Launch 2011

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.