerboat must have run out of gas, because we saw a guy swimming and pulling the boat to the dock. No paddles, I guess!

This last photo is of a house in Bayfield – pretty cool!
We are off to Sarnia tomorrow – the wind is supposed to be good but it will be a long day. We have 50 miles to cover but the weather looks perfect!

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Posted by on July 6, 2012 in Sailing in Lake Huron

 

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July 4, 5 – Goderich

05 Jul

Our trip from Kincardine to Goderich was very pleasant and uneventful. The weather was beautiful on the water. Once we got into Goderich though, it was very hot and we decided to actually use the AIR CONDITIONING. In order to get the cables to reach the electrical outlet, we had to turn the boat around in the slip. We did it by hand, with a few people watching and probably wondering what we were up to. It went fairly smoothly and we were able to use both electrical cords and now are sitting in beautiful cool air. Last night’s sleep was wonderfully cool and if we ever get another boat, I will insist on air conditioning. On our trip from Chicago to Mobile, Alabama, we did not have this luxury and it was unbearable along the rivers. Anyway, I have learned my lesson!

Goderich is billed as the “prettiest town in Canada” and it certainly is! The layout is perfect for someone like me (with no sense of direction) because everything centres around the town square so you cannot get lost – all the streets seem to keep leading back to the town square. The houses are beautiful, old and stately with large trees lining most of the streets. Now, last year in the summer, a tornado hit the main part of town and many buildings and trees were lost, so it is bare in some places. Apparently, the courthouse was beautiful with all the huge trees. This is what it looks like now, so it will take a long time before it looks like it used to.

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Our view from the boat is not that great, unless you like being near the salt mine (which goes under Lake Huron for five kilometres). However, it is very quiet and peaceful here.

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In order to see the town, you have to walk up the very long staircase (I guess it is part of the Niagara Escarpment). We did that after supper last night in the heat and looked pretty bedraggled by the time we staggered up to the top. Luckily, there were many different ice-cream places in the square.

This morning we drove our bikes around and once you actually get to the top of the hill, it is totally flat – perfect in this heat! We went for a tour of the Huron County Jail and it was well worth the price of admission ($5.00). Steven Truscott was held there during his trial. He was tried as an adult at age 14.
The jail is interesting but not a place that I would like to spend any time. The tour was excellent – we had these audio devices to make it interactive – just press a numbered code when you see something of interest and the audio guide tells you all about it.
As you can see, Old Pink made an appearance in the jail!

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The following picture is of the entrance – very intimidating!

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After the jail, we went grocery shopping and now we are hoping to go swimming at the beach. Tomorrow, we are heading for Bayfield for one night and then off to Sarnia.

 
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Posted by on July 5, 2012 in Sailing in Lake Huron

 

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July 3 – Lyal Island to Kincardine

03 Jul

Lyal Island Sunset

Here is a picture of the great sunset at Lyal Island – near Stokes Bay on Lake Huron. It was a good day yesterday – very warm and sunny and not too windy to make life miserable.

Today though, we got up and left early (6:00 am) because we knew we had a long way to go to Kincardine. The weather was iffy but things went well for most of the trip even though we had a headwind of about 20 knots. Of course we couldn’t sail – I am not even sure why we have sails! We could use the mast for a clothes line or something useful!

At 1:00, the securité warning came on the marine radio (channel 16) and said that there were squalls in southern Lake Huron with gusts of up to 45 knots. Yikes! Well, of course we had passed Port Elgin an hour ago, so we kept going so that we could make it into Kincardine. It turned out that the wind speed only (only!) went up to 36 and we weren’t heading right into it, so it wasn’t as bad as Friday when we went from Parry Sound to Wingfield Basin.

Bird on a wire

Hang on!

One funny thing happened though on the way. A bird decided to land on the wires of the boat for a twenty minute rest. Here are some shots of it, clinging on for dear life!

We are now safely secured at the marina in Kincardine and just heard the bagpiper play. According to the Kincardine website, “Once upon a time, a schooner in peril was guided into the harbour by the sound of a bagpipe echoing from shore. Today, a phantom piper plays on summer evenings, atop the Kincardine lighthouse.”
Here is a picture of the lighthouse.

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Tomorrow, we are heading off to Goderich. The winds are supposed to be light!

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2012 in Sailing in Lake Huron

 

July 2 – Tobermory to Lyal Island

02 Jul

We are anchored out at Lyal Island, near Stokes Bay, somewhere at the top of the Bruce Peninsula.

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It is very nice here – we’re the only ones in the anchorage, the water temp is 26 degrees, and all the flies have disappeared from the boat. Every day, we seem to attract a new type of bug and it is unfortunate that I am not more scientifically interested in them. Today’s bugs were tiny houseflies that appeared from the water (I guess). They didn’t do anything except annoy us because there were quite a few of them. So, when we arrived, I got out the micro vacuum cleaner and sucked them all up from the cockpit area. I would really recommend this vacuum cleaner for boaters and even for at home. It totally beats a dust buster. Here is a picture of it:

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It is really small but very powerful. I had everything cleaned up within ten minutes. The vacuum cleaner even has a bag, and was only about $30 at Home Hardware. I think I will buy one for our house because it is perfect for quick cleanups.

Dennis has gone fishing but doesn’t seem to be having much luck. I think he just enjoys going from one boat to another!

The wind is supposed to come up from the south at midnight which won’t be good for tomorrow’s trip to Kincardine. However, the forecasters have been wrong before. It is very quiet here and the weather is perfect!

 
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Posted by on July 2, 2012 in Sailing in Lake Huron

 

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July 1st – Happy Canada Day from Tobermory!

01 Jul

Yesterday’s ride from Wingfield to Tobermory was much more civilized and timely. Only three hours and it was very smooth. We are currently on the town dock which is very convenient. We just hop off the boat and we’re right in the heart of things. Of course, there are a lot of people here and they are very curious about the boat. We met a man from Port Elgin who noticed that we were from Parry Sound and he grew up there – he was a “Beatty brat” and his dad was the principal at Nobel School (which is where I taught for many years).
We met up with our friends from Kenosha, Wisconsin and they have two extra passengers on board this summer – two cats. The cats seem to be doing really well and have enough toys to keep them amused for years.

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There are an awful lot of dogs in Tobermory, parading up and down the dock as well as being in various forms of transportation.

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We went out for supper and it was excellent. There was “jazz” band playing Irish music at the restaurant. It was great music – accordion, fife, guitar and drums. The reason I have jazz in quotations is because that is how they were advertised, so maybe the real band didn’t show up. Anyway, they were really good!

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Today, we have to clean the boat, get a few groceries, do a load of laundry and fill the water tanks. Dennis also thinks we should go in the Canada Day boat parade with the dinghy. We’ll see!

We went to the local grocery store (small but excellent produce) and I saw this sign in the Express check-out. I thought it was kind of funny.

Express Checkout sign – Express – About 8 items

My final picture is for Louise – I know she will appreciate this one! We went swimming over on the other side of the Tobermory harbour and Dennis found a friend. Louise, please feel free to make one of your very witty comments!

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Posted by on July 1, 2012 in Sailing in Georgian Bay

 

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June 29 – Day One of Vacation

29 Jun

My first day of vacation! Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a “fun” day. We set off early from Killbear Park
20120629-182133.jpg before 6:00 this morning. The weather was good but the wind was supposed to come up and within an hour, it definitely came up. We were prepared though and only had minor things fall all over the boat. The anchor, though (of course!) got loose – not too badly – and Dennis had to go up forward to fix it. Luckily this happened earlier in the day when the waves weren’t so huge.
We motored the whole way into the wind, so it was not a good day for being too productive. Dennis steered most of the way while I fiddled with the transister radio until I found the CBC. I perked up when Jian Gomeshi came on.
Later on in the day, I setup the satellite radio and I am ever glad we have that! The CBC was crystal clear and we got to listen to Jian again! I also forced Dennis to listen to Wiretap (one of my favourite shows). Needless to say, he sped up the boat in hopes of either drowning Jonathan Goldstein out or so that we would arrive earlier and he wouldn’t have to listen to him.
We are in Wingfield Basin – all secure. It is a very nice and quiet anchorage and there are a few boats here but not too many. We are in the prime location – right beside the wreck!20120629-183041.jpg

I have included a picture of our track and as you can see, there is a fairly straight line for most of the trip. The strange angle though is when it was getting too rough and Dennis thought it would be better to not have boat going directly into the waves.
We are now getting ready to head out to Tobermory.

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Posted by on June 29, 2012 in Sailing in Georgian Bay, Sailing in Lake Superior

 

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