Last Weekend of the Season

Hard to believe, but this weekend was our last weekend of the season for sailing. We had the boat out on both Saturday and Sunday. The weather was terrific with lots of wind and unseasonably mild temperatures. On Saturday we made our way over to Toronto and met up with CASSIS in front of the city and sailed back to Port Credit. On Sunday, we took Sara and Trevor and sailed towards Oakville. Both days were terrific days for sailing, but sadly the season has come to an end. We've had an unbelievably nice September with clear sunny days and temperatures in the mid 20's. Unfortunately, the hot dry weather has also caused lake water levels that are normally lower this time of year to drop even further. Although we're still above chart datum as per the chart below, the depth of the water has been dropping and at the Club's travel lift it's now below 7 feet. Since Victura draws 6 feet, we decided not to take a chance and rebooked our haul-out to October 8th. So next Monday at 9:15 we come out. So after sailing today we removed all her sails and started getting the boat ready to come out. Sad but a nice end to the season.

Another Great Sunday for Sailing

Sunday was another terrific day on the lake. Temperatures were in the mid-20's and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. We started off the day with Vince and I going over to the fuel dock and filling VICTURA with diesol. This season we used a grand total of 29 litres of fuel which cost us just over $30. Not bad for a full season of sailing. After making a stop back at our slip to pick up Barbara, we headed out down the lake towards Toronto in 10-15kt winds. We met up with Vince & Julie on Peas & Carrots in Humber Bay and we sailed together for a while. There were lots of boats out in the good weather and we had a great sail. Let's hope this weather continues. The only negative with the weather is the lack of rain. Water levels in the lake are dropping and are now down a couple of feet. We noticed it at the fuel dock where the depth was 7 feet in spots. There's some rain in the forecast for Tuesday. We need a good soaker.

Fall is in the air

There's no doubt that fall was in the air this weekend as both Saturday and Sunday were cool and windy on the lake. We took a pass on Saturday as temperatures were in the low teens and winds were gusting to over 20 kts. On Sunday conditions were a bit better, and we headed off the dock around 2pm. The wind was blowing SE 12-18kts and temperature was a cool 16c. We caught up with Vince and Julie on Pea's & Carrots just outside PCYC harbour and we both sailed close hauled towards Clarkson. Conditions on the water were a bit lumpy but we easily made 7-8 kts in the brisk wind. We sailed with our full main up and the genoa all the way out. VICTURA handles these types of conditions easily without heeling excessively. After a couple of hours with the winds continuing to build we headed back in.

Fall Sailing and Spirit of Canada

Saturday was a nice fall day with temperature in the mid 20's and just enough wind to move us along at 6+ kts. We were joined by my friend Stuart Gray who's a longtime friend I've known since high school. Stuart helps me every season with launching and hauling out VICTURA.
We left PCYC about 2pm, and upon leaving the harbour noticed Spirit of Canada in the distance heading our way. After getting our sails up and setting a course eastward towards Toronto, it wasn't long before Spirit of Canada was bearing down on us. With a few hundred feet between us, I took a photo just before Spirit turned up into the wind and dropped her sails. After taking few photos, we continued east towards Toronto, and had nice sail. On our return, as we turned into the club harbour, we saw Spirit with her headsail out and someone high at the top of the mast doing some work. The mast on Spirit is close to 100 feet. Now that's what you call a crows nest!!!
The last picture below is of Spirit with the Snowbirds. It was taken last Friday during Spirit's first sail. The snowbirds who were appearing at the Canadian National Exhibition Airshow last weekend did a special flyby.

Dufour 34 (Not Me) Broached

Tuborg harbour north of Copenhagen