Summer of 2015, heartbreak and new beginnings!

Our third and final summer that we spent at the marina in Turkey Point had us exploring the surrounding areas by water and by land. The season at Turkey Point was relatively short as the Marina opened up in mid to late May and for the most part our boat would not be in the water until early June, then the boat would need to be hauled out in late October. Five months is not that long when you think about it. We would head down on every other weekend simply because making the trip down for a normal weekend just didn’t make any sense, so we travelled down for Karen’s compressed weekend which gave as an additional day. Normally we traveled down on Thursday nights leaving directly from work to arrive at the boat around 1 am on the Friday morning. We still had the noise issues with our neighbors although it seemed that using the pressure washer on a windy day to clean the boat did seem to dampen the party all day atmosphere that existed with them. Needless to say I cleaned the boat often.

When we managed to arrive on a calm weekend (no wind on the lake) and headed out for a day trip to Port Dover. In all honesty we had enough of the noisy party atmosphere and were looking for a quieter place, so we headed out to explore the only other marina in the area that could meet our needs. The day trip to Port Dover was nice and we had a look at the marina. They had a space for us and we were ready to sign a contract right then and there for the following year, then we were told we would need to take that slip immediately or go on a waiting list. So we put down our refundable deposit for the waiting list and kept our hopes up for the following season.

During that summer we spent our first night at anchored in Long Point Bay over a long weekend in August. It was a wonderful time spent on the hook, where we spent the warm days snorkeling in the clear waters following and observing fish as they did the same to us. While at anchor we did learn a few things such as:

• the stern light would come on at the same time as the anchor light
• we would need a solar panel system that would be capable of running the essentials such as refrigeration and instruments
• the anchor gear would need to be updated, we had a 25 lb. Danforth with 20 ft. of chain and 200 ft. of rope rode, this type of arrangement is common among fresh water lake sailors ( ½ boat length in chain and the rest in rope) I didn’t feel comfortable with it.
• we needed a method of storing the dinghy along with a larger swim platform would be nice
• I would have to figure out a way to remote the anchor alarm so we could hear it in the cabin should the anchor drag while we were asleep

We had a great weekend on the hook, we were alone out there and it was so peaceful spending the day in the sun with a cool breeze gently blowing off the water, swimming, reading and really enjoying each other’s company. That weekend brought us back to the many weekends we would spend on the hook when we had our sailboat. We really needed that time to relax, decompress and just take stock of our lives and what we were doing out here.

That particular summer was filled with sadness as we had to say goodbye to Mayday, our 12 year old Rottweiler. Add to this, a falling out with my teenage daughter that continues to this day and we really need to make some time for ourselves.  We've both been here before when Karen and I each owned a sailboat.  Time on the water really seems to do it for us, this is where we find peace, where we can reflect on what is going on in our lives and where we can just be calmed and comforted by mother nature herself.

 We explored a winery in the area, Burning Kiln, and enjoyed a great meal on the patio along with an unplanned private tour.  The staff at Burning Kiln were great.  We shared a flight of wines to see which ones appealed to us most, then ordered a couple of glasses and headed out to the patio.  The meal was catered by a Port Dover restaurant's food trailer.  Although the menu was limited the food we shared was very tasty.  The food combined with the intimate setting of the small patio, impeccable service and a view overlooking the winery and vineyard, made for a wonderful evening.

(We) Spent time driving out to Long Point Provincial Park, and witnessed the awesome power of the wind and waves that Lake Erie was capable of. We discovered the friendly staff at Bridge Yachts in Port Dover who would go out of their way to helped us find parts. Being from Virginia, I knew about peanuts and how they grew, I did not know that Ontario grew peanuts too. We came across a peanut plantation on our exploration of the area and Karen discovered Ontario Black Peanuts. (I can’t eat them due to a digestive condition) We visited the many farmers markets in the area as well and took the time to explore Port Dover. Keeping ourselves busy we started making a list of projects as the fall was quickly approaching and soon we would be plunged back into the darkness and cold of winter.

As usual our winters are spent planning for the summer, Karen and I started looking at other marinas closer to home as we made the decision to move the boat from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. We visited the Toronto Boat Show again and purchased a new RIB (rigid inflatable boat) which would serve as our new tender. We purchased a new larger chart plotter that would replace the small fish-finder unit that was located on the helm and serve as a backup unit, with the plan to move the smaller unit below decks into the main cabin. We picked up a Lake Erie cruising guide that had the charts and approaches to the Welland Canal. We also purchased an anchor windlass designed to work with chain and rope as well as a new 55 lb. ROCNA anchor and 275 feet of chain. During this visit to the Toronto Boat Show we discovered the Trent Port Marina, which would become our new home base.

During that winter, we took on a few major projects. Those projects included:

• making a new swim platform
• making new berth cushions for the forward cabin
• planning the electronics installation
• planning the installation of the new anchor gear
• planning the Welland Canal trip
• decide on a final name and come up with a logo design for the boat

All of this planning and preparing definitely helps the winter pass and always gives us something to look forward to. This particular winter gave me a substantial list of things to do in the spring of 2016. That list looked something like this:

• finish building swim platform and install it
• install new anchor windlass and ground tackle
• clean and buff hull
• replace engine room vents
• paint bottom of hull with antifouling paint
• install cooling fans throughout the cabin
• install new electronics and network with older electronics
• change all engine cooling hoses
• adjust packing in stuffing boxes for both shafts
• add new steaming light and wire lights properly once and for all

Add to this list planning just how we would move the boat through the Welland and securing friends to help us as deck hands and we had a busy but rewarding spring.

Next up…transiting the Welland and our trip across Lake Ontario!