Single Handed Pursuit Race postponed

Again, lots of rain, maybe thunder.

Was canceled Friday night so we did not have to come in, which I was not willing to do anyways.

FFR Eve and Jimmy

We were expecting 4-6 knots, got a steady 10 knots.

I invited Eve and she accepted.  She even released the sheet on tacks.

A great evening for all - but it was a long race.  Over an hour.  No spiders.

There was music on the lawn and tables were all reserved, but at 8:55, we got a table that was not to Jimmy's liking because it was too low so he left and I joined Elizabeth and her crew Keith and Gerry and his wife Sharon.

It was decided that the Singlehanded Pursuit Race tomorrow will be postponed till September 19.

Rachel

I met with Rachel in Westmount to cycle to the club.

There was light to no winds and a very light sprinkling of rain.  Unlike the last two days before.

We motored to the channel about 1ish and it took us about three hours of ultra-light wind sailing to get us to the Gut where we got a few knots of wind to get us moving over 5 knots.  We had lunch and chatted in the channel.

The clouds were subtle wavy and kind of like low cirrus clouds and as interesting as

Rorschach Test.  

A nice sail and we watching the racers come out for the race.  There was not going to be much of a sunset with the clouds so we sailed back to the club.

Rachel loved Quetzal II  especially her double mast and the burgundy colour and shape of her hull.  She thought it would be a great idea for me to buy it and my ideas of adventure in the high seas to Burmuda.

We packed up the boat and I forgo my thoughts of sleeping aboard to escort Rachel back to town in the dark.  She was not fully familiar with the cycle path back home.

Windy sail with Patty

It was 11 degrees when I woke up.

Shelley had to cancel due to sinus infection.  Patty was eager to go so we went out on a cool windy day.

She arrived at 11:15 and we motored to the channel and I opened the jib too early realizing the winds were more west than northwest.  I furled again and motored to the gut, sailed to Baie d'Urfie and back returning about 1:30.  Very fast sailing up to 7.1 knots in winds gusting to 20 knots.  Heeling with water rushing over the port gunnel.

I realized that Patty, from a very nautical family, has never actually sailed before. Her great uncle was a founding member of the Royal.

After she left, I redid the shaft packing and lubricated the upper rudder bushing with Superlube, lubricated the quadrant pullies with jig-a-lube and inspected the steering chain which was still oily.

Then I went out with Romy for ice cream at wild willie's.

I cycled home.

Tuesday Race in 23 knots

I helped Ghost Owl change to a smaller jib before the race.  I reefed the main.

Winds were supposed to decline at 7 but it did not. We saw steady winds of 23 knots.

Maud showed up at 5:30 and we took off with the jib.  Just before the gut, I tried to furl the jib and lost my ability to steer up.  Started the engine to motor sailed past the gut and we got the main up with some difficulties.  We sailed up the lake to tune the rig but we missed the start by about 3 minutes.  We were last, 7 1/2 minute behind the previous boat..  not good.

Maud was not comfortable steering under these conditions.

We sailed the course with difficulties in boat handling - mostly over heeling.  The smaller boats - especially during broad reach were coming close to us and I steered the boat to prevent contact but kept speed so that when we got to the mark, we were the inside boat so they had to give us space.

We might have done okay if we had a better start.

Expresso was having serious problems with her jib.  Chaos did not race as she had the wrong sail plan.

I had a drink aboard Ballade chatting about Ian and buying boats.  I slept aboard.

Single handed overnight

After dropping Maud off, I motored out to the channel and tacked south and then North into Valois Bay in shifty light winds.  Eventually, I made it to the Gut and sailed to Pointe-Claire and tacked to the sandbars as winds faded.

Redline asked if I wanted to raft up for supper, I accepted and had duck while they had ribs.

Afterward, I dropped my anchor as Redline departed for the club.

I slept aboard in wind and rain.  The next morning, I waited for a break in the rain and motored back to the club where I asked if Norm could provide precautionary docking assistance.  He got up and helped tied the line.

It looked like a wet day so I went off to St Eustache flea market.  The day became sunny so I went back to the club and tidy up Bellum, washed dinghy bottom, helped Norm pull wires for his new dinghy winch, washed Sealcove and helped Tara do a pump out as he returns from downriver.

Chris never showed up.

After that, I came home.

Strathcona NOT

It was pretty certain the Lord Strathcona race was going to be cancelled due to lack of wind.  My crew Maud came and we followed Audrey with Greb and Phenix to Dowkers. We tacked to the gut and then towards Dowkers.

It was too shallow to raft up to Audrey so we anchored and had lunch and sailed back in a run / broad reach to the club where we touched the dock, Maud departed and I went out again.

Friday Race

Jimmy and I raced a nice race.

Winds were from the east in Dorval. And west in Pointe-Claire.

We lost to Airway and Slow Dancer 2, but won against Flow Control. Flow Control is catching up 😒

We did well but better the previous weeks, even with the mistakes.

Thursday DNS - Norm

Norm and I went out at 5 after putting in a new camera on Redline.  Boat was vibrating on motor going up to the Gut.

Set sails at the Gut and has nice sail to Baie d'Urfie waiting RC (Alec).  I helmed.  We were competing with Slow Dancer.  She beat us, we beat her, she eventually beat us.

Winds were shifty and died as we approached the leeward mark and eventually picked up.   We finished last.- Time Limit Exceeded

Nice race, nices sail back to the club.  Supper on Redline as she was more comfortable and rain came in.

I slept aboard and Norm went home

Sailing with Lindsay

Lindsay was supposed to come to Dorval by bike but ended up taking the BMW and I picked her up at Carson and Roy.

We set sail at about noon as Peter was arriving.

Great winds with oscillations like Tuesday.  We sailed into to Grand Anse and back to Pointe-Claire and back towards Grand Anse to do a Team call for MSP.

Lots of heeling.

Lindsay wanted to walk so we decided to go to PCYC where I used their Wi-Fi as Lindsay did her tout. After the call, we met up and toured the village and ice cream and lingered until six and then sailed off to Grand Anse as the sunset.  Supper was vegan.

Shopping in PC village

Pointe-Claire Church up close

Watching boats from Pointe-Claire church

The next morning there were no winds, we motored back.

I tightened the shaft packing and cleaned two of the three engine zincs. The zincs were fine, the shaft was leaking a lot.

Tuesday Race

There were threats of thunderstorms, but they passed by 1PM.

I could not get a parking spot for my car on Tuesday in Westmount, so I ended taking the car home to get the laundry and headed to the post office to send off  IRD I sold, did Arkavan for vegies, visited Ricard, back to Hampton to look for lawn chairs, then to Arkavan again for more veggies.

Finally, go to the club and it was sunny and blue skies.  No storm came up.  I made the bed and tidy up.d

Maud showed up and we tacked up the lake in highly oscillating winds of 9 to 12 knots.  Maud helmed.  We got far from RC when the horn blew and we came back to the race-course and started one minute late.  We fell behind and did pretty poorly. Dead Last

Nice sunset back and sucked our beer.  Maud docked the boat.  Lingered around.  We were not hungry and then Maud went home.

I slept aboard.

Sailing with the ladies

Nathalia, Gaby and Iwona come out for an afternoon sail.  Phoebe could not make it even though we tried to accommodate her on Sunday.

After celebration of life with Bill, we sailed out to the Sandbars for a swim and sunset and some photographs.

We motored back in the dark and Nathalia drove everyone home and I slept aboard. 

The next morning I cleaned up, went to Ikea and some Puma cloth shopping on 4434 Garand.

Bad Captain

FFR with Flow Control

Jimmy and I sailed the first FFR after two cancellations.

Flow Control raced too, for the first time.  (we beat him).

Nice evening race.  Winds were from the East. We made two big mistakes tacking thinking we were at the wrong mark and that put us way ahead of the fleet.

I helped steer on the beat because Jimmy could not see the mark.  But I paused to take pictures.

After the race, we sailed back.

Supper was at the club, a scotch aboard Bellum and Chris drove Veronica home.  The next day she said that she needed the drive home, she was extremely tired.