We were too cheap to pay for seasonal dockage at Bayfield this year so we figured we would launch and leave.
I mean Meredith our boat was in good condition right? So the plan was to launch at the outset of a weather window and head south broaching no delays.
Luckily for us Don Lindsay at Town of Bayfield Marina is a forgiving man with a sense of humour who mocks no man until that man has left the room. Meredith was not quite so ready as we naively believed. A few days after launch we set off for Sarnia and parts South.
June 22: Launch.
June 26: Windvane fails to hold a course. We sail on the hydraulic autopilot making 3.5 knots in 15 knots of wind. We are ecstatic. The wind was only 25 degrees off the nose. Meredith cannot sail this fast into the wind. Windvane repair added to Snag List.
Hydraulic Autopilot fails. We hand steer around a bunch of T storms and spend a nice evening at Sarnia Yacht Club.
June 27: Remove and rebuild Hydraulic Autopilot.
June 28: Set off down the mighty St. Clair. Uneventful motor and we make Windsor by evening. Heart attack ensues when we discover the dockage is $1.80 per foot. We arrange a pump out and spend a fanciful hour watching two "Plastics" in blonde hair and full namebrand outfits try to attach the hose to our septic pumpout fitting. Much too long and 8 pairs of medical gloves later we dock.
We play Welfare Recipient and take a Taxi to the liquor store. We need it.
June 29: Set off down the Detroit River. 30 minutes out of the marina our alternator fails. We decide to return to effect repairs. Of course the 30 minutes we had spent were downriver and there is a fair current. An hour later we limp into Windsor Town marina. Two and a half hours later we depart again having failed to ressurrect the alternator. We install the spare alternator. Bob is getting cranky. Connie is doing her damnedest to keep a proper spin on things. Detroit River is always an exciting passage. Wind out of the west when we make it into Erie and we have a pleasant downwind run to Pelee Island. Spend the evening with pleasant Ohioans who come to Pelee to get away from the party atmosphere in Put in Bay. They bring the party with them.
June 30: Winds are running 20 knots plus in the marina. The very pleasant Ohioans are unsettled. Must be the alcohol from last night. Meredith sets off after watching some poor fellow spun sideways by the wind into the corner of a dock. Bruise on the gelcoat there.
We are backing out of the slipway when the transmission lets loose one mighty WHACK and starts to shake like my first car. We put it out of gear and use the wind force to keep enough way on to limp back to dock and execute a turn into the slip. Ten guys are waiting to help us. (It was a very loud Whack.)
The tranny is connected to driveshaft by four bolts secured by nuts which are in turn secured by lock washers. Well, that is the theory. The guys who installed the drive shaft installed the lock washers behind the head of the bolts not on the nuts. This meant nothing was locked and the nuts had migrated off their mating units.
I threaten to rename Meredith "Sea King" after estimating I am spending two hours labour for every hour of forward motion.
Connie has strong comments trying to hold the ship together in the face of mutinous mechanic.
The local Co-op has the right size nuts for the transmission. Transmission reconnected, reguaged we set off. Winds are 20 knots.
But not for long. Wind speed climbs steadily to 25..... 26......27.......28. I assure Connie the wind will not maintain that speed and that the wind is artificially high as it is being concentrated by Point Pelee. "After Point Pelee" I proclaim the wind will not be this ridiculous 28 knots.
It wasn't. Ten minutes past Point Pelee the wind is 32 knts. It gains to 36 and holds. We are three reefs in the main and only the staysail up.
The hydraulic autopilot fails. Now we are hand steering and uncomfortable. Full cold weather sailing gear - three layers of clothing and the big ugly coats and waders with bibs. Connie takes the helm so I can reef the staysail and we are finally level or at least under 15 degrees heeled.
We get phone calls from our children that Connie's dad is not doing well. We elect to sail to Erieau and go home so she can see him.
We make Erieau and our daughter drives down from London to pick us up. Meredith spends the week in Erieau. Erieau has always been thought by us to be a bit of an armpit. We still think so but were glad to make its calm waters none the less.
Many thanks to all of our friends who helped over this week. John and Debbie, Richie and Ian were unstinting in their thoughtfulness and unselfish gifts of time and expertise.
Returning to Erieau after the week we solder a shunt into the circuit board of the autopilot and it seems to work.
We set off and overnighted to Port Colbourne. Winds are aft of the beam and we sail the entire way making a good 4.5 to 5 knots in pleasant weather.
Arriving Pt Colborne we call friends Randy and Donna who motor around Toronto on "Buttercup" and John Debbie who sail "Ambrosia" around the Greek Islands in preparation for the Welland Canal.