VICTURA

Launch 2011

2011-05-15T13:24:00.009-04:00

An interesting launch this year. We were scheduled to launch on Saturday, May 14th at 8:30am with mast step to follow on Sunday at 8am. I took Friday off to build the mast and get some final things organized. The weather on Friday was fabulous; sunny and well into the high 20c range. Harbour crew had the mast out for me to work on by 10am and the mast was built in an hour or so. Had to clean the contacts in the steaming and deck light but everyting on the mast was fine. The weather forecast for the day had a chance for thunderstorms in the afternoon but by midday it was beautiful. Hot and sunny. The forecast for Saturday however was steady rain from about 11am on and Sunday more rain but with high winds. Harbour staff were in a good mood on Friday and things were ahead of schedule. So I was able to get Victura launched and the mast stepped right away on Friday avoiding the bad weather and hassle on the weekend. Everything went without a hitch and we were tied up in our slip with the mast stepped 230pm. We tuned the mast and put the boom on just as the wind started to pick up and clouds started to appear in the sky. By 6pm or so, the rain was starting. We returned early Saturday morning to find the harbour completely shrouded in mist. No rain and no wind but socked in with fog. We put the main sail and genoa on and were off for lunch in the Chartroom by 1pm or so. Still lots to do to get the boat ready, but all in all a very successful weekend and launch.

Spring has sprung - a bit slow this year!!!

2011-05-13T12:58:00.001-04:00

Well it's been an interesting spring this year. Things have moved a bit more slowly than usual with cool and wet weather throughout most of April and early May. We removed the cover on April 3rd which is about normal. It was a nice clear day with some sun warming things up. From there, things were very dodgy weather wise in April with some snow and several weekends rained out. I managed to get the bottom painted on one of the nice weekends and waxed before my scheduled launchh on May 14th. More on that in my next post.

Haul Out 2010 - October 23rd

2010-10-25T16:58:00.000-04:00

Our haul-out this year was pretty uneventful. Nice fall day without rain or high wind. Everything went smoothly and we had the cover on by Sunday afternoon. A pretty short summer this year ... too short. We'll be back in May.

It doesn't get much better than this

2010-08-29T20:57:00.006-04:00

A beautiful weekend here in Toronto for sailing. Conditions were about perfect. Wind 12-15kts from the south and temperature hovering at 30C. We set sail from Port Credit to Toronto on a beam reach making 7.4kt SOG. Lots of boats on the water and a great ride. We sailed out past the island then started back to Port Credit. We had one lull where the wind dropped to 8kts, but after 10 mins or so we were seeing 13kts again. Not quite as fast a ride back but a beautiful day. Let's hope for a few more of these in September.

Cruise to Port Dalhousie - August 2010

2010-08-02T21:28:00.005-04:00

The first picture below pretty much describes the sail over and back to Port Dalhousie. Motoring, motoring and more motoring. It was nice to be on the water but a little wind would have been nice. We managed to sail for a few miles at the start of the day going over and the coming back, but the wind on both days quickly petered out and we were on the engine. Dalhousie was nice. We had a nice dinner on Saturday night with friends and a BBQ on the Sunday.

Summer Cruising - July 2010

2010-08-02T21:03:00.010-04:00

We managed to sneak away for a few days of sailing this summer to Fifty Point Conservation area and Niagara on the Lake. Sailing into the Niagara River you get a very nice view of Fort Niagara. We stayed at the Niagara Sailing Club on the Canadian side and met up with Vince Julie Wong and Dale & Carin Hamilton from the club. NOTL Sailing Club is a short walk from the town and tourist areaa. The sunrise is from the morning we left. With some thunder storms in the forecast we had to beat it back across to Port Credit. Too short a stay. We must go back.

Cruise to Hamilton - July 2-4 2010

2010-07-05T21:38:00.010-04:00

We were on the club cruise to the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club this past weekend. Weather was terrific through the whole weekend. The sail to Hamilton was uneventful. We filled the boat with diesel before leaving and had the wind on our bow most of the way so we motored a fair bit. It was our first trip to Hamilton by boat and going under the Burlington lift bridge was interesting. The bridge is raised every half hour and on the hour for pleasure boats to pass through. We missed the 2:30pm lift by 10 mins or so and had to hang around the channel waiting for the next lift at 3pm. At 3pm you hear some sirens and the traffic stops on the bridge. The bridge then raises slowly high enough for sailboats to pass under. It deceaving as it looks awfully close from down below. We stayed in Hamilton two nights and headed back to PCYC on Sunday. We met our friends Peter and Donna Howells on Cassis at the bridge and sailed through the channel together. It was a nice trip and we enjoyed the facilities of the club. The trip back was uneventful; We motored out into the lake a few miles to get a better angle for sail, put the sails up and tacked back to PCYC making 6-7kts. The wind was a steady 12kts and we saw gusts of over 20kts. A nice weekend.

Shakedown Sail - June 20, 2010

2010-07-05T21:26:00.006-04:00

Things have been a bit slow starting this year. After a fabulous April, the weather in May and the early June has been cooler with a few weekends of rain. So this was our first real sail of the season and it was a good one. Conditions were perfect. 15kts wind from the northwest gusting to 20kts and flat water. Barbara, Sara, Chance and me. We sailed about 23nms in not quite 4 hours past Hanlans Point on Toronto Island and back to the club. Had the boat pushing 8kts SOG in the gusts. Great way to start the season.

Sailpast - June 12, 2010

2010-07-05T20:41:00.005-04:00

The weather for sailpast this year wasn't great. Cool, showers and a strong east wind making for pretty lumpy conditions on the lake. In consideration of the weather, a decision was made early in the day that instead of asking members to sail their boats past the Commodore and Club Flag Officers on the lake, that the Commodore would ride through the harbour on one of the club boats and members would acknowledge him by dipping their ensigns. Despite a light rain shower, the Commodore Peter Howells made his way through the harbour greeting all of the members accordingly. As per tradition, skippers acknowledged by dipping their boat ensigns and offering Peter various refreshments. It was a nice day despite the weather enjoyed by all.

Not a great weekend to launch - May 7 2010

2010-05-10T22:33:00.009-04:00

Well .. an intersting weekend to launch this year. Friday was supposed to have been the day I was going to build my mast. When I arrived at the club Friday morning it was a very nice, pleasant day; not a hint of what was coming later. With high winds and rain in the forecast, I checked with the harbourmaster and was able to get my appointment at 8am on Saturday for launch moved up to 4pm Friday. By about mid-day, Friday it raining. My friend Stuart was there and I recruited my slip partner Paul from MTDaze to help get Victura into her slip. Other than a strong cold wind and the rain everything went well. I missed my first attempt to get into my slip. With the driving rain and wind blowing I couldn't quite get into my slip, so back out and try again. Saturday was an awful day with a wind warning in effect and wind gusts well into the 40's. Sunday my mast booking was for 12:20pm. The winds were again blowing, not quite as bad as Saturday, but still gusting well into the teens maybe 20kts. Everthing went well with the mast step and we made it back to our slip safely. Work then began in earnest to get the boat rigged. I hoped to get the sails on Monday, but it was another windy day.

Spring has sprung - April 2010

2010-04-05T20:49:00.005-04:00

Hard to believe, but spring has come early here in southern Ontario with temperatures on the weekend going well above 20c degrees. Wind coming off the lake kept the temperature in the yard cool, but go a mile or so in land and it was summer. My friend Stuart helped get the cover off Victura and work began in earnest on the weekend. The hull and bottom were wiped clean, and the bottom painted with a fresh coat of VC17. I even managed to get one coat of wax on the port side of the hull. The forecast this week calls for the balmy weather to continue until Wednesday when things will get back to more seasonal cool and wet weather. There's even a hint of snow in the forecast for Friday. It's been a great start for the season and has everyone in the mood for boating.

Haul Out - October 24, 2009

2009-10-25T20:53:00.020-04:00

Another season has come and gone. This one seemed shorter than the others as the weather this summer was clearly a factor. We nonetheless managed to do a few cruises with the club and our usual day sailing; no major trips however this year. The weather forecast for our haulout day started off looking pretty bad. Friday there were very high winds from the east and rain showers on and off throughout the day. Saturday conditions were thankfully perfect; the rain had moved out and there was barely any wind at all. My scheduled time for haulout was 9:30am, however when we arrived around 8am harbour staff had already started working and were ahead of schedule. We took advantage of the quick start and headed over to the mast crane before 9am. Things went very smoothly. Kelly, the new Harbourmaster at the Club, did a great job with the mast taking it off quickly and safely. The boat was promptly moved forward into the travel-lift and out onto the hard by 930. With the help of my son Jamie and friend Stuart Gray, we got the mast ready for storage. Paul and Wendy Orava from Salty Hacker were behind us to come out, then Peter and Donna Howells from Cassis. Work proceeded on Victura to winterize the engine and on Sunday assembling the frame for the cover and putting the cover on. Weather was beautiful on Sunday and all in all it was a smooth haul-out. That's it for the season. We're now moving quickly into fall here and winter is fast approaching.

Fall Sailing - September 27, 2009

2009-09-30T21:20:00.002-04:00

Sunday turned out to be very nice day for a sail with the temperature about 20c, wind 10-13kts from the southwest and the water flat. Perfect conditions to get the boat moving 7 knots +. We were only out a couple of hours but it was a very nice day. We caught up with Peas & Carrots who were making good time ahead of us. A bit hazy but just right for a day sail. We had one fluffy dog with us. The season has come to crashing halt here with temperatures dropping to single digits and very gusty wet conditions. We haul out on October 24th and hope to get out a couple more times. Let's hope for an indian summer.

Cruise to CBYC - Sept 5, 6, 7.

2009-09-07T21:10:00.008-04:00

This weekend we went on a club cruise to CBYC with about 40 boats from PCYC. We left Saturday morning and returned on Monday. Weather was warm and sunny, The trip over was close hauled sailing with the wind blowing from the east on our nose most of the way. There was a bit of a chop but conditions were comfortable and the boat handled the 2' seas easily. We had good seats for the air show as planes roared overhead from the Canadian National Exhibition. We made it over to CBYC by about 3pm just in time for the pot luck at 4pm. Had a nice dinner in the club house, and settled in for the evening. Sunday we explored Bluffers Park walking to the beach and following the paths that surround the club. Monday we headed back around 10am. The winds had been blowing from the east since Saturday so the lake was very lumpy with 4' swells. There was lots of wind when we started 15-18kts and we made good time getting the boat moving over 7kts SOG reaching with the wind about 150 behind us. As we approached Gibraltar Point, the winds faded settling in around 5-8kts. As we turned towards Port Credit the wind was directluy behind us so we motor sailed the rest of the way in. We were back by about 1pm and called it a weekend for boating.

Long Weekend at Fifty Point

2009-08-08T15:53:00.010-04:00

Over the August long weekend we sailed Victura over to Fifty Point on a club cruise with our friends Peter & Donna who sailed on Cassis. Conditions on the trip over were ok. We started out with very little wind and were motorsailing for the first few miles. The wind built as we crossed and we soon found ourselves with enough wind to sail. After 10mi or so of sailing, the wind shifted right onto our bow making it impossible to continue on our course under sail. The winds were now gusting to more than 20kts so we decided to motor the last 5 miles or so. ALthough I wouldn't call it rough, we had water splashing on the decks making it a bit of a rough ride. Getting landed into our slip was a bit of an adventure with the high winds, but we had lots of help on the dock (thanks Martin, Roseanne & Trevor). We stayed over on the Sunday as the weather was a bit off with rain in the forecast. We had a nice dinner in the restaurant and some pleasant walks around the conservation area. Our trip back was a good sail with wind around 10-12 kts most of the way. As was the case when we sailed over, the wind built as we got closer to our destination Port Credit reaching into the 20's. Again it was a bit of an adventure getting the boat docked back in our slip, but we had lots of help on the dock. A nice weekend that ended all too soon.

Weekend at the National - July 18/19 2009

2009-07-20T17:29:00.011-04:00

It was a busy weekend on the water. The Lake Ontario 300 race set out on Saturday from our club. It's an overnight race that covers 300nms down the lake and attracts about 160 boats. WE also had dinghy races with the Four Sisters and Steerers REgattas at the club which attracts racers of all ages from around the lake.

Our plan for the weekend was to sail over to the National Yacht Club with a few friends from PCYC. We set out Saturday morning around 1030 shortly after the race boats were clearing the harbour. To the sound of the traditional piper, the LO300 boats with us in their midst headed out into the lake. I think my picture below has maybe half of the fleet. After taking a few pictures we made our way under sail to the National. It's a relatively short sail east towards Toronto. The weather conditions were mixed with the occasional dark cloud that made it look a threatening. Wind conditions were 6-8 knots most of the way and there was no rain, but of course things got intersting when the wind picked up to 11-13kts when we approached the club and had to dock on the visitors dock with the wind fully on our beam. We managed with a bit of help to get the boat secured and getting our slip assignment, made our way into our slip without incident. After the boat was tied up and everything stowed, we headed over to Harbourfront which is only a short walk away. Lots of activity there and after grabbing some lunch and looking around a bit we returned to the club for some drinks. Dinner was in the Club's new Dining Room and it was a nice dinner. The club is located overlooking the western gap into the Harbout and the Island Airport. We saw the schooner "Guyama" that we always hear leaving the dock over the marine radio. The trip back was uneventful with dark clouds over us and the wind pretty much on our nose all the way back. A nice weekend.

Lazy Days in July

2009-07-20T17:23:00.004-04:00

We took a few days off on July and did some shopping and sailing. We managed to get Sara and Chance out for at least one sail.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

2009-06-14T21:13:00.000-04:00

We met up with some old friends last Sunday, Mark & Joanne Pearce, and went for a sail. Mark joined the Bank around the same time as Barbara and myself, and we hung around together in the 1980s. We hadn't seen Mark in many years and it was great to get out for a sail. Sunday was a beautiful day with just enough wind to move the boat along.

Sailpast 2009

2009-06-08T18:38:00.015-04:00

“Sailpast” is an annual event at PCYC and other yacht clubs around the lake. It's based on the nautical tradition that when you meet your superior at sea you are required to render the normal “naval salute” by dipping the Ensign (your country flag) and waiting for the response. It was decided a long time ago that it would be better to condense this tradition into one ceremonial salute at the beginning of
the boating season. The annual sailpast was thus created.

So it was Sailpast on Saturday. A beautiful day. We joined Peter & Donna Howells and Paul & Wendy Orava on Cassis, the flagship for the event. In case you don't know Peter is the Commordore, so we were right in the middle of things and had a birds eye view of the parade. As usual it started with the Peel Police Marine Unit, followed by the past commodores, the power boats and all the sailboats according to size. The photos below don't do it justice. All in all a great day.

A piper "pipe" all the boats as we leave the harbour

Peel Regional Police Marine Unit starts the parade.

Here comes the parade ...

Xandu - Jack & Linda Clark

Tecumseh - David Frid

Winds of Change - Rob & Sharie Bullinger

Peas & Carrots - Vince & Julie Wong

Peter & Donna Howells

Mayor Hazel McCallion

Guess Who?

1st Sail of the Season - 2009

2009-05-24T21:46:00.006-04:00

We made it out for our first shakedown sail on Sunday. It was a beautiful sunny day. Winds were 8-9 kts and the water was flat. We wanted to get out to try out our new genoa sail. It was made by Quantum Sails here in Toronto and is performance cruising sail. Racing fibre on one side and tafeta on the other. Everything went well. All the rigging looked to be in the right spots and all our electronics performed well. There wasn't a whole lot of wind, but it was enough to move us along 7 1/2 kts on a beam reach. We caught up with our friends on Cassis who left the dock shortly after us. We sailed for about 2 hours towards the Oakville border then turned around and headed back.

2009 Launch

2009-05-04T21:00:00.012-04:00

We launched Victura Saturday morning at 8:30am. Conditions were ideal; Just a hint of wind, sunny and mild. The launch went without a hitch. The harbour crew at PCYC moved Victura over to the travel lift at 830 and lowered Victura into the water. Victura's engine started on the first crank and we proceeded over to our slip without incident. My booking for stepping the mast was for 2:30pm, so there was plenty of time to help Paul Orava (Salty Hacker) and Peter Howells (Cassis) get their boats launched and into their slips. As the day wore on, the wind picked up and by noon there were brisk winds and storm clouds overhead. By 2:30pm the wind was blowing a good 15kts and rain was threatening. The rain however held off and our mast step went without incident. We headed back to our slip facing a brisk wind from the west. With some much appreciated help from our neighbours, we got Victura back and tied up without incident. As the day wore on, it was a mix of rain, strong wind and showers. In between showers, we tuned the lower rig and helped Paul get Salty Hacker over to the mast crane, mast stepped and back to his slip.
Sunday was a much better day, sunny and with clear skies. I climbed the mast around 11am with my TopClimber and tuned the rig at the first spreaders. As the day wore on, the strong wind returned making it a real struggle to get the main sail on. We finally finished around 4pm. All that remains now is putting my new genoa up and doing some fine tuning. All in all a successful launch.

Almost Ready to Launch

2009-04-20T20:20:00.003-04:00

Launch is still a couple of weeks away on May 2nd, but the weather here has been terrific, so I'm ahead of schedule. The last 2 weekends have been fabulous with clear, sunny and mild weather. SO VICTURA is now completely waxed and the bottom is painted with fresh VC17. The's a few odd jobs left, but we're in good shape and will be ready to launch May 2nd.

Spring has sprung!

2009-03-29T15:24:00.009-04:00

It's been a long cold winter here with lots of snow, but spring has finally sprung. It was a beautiful day on Saturday, sunny with temperatures climbing to about 10c by mid-day. My friend Stuart joined me at the club and we pulled the cover off Victura, rolled up the canvas and took the frame apart. Everything went smoothly and it was a beautiful day to work on the boat. This is our 5th winter using the cover that I purchased from the Top Shop in Kingston. Both the frame and canvas has held up well and I recommend it to anyone considering buying a cover. With the price of shrink wrapping going up every year, it's a much better option.

Next weekend if the weather is clear and temperature warm enough, we move on to cleaning, waxing and painting the bottom. May 2nd we launch.

Sailing Channel Video of Dufour 525 Flagship

2008-12-20T21:16:00.001-05:00

Watch Dufour 525 grand 'Large Sloop - HD Video in Sports Online | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

That's it for the season - Haulout 2008

2008-10-26T21:30:00.010-04:00

We knew it was going to be an interesting day Saturday when we awoke at home to the sound of rain pelting down on the roof. The weather forecast had predicted steady rain and strong winds all week long, and of course they were right. When we arrived at the club shortly before 8am on Saturday, the rain was coming down hard. I rushed down to the travel lift area decked out in my rain gear expecting to see the boat ahead of me already being hauled out. Of course, things weren't moving that fast. It wasn't until 8:20 or so that this boat finally made it over to the mast crane. After 20 mins or so the mast was off and I could move Victura to the crane. I had lots of help Saturday with Vince Wong (Peas & Carrots), Peter Howells (Cassis), Paul Orava (Salty Hacker) and my friend Stuart Gray coming down early to give me a hand. Paul's boat was due to come out right after me, and Peter after lunch. As we pulled Victura over to the mast crane, the rain subsided and we got a bit of a break. As the mast came off, the rain stopped. Everything from there went smoothly and we were even able to wipe the mast dry and wrap it up in plastic. Once Victura was moved to her resting spot in the yard we got to it doing all the winterization. On Sunday, I returned with Stuart and we built the frame for the cover, and despite strong winds and a very threatening sky put the cover on. With the cover on, the rain finaly came. That's it folks for another season.

Last Sail of 2008 Season - October 18th

2008-10-19T20:40:00.009-04:00

We managed to squeeze in one more sail for the 2008 season. Vince & Julie Wong joined Barb & I Saturday morning for a last sail. Conditions weren't great with only 4-5 kts wind and fall definitely in the air. We put the gennaker up and tried to get Victura moving in the light winds. Not making much headway and the lake being a bit lumpy, we took the gennaker down and sailed back to the club with the main and genoa up. WIth Vince & Julies help we were able to get the sails off the boat quickly and in their sailbhags. Thanks Vince & Julie for all of the help. At least we got out one more time.

Coming down to the end of the season

2008-10-13T18:50:00.007-04:00

On Sunday Barb, Jamie, Sara & Chance came out for what could be our last sail of the season. The weather here in Toronto this weekend was very warm for this time of year. With the sound of the travel lift in the harbour hauling boats we left about 2pm for an avernoon sail. Not a lot of wind but very relaxing just to get out on the water. We haul out on October 25th so we're hoping to get out next weekend for a last sail, before starting to derig the boat.

Annapolis 2008 Sail Show

2008-10-12T13:59:00.007-04:00

We decided this year to drive down to the Annapolis Sailboat show. It's a full days drive from Mississauga with lots of scenery on the way. The show was fabulous with lots of boats we had never seen before. The highlight of the show was the 70' Hinkley that we could have bought for a cool $3.5 million. Annapolis itself is pretty spot with lots of restaurants and places to see. We drove down on Wednesday arriving about 5pm at our hotel. Thursday was VIP Day at the show so the crowds were a down from usual. The weather in Annapolis was terrific with the temperature in tne mid/high 20's and lots of sun. We went back to the show on Friday to cover some of what we had missed on Thursday. Saturday we headed back with a detour through Emmittsburg and Gettysburg that were not too far out of our way.

Dufour at the Annapolis Show 2008

2008-10-12T13:57:00.006-04:00

Nice to see Dufour Yachts at the Annapolis show. They had 4 boats including the Grande'Large 365, 425 & 525. and 40 Performance. It's been a few years since Dufour exited the Toronto market. Would be nice to seem them back here soon. The new Dufours showed very nicely. The 525 was as expected spacious inside. The 40P of course would be choice among the boats.

Fall Sailing - September 28, 2008

2008-09-28T19:03:00.012-04:00

Sunday was a beautiful fall day with nice conditions on the water. Temperature in the low 20's and wind (at least when we started) about 10-12kts. We set out about 12pm and caught up with Julie and Vince Wong on Peas & Carrots who were on there way in. As Pea's & Carrrots pealed away Peter and Donna Howells on Cassis caught up to us and we sailed towards Toronto. The conditions were superb and we made good headway. We had a wind change and the wind gradually built to the mid teens with gusts into the 20's. We shot some video of Cassis healing in the wind. After a few hours and a building sea, we turned around and started back making great time. We had Victura doing 8.25 kts on the return leg surfing down some waves. When we entered the harbour, the wind was gusting to the mid/upper teens. A few of our neighbours were waiting on the dock to grab lines and we made it in without incident.

Last Day of Summer

2008-09-21T20:06:00.005-04:00

Lsst day of the summer and it was a beautiful day for sailing. Temperature in the high 20's and wind blowing from the south west at 10-15kts. With Sara and Barbara busy with other things, I took Jamie and a couple of his friends from school for a sail on Saturday. Chris (far right in the first picture) is from Paris, France and is in his 2nd year at U of T with Jamie. Mike (in the middle) is a friend from high school. We sailed out past Toronto Island making great time in the strong winds. Lots of boats were out and we had a great sail.

Cruise to CBYC

2008-09-01T20:43:00.011-04:00

This weekend we went on a club cruise to CBYC with about 40 boats from the club that headed across to CBYC. We club raced with a few other boats. Not a lot of wind for a race, but we had good seats for the air show as planes roared overhead from the Canadian National Exhibition. We made it over to CBYC by about 3pm just in time for the pot luck at 4pm. Had a nice dinner in the club house, and settled in for the evening. We had a late start on Sunday and headed back to PCYC around noon. The sail back was terrific as the winds were good at 10-12 kts and we had the wind on a beam reach most of the way. We again had good seats for the air show. We were back by 4pm and called it a weekend for boating.

Weekend Visitors

2008-09-01T20:37:00.004-04:00

We had some visitors last weekend on the boat. Rick & Sue Silver some friends from the Bank that we've know for a very long time. We relaxed on the boat, had a few drinks and dinner on the boat. We hope to get Rick & Sue out sailing before the seasons over.

Weekend Sailing

2008-08-17T20:10:00.007-04:00

We finally got the kids and Chance out for a sail on Sunday. With some storm clouds threatening, we headed out on the lake shortly after lunchtime. We followed our friends Paul and Wendy in Salty Hacker out of harbour and got a nice picture of them with their sails up. We sailed a a few miles down the lake towards Toronto keeping a watchful eye on the weather. After an hour or so the clouds seemed to move off and we had a perfect sail. The wind was blowing briskly from the south at about 12-18kts, and there were a few white caps, but conditions were great for sailing.

Cruise to Port Dalhousie

2008-08-04T22:18:00.009-04:00

We sailed over to Port Dalhousie this weekend with 6 other sailboats from PCYC. It was a regatta of sorts as we raced over on Saturday, which was interesting as the weather had a bit of everything, from dead calm winds to light showers, some nice winds to a violent thunderstorm that just skirted us shortly after we arrived at our destination. We placed third in the race (Actually 4th but Vince & Julie who organized the weekend disqualified themselves) which is pretty good considering we did the race White Sail and all of the boats ahead of us flew spinakers. We spend Saturday night at Port Dalhousie Port Marina and had a nice dinner with the group at Port Dalhousie Yacht Club. We returned back to PCYC on Sunday making it about half way under sail. The trip is about 25nms each way and a little more than half way back the wind totally died so we powered the last 10 miles or so. A nice weekend on the water.

Summer Cruise 2008 -2

2008-07-19T19:10:00.020-04:00

We left Cobourg early on July 10th for our crossing of the lake to Rochester, New York. It's about 50 miles across so it's a good run. Our friends Peter & Donna Howells on Cassis and John & Cyndi Martin, a couple from Michigan we met in Cobourg on their Moody 46 named Glass Slipper did the crossing with us. John & Cyndi are heading out on an extended cruise enroute to the east coast and point beyond. Conditions on July 10th were good with strong 15kt winds from the southwest and a clear sky. Underway, the winds built steadily to 20-25kts and the seas were lumpy with 1-2m waves building to 2-3m in parts. We made good time with our sails up and saw some great speeds 9-10kts surfing downwind. We arrived in Rochester about 1pm and after some miscues finding a slip big enough for the boat, and dodging the pilons that are all over the yacht basin, we finally had the boat tied securely to a dock. WE stayed at Rochester Yacht Club fro 2 nights and enjoyed facilities there. On July 12th, we headed out to Point Breeze which is about 30 miles west. The lake was like glass and we motored all the way. We stayed 2 nights at the 4'C's Marina. On the 2nd day, Peter & Donna joined us and we had a nice dinner together. On July 14th, we headed out to Wilson, which is another 30 miles west. Conditions were again not great with a 20kt wind right on our bow and 2 meter waves. On motor, we weren't making good time, so put the sails up and tacked about 10 miles out. Boat speed went up to about 7-8 kts, but we added a few miles to the trip. We finally made it to Wilson at about 3:30 with a very threatening sky. We secured a slip at the Sunset Bay Marina. In Wilson we had a very nice dinner at the Boathouse Restaurant and enjoyed the walk around the harbour. On the 15th we headed home. The lake was like glass with 1-2kt winds. One of the pictures below is of Toronto from 25 miles out in the lake. YOu can barely make out the bank buildings and the CN Tower. On motor we covered the 35 miles in about 6.5 hours arriving at PCYC at about 3pm. All in all a great trip. We saw the lake under a number of different conditions from dead calm to 2-3 meter waves on the south shore, and visited some interesting spots.

Summer Cruise 2008 -1

2008-07-12T21:11:00.011-04:00

We set out for our summer cruise in Monday, July 7th leaving the club about 9am enroute to our first stop at Whitby Marina. Our friends Peter & Donna Howells onboard their boat CASSIS travelled with us. Winds were very light going to Whitby so we were on motor the whole way. Whitby was easy to find and the facilities were great. Next day we were off to Cobourg, another 35nm east. Again the winds were very light and we were on motor the whole way. WIth the light wind and flat water the bugs (flies and knats were brutal). At Cobourg we joined about 30 other PCYC members who were there on a club cruise. Two days at Cobourg marina were terrifc. We had a nice dinner at Cobourg Yacht Club and had a relaxing time walking around Cobourg. We stumbled upon a concert at the Cobourg band shell and took in a couple of songs. Weather was great and the forecast for the trip across the lake was favourable.

New Gennaker

2008-06-15T19:05:00.005-04:00

We finally got out and flew our new gennaker this weekend. Conditions were perfect with the wind blowing a brisk 15kts and the water flat. We headed out on Sunday around 10:30 with Vince & Julie Wong and Peter Howells. A beautiful day to try out the new sail. Out in the bay we saw Spirit of Canada in the distance sailing. We returned to the dock at 1pm just as the storm clouds were starting to form.

Sailpast 2008

2008-06-08T23:09:00.014-04:00

This weekend was Sailpast at our club, where all the boats sail past and salute the Commodore and the other flag officers at the club. Saturday was a perfect day. Temperature on the water was well into the 20's and there was a 11-14kts wind. We were on board Peter and Donna Howell's boat Cassis. Peter is the Vice-Commodore Marketing at the club, so we were anchored with the other flag officers and watched as all the boats paraded by. The had a bag piper at the light house piping us out and back in again. It was a terrific day.

On Sunday, we headed out for our first sail of the season. Conditions were fabulous on the lake with the wind blowing briskly from the north and the water flat. We made 8.46kts on our return with the wind poking above 20kts. The boat handled superbly, and everything on the boat seemed to working fine. We sailed and for a few hours and headed back to our slip without incident.

A New (old) Cradle

2008-05-22T21:47:00.003-04:00

A little hard to see in the photo below, but I had my cradle altered by the the Cradle Shop here in Toronto. They took the cradle away shortly after launch and returned it to the club today. The bunks were replaced with 7 adjustable pads, and the cradle was adjusted so it will fold for storage. The club here has a bylaw that says cradles must fold for storage during the summer months. Having adjustable pads makes it easier to clean after haulout and do touchups on the bottom paint at launch. The Cradle Shop did a nice job using the good quality channel steel from the original Dufour cradle.

2008 Launch - May 10th

2008-05-11T18:21:00.015-04:00

We splashed at about 8:30 on Saturday morning. It was a hectic few days getting VICTURA ready. We took Thursday and Friday off work to build the mast and get everything ready. The weather was great and we managed to even put a coat of wax on the mast on Friday. Everything went really well. Our friends Stuart Grey, Peter & Donna Howells and Paul Orava helped us with the launch and mast stepping. (Thanks guys). Saturday was a long tiring day and we got a lot of sun. We helped Peter & Donna launch CASSIS and Paul's boat SALTY HACKER and get their masts stepped.

With CASSIS and SALTY HACKER in the water with their masts stepped, Stuart & I turned our attention to VICTURA and got going with the rig tune and stuff. We got mast tuned and put on the boom by about 7pm. I had to go up the mast on my TopClimber to the first spreaders to tune the rig. The view up there is terrific and I took a couple of pictures.

Sunday was a very windy cool day with the winds blowing 15-20kts from the east. Since the wind was right on our bow, we managed put the gennaker on without too much difficulty. With the winds building and rain on the way, worked on the fresh water systems and put the anchor on. We called it a day around noon Sunday. We'll do the main sail sometime later this week after the weather clears.

Still High and Dry

2008-04-20T19:31:00.003-04:00

Nice weekend here with temperatures making it into the 70's F. LOt's of action in the yard as this was one of the first warm weekends. I managed to the get the bottom painted with VC17 and about half the hull waxed. Launch is still a few weeks away, but I got a lot accomplished this weekend.

The Cover Comes Off - April 13th

2008-04-13T17:20:00.007-04:00

We got down to business on Sunday and took the cover off VICTURA. It was a long and cold winter, so it was nice to get going on the boat. Sunday was a windy and cool day, but sun was high in the sky and it was actually warm under the cover on the boat. The club yard was still pretty wet under foot, but all the snow is now gone and things are picking up. My friend Stuart came down and gave me a hand getting the cover and frame off. Next week hopefully, I'll have a chance to clean the boat hull and start working on the bottom. I'll hopefully have time to give her a good coat of wax before launch on MAy 10th.

Spring has sprung

2008-04-08T19:19:00.002-04:00

Spring has finally sprung here, as temperatures have finally shot up over freezing. We hit almost 60F here today, and the snow and ice are pretty well gone. It was a long cold winter, and there was some ice damage. The pic below is of the docks at Port Credit Harbour Marina. It seems the docks didn't fare too well in the ice. Fortunately at our yacht club, things are looking much better with very little damage.

No SIgn of Spring Here Yet

2008-03-09T10:47:00.005-04:00

So much for global warming. We received about 8 inches more snow here in a storm that swept in late Friday and continued all day Saturday. It was chaos on the raods and at the airport as this week is March break here and there are a lot of people heading out of town on vacation. We're heading for a record this winter with more snow than we have received in Toronto since the 1930's. I guess it's good news as water levels in the Great Lakes and specifically Lake Ontario have been rising steadily this winter; Lake Ontario is currently 26 inches over chart datum, and with this extra snow will be going higher. Let's hope we get a break soon as we're supposed to be launching boats in a month.

Miami Boat Show - Feb 14-15

2008-03-02T14:55:00.010-05:00

It's been a couple of weeks since we returned from Miami, and I am finally getting around to posting some pics from our visit. We had an early 6:55am flight out of Toronto on Feb 13th so had a really early start and a long first day. Overnight it snowed, so with the limo arriving at 4am to take us to the airport, I was out shovelling snow from the driveway and walks at 3am. The plane was about 45mins late leaving as there was 3 inches of snow on it's wings. We finally got off the ground and made it to Miami by about 10:30am. After collecting our luggage and securing a rental car, we set out for our Hotel in a place called Hollywood Beach which is mid way between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. We took it a bit easy the first day, as we were pretty tired. Next day, we headed to Miami for the show.
The Miami Boat show is quite spectacular, probably 5 times the size of the Toronto Boat show. There are several different venues for the show including a Strictly sail in-water show at Bayside, a power-boat in-water show at the Marriott and a trade show at the Convention Centre in Miami Beach. The trade show is in multiple buildings and tents outside. It's huge. We split our time between the 3 venues spending more time at the sail show. Lot's of big blue water boats to climb aboard including the usual Benteaus, Catalina and Jeanneaus along with the full Island Packet line, an Oyster, Pasport, Hylas, Outbound, Caliber & Amel centre cockpit 50+ footers. The class of the show was a Friendship 53 (pics below) built in New Zealand that goes for a a cool $2 million. Beautiful workmanship both top side and below, but a little out of our league. We checked out the power show and spent a bit of time looking at the Nordhavn and Krogen Trawlers. These trawlers are kind of neat as they use fuel sparingly ( 1.5 gal of diesel fuel per hour) and have a long cruising range (3000 miles). Very well equipped and very seaworthy.
Friday night we bought tickets for the Florida Panthers hockey game. They play out of a new rink in Sunrise, Florida which isn't far from Hollywood. Tickets for games are readilly available from the box office and you pay half what you would in Toronto. It's a little different of course. Don't think you will see cheerleaders and Peter Butter Jelly man at a Toronto Maple Leafs game anytime soon.
It was a fun time and the weather was great with temperatures in the mid 80's every day. We didn't get a chance to swim in the ocean, but had a couple of nice walks along the beach with our feet in the ocean. We're going to have to do this again next year.

A long hard winter

2008-02-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

It's been a long hard cold winter here. This picture was taken from the dining room of our clubhouse looking down on the harbour. The boats below belong to the diehard liveaboards who brave the cold and snow, and live on board their boats. We've had lots of snow this year which should help keep water levels up in the spring and summer. The last picture shows all that's left of the Lakeview Generating Station that used to be located next door. It's been completely removed and there's no sign of debris left. It's nice to see it gone, but it's going to much harder to find our way around the lake this season, as the generating station with its tall smoke stacks was a great aid to navigation on this part of the lake. Only a couple of months to go to launch.

Winter Wonderland - Dec 2007

2007-12-18T18:10:00.000-05:00

We returned from Florida on Monday to a winter wonderland. 25-30 cms of fresh snow had fallen over the weekend putting a blanket of snow over everything. I checked out VICTURA and shook some snow off the cover. There's lots of snow in the yard with some drifts about a meter in depth. The club got the plow through by the time I got down to the yard. The pictures below shots how things are looking at the lake.

Key West, Florida

2007-12-18T17:27:00.000-05:00

We just returned from a week at Key West and West Palm Beach where we celebrated our 25th Anniversary. It was a terrific trip with very nice weather. Temperature was in the mid 80's F every day and we saw a lot of sun. Highlights of the trip included dinner at Sunset Key and sailing on the 60' schooner HINDU.
The HINDU hails from Provincetown, Mass and is owned by Kevin Foley who rescued her from scrap and completely restored her. The HINDU was built in 1925 and has been all over the world. We set sail at 5pm for a sunset sail. There was just Barb, me and 2 chaps from Bath, England along with Kevin and 3 crew. Conditions for sailing were great with the wind blowing 15-20 kts and temperature about 80 F. We made 9.5 kts and easily beat the other tall ships in speed.

Dufour 34-P - Factory Pics & Drawings

2007-12-02T08:43:00.000-05:00

Some pics & drawings I pulled off the Dufour Extranet. For any Dufour owners out there, the Extranet is worth signing up to and getting access. The French site has far more information on it than the English one. Check out all of the D-34 reviews under technical information. Here in Canada, winter is upon us. We woke up this morning with 6 incles of snow on the ground. Yuck!

Pretty Sweet Eh!!!!!!

2007-11-19T19:26:00.001-05:00

Done for the Season

2007-10-14T18:27:00.000-04:00

This weekend the weather was cool and there was lots of action in the yard. The travel lift was busy all weekend as boats came out of the water. Stuart & I put together the frame for VICTURA's winter cover on Saturday. With a threatening sky and winds blowing 15-20kts we decided to come back Sunday morning to roll out the canvas on the frame. This is the 4th winter for the cover and it's holding up well. Both the frame and canvas look to be in good shape. The cover was made by Topshop in Kingston and I have no hesitation recommending their covers.
We have some rain in the forecast this week so VICTURA will stay dry and clean under the canvas. There are a few more things to take care of on the boat, and I hope to be able to put a coat of wax on her topsides before the cold weather arrives.

Haul Out - 2007

2007-10-08T20:05:00.001-04:00

Hard to believe but the season's over here, but with water levels dropping and the fall approaching it's time. VICTURA came out at 9:15 today under hot and sunny skies. The temperature in Toronto soared today to 32 degrees setting a record for Thanksgiving. We had lots of help getting VICTURA out with Vince Wong, Peter Howells, Stuart Grey, Barb, me, Sara, Jamie and Trevor. Everything went smoothly and there was maybe 7 1/2 feet of water at the travel lift. So the season's over and the weather forecast is calling for more fall like conditions for the rest of the week. Next weekend if the weather is clear, the cover goes on.

Last Weekend of the Season

2007-09-30T20:29:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-23T21:09:00.001-04:00

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

2007-09-16T21:52:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-09T17:33:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-03T09:55:00.001-04:00

Tuborg harbour north of Copenhagen

2007-09-01T19:30:00.001-04:00

Labour Day Weekend - 2007

2007-08-31T22:15:00.000-04:00

Last weekend of the summer. We took the kids with us on Friday for their last sail before heading back to school on Tuesday. Jamie's off to Victoria College, at UofT in residence for his 1st year and Sara's at UofT, Mississauga campus in 4th year. Conditions were beautiful on Friday, with temperature 25c and winds 10-13kts. We sailed across Humber Bay and had great view of the city skyline. There was lots of action with the various planes and jets practicing for the Air Show that runs at the CNE this weekend. We made better than 6-7kts most of the way and topped at 7.56kts in 13 kts wind. A perfect day.

Fair Winds

2007-08-26T22:06:00.001-04:00

Sunday was the better day this weekend for sailing. Saturday was a wash out with thunder storms and rain. We took Carl and Emma Ekin for a sail Sunday. Emma works with me at BMO and Carl is also a banker with Royal Bank. It was Emma and Carl's first time sailing in a keelboat and they seemed to enjoy it. Conditions were very nice with good wind for most of the trip going. On our return, we caught up with CASSIS and sailed part of the way back together. I caught Cassis in action trying hard to catch us. The wind however died shortly afterwards and we had to engine back. All in all a nice sail.

Dufour at the 2006 Annapolis Show

2007-08-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

TheSailingChannel sails with the Dufour fleet as the boats transit Annapolis Harbor to their berths at the 2006 US Sailboat Show.

Weekend Sailing

2007-08-19T22:17:00.001-04:00

We managed to get out Saturday afternoon for some day sailing. We left the dock around 1:30 and caught up with our friends the Howells sailing their Beneteau 343 CASSIS in Humber Bay. It was a funny day weather wise, a bit like swiss cheese on the lake, with lots of holes where there was no wind.
During our return trip, the wind kicked up to 16kts and we made good time. We caught CASSIS healed up with the toe-rail almost in the water. End of day Sunday, there was a pretty sunset as we packed it in for the weekend.

Spirit of Canada Update

2007-08-19T22:08:00.000-04:00

Spirit of Canada arrived back at "K" dock at PCYC this weekend with her new mast stepped. The carbon mast was built at Composite Solutions in Hingham, Mass.
After almost two years of building and preparing, the Spirit of Canada looks like she's almost ready to go. We understand the sails from France have also arrived and training and hospitality sailing will be starting within a few days.
The video below is from her rollover test in June.

Friendly Flotilla

2007-08-12T21:47:00.000-04:00

We were out on Saturday in a friendly race to the Clarkson Buoy with Ariba, Peas & Carrots, Hope & Glory, and Cassis. Ariba was the clear winner with Peas & Carrots not far behind, VICTURA, Hope & Glory and Cassis taking up the rear. Winds were ok getting to Clarkson and completely died on the way back. We gave up after a half hour or so on the return leg and engined back. We caught Hope & Glory in the downwind return with her sails fully out. Cassis gets honourable mention for being first back to the club on power. After the race, we had a pot luck feast on the dock to finish the day. A splendid weekend.

Summer Evening at PCYC

2007-08-12T21:41:00.001-04:00

I took these photos at the club one evening this week just after the sun set. A very relaxing way to end a day. The evenings are starting to get shorter with the sun setting around 8:30 now.

Winds Light and Variable

2007-07-29T22:19:00.000-04:00

We were on the water twice this weekend. Both days winds were very light and variable. Saturday we raced with Hope and Glory, Peas and Carrots, Cassis and Perserverence to the Clarkson buoy. It was a hazy day with winds that might have touched 8kts. After rounding the bouy (twice in our case) the winds completely died and ended up powering back to the club. We got a nice picture of CASSIS making good speed below.
Sunday we went for a late day sail, but the winds had shifted to the east and the water was very lumpy with rolling 3 footers. The winds were very light 3-4kts, so after an hour or so, we gave up and motored back in. Nice hot weather, but not great for sailing.

Before and After

2007-07-29T22:02:00.001-04:00

Hard to believe that a little more than a year ago, this is what Lakeview Generating Station looked like from the water. The station is beside our Yacht Club and they have been working on the site for more than a year. The smokestacks are now long gone and the building is gradually being hauled away. They say this is one of the biggest demolitions in Canadian history. The picture below was taken Sunday from approximately the same spot as the one above it. The plant is now hardly visable from the lake. Although everyone acknowledges the facility was an eyesore, it sure made navigation easy on the lake. At this rate the whole thing will be gone by haulout.

July Sailings

2007-07-22T21:24:00.001-04:00

We had the boat out twice this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Conditions were good with Saturday being the better day with more wind. Sunday was relaxing as the water was very flat, but winds were light. On Sunday we had the kids and Chance out for a late day sail. Everything went smoothly and we were back on the docks by 7pm.

Family Sail

2007-07-15T21:17:00.000-04:00

We took Sara, Trevor and his parents Heather and Joey for a sail on Sunday. Conditions were perfect with a good winds 15-16kts, flat water and sunny conditions. We had a lovely afternoon and it was a great intro to sailing for the Georgie's.

Rock and Roll in Cleveland

2007-07-14T20:59:00.000-04:00

We took a side trip to Cleveland last week, touring the Rock n'Roll Hall of Fame. It occupies a prominant spot on Cleveland's waterfront and is well worth a vist. Allow at least 4 hours as it includes 6 floors of exhibits and various multimedia presentations. The Pink Floyd heads below are replicas from the Division Bells album. There's a strict policy of no pictures of exhibits inside, so all I could take are some lobby shots and a picture of the building. In Cleveland we stayed at the Hyatt which is one of the city's most unique and historic accommodations. The hotel is located in the classic Arcade building in downtown Cleveland, built in 1890, and features vaulted ceilings and views of the intricate metalwork and the atrium's 100-foot skylight. And on every street corner in Cleveland a Fender Stratocaster. A great place to vist and only 4 hours from Toronto.

Canada Day Weekend

2007-07-02T20:11:00.001-04:00

The weather this weekend was up and down a bit with Monday being the best day for sailing. Saturday and Sunday was variable with dark storm clouds looming on both days and gusts of wind up to 25kts. On Saturday there was a downpour, and Sunday it just threatened to rain. Sharon was down for a picnic on the boat on Sunday and with the threatening clouds and strong winds we elected to not go out and just take it easy on the docks. Monday however was a perfect day. Jamie and Sara came along with Sara's friend Trevor. This was Trevor's first sail and he seemed to enjoy it.

Lakeview GS Implodes - June 28, 2007

2007-06-29T17:28:00.000-04:00

On June 28th, Lakeview Generating Station was finally imploded ending an era of sorts. Lakeview was one of the largest coal fired generating stations in the world. It's been out of service for 2 years; and the tall smokestacks were knocked down last summer. The original plan was for the building to be imploded on MOday at 7:30am, but they had to wait for the winds to be blowing just right. So on Thursday, it was finally brought down. Now the clean-up begins. They say most of this will be recycled.
There are plans to build a natural gas fired generating station on the site in the futures, but there will be lots of objections and this won't happen anytime soon. And whatever replaces Lakeview won't even come close to the size of the old facility. I won't miss this relic from the 50's, but will miss her as an aid to navigation as you could see her for many miles.

Sunday Sailing

2007-06-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

We sailed on Sunday over towards Toronto Island. Conditions were beautiful on the water with lots of sun and wind. Wind was a steady 15 kts, and we got Victura going close to 8 kts on a beam reach. Everything was terrific, until I realized that somewhere a few miles offshore my wallet managed to slip out of my pocket and fall into the lake. Weighed down by a bunch of credit cards, I'm sure it's now resting in 100 feet of water at the bottom on Lake Ontario. Boy what a hassle; now I have to replace everything ... and I'm out a few bucks too. I guess it could have been worse. At least I didn't have my Social Insurance Card, Birth Certificate or Passport with me or I would be in big trouble. I cancelled all my credit cards Sunday night, and I'll try to replace my Drivers License, Health Card and Bank Card Monday morning.

Cruise to Mimico

2007-06-17T21:05:00.000-04:00

We went for an overnight cruise to Mimico Cruising Club on the weekend. Mimico is short run down the lake towards Toronto. There were about 26 boats from PCYC that made the cruise. The trip down and back was uneventful. Lots of boats were out and about with the good weather. The wind going down Saturday was a bit better than on Sunday. Winds on both days were light 8-11 kts, with temperatures in the high 20's and sunny. Etobicoke Yacht Club (which is right beside MCC) had sailpast on Saturday so things were pretty busy in the harbour. At MCC, they have great facilities and docks. The fairways are wide with lots of room to manoeuvre, and a 35 foot dock is really 35 feet long ... The docks are also a bit higher making it easier to get on and off the boat. All in all a great weekend.

Shakedown Sail

2007-06-10T21:02:00.001-04:00

A beautiful weekend in Toronto. We managed to get VICTURA out for our first sail on Saturday and again on Sunday. With the kids busy (Jamie working and Sara out west), Barb & I took the boat out ourselves. Winds were light and variable on both days. I think we saw 11 knots of wind, just enough to move us along nicely. We sailed down towards Toronto, where we had a beautiful view of the Toronto skyline. The pics are complements of Donna and Peter Howells (Cassis) and Vince & Julie Wong (Peas & Carrots) who we sailed side by side with. The boat in the video is CASSIS. All in all a glorious weekend.

Back On-Line - New Batteries

2007-06-03T19:49:00.000-04:00

Hi folks .. I've been off-line for a couple of weeks dealing with a problem with the batteries on VICTURA. Shortly after launch, I noticed that one of the house batteries was leaking acid. Not sure what caused the problem, as no obvious signs of cracks or damage from freezing. I suspect some cells went bad maybe over the exceptionally cold winter we had here, and couldn't accept a charge. On shore power, the battery boiled over spilling acid. (If anyone has any other theories let me know). The boost cycle on the factory charger (CRISTEL CPS300) is putting out 14.3 volts and float cycle is 13.3 volts, so things seem to be working ok at the charger. In any event, the acid made a terrible mess and took a while to clean up. You can see below a picture of the original batteries. The white powder is baking soda that I used to neutralize the acid.
I had 2 problems installing the new batteries. The original factory batteries were HOPPECKE 8560 batteries made in Germany. The batteries have +/- reversed from the North American configuration. This meant the new batteries had to sit in the box reversed requiring some adjustments with the cables. Another problem was the size of the batteries. A standard Group 24 marine battery (very popular here) is too tall to fit in the battery box. I was leaning to putting AGM (leakproof) batteries in anyway, but these were the only ones that would fit. I finally settled on some DEKA Intimidator AGM batteries that I found for a good price at Bass Pro Shops just north of Toronto. These put out 750 CCA and are dual purpose deep cycle.
I finally got everything back together on Saturday. The picture below was taken from our new location in the club Saturday night. Today (Sunday) it poured rain, so hopefully will get out for a sail next week.

Launch 2007

2007-05-13T21:46:00.000-04:00

We finally made it to launch on Saturday, May 12th at Port Credit Yacht club. Everything went very smoothly this year. We were booked to launch at 8:30am with a trip to the mast crane at 2pm. VICTURA was actually moved into the travel-lift at 4pm on Friday so we could do a few touch ups on the bottom paint where the boat sits on the cradle. On Saturday, we were launched just before 8:30 and were able to move over to the mast crane right away for stepping. By 9am we were in our slip with the mast up, ready to set things up. Lots of fiddling and one trip up the mast to tune at the spreaders. Thanks to PCYC Harbour staff, Peter Howells and Stuart Gray for all the assistance.

Still Waxing and Al Gore

2007-04-29T19:06:00.000-04:00

Saturday was damp and cool, so we didn't make it down to the boat.
Instead we went to the "Green Living" show in Toronto. We had tickets for Al's Gores presentation of "An Inconvenient Truth". It was a great show. Some of the content has been updated since the version we saw at the theatre. Al delivered the lecture with no notes. We had great seats, close to the front. I was only able to take a couple of pics at the end of the show, as the lecture was delivered almost entirely in darkness with slides displayed on 3 large LCDs.
On Sunday, we headed down to the boat yard to do some more cleaning and waxing. Boats are now getting launched daily, so we're starting to see things clear out a bit in the yard. We launch on May 12th which is only 2 weeks away.

End of a Glorious Weekend

2007-04-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

End of a glorious weekend here in Toronto. Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw temperatures zoom up to the mid 20's with glorious sunshine on all three days. The boatyard was humming with activity with a steady stream of boats getting launched. I was able to do the bottom on VICTURA (We use VC17 here on Lake Ontario. For those of you unfamiliar with VC17, the copper colour turns blue in the water). On Sunday, I also managed to put a fresh coat of wax on the hull. The first photo was taken Sunday evening from our new slip loacation at PCYC as the sun was going down. We decided to move from "K" dock to "L" dock where it is pretty much all sailboats and less surge from the lake. What a great start to spring.

Spring 2007 - The Cover Comes Off

2007-04-15T12:24:00.000-04:00

With the help of my friend Stuart, we took the cover off VICTURA on Saturday. Everything went smoothly and the cover and all it's parts are now in my garage and basement. There was a lot of activity in the yard, as everyone is anxious to get their boats ready for launch. The weather here is still cool and there's a hint of flurries in the forecast. Saturday was cool with the sun occasionally poking through the clouds. There's rain in the foecast for the next 4 days. Hopefully we'll see warmer spring weather next weekend.

It's spring ... but it sure doesn't feel like it!

2007-04-08T15:17:00.000-04:00

It's officially spring here .. but it sure doesn't feel like it. We've had a couple of warm days, but the last week has felt more like November than April.

The pictures below are taken at the Port Credit Harbour Marina. As you can see, the ice damage there was quite extensive. I wonder if they will be able to fix in time for the boating season. The marina has already started to launch boats and this should be well under way over the next 3 weeks. Our club has also sustained ice damage, but they have promised to have it repaired by May 1st.

It's freezing here ...

2007-02-17T16:55:00.000-05:00

We're still in a deep freeze here. The harbour is frozen solid and there appears to be some damage to the floating dock system.
This cold weather that has persisted for the last month is expected to move out this week. The days are getting longer, so spring isn't far away.

Dufour Virtual

2007-02-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

If you have had no time to visit Dufour at the Winter boat shows ... take a virtual tour below
Dufour Virtual

Some Pics from Toronto Boat Show

2007-01-27T17:02:00.000-05:00

I attended the Toronto Boat Show last weekend. Nothing too new. Boats are definitely getting bigger and more suitable for living in than sailing. Both Bavaria Yachts and Hans had boats at the show along with the usual Beneteau, Hunters and Catalinas. The J-Boats, C&C's and Tartans are clearly a notch up on the other boats in quality and finish. Would love to see Dufour back at the show. They have not had a presence for 2-years now and with some great new models ...we miss them.

Spirit of Canada - "Finding Waldo"

2007-01-27T16:51:00.000-05:00

Anyone who contributes to the Spirit of Canada is entitled to have their name embossed on the side of the boat. See if you can find Waldo (me).
For more info on the Spirit of Canada check here:
Spirit of Canada

Mid-Winter Check-up

2007-01-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

Victura is resting comfortably at PCYC with her canvass cover protecting her from the elements. Inside things are looking a little disorganized with the cushions all on their sides so air can circulate. The temperature inside when the sun shines is actually quite comfortable. We hope to launch early in May and will start working on her in April.

Spirit of Canada Christmas

2007-01-03T21:58:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what a Vendee Globe 60 looks like minus it's keel out of the water. It's our Spirit of Canada sitting dockside at Port Credit Yacht Club. The picture was taken December 24th.

The second photo is of our docks with the Toronto skyline in the distance. Not exactly a white christmas here. No sign of snow and the temperature consistently above freezing. The grass is actually turning green with the mild weather.

Happy Holidays ... Ho Ho Ho

2006-12-21T17:31:00.000-05:00

The Harbour's Empty Now

2006-11-18T23:38:00.000-05:00

I went down Sunday and took some photos of the harbour at the club. The boats are pretty well all on the hard now and things are definitely looking pretty lonely. There's a few boats that will be spending the winter in the harbour, but most are on the hard.

There's a hint of winter in the air now, with some trace snowflakes every now and again. The colder weather and snow are coming soon.

On the hard at PCYC

2006-10-27T19:15:00.000-04:00

Not a lot of room for pictures with all the boats, but here's VICTURA with her Top Shop cover. It provides great protection over the winter months.

We assembled the frame Friday and put the canvas on just before the high winds and rain moved in.

That's it for the Season

2006-10-22T11:09:00.000-04:00

Well ... That's it for another season. We hauled out on Saturday.

It was a clear day but a cool 5-7c. Things went very smoothly. We moved the boat over to the mast crane before our 9am appoinment and the mast was unstepped. Other than dropping the clevis pin for my forestay into the lake, things went smoothly. The boat was then pulled into the travel-lift, lifted onto its cradle, power washed ... and by 10am we were parked on land in our resting place in the yard.

We finished winterizing the engine and water systems on the boat, and cleaned up. As the day wore on, the weather started to change with some showers coming in so we headed home.

I returned on Sunday to give the boat a good washing. It was pouring rain, but I managed to spray the decks off and cleaned any parts on the hull that the power wash missed. Our spot in the yard is conveniently close to both power and water.

On Friday, October 27th, we assembled the frame for VICTURA's winter cover and put the cover on. Again weather was ok when we started, but by noon the clouds had rolled in and by 3pm it was pouring rain. We managed to get the cover on and secured before the rain started.

So that's about it for the season ... I'll be checking the boat regularly. I'll need to think about some projects for the winter.

Last Sail of Season - Thanksgiving

2006-10-11T20:17:00.000-04:00

Some on-water action shots taken on Monday by our friends.

Maybe Our Last Sail of the Season

2006-10-09T21:09:00.000-04:00

It might have been our last sail of the season Monday. It was a pleasant day, temperature mild at 20c but some clouds had moved in and fall was definitely in the air. The wind was variable and light. We saw maybe 8kts, just enough to put the sails up and move us along.

We got of the dock late joined by Jamie's friend Patrick for his 2nd sail with us. It was pretty quiet on the water; I guess a lot of the boaters were having their Thanksgiving dinner on Monday.

We caught up with our friends Donna and Peter and their boat CASSIS a mile or so off-shore near Port Credit and took some pics. After a couple of hours we both headed in.

Hope we can get out one more time, but the forecast is calling for wet and colder weather and we need to start thinking about getting ready for haul-out.

CASSIS

2006-10-09T20:57:00.000-04:00

We met up with Peter & Donna Howells and their boat CASSIS just off Port Credit and sailed together for a while. We managed to get some nice pics and a video of their boat.

VICTURA in motion

2006-10-08T20:06:00.000-04:00

We shot this on our Thanksgiving sail. Not very much wind as you see, but a very nice day and very relaxing.

VICTURA on THANKSGIVING

2006-10-08T18:44:00.000-04:00

The weather in Toronto this weekend was beautiful. Temperature a very nice 20c and lots of sun. Not very much wind, 5-8kts but just enough for a relaxing sail.

Our boat comes out on October 21st, so this may be our last time out unless the weather co-operates next weekend.

VICTURA on a tack

2006-10-07T16:56:00.000-04:00

I shot this a couple of weeks earlier and finally figured out how to embed into my blog ... You can see we have a nice bit of wind and the boat is making good headway.

Our first October Sail

2006-10-01T18:23:00.000-04:00

Even though the clouds were ominous, we went out for a fall sail on Sunday. Winds were light blowing 5-10kts in the harbour and there was occassional sunshine. Jamie brought his friend Patrick along for his first sail.

Our first hour or so was pretty uneventful. Winds were light and it looked as though we might not get much of a sail in. The sky was getting darker, but it looked like the worst would pass over.

As the last of the dark clouds passed, the wind died momentarily and we were slammed by a gust blowing 25-30 kts. Fortunately, I could see it coming, so was ready to ease the main and let sail out. The boat powered up in the strong winds and we quickly were going over 8 knots. We eventially pulled the genoa in to its first reef point and started to head back. The wind was blowing a steady 20 kts with the occasional puff to almost 30 kts. The boat handles the wind well so we felt in good control.

We eventually pulled the genoa in and dropped the main before some rain started. We made it back to our slip and got docked smoothly. After 30 mins the sun was shining again. It was that kind of day.

Fall's In the Air

2006-10-01T17:55:00.000-04:00

We had our friends Rick and Sue Silver over to the boat on Friday evening . It was there first vist.

Rick and Sue are friends from work. I met Rick in 1978 when I joined the Bank. He was the Assistant Manager at the first branch I worked at. Barbara works with Sue in he same area in the Bank.

It was a chilly evening with fall definitely in the air. We had some drinks on the boat and adjourned for dinner in the clubhouse ... A nice evening with good company.