End of summer we know it...

Wow. September already. every time I say how fast the summer went, people keep reminding us [not kindly either] that we didn't actually get here until mid-July...minor detail.
So Rick wears glasses all the time now; I apparently have developed carpal tunnel, so wear hand braces at night to help stave off surgery; the Summer fairies left me with a goodbye gift...a raging summer cold. 
On a brighter note, Quentin is having a good experience at Fanshawe College [ok only one class so far but still...]  He move into a house with 4 other guys...older than him and international students working to their master's degrees. As  his mother says..."Not a bunch of teenagers...these guys didn't spend 3-4 years at university to move across the world and screw it up by partying all the time...they will set a good example for him, and he 'll get a good cross-cultural experience."
 
Our Todd is playing football this year on the high school junior team and so far [yes, only 3 days in] is enjoying high school. It's sad that the bar is set so low. Orientation consisted of a trip to Wonderland and first day classes were "get to know everybody" 
Natasha is is Grade 7 and her day was pretty much the same as TOdd's. They are both going to Air cadets now, and she is turning into a giraffe...not sure where those height genes come from although her cousin Willow, is also a ...willow...very tall and graceful. I'm hoping next summer Tash will fall in love with highland dancing.
We spent the last two days on the boat, cleaning,  removing stuff and planning our attack. When its 37 C it's hard to get much done. I have finally been ready to give in to swimming this summer but with the cold now, I have no energy for it. 
I've become obsessed with the heritage thing...Scotland, clans and tartans...so I found on-line a place to order tartans and [Lindsay, forgive me] I bought the last 3 meters of "Erwin weathered tartan" that was available. It's a rare tartan [nobody orders it...not enough of us,  so it was in the "Clearance " section] and its beautiful! So I will stare lovingly at it for a few weeks before I summon the courage to pick up the scissors. It's going to make really hot shorts being 100% wool...just kidding, but I'm trying to decide if I want a full kilt or a suit. 
Oh and Rick bought his practise chanter ...he wants to be able to play bagpipes by next summer. Anyone have an old set they aren't using?
Yes, living on land HAS affected us but it's probably a temporary condition and reversible when we get back out to sea.

What a weekend!!!

August to remember!!

WOW ! What a weekend !!! We went to Fergus Scottish Festival, in Fergus Ontario at the invitation of my second cousin, Lindsay, who is our family historian by default [she's so good everyone asks for her help!] I thought Lindsay was a professional genealogist, but she's actually an engineer and this is her hobby! Lucky for the rest of us!

So we arrived on Friday afternoon, sat outside the gates with our lawn chairs and our books in the shade, watching the thousands of vehicles entering the Sportsplex park and camping ground at Fergus. And I mean thousands!!!

The next two days were filled with games like caber tossing; hammer throwing; bale tossing, highland dancing and piping band competition. There were hundreds of pipers and drummers.  Every clan that has a Mac or Mc in the name was represented and the same number who didn't Campbell, Gunn, Irwin [that's me!] Elliott [that's Steve!] right up to Young.

There wasn't a single tartan that wasn't beautiful and I'll tell you...any man in a kilt looks damned good. I can't imagine how some of them look in ordinary street clothes but I think kilts should be part of the daily dress!!! And I am now the proud owner of  a "utility kilt" ...kind of like a construction apron with pockets and hardware every where...for your sword brace, your dagger, your cell phone, your car keys etc. Mine is white but they come in any colour or camo. And despite the 10 lbs of hardware on it, it wasn't hot or even heavy. And now when I attend, I also have a sash made from my clan tartan for Erwin

The entertainment was fantastic. A band from Scotland called Albannach, a pipe and drum band and a didgeridoo player was amazing. They looked like the original Celts.

The show band was the Red Hot Chilli Pipers...read that again...not Peppers but Pipers and they were from Scotland as well.  A Bag Rock Band! They played Queen, Foreigner and other rock covers ...

The guest of honour was Graham MacTavish...from Outlander or Dwalin from the Hobbit!!  I couldn't get close enough for a selfie [too short to push through the crowd of women] but Rick managed to snap his picture a couple of times.

It was sensory overload and I think the adrenaline is still running through me.

THEN...on the way home we stopped in Markdale to our close-up family reunion of Erwin's and Sensabaugh's [my sister's other half].  Once again all the Erwin siblings were together and most of their respective children. It was a great day having three generations together and even the kids were remarking how they could see resemblances to themselves and each other in cousins they'd never met. Thanks Barb & Dan, Chris & Regan, Brad & Colleen!!

Awesome bands

Albannach

Drum major for his clan Band

Irwin Clan [and Mactavish photobomb]

Docile highland cattle

Caber tossing[we call them telephone poles]

Hammer throw winner -83 feet

Back side - looks good!

Front side looks gre

Red Hot Chilli Piper  Wow! 

Amazing little boy and when the girl beside hi refused to dance he cried!

Graham MacTavish

THere's just something about a Celt in a kilt !!

The boys look older ...but not the girls!

Back in Owen Sound

June 21...We got up at 6:00 this morning, finished packing all the bits and pieces and securing the mast and furlers. and waited for the guy so we could get fuel. He wasn't there by 10:00 am so we left. We can't get it here either but we have 3 days of travel in the tank, so we are good til the next "station".

We are at Waterford, above the Federal Lock. This is where the Champlain Canal separates from the Erie Canal. Here is where there is a 1,000 foot FREE dock, free showers and free wifi...who knew??? Rick went to find out about a grocery store and came back with a wifi code!! We are exhausted so we will stay here tonight right in front of the first of 75 locks. Last time it took 3 1/2 days to get to Lake Ontario. we'll see how we do this time.
We went to the grocery store and they let us bring the cartback with us. It's about a 10 block walk.No phone cards so no wifi hot spot. On the way we stopped for coffee at Paul and Don's Cafe: 2 burgers and fries, coffee and cheese cake for $12.00!!! And I don't need to cook supper!!

June 27...On the dock at Trenton Port Marina. It's a grey☔☔ rainy day, of course, because yesterday's crossing was exceptional...can't have 2 good days in a row.⛵
So tonight we will celebrate being home,legal,🇨🇦️ and its our 48th anniversary today. 🍾Not where and how we'd hoped to celebrate, so Barb, Joe, Ted & Jack...think about what you were doing 48 years ago today. Most of you were cleaning up around the farm house. Barb and I were getting our hair done...well, Barb was... the hairdresser thought she was the bride, so she looked great...mine looked like crap because they ran out of time...another bride coming in. Funny the little things you remember..😜
We met some cool people while we waited in Oswego..an exuberant couple name Mark and Lezlie on Antonia from Texas...we will see them on and off during our trip home. They need a Canadian flag so we passed them one of ours on the crossing and they gave us a Texas flag.
Too tired to post pics right now but when we dig them out I will post...its free wifi here!

July 5 HELLO OWEN SOUND ! Missed the Wednesday night race by about a half hour!!

We arrived at 9:15 last night 12 hours from engine-on in Port Severn, through the lock to engine off in GS Marina. Georgian Bay was dead calm and warm! We had a bath out there!! No other boats around for miles!

Anybody want to buy some new Trent Severn charts?? Never going that way again!!! We'll sail down lakes Huron and Erie to get to the Erie Canal and south when we leave! 

July 7 ...We went out to the trailer yesterday to check on it. It was beautiful..clean, fresh with the smell of Fleecy sheets and mothballs {I like those smells] and empty... looking like a display model...We opened the windows, set up the awnings . Not a sign of mice or even spiders {Yay} I swept up the dead flies, pulled the sheets out, made up the bed, then we started putting stuff in it...now it looks like home ...our home ...full of crap!
Took the sails and rigging to to storage unit. Brother Jack helped with his truck.
Today we lift the mast off the deck and set it on stands so we can strip the wiring and lights Then we can check the waterline and start removing stuff to get her to float where she's supposed to.
I feel a little more centered now...being here, seeing family and getting a plan together. It doesn't seem like such an impossibility to get this done and head back down. All the way up I had this sinking feeling it was going to be our last trip, but barring extreme circumstances, we are going to try to be ready for next year.
So...hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go...

July 10...Okay that was way too easy!!!
We went into the marina this morning and had no trouble getting the spot where we wanted to be lifted out, as son as we talked to the GM. An hour later we were at the crane office and they said, "So, what are you doing right now?" By 1:30 pm we had a big tarp staked out; launched the dinghy; moved the boat into position and were resting on our blocks!!!
There's no power close by but we'll figure that out.

As soon as she was visible above the horizon, we were visited by a number of boating friends from the yacht club and I was thoroughly chastised for not blogging enough so that everyone knew we were fine and on our way...See Julie, you were right !

So tomorrow we do the final empty and head up to the trailer. Rick starts work on Thursday and I will be working on the weekend. Life goes on!

Up the Ocean

June 11 --Monday - another night of major thunderstorms .It's still raining here and we are rocking in the harbour. Winds are on the nose and the seas are at 7 feet today outside the Chesapeake...sorry guys, not going out when we have to stay awake for 24 hours or more AND fight the weather. Staying in Cape Charles and working on little jobs. While we were commiserating and working, a 100-foot tall sho came ...Of course we had to go watch [Rick actually meant 'help'] it dock. Beautiful Dutch reproduction called Kalmar Nyckel. Everybody in town came over...apparently its been here before and they love it...no wonder!!

June 12....Yeah...no...we got out to the sea buoy at 3 miles off shore and headed up our track, the seas were 6-8 feet and the wind was 25 knots from the northeast...couldn't get over 2.5 knots, so we turned back...crap! 25 miles wasted! We left at 7:30 and landed back here at 2;30 7 freakin hours to go nowhere. So we did an oil change and re-fueled. And we couldn't keep going because its a 60-70 hour run to New York and we would have run out of fuel..probably could have made it to Ocean City but not at 2-3 nots bucking 6 foot seas!
We had 25 knots on the nose coming back into the harbour and the sky has closed around us. C.G was warning boaters of waterspouts on the Bay.

I don't trust ANYBODY's weather predictions now! We're going to wait until tomorrow afternoon...see if the predictions are 24 hours behind and if they are, take off. I am rapidly running out of Rescue Remedy!!

 So to follow that up, another celebrity. ..USHER ...came in. I can't imagine anyone with that kind of money naming their boat after someone else, so I assume it was his boat. But when you google it [I hate that word] it doesn't say who the owner is...I didn't even look at the price, after I saw the photos.

June 13 --What a difference a day makes... I think that's a song but...
we got out under the bridge into a different world... perfect for motor- sailing and we got to Cape May this morning - 22 hour trip, and the engine alarm came on...our water system is not working again... THANK GOD FOR TOWBOAT US!!!!

And thanks for all the positive vibes y'all sent out...it got us this far! 157 miles from Cape Charles.

We are in Cape May in an anchorage and now we need to find more parts and a dealer. And Ben {Towboat captain] says its an air leak somewhere so we will epoxy the shit out of all the plastic parts, tighten all the clamps again,and hope the dinghy holds enough air to get us to shore to the YAnmar dealer in case we need other things. The winds right now are 22 knots and the anchorage is along the side of the wind tunnel!!!

Tomorrow is supposed to be just as bad [wind on the nose] so we will probably stay here overnight. Besides, we were working in 2-hour shifts so neither of us got much sleep. We will do the last stretch to New York in 2 or 3 stops...no more overnights. 

I'm going to write a book about this "adventure" and I have the pictures as proof.🤣😜😂 Anyway, we left on June 13 at 8:30 am and by 9:30 next morning we were off Cape May when the motor alarm went off.

June 15 Rick is looking for parts...oil seals for and /or new water pump. We'll fix the old one when we get home.  we both slept well last night but were up at 5 am  again...habit

IF we can fix it today we will leave and head for New York. It's only 120 miles so we can do that over 24 hours and we will get there in daylight.  Then we will be in the Hudson River, take down the mast and head through the Canals for Lake Ontario.  On a higher note if the dinghy motor keeps working, we do have a back-up for the Canals. :(

Still in Chesapeake

PLAN B --- we made it to the bridge/tunnel crossing out of the Chesapeake and into the ocean doing 4.5-5 knots, fighting to keep  the 3-7 knots of wind in the sails The winds came up to 25 knot;s the seas rose to 6 foot waves and we literally couldn't get through the passage, so we turned around and did 10 knots over to Cape Charles. [So much for weather predictions and NOAA radio forecasts!!]

We tied up in the "harbour of refuge, secured the boat, went for supper at 8;30 and as we came back out the boat the Mother of all thunderstorms broke loose...thank god we were not out on the ocean!!! we are feeling the 20 knots winds in here and are soaking wet again.

So we will see what tomorrow brings. Probably would have been doing 10 knots up the coast but not a good idea in a t-storm!!

There are 17 cargo/ tanker ships at anchor outside the harbour here...wonder where they get their weather!!! I took these pics for Todd [and all the other boys reading this]

Woke up this morning at 5:30 am in Cape Charles Town Harbour Marina..the sky was ominous, the weather reports did not look favourably on today's off -shore trip so we paid for anther night and filled our water tanks, met another couple from Washington State who had a beautiful Atlantic {cat}. They walked over to see our boat, then we went to visit theirs.

SO I spent the day writing and Rick putzed at jobs ...the freakin' weather was perfect clear sky hot day and no storms or bad winds...we could have left and been in Ocean City NJ by now or even Atlantic City by tomorrow morning!! So we will leave in the very early am and probably get shitty weather for the next 72 hours at sea! Grrrrrr!

Some pics between Oriental and Norfolk

Some pics

THe Dismal Swamp Crossing

Sorry this looks choppy...just copying the F/B posts because internet is slow and sporadic and expensive!

May 31 Barefoot Landing S.Carolina...border of N.Carolina we did almost 100 miles today, but it was tough...mostly got contrary tides and winds so the sail helped. Met a boat tonight that passed us this afternoon...RumTum Tiger ...returning from Grenada to New York. SOOOO tired from today, we have been trying to outrun the Alberto effect...really sunny on the starboard [east side] and very dark and rainy on the other side of the river. Sometimes it rained on us but not much.
Tomorrow will be a slow start...no-one at the marina ot pay so we have to wait in the morning to pay. I really would like a shower too! Tomorrow or Saturday will be in North Carolina -- Snow Cut where Ross's boat is. Going to bed now. 

June 1  So Barefoot Landing 1000 foot dock is being changed to Lulu's - Jimmy Buffet's sister's restaurant. Not sure what that says for the outlet mall and dock space but there were NO boats there when we arrived and no answer on the radio. 

So showers [yay] and leaving. This won't be a long day today, depends on where we can stop. The only reason we are at a dock here is because when we went to stop along the river, we got stuck in the mud , and just barely got out...the river is only about 100 feet wide so not a good plan to try to anchor in this current. 

June 3   This morning we were up at 5:55 and helped Mick get off the dock at 6:30. We got fueled and were heading out by 7:06. We made it through the last bridge with oy a 15-minute wait; dodged big boats and barges and little boats...they're like fleas! Watched town boat US rescue a power boat in Morehead City; and one in Bogue Sound, and made it to Oriental N.C where my alleged cousin Ashley Erwin rus one of the marinas...we;re at the free dock. ON our way in a sailboat called and said. "Is that OtherGoose? this is Brinley...we met you in GT and other places!" We talked for a bit..they are heading up the Neuse River to New Bern to lay up the boat and head to Oregon for the summer....we need to investigate these places besides Riverside!.

Mick called us to let us know there was a spot at the free dock and he helped us tie up then we all went for supper at the Toucan Grill. After supper Rick and I went for a shower. There is a thunderstorm all around us.

June 5  Two steps forward and one step back...when we were leaving Oriental yesterday morning, we had a bit of an issue with the water intake...not sucking like it should but we got it going. We made it to the bottom of the Pungo-Alligator canal, past bellhaven and Dowry Creek Marina, 48 miles, found a lovely anchorage that we had used in 2005, and shared it with a big trawler. We watched the sunset and stars for awhile then went to sleep.
this morning we could not get the water pump to suck water so the engine couldn't be run. we cleaned the hoses, Rick went under the boat and checked the intake...no gunk. He took off the face of the water pump..impeller was fine, and I cleaned the water trainer. blew air through it and ...nothing. Oh look, the belt is broken and we don't have a spare.

And we are in a place where there is no cell service and the motor hasn't run so the batteries are low, so we can't call anyone on the radio. By 9 am the sun had charged the batteries and I could call Towboat US.

They tried to find a replacement but had no luck so they came out and towed us back to Belhaven..best $179.00 US we ever spent!!!!!WE are in a little boat yard in Belhaven...we have free internet, we will pay about $6.00 for power overnight and they will have the parts Fedex'd here by noon tomorrow.

I am not making this shit up!!! We have come to the conclusion that the Universe does not want us to go home this year, but the Universe doesn't get that we need money and can't get it down here! We didn't buy a Florida lottery ticket.! Sue, help me out here...how do I make the Universe understand the problem???  Evening in the Creek at River Forest Service, the Belhaven base for TowBoat US, and apparently a terrific hurricane hole....

Belhaven is a very pretty town with gorgeous little houses...and some pretty big ones too! I'll go for a walk and take soe pics this morning.

June 6   OK...so not as easy as expected ...the parts arrived ...shipping cost the same as parts and dock $1.25/foot ... so the bill was twice what we expected, but, captive audience and internet was smokin'...so we will install parts this afternoon and be at anchor by tonight ...hopefully closer to our destination, back at crab pots at the mouth of the canal.
We went for a walk this morning before it got too hot...these are some of the places we saw. Lovely gardens, huge lots and assorted large and small houses but all well-maintained. Okay...to work now...have a good rest of the week...don't know when I'll get internet again.What's that saying...if it weren't for bad luck... we left the dock aoud 5;15 and ere no sooner half way out the creek [and I do mean creek in the dictionary sense of the word!!!} and it poured rain on us...we ran through about a half hour of deluge to get to the anchorage where we started, but we had our fuel, groceries and soft-shelled crabs.

THis morning at 5;45 we took off and right now are sitting about 2 miles from the Alligator bridge at anchor in a rolling sea, replacing the o-ring and old impeller in the water pump [good thing he ordered a new one] because the engine compartment was filling with water...probably have to shorten the end of the intake hose to, or maybe not put the new impeller in backwards. not saying a word here

the parts came from Yanmar in New Jersey...maybe we'll stop there and get a bunch more parts!!!

June 8

We got through the Alligator -Pungo Canal no alligators, Bruce, but we thought we saw a pungo ...couldn't get close enough...

Got to the Alligator River bridge and waited for an HOUR! while they painted a spot with the bridge half open...crap! so we didn't get as far as Elizabeth City last night. Anchored along the Pasquotank River shore and when we woke up the cockpit and outside was filled with fish flies!!! Luckily we closed the screens last night against the mosquitoes hiding amongst the fish flies..and mosquito coils don't affect them!

THis morning, took off early and as we approached Eliz.City the USGC came on the radio to announce that Norfolk Habour [our destination today] is closed for some annual Navy festival so it will affect "mariners transiting the system" . no shit! ...stuck here until Sunday because of fireworks, workboat races and warships coming in and out!! I guess that means nothing will break in this area. Hahaha

irst bridge at the end of the canal in Norfolk so we are 10 miles from Norfolk in Deep Creek and if we can get through the controlled opening at 8:30 tomorrow we might just be able to get past the coast guard and out into the ocean before the festivities start at noon. 

The Dismal Swamp is beautiful...not so many turtles as there were before and except for a Carver and a German Lagoon cat going north and one monster SeaRay going south there was NO traffic. At the visitors center in the middle there were 8 sailboats rafted up , all heading south. We let Se TIger the Carver have the 40 foot dock at the bridge [lotsa rocks around] and we anchored in the channel...nobody going either way tonight. Only downside...highway right along the edge,might as well be in a parking lot.
Lots more pictures of reflections...it was dead calm all day! The biting flies are having a great dinner! AND its clouded over so it will rain tonight and tomorrow..Woohoo

Saturday June 9 waiting for the bridge tender at 8:30 to go through the last bridge and lock into the Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk and then on to the ocean to head up to Ne York...you won't be hearing from us for a few days..not sure if we will sail the 270 miles to New York or go in t Atlantic City in New Jersey for a rest.. TTY on the Hudson River.