Well it was an unseasonably warm 16 degrees Celcius today - the first day of Spring. With the snow melting and the warmer weather, we decided to go check on My Obsession to make sure the warmer weather hadn't softened the ground and compromised the stability of the boat on her jackstands. Happily, all is well. Unfortunately, a nearby boat in the storage yard fell over at the beginning of the winter causing itself some serious damage. It has made me a bit paranoid I confess.
The harbour was clear of ice and with the balmy weather, I couldn't help but feel the itch to get going on the little boat projects necessary to get the boat ready to be launched. Alas, it is still too early, but my mind is already churning with plans for the upcoming sailing season. A season which can't start soon enough for me! The countdown is officially on I think.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sailing in Hawaii
It has been way too long since we posted to this blog. Once My Obsession was put up on the hard for the winter, we have been very focussed on work and not so much on on all things sailing. We did have an opportunity to go sailing on a 53 foot catamaran while in Hawaii this winter. Somehow, it seemed strange to be sailing along at 10 knots, but not heeled over! The weather was beautiful. The whales and dolphins were plentiful. The sun was warm. Wonder if we will ever sail in the pacific on our own boat?
Monday, October 31, 2011
An Update
It has been over a month since we returned with My Obsession from Cape Breton and an amazing 5 weeks in the Northumberland Strait and the Bras D'Or Lakes. After we returned to PEI we only managed to squeeeze in one final day sail before we had to have the boat hauled at the end of September. October has passed in a flurry of work and activity, preparing for the colder weather which is steadily approaching. Winterizing My Obsession was a bit more complicated than it was to winterize Obsession 305. The boat systems are still somewhat unfamiliar and just tracking down all the connections takes time.
Now, My Obsession sits on the hard in Souris, PEI, fortified against the wind and weather and quietly waiting for another adventure in 2012. This season saw us travel from New Jersey up the coast to Nova Scotia, around to Souris, PEI, up the Northumberland Strait as far as Buctouche and then to Cape Breton and the Bras D'Or Lakes. We sailed a total of 1750 nautical miles this season and spent 84 nights on board.
The past few weeks, we have been following the adventures of our friends, Chick and Cheryl on Great Habit as they begin a year sailing in the Carribbean. We wish them fair winds and safe passages. Follow Great Habit's blog if you are interested.
A trip to Ottawa over the Thanksgiving weekend meant no trip to the Annopilis Boat Show this year for us. But, the Miami show is coming up in February...
Now, My Obsession sits on the hard in Souris, PEI, fortified against the wind and weather and quietly waiting for another adventure in 2012. This season saw us travel from New Jersey up the coast to Nova Scotia, around to Souris, PEI, up the Northumberland Strait as far as Buctouche and then to Cape Breton and the Bras D'Or Lakes. We sailed a total of 1750 nautical miles this season and spent 84 nights on board.
The past few weeks, we have been following the adventures of our friends, Chick and Cheryl on Great Habit as they begin a year sailing in the Carribbean. We wish them fair winds and safe passages. Follow Great Habit's blog if you are interested.
A trip to Ottawa over the Thanksgiving weekend meant no trip to the Annopilis Boat Show this year for us. But, the Miami show is coming up in February...
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A clean(er) anchor
Earlier years, although we were pretty self-contained, our main limitation was refrigeration. Having only an ice box meant that we had to come onto land to get ice every second day, or risk food going bad. Since that meant pulling up to a dock, our routine became a night at anchor, followed by a night (or multiple nights) at dock.
Now we have a refrigerator and freezer. This greatly extends our independence, and we will stay out at anchor for multiple nights. It also allows us to take a mooring when we want to be closer to land. For instance, on our current trip to Cape Breton, we have been at a mooring in St Peter's instead of on dock. Since we generally spend quite a few nights here to visit family, it is a big savings - $25 per night on mooring, as opposed to about $55 on dock.
That brings me to the second item that enhances our abiity to anchor - Ducky. This is our dinghy, which gives us a bit more freedom of movement without having to bring up the anchor. It also makes mooring possible, since we use Ducky to get back and forth from shore. I think Ducky has paid for himself in the one summer we have had him.
Also, handling the anchor on My Obsession is much more pleasant. One thing you learn quickly when anchoring is that underwater mud is messy and stinky. Previously, I pulled up the chain by hand. I had a dedicated pair of gloves that I used, which would get mud coated and would really smell. All that mud would end up in the anchor locker, which was always a mess.
Now, we have an electric winch on the bow, which pulls up the anchor. In addition, there is a washdown hose that we can use to clean the anchor chain as it comes on board. Much nicer and cleaner than our earlier arrangement. Anchoring is so much more pleasant now, and we can enjoy the best parts of cruising more than ever before.
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Mid water transfer
We arrived in St. Peters, Cape Breton on Friday last week and have been enjoying a week visiting with family, sailing and working. We took a mooring at the St. Peters Marina and spent Saturday and Sunday taking day sails into the Bras D'Or Lakes. Monday was a work day. On Tuesday we sailed up to Baddeck and have been here since, working and enjoying Baddeck.
When we are in Cape Breton, it is always fun to take family out on the boat for a day sail. Anchoring in a sheltered cove, barbequing something for lunch and then swimming off the boat is a favourite activity. Last Sunday we set out for such a day trip with Nancy and Gerry, my in-laws. The wind was favourable, so we slipped off the mooring under sail and headed into the Lakes, towing our dinghy, Ducky, behind. The wind was light, but we were in no hurry, so we were sailing along under jib alone, at about 2.5 to 3 knots. This was probably a good thing because we had forgotten to lift Ducky's outboard engine up out of the water.
Although I called to Jay, who was still coiling our mooring line on the bow, to pull in Ducky and lift the engine, I was too late. I watched helplessly as Ducky's engine snagged the really long float line on the pennant of a nearby mooring. Before Jay could move the length of the boat, the line snapped and the float, wrapped around Ducky's engine, floated out behind us. Jay pulled Ducky in and, even though we were still moving, he jumped into Ducky and lifted the engine. It took him only a few seconds to unwrap the float and rotting piece of line from around Dcky's engine. So there was Jay sitting in Ducky, being towed along, holding onto the now rescued float. "We should reattach it," I called to Jay. He agreed and suggested that if I untied the dinghy he would motor back and reattach the float, then catch up to us. After all, with only the jib out and in light winds it should be easy to catch up.
There was a small wrinkle in this plan as he had jumped into Ducky without the red cord that is needed to start the engine, and now he was trailing 30 feet behind us, the dinghy having floated out as soon as he had jumped inside. I told him to hold on, as I readjusted the foresail to compensate for a wind shift and I grabbed the red cord. By pulling on the line tethering Ducky to the boat, he pulled close enough so I could hand him the red cord. I then untied Ducky and set Jay and our little inflatable dinghy free.
Jay's mother seemed to handle with aplomb the fact that I had just set her son adrift in the dinghy behind us and we were beginning to rapidly sail away from him as the breeze freshened. Jay did get the engine started and motored back to the mooring ball to fish the long pendant out of the water and reattach the float. Noticing how much distance we were putting between us, I decided to tack around and start sailing back towards Jay, not sure he would be able to easily catch up otherwise, as we have never tried mid water transfers under sail before.
I, for one, was thankful that we were under jib alone, making the sails easier to singlehand. Jay finished tying the float on to the mooring pennant and started motoring back toward us. Now the trick was to get Ducky reattached and Jay back aboard while under sail. Luckily Jay was thinking more clearly than I was as he suggested I heave to. I did so, backwinding the foresail and keeping the rudder hard over so that the force of the wind and the rudder effectively stopped the boat, keeping it in one place. Jay motored up, handed me Ducky's towline and climbed aboard. Within minutes Ducky was secured, with the engine lifted this time, and we released the sail and resumed sailing. Two mid-water transfers completed, with one of them under sail!
The rest of the day was perfect. We sailed leisurely to Cape George Harbour where we anchored, grilled lunch, played cards, swan and lazed in the sun. What a beautiful day!
When we are in Cape Breton, it is always fun to take family out on the boat for a day sail. Anchoring in a sheltered cove, barbequing something for lunch and then swimming off the boat is a favourite activity. Last Sunday we set out for such a day trip with Nancy and Gerry, my in-laws. The wind was favourable, so we slipped off the mooring under sail and headed into the Lakes, towing our dinghy, Ducky, behind. The wind was light, but we were in no hurry, so we were sailing along under jib alone, at about 2.5 to 3 knots. This was probably a good thing because we had forgotten to lift Ducky's outboard engine up out of the water.
Although I called to Jay, who was still coiling our mooring line on the bow, to pull in Ducky and lift the engine, I was too late. I watched helplessly as Ducky's engine snagged the really long float line on the pennant of a nearby mooring. Before Jay could move the length of the boat, the line snapped and the float, wrapped around Ducky's engine, floated out behind us. Jay pulled Ducky in and, even though we were still moving, he jumped into Ducky and lifted the engine. It took him only a few seconds to unwrap the float and rotting piece of line from around Dcky's engine. So there was Jay sitting in Ducky, being towed along, holding onto the now rescued float. "We should reattach it," I called to Jay. He agreed and suggested that if I untied the dinghy he would motor back and reattach the float, then catch up to us. After all, with only the jib out and in light winds it should be easy to catch up.
There was a small wrinkle in this plan as he had jumped into Ducky without the red cord that is needed to start the engine, and now he was trailing 30 feet behind us, the dinghy having floated out as soon as he had jumped inside. I told him to hold on, as I readjusted the foresail to compensate for a wind shift and I grabbed the red cord. By pulling on the line tethering Ducky to the boat, he pulled close enough so I could hand him the red cord. I then untied Ducky and set Jay and our little inflatable dinghy free.
Jay's mother seemed to handle with aplomb the fact that I had just set her son adrift in the dinghy behind us and we were beginning to rapidly sail away from him as the breeze freshened. Jay did get the engine started and motored back to the mooring ball to fish the long pendant out of the water and reattach the float. Noticing how much distance we were putting between us, I decided to tack around and start sailing back towards Jay, not sure he would be able to easily catch up otherwise, as we have never tried mid water transfers under sail before.
I, for one, was thankful that we were under jib alone, making the sails easier to singlehand. Jay finished tying the float on to the mooring pennant and started motoring back toward us. Now the trick was to get Ducky reattached and Jay back aboard while under sail. Luckily Jay was thinking more clearly than I was as he suggested I heave to. I did so, backwinding the foresail and keeping the rudder hard over so that the force of the wind and the rudder effectively stopped the boat, keeping it in one place. Jay motored up, handed me Ducky's towline and climbed aboard. Within minutes Ducky was secured, with the engine lifted this time, and we released the sail and resumed sailing. Two mid-water transfers completed, with one of them under sail!
The rest of the day was perfect. We sailed leisurely to Cape George Harbour where we anchored, grilled lunch, played cards, swan and lazed in the sun. What a beautiful day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)