Winterizing 2018

Bellum was hauled out late in the season - November 5.

I say late because we did not make great use of her after the second frostbite on October 14.

After haul out, the weather became not to nice to cover. 

With seriously cold weather coming, I put up the frame in a panic on Tuesday, November 14, but was not able to complete it until the next Saturday, November 17 when I put the cover on and finished the details on November 18th.

November 15 was blustery and eventually on Friday, November 16, we had 10-15 cm of snow.

Friday, November 16 from Pierre

Sunday, November 18

stress crack on conduit connector

Friday late October Sailing cancelled

Friday morning, I checked the forecast and winds were now 22 knots gusting mid -30's.

Canceled

Too bad temperatures are 15 C.  Yesterday was almost freezing, Saturday warm and windy, Sunday freeze again.

Winds on Sailflow on my iPad

Winds on Sailflow on my desktop

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Windy night

Last night and this morning were very windy.  Good thing Bellum is well tied down.

Frostbite Two - We suck

Chris and I got to the boat early to change the headsail.  Maud came to observe/help.

Weather sounded cold and relatively windy.  We were all well dressed.  Norm came late(r).

Winds were supposed to be 8 to 12 gusting to 20.  We observed winds from 7-14.

We did get to the warmer temperatures and nobody was cold.  In fact, we cleaned the fridge of beer.  Not a bad day.

Everybody got to help a race.

As far as results, we sucked. Last Last and Last.  At least no DNF or DNS. WE SUCKED.

After the race, we filled up the diesel and pumped out ... probably for the season.  Hit the fuel dock damaging starboard nav light.

Allan at Helm

Norm at Helm

Chris at Helm

Warm October afternoon sailing on Redline

Nice afternoon sailing in 20+ winds on Redline.  Weather was warm.  It was just cooling due to the strong winds.

Night sailing back to harbour

Did a couple circuits and anchored at Dowkers for BBQ steak dinner. 

Came back in the dark

Frostbite One

Chris gave me a lift to the boat.  Maude met us aboard and we departed at 8:50 under headsail to the race area.

I helmed the first race, Maude handled the main and Chris did the winches.  Chris helmed the second and third race.

The headsail had a rip on the leach line cover.  After the first race, the leach line got caught in the spreader and we were forced to take down the headsail and cut the leach line.  We started the second race very late.

We came back in the cold and warmed up with a little rum.  Nobody was interested in the cold beer.

The first race we came in 10th and 11th for the second and third race.

Pas de Deux avec Maud

Audrey was not available so I asked Maud to race the Pas de Deux.  She eagerly accepted. It looked cold on race morning, but she was still keen.

I drove to the club dropping by Maxi to pick up my bike that was left there on Wednesday.

We left the club with the headsail and sailed to the race area.  Chaos was registered, but she did not come out.  Nobody from the Royal came out.

Good start at 9 minutes 9 seconds after the scratch boat.  We sailed okay but came out 23 out of 28 boats.  It wasn't so cold.  Docked at PCYC and had their famous chili.  Bill came by and sat with us.  Frank Ferrara came by and chatted.  We talked about running out of gas and aviation and it turns out that Frank took ground school with me (Teacher was Huguette) and he remembers me giving him a drive from the airport to the Metro in my old Volkswagon with the fuel management system back around 1981!  Last week we met Todd Riley from WHS.  Who's next?

We left PCYC about 5 and motored back to the club and had a glass of wine and headed back home.

Maude accepted coming again tomorrow for Frostbite 1.

Single handed windless Wednesday

I left the office at 3 to do some sailing.  It was windless and suppose to pick up about six.  Biked to the club. Thursday was supposed to be cold, very windy, and rainy.

Motored past the gut, put out the sail, drifted, pulled in the sail, drifted towards gut, motored past the church, put up the sail, did not work, furled sail.  Got cold, put layers of clothing including Mustang.  It worked.  Drifted some more, too cold to cook on the water, winds picked up, pulled the jib and nice sail back to the club.  Had a scotch, burger, and beer.  Chatted with Veronica and Norm.

Biked to Duffy's to meet up with Shana and GiGi but they could not get there because they were paving the service road.  I biked to Dorval Ave and took the 211 home, leaving the bike at Maxi's.

A quiet day.

Rum Runner Race on d'ad-lib

William called out for crew for the Rum Race at PCYC so I took him up on it.

The crew consisted of Bill, Gaby,  Deirdre, me and Todd who has not sailed for 47 years and went to WHS with me in grade 7 and 8.  Blast from the past.

My tasks were mainsheet.  The race started late because there was a power failure, delaying the launching of dry boats.

We came in fourth but we won the other bottle of rum as part of the lucky draw.

Our Captain

After the partying, I went back to the club.  Was not successfully retrieving my dingy anchor.

Took a nap and went to Bombay Palace Restaurant at 5PM.  Sunday I went to the club to help Jimmy fuel up, pump out and remove the sails.  Too cold to sail. 
Went to PCYC AQVA meeting and then loaded up the car with stuff to take from club to St. Amboise.

Friday sailing on Redline and Pasta night

Nice sailing in light winds.  Pasta Night apres.

White Sail Results 2018

We missed 12 races and still came in 3rd.

GNS Fall 3 - Final race

Norm and Chris joined me for the last Fall GNS race in long pant weather.


Winds were oscillating slowly but consistently.

We came in 4 out of 7 and 6 out of 8. Allan helmed both races.

Near contact with a Shark at windward mark on the second race.  His bow on our starboard aft corner.

Laser 28 championships were happening at the south side of the lake.

We came back to the harbour very slowly as the mercury rose.

Late afternoon sail with Manon

I went to the PCYC fleamarket and bought out the tables.... geez..

The big items I bought were a Link-10 and a second Magma Trailmate BBQ.  Got to compete with Redline!

I tried to get some tickets for the Mechoui. Janet took down my phone number, but the waiting list was rather long.
















Manon was supposed to come out with me Saturday at 2:30 but it was too cold.  We agreed she would come down later for a drink.

I installed the BBQ and cleaned up the locker and other boat work.  Also made a hatch cover for the V-berth.

Talisman went out for an hour sail and then took down the sails.  I guess their season is finished.

Manon showed up about 3:30 and I decided we'd go out for a sail.  She was cold. 

We motored to the gut in a west wind, sailed with the headsail to Beaconsfield and back but we were too early for the sunset.  My miscalculation and her comfort.  It was cold.  Got her a blanket.  She had not sailed for four years.

We did see the sunset and the moon from the cockpit of Bellum. 

Supper was country pork chop with rosemary and mayonnaise preceded with Jameson and Three Crimes.  It was preceded by Jameson.

She left at about 9:20 ish and took care of her cat.

I slept aboard with the new shade for the V-Berth hatch.  Sept until 8 AM.

GNS Fall 2

Winds were light and there was no time to change the headsail.

We motored to the race area and interrupted another race - the Fireball start. We figured it out just before Alec came told us we were at the wrong race.

We did not do well in the first race.  Very busy start, we were about 50 seconds late in a very crowded start.

The second race happened in very light winds.  We made it to the windward mark but could not get to the gybe mark.  After about 20 minutes we abandoned.  Only d'ad-lib finished the race in our fleet.  He was ahead of all of us anyways. 

We bbq some hot dogs for lunch as we drifted around.

Then we decided to swim, so we motored to the sandbar.  As I was about to anchor, Chris said he had to be back by 4 and said not to anchor, so we just jumped in to cool off and returned.  We should have just swum while doing lunch.  We did not have to go to the sandbars.

Came back to the harbour, Chris left and Norm and I chatted a little then I gave Bellum a good washing and gave Audrey a lift home.

Sandbars and Kahnawake marina

A lonely weekend alone on the lake.

On Friday Jimmy had to cancel sailing because her seamstress called in sick and he had to close the shop at six

I went to the club.  I was going to help Ted with Cygnus.  Ted was on the lawn having an Ice Tea.  I told him I would meet him at the boat in 10 minutes.  I had to put the groceries away.  Scott had charged Ted's batteries and Ted left the motor running to charge the batteries.  <gees>.  Took me 15 minutes to put the groceries away and checked my oils.  I came to Cygnus and the motor was off. I went to look for Ted but apparently, he had left.

I left the harbour at 4.  Sailed the club channel to the sandbars with just the headsail doing 2-4 knots. Winds died as I anchored.  Zig-Zag, Fugu and Gaucho came out later but probably never made it to the gut.  Beautiful sunset.

Gaucho sailing

Next day I got up and there were no winds.  I told Manon and she decided to cancel so she could work on her new CRM.


Audrey sailed by the church and I texted her.  She sailing well.  Shortly after that, the wind died and she came to the sandbars, about 1/2 a mile west of me.





Then the winds picked up, I put up the sails and sailed for 45 minutes and then the winds detdeterioratedI anchored near Gaucho and dinghy to her for a beer.  Later they took off with the spinnaker and I came back on Bellum.

On the way to Kahnawake

I took a nap and at 5:30 decided to go to Kahnawake marina.  The sun was setting and I gunned it through the zig-zag channel.  The dinghy got swamped.  The D-ring tore off and lost the paddles and yoga mat.

Docked at the marina. Landon Goodleaf, the manager bought me a beer.  Nice place, nice people.  Could not handle another beer if I wanted to safely leave the marina and anchor.  There was no food and I was getting hungry.

Left the marina and anchored just outside the breakwater, had some chicken and slept well.




The next morning I motored back to the club.  The anemometer was covered by spider web so I docked at the service dock, did a pump out and carefully maneuvered the boat the sheer legs and de-spidered the anemometer and straightened the tails of the windex.

Motored back to my dock to charge the battery a bit and wash the deck of all the bugs from two nights at anchor.

Norm and Chris showed up 20 minutes later before I could give the boat a good cleaning, but the cockpit was proper.  We raced.  (next blog entry)

GNS Fall 1

Chris and Rod came out for the first Fall GNS

We probably came in second in the second race.

A long wait for the second race.

Winds were better than I expected but we might have done better if we had taken the effort to put up the 155.

The crew did very well. Chris helmed, Rod handled main and releasing as I tailed and winched.

Very focused and managed outhaul, backstay and used the pole.

We were Second overall

We came in second overall.



Saw the C-Class on the way back to the club.

Did an oil change on the engine and transmission.  Transmission oil was dirty considering there were only 60 hours on the transmission.

C-Class Catamaran

Great Meet up

Leila and I went out sailing in fluky light winds. We would have shifts of 180 degrees.

The weather was a little cool compared to what we have been used to, but it was not so bad as long as we were not shaded by the sails.  We anchored near Elixar and swam and then circled the lake once more.

Delicious supper at Punjab Palace.

Picked up Lynda at YUL afterwards.

Laser 28 in the rain

About 11 AM, Audrey, Maude and I took Gaucho out.

I was not expecting rain so I had no foul weather gear.  We got drenched.  Winds were good.  We put in 10 litres of diesel and then put up the sails as we left the fuel dock.  We sail abeam a little past the gut and back.  Rain le[t starting and stopping.  Radar showed green and yellows.

We had lunch aboard Gaucho and we came home, dropping Audrey at the car rental on St. Jacques.

Labour Day raft up party

I declared a raft up party on Labour Day weekend on Facebook.

Jimmy Audrey and Maude joined us on Bellum.  Winds were light and it was 3PM when we finally departed.  We motored and found Redline anchored with fenders out.  We tied up to him. Fugu with guests came around and anchored by himself.  Zig Zag came and tried to anchor and we invited them to rafted up with us.

Swam and tried out the SUP and the Torqeedo

Supper aboard the good ship Redline.

About 8, we separated and race Zig Zag to the club in the dark with a nice wind.

I slept aboard.