The Little Engine That DID!!

THE  LITTLE  ENGINE THAT DID!

We left Tobermory at 7:30 am. We like to leave ahead of the wind and storms so we can try to out run them!

We had a fairly flat sea and light (non-existent) winds so any breeze that we created was on our nose.  None the less we put the main up just in case. We got to Wingfield basin around 11:30 am and as we passed it we could see a couple of masts sitting in there. It was a crappy day...dull, rainy, misty and cold. We could see our breath again.

 We rounded Winfield and started south. About 4 miles below Wingfield, the motor quit. We screwed around for about 20 minutes trying to start it... no luck, so we put out more sails. The only useful wind was going to push to Killarney... not good, so after another half hour of dickering with the sails, Rick rigged up the dinghy to push us.

That little Yamaha motor (a 1983) could only do 2 knots in the rough seas, but she was steady only ran out of gas once. Thank God we had 3 jerry cans for the dinghy.  We were doing ok until dark. When we got close to Cape rocker and could see the light on the point, it was 9:30.  Just about two miles from the light, a fog bank rolled in and we lost our mark! I sat on the front deck trying to guide Rick by the stars I could sort of see above us, as he tried to keep us on course. The waves coming around the Cape were pushing us one way, the dinghy ropes were getting looser and the dinghy was changing our heading.  Finally as we hit the mark on the GPS, the light came back into view.

Normal people would have pulled into Melvin Sound before dark, but hey! We’ve done night runs before... no big deal. Right? Except the ocean isn’t black.

 It was like looking through gauze. Our running lights were so bright we felt like we were inside a Christmas tree...the red and green lights just shone back onto the deck, blinding us.

We decided to head to Little Port Elgin, 4 miles away, and our first anchoring spot when we left a month ago. The fog cleared enough to get our visual bearings again.  We managed to get another 2 miles before the fog dropped on us again.

When we got to within a mile of shore, Rick got into the dinghy and I watched our depth and direction. When I reached 20 foot mark, I flicked the lights. He cut the motor and went forward to drop the anchor. It was 12:54. Am.

We shut everything down and crashed ourselves.  Thank God Todd was already home! I don’t think either one of us could have managed his “help” for that!

THURSDAY August 21

Up and off anchor at 7:45 am. We did really well hitting the mark last night!

We tried the big motor...not going to start, so we started the dinghy and headed out.  NO wind coming out of the bay, but as we passed Colpoys Bay, the west wind finally picked up!  We can use WEST wind!!! We are going southeast...this works.

Except that as soon as we got out into the Sound, the fog dropped on us again.

We have 2 gallons of gas left in the dinghy and we need at least one of them to get into the Marina, so we are going to SAIL down the Sound! We hope.

It’s 4:30 pm and we are on the dock in Owen Sound. It took less time than we thought because we actually had wind! Of course we had to tack back and forth so we almost ran out of gas because we needed help from the motor.

So if any of you are looking for a good motor to buy for your boat...think Yamaha!!!

Some thoughts...I now know why sailors drink so much...to relieve boredom or fear!!

We do not have a sailboat... we have a trawler with a lot of extra wires and canvas in the way!

We expect to spend the weekend removing the old motor, cleaning the motor compartment (that would be me), and Monday we will go get the new one. It will take a couple of days to install and set up, and we will be ready to shove off!!! Whohoo!

Taking a road trip to TBay first to see those we missed and so I can complete my job,then heading south for the winter... finally snowbirds!

I will continue when we head out again.

Love to all those following us... stay safe!