We are in Hamlet

September 30, Tuesday

Change of pace...font, that is.

We waited patiently until 10:00 am until the Lockmaster arrived to open the lock, or more precisely, unlock the washrooms, open the doors, find his coffee cup and THEN ask us what we wanted. So by the time we got into the lock it was 10:30 and it took about 10 minutes to lock through, but we had to go back inside once we were in the lock because they forgot to charge us for PULLING the dinghy. If it was on the deck, it wouldn’t count, although if we use it in the river and don’t have a sticker for it, would we be in trouble...we paid the extra $55.00.

The weather was cloudy and warm most of the day, with on and off rain and a few feeble attempts at sunshine. We got over the Big Chute railway with no problems and we tied up for a few minutes before realizing that we could make the next lock today! So we took off.

 The colours are glorious here, and despite the weather we got a few good pictures. The waterway system has changed a lot in the last 10 years... bigger cottages, more cottages, humungous houses with crappy little boats. I have to say the power boaters haven’t gotten any smarter or better at boating. They still think that ‘no wake’ doesn’t apply to them and it’s funny to watch a sailboat bob around in their  waves. And there are no sailboats here because there is no place to put masts up and down. We passed one sailboat heading to Georgian Bay.

SO we are sitting in ‘Hamlet’... that’s the name of the hamlet...a cottage resort, some condos and a general store. Close to the top of Lake Couchiching. Lots of houses and boat but no distinct edge to the village. We missed the bridge opening. It says in the charts, there is 9 feet o clearance and we needed 8 but Rick measured it and there is really only 7.5 feet..high water this year. So we tied up and wait for 10:00 tomorrow. We should be well past Lake Simcoe tomorrow and into the bottom half where most of the locks are. We had thunder and some rain when we arrived here but its stopped now. We had soup for supper and went over to the general store to get ice cream for dessert. The soup was Potato and leek but I jazzed it up with cauliflower and turnip and corn that was left over and some spices and feta cheese. I have this handy-dandy little starfrit chopper that can do almost anything with veggies cooked or otherwise.  Oh and we cancelled the phones today. I tried this morning and got into an argument with the other end. Apparently both phones were in Rick’s name and no-one would talk to me. He tried later and as of Oct. 13 we will be without phone numbers. However, I was told that the phone can be used to create a hotspot even without a sim card...I somehow doubt that...so I can keep the blog and facebook going.

Time for dishes and bed...I know, I know, its only 8:00 pm but its hard work driving the boat and reading all day!  It is really dark here right now... no stars and tall trees in the narrow river...kinda creepy...and funny noises...I think the ducks are sneaking up on us. Time to shut the door. G’night

September 29 Port Severn

September 29  Monday,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Quentin & Todd!!

We left Owen Sound on the 27^th  around 2 pm  and made it as far as White Cloud Island. We were meeting friends there and we knew we wouldn’t get to Midland anyway, having left too late.  It was hard saying goodbye to everyone but we will be back in the spring.

We got to White Cloud around 7:30pm. We didn’t have any wind and babying the new motor along made us slower than we anticipated. The weather was awesome. I think maybe the universe has given up on trying to slow us down ...our determination has finally triumphed! Now if only Lotto Canada would cut us some slack! “ I prob’ly shouldn’t a said that.”

We left White Cloud at 9 a.m. after having coffee and showing off the boat to our friends, who have a gorgeous Bertram Trojan that you could hold a dance in! But he’s 6 feet tall and doesn’t fit in our boat without a lot of bending and folding...like Jack and Gary and Joe...and come to think of it, almost everyone taller than 5’6”. I guess we’re the water equivalent of a hobbit hole.  I LOVE it!

So we got as far as Thunder Bay. Everybody freaked when I texted that...no, we didn’t go the wrong way!  There is a Thunder Bay at the top of Nottawasaga Bay. It was dark when we anchored so it was a good thing we decide to run in there.

This morning we left early...730.am, and got to Queen’s Cove Marina in Victoria Harbour at 12:30 pm.

 The nice lady at Queen’s Cove who took our call is from Port Elgin and Bill Walker’s sister-in-law (for you non-O/S-ers , he’s the MP). We were originally headed for Dutchman’s Cove but they can’t take boats wider than 15 feet. (we are 16.5’) We called Doral but they wanted $300.00 to take down the mast and they were even further away from Port Severn. It took 2 hours and a lot of messing about to get the mast set on the deck and under the top without ripping down wires and balanced but we did it.

We are now sitting in front of the first lock at Port Severn. %#@&^ government office doesn’t open until 10 am and the last lock closes at 3:30  every day so we are going to have to boogie to get through in 12 days. There are 45 locks:  that’s 4 per day and we still have to cross Lake Simcoe as well. We should be good as long as the weather holds. It has been amazing. Oh, I said that already. Of course, we had awesome wind as soon as the sails came off, and I expect we will have beautiful sailing weather all the way to New York, when the sails go back on.  

So we are getting to bed earlier ever night as the dark comes quickly now. I won’t be having tea tonight. There’s quite a noisy waterfall beside us and I don’t need any extra encouragement to get 16 times.

Tomorrow will be exciting...hopefully I can keep my mouth shut this time and we will get through with no hassle. Today I tried to cancel my phone and someone in a foreign country wouldn’t let me because apparently I don’t have one...they are both in Rick’s name and they won’t talk to me. So don’t be surprised if you can’t reach us at all after tomorrow. We are going to MAKE SURE they cancel our phones!!!

However, I can blog with no problem, so you will hear from us in the next few days. Locks are boring after you’ve done one or two so don’t get worried if I have nothing to report. ‘Scuse me a minute ...that damned waterfall...

Sept.26...We are off again!

September 26, 2014

Hello Again,

Hear that? That’s the sound of a new engine running well. Of course we haven’t left the dock yet but we are planning to leave tonight or tomorrow a.m. and head to Wiarton. From Wiarton we will push over to Midland and take the mast down. The weather is good for the next week (so they say) so we should be good!

It’s been a tough month. Waiting for the extra part; finding out that the clutch cable was too short; waiting for my glasses (that never came) and when we thought we could schedule a departure, Rick’s back (skin) surgery got scheduled. We decided it would be better to get it done now rather than try to re-schedule later next year.

So he had it on Wednesday. The stitches are dissolving and we can leave! He’s fine...no pain and I will make sure it stays clean and heals properly.

The motor was not difficult to set up. The configuration is not “exactly the same” as the old one and we had some tense moments when it looked like the two electrical harnesses were mismatched, but reading instructions helps so we resorted to that in the end J. It turned over the first time we didn’t need to shriek at each other to be heard.  We ran it for a half hour and turned it off, then we turned it on again and it started!!  When Liz came down with the kids, Rick let Todd start it and it worked for him too! Todd was impressed, almost enough to want to go with us again, but he doesn’t like the warning buzzer!

So now it’s clean up the cockpit and re-pack the stuff we’ve spread out sitting here. We will say our goodbyes again to whomever shows up today (Carol came by and Kelly was here yesterday. We took the kids and Liz for dinner last night and we saw everyone else on the weekend and Tuesday night for dinner. Later today we will hand the car over to Jack and head out.

We are cancelling our phones when we hit the States and getting a better one but the number will change, so I will let everyone know the number when we get it. We don’t expect people to call us unless it’s a dire emergency, but we will call when necessary. I will keep up the blog and post on Facebook so everyone can keep tabs on us. And if you know someone who cares, pass the info onto them please!  Liz or John, tell your Mom and sister what we’re doing. Trish, Crystal and John keep your mom and dad up-to-date, and Liz, make sure Jack and Ted know what we’re doing. That way everyone stays in touch.

So, gotta go change the laundry, and put more stuff away. Take care of each other and enjoy your winter.   

 Susan & Rick

AND by the way...

Just got word today the motor is ready to be picked up. Early ! Woohoo! We will go down tomorrow and get it. The compartment is ready for it.

On a different note, I picked up a book in Tobermory called An Interview with Paul Watson. It is without a doubt, the scariest book I have ever read. Everyone who is a boater of any sort; or who likes to swim; or eat fish; or who likes to breathe should read this book. The man started Greenpeace and when Greenpeace went big business and started helping poachers and whale hunters, he quit and formed the Sea Shepherd.

Our oceans and waterways are dying and if we don’t stop the pollution and the indiscriminate slaughter of ocean life, the planet will die... and that means us. It may not be in my lifetime or yours but your children and their children will suffer. 

As I write this, I realize that I am sitting here in the middle of the Salmon Derby where hundreds of fisherman come every year to kill fish for the opportunity to win a new boat or a whole pile of fishing stuff to replace the stuff that they already have. Thousands of plastic beer cups and bottles and cans are being generated.

 The irony is not lost on me and there isn’t much that I can do about it. However, I have resolved once more to try to make sure that whatever I have to buy comes in glass or metal...a true biodegradable container, and I will attempt to purchase clothes made only of pure cotton or linen, wool or silk. And how many clothes do we really need??

So, please read the book, and if you can’t handle reality, try The Neverending Quest. by Susan Corey, a marine biologist who has researched the fields of chemical warfare, ocean degradation and other science topics rolled into one compelling  mystery that also will scare the daylights out of you!

Aftermath

The new motor won't be ready until Thursday. That will give us time to remove the old one and get the bed ready. Then we can head up to Thunder Bay, behind Ted and the boys. When we finish up there and get back it will be mid-Sept and we will be moving down the Trent-Severn or the Erie Canal to beat the snow south.

Some pics taken in between panic sessions

A good day of motoring

A not-so-good day

A hitchiker

Heywood Island refuge

Flower pot Island

Looking thru the skylight. Am I bored?

Pushing the Goose - the little engine that DID

Sky following us the last 2 miles.

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! 

Pics along the way

Dodging traffic in St.Mary's River

Flowerpots Island

Rabbit guarding Gargantua entrance

Superior is beautiful