O Canada

Saturday, June 3, 2017 to Sunday, June 4, 2017

We left Smith Boys Marina at 8:30, after breakfast, and after Carey swept out as many sand flies as possible from the cockpit.  It was fairly windy and still buggy, so we decided to wait until we reached Erie Basin in Buffalo to put up the jib.  Our plan was to motor to Black Rock Lock, lock through, then go through a swing bridge, and go to Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo to get diesel and a pump out and to put up the jib.  We weren't sure where we were going today. Port Colborne is 29 nm, Port Dover is 72 nm, Port Stanley is 119 nm, Pelee Island is 200 nm, and Windsor is 254 nm.  A short day, a long day, or an overnight 36 hour passage. That is the question. The possibilities were endless. It looked like this would be our best weather window, so we thought we may go for the passage and see how far we can got.  

We arrived at Black Rock Lock at 10:00.  Then, we saw the sign: Weekend hours, open at 11:00.  Aaarrrrggghhh!  Okay, then, when you're given lemons, make lemonade.  We had an hour to waste, so we tied up to the side wall, just a couple hundred feet in front of the lock, and put our jib on.  It took us a couple tries to put the jib up, because we wanted to make sure that we put it in the right track.  We didn't want a repeat of last fall's fiasco when it got stuck.  (To remind us of the correct track, we just have to remember:  Right is right.  I.e., The right track is the right one.).  Once again, I was doing the grunt work.  How does that always happen?  I used the hand winch (no, not the electric one) to raise the jib halyard the 55 feet up, while Carey fed it into the track.  That's a lot of cranking!  We finished with the jib at 10:55. Perfect!  We entered the lock at 11:00 and we were out at 11:15.  By 11:20 we were through the swing bridge.  We went to the Erie Basin Marina and the fuel dock was open; no boats on the dock.  Yippee!  A diesel tank filled and two pump outs later, we were on our way into Lake Erie.  It was 12:30 pm.  

Then, we needed to decide where we were going.  I checked four different sources for weather forecasts and none of them agreed.  They didn't even agree with the wind that we were getting at that moment--all forecasts said we'd have light NW winds in the afternoon, but we were getting 8-13 knot SW winds.  Kind of hard to decide what to do when we have inconsistent forecasts.  However, by 4:00, we'd come up with a plan.

RC Wings' Sailing Plan for Saturday, June 3 to Sunday, June 4:

Crossing Lake Erie from Buffalo to Pelee Island over the next 24 hours. 

Can't get consistent weather reports, so we have built in bail out options. 

1. Sailing toward Long Point (Bail out Port Dover); ETA midnight
2. Sailing from Long Point to Rondeau (Bail out Port Stanley or Rondeau); ETA Port Stanley 6am; ETA Rondeau noon Sunday
3. Sailing Rondeau to Pelee Island; ETA 4pm

ETA at Pelee Island--between noon and 4pm Sunday. 

We had the sails up until 4:30 when the wind turned more westward and right on the nose.  We furled both and motored.  Carey donned his lifejacket and went out on deck to sweep away as many sand flies as possible.  If it's anything like the mayflies we had, we'll still be seeing their bodies a year from now.  I was worried about Carey falling overboard into the frigid lake water, but only the broom head took a dive.  That didn't stop Carey, though.  He grabbed the whisk to finish the jib.  After that, he pulled out his trusty Dyson and vacuumed up all of the bugs in the cockpit. Great way to get rid of them without smearing them everywhere. Carey loves his Dyson.  

For most of the day, the lake had been pretty calm, with the waves less than one foot.  Besides other vessels, we have to watch out for the wellhead markers that are all over the lake. The one we saw was a tall white cylinder.  Their locations are marked on the chart, so we shouldn't have any problem missing them, as long as we vigilantly check the chart. 

Later, we had supper and watched our first Great Lakes sunset in nine months. Still gorgeous. 

Just before 3 am, the rain started.  We were about 72 nm from Point Pelee by then, and travelling in the company of a couple of cargo ships.  We were running just a little bit off the shipping channel, so we didn't have to worry about a ship running up on us. We had each had a chance for a short nap, but it was very chilly, so it was hard to get comfortable.   We pulled out our toques, jackets, blankets, and sleeping bags to push back the cold.  The rain didn't last long.  

Then, at 6:00 am, it started raining again and the wind and waves kicked up.  We were 14 miles from Rondeau, so we had to make a decision--keep going and bucking the waves, or head for Rondeau.  I tried to get a weather update, but I couldn't get any cell signal.  So, I used the Iridium Go.  Great to have satellite as a backup. The PWE and PWG forecast models (used by North American forecasters) both said we had 5 knots of wind right then and onward. That's a joke.  Our gauge is saying 20 knots with gusts to 30!  The ECMWF forecast (European model) was much more accurate for the specific time I downloaded it and it said the winds should reduce to 10 knots throughout the morning.  Lake Erie is quite fickle. It changes immediately with the winds.  As soon as the winds pick up, we get waves, almost immediately. It also works conversely, though, too. As soon as the wind calms, the water flattens right out.  We turned a little more toward shore to help us hit the waves at a better angle.  We couldn't have more than coffee and granola bars for breakfast because it was too rough. 

At 7:30, we got hit with a thunderstorm, complete with lightning and a downpour.  However, by the time we threw all of the cushions below and donned our foul weather gear, the rain had stopped and the storm had passed.  

The swells gradually flattened a little bit, but it was still rolly.  It started raining again at 9:20, then stopped.  Started again at 9:40, and stopped by 10:30.  It was chilly and overcast.  

Carey tried to take a nap, because he was feeling tired and weak this morning.  He didn't sleep, but at least he rested for awhile. 

The waves started to build again around 11:00.  We needed to turn more into them to get around the shoal at Point Pelee, but hand steering was the only way to work our way back there.  If we turned the autopilot in that direction, we'd be crashing into some really big ones--about every third wave.  Even after turning, we were still crashing into waves, so we turned further left and then had to work our way back later.  

Our original plan was to go to Scudder Marina on Pelee Island, but my sister Diny mentioned that she thought Leamington had better services.  Plus, they sold diesel, so we reserved a slip with them. To get there, we either had to go around the Pelee Point Southeast Shoal or pick our way through it.  We found a route through with over 13 feet of water, so we aimed for there.  That route cut about an hour off of our journey and turned out to be a good decision.  

We pulled up to the fuel dock at Leamington Municipal Marina around 3:30, and they actually pump it!  Woohoo, we are back in Canada!  This is a beautiful and well-run marina, with beautiful, clean showers and choices of restaurants nearby.  I love to see all of the Canadian flags, and saving 40% on every dollar isn't bad, either. 

While we were docking a water snake swam by and then we heard a big splash and Carey thought he saw a beaver or muskrat under the dock.  There are hundreds of huge carp under the docks that are constantly splashing around, too. One boater said it was mating season for the carp.  

Now, it's time to call Customs, go for a shower and dinner at the nearby rib joint, Ray's. Fall off the bone ribs, just the way Carey likes them.

Monday, June 5, 2017

After a good night sleep, we left the dock at 8:20.  Leamington to Windsor is 47 nm, so that is our trek for today.  It's against the current in the Detroit River, so we won't get our 7 knots per hour, but we should still get there in good time.  It's such a treat to arrive at our destination by 5 or 6.  Before we reached the river, Carey had already vacuumed up the remaining bugs in the cockpit.  The exterior of our boat is absolutely filthy from the Chesapeake, the Erie Canal, and the locks.  Brown foam bubbles up in the locks and near the dams, and makes a lovely brown lacey stain on the hull.  Ugh.  We haven't had any free time for cleaning the boat, so that will be one of the first tasks when we get home. 

We have a 10-15 knot north wind today, which will be right on the nose going up the river.  That, along with the current, will slow us down.  Once we turned north into the Detroit River, we were going just over 5 knots per hour.  Too much wind and water pushing us back! 

Back in the river, we now have to have a freighter watch, mostly behind us.  They are sneaky little devils who suddenly appear right on our stern if we aren't watching for them. We don't want any of those surprises. 

We had a pleasant day on the river and arrived at Lakeview Marina in Windsor at 4:30.  After checking in, we were tied up to our dock by 5:00. Just in time for dinner at Lilly Kazzilly's.  Their menu is amazing and their food is delicious.  

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

We left Windsor at 6 am.  The wind was blowing us onto the dock and we had a sailboat ahead of us, so we had to back up, away from the dock and around the trawler behind us, and then we were able to turn out enough and move forward to miss the sailboat.  We have a 54 nm trip to Sarnia today.  

The wind was blowing around 13 knots.  By 7:00, the waves on Lake St. Clair were beginning to build and splashing over our bow. That's why we left so early, so that we could be across the lake before it became too bad.  It's amazing how quickly Lake St. Clair reacts to the wind (very much like Lake Erie).  It's an almost immediate effect--when the wind kicks up, you get increased wave height and when the wind lays down, so do the waves.  We were getting between 6.7 and 7.0 SOG in the lake. 

At 8:30, we reached the entrance channel to the St. Clair River.  Of course, we had a huge cargo ship about three miles behind us and coming up fast.  This channel is narrow with only 2 foot depths outside of the channel, so we didn't have a lot of room to get out of his way.  I radioed him and suggested that we move to the north side of the channel so he could pass us on our starboard side.  He said, "That works just fine, Captain," so that's what we did.  We needed to be careful, though, because we didn't want his wash to shove us into the shallow water.

By 8:50, our speed had decreased to 6.1 SOG.  The river current had kicked in.  

As it turned out, the turn to Algonac was right where the big guy would pass us, so we turned that way, out of the main channel, and let him by.  After he was by, we turned in behind him, hoping that we could pick up speed in his wake.  However, we were down to 5.5 knots. Just a stronger current here. 

We are getting gusts of up to 23 knots from the north today.  It's chilly and overcast, with some sunny breaks, but no rain so far.  

Mike Miller, from Bridgeview, called to say that someone put a boat in our slip, but he would have it removed by the time we get there.  Phew, I hope so!

Our welcoming relay started at 10:45 when we went by Ann and Tom McLaughlin's house in Port Lambton.  They were on the dock waving us by with a white scarf.  Great to see familiar faces, even from a distance. 

At 11:00, our SOG was 5 knots.  By 11:45, we were down to 4.5. By 12:00, we were only going 4.1. Ugh.  Our boat speed says 6.5, but our actual speed over ground (SOG) is 4.1, so we are losing a lot to current and wind.  The wind was howling all day.

Just past Fawn Island, a 4 by 4 piece of wood clunked off our hull!  What, are we back in the Erie Canal?  

Our second wave-by was at my sister Jeanie's in Courtright at 1:00.  She stood on her dock, freezing, and took photos and videos of us going by.  We were able to get quite close to shore by her house.  We tried to put the sails up for the photo op, but the main was flogging because the wind was right on the nose.  Bummer.  Minutes later, we went through a light shower and headed back toward the main channel.  

Once we were past Stag Island, we were getting a steady 20 knots on the nose with gusts to 23 knots.  Carey tried turning more toward the US shore in the hopes that it would cut off the wind somewhat, but the gusts were still high.  We decided to head as straight as possible to Bridgeview.  

Gusts of almost 27 knots by 2:00. 

This arrival reminds me of our last miles to reach Tortola, BVI. Tortuously slow and bucking high winds and waves.  I guess that makes the arrival that much sweeter. 

We arrived at the dock at Bridgeview at 3:30.  Regardless of all of the difficult docks we've encountered the past nine months, our own dock at Bridgeview remains to be one of the biggest challenges.  We motored past our dock, pulled a tight u-turn, fighting the strong wind, and motored back and slid into our dock.  Carey did a great job, as usual.  Our boating neighbours had encroached on our cleats, so tying up was tricky, but we got her secure. 

On this trip, we travelled 6,835 nautical miles (7,866 statue miles).  With that mileage, we could have crossed the ocean to Portugal and back!  

Our welcome home party consisted of Marie, Boh, Craig, Jo-Ann, John, Gail and Jeff, complete with champagne and strawberries provided by Gail and Jeff.  Everyone offered us one of their vehicles until we could get one of ours on the road, and Craig and Jo fed us dinner.  Great welcome home!  

Once we arrived home, we found a few issues.  The house was freezing and when we turned up the furnace, we realized the blower wasn't coming on.  Aaaarrrggghhhh!  I guess the house will be chilly until the technician arrives Wednesday evening.  Also, the batteries in both vehicles were dead as doornails and have to be replaced.  Just because we're on land, it doesn't mean the challenges will end.  Regardless, it's great to be home!

Thanks to all of our loyal blog followers.  We hope to provide more adventures for you in the future.  RC Wings, signing off...for now.