Wet ride to club for some adult sailing

I tried to find a weather hole to bike to the club for Adult Sailing.  

I got drenched in Lachine.

I did collision avoidance and had a nice sail on the Shark with Nancy, Tony and someone else.

First GNS - Sylvie

 I raced the first GNS on June 29 with Sylvie.  

We left the dock about 5 and tacked to the GUT and sailed around waiting for the race to start.  

It was a tight start, but we were behind much of the fleet.  The fleet tacked and we waited to tack to keep clear air.  Bellum pointed very well in light winds.  Winds died and erratic at the windward mark causing a bunching up and we had to tack a few times to make the mark and we touched the mark so we had to do our penalty, putting us the last boat to finish.

We had a nice sail back to the club.  The next race will be Thursday.

First Friday Fun race

I got a pump out before the race. Reversed into the fuel dock.

Winds were light and there was no good reason not to race.  

Alison was not aware she was invited to sail with us.

Maud helmed our first race since she was recovering from shoulder surgery.  Jim and I handled the sheets.

We had a great start, dodging Chaos as we were starboard.  Much of the fleet passed us in the race.

Supper at the club.

A great time on our first race.  It only lasted 45 minutes.

I cancelled the Strathcona for the Bellum crew (Norm and Chris) due to heavy rains on Saturday.

I slept aboard expecting the rain to start at 10 AM but it started at 7.  

I went to the competitors' meeting and the race was cancelled along with the single-handed race on Sunday.  Only Luc and I were there as most competitors already told Luc they were not racing.

I took the bus home.

St Jean anchorage with Darla

After our committee meeting, I asked Alain and his wife to help me depart in 20 knots south wind.  I motored out in reverse with a big audience.  Alain had wondered about heading out in this weather.

Motored back to Valois and we set up a tether to Darla's boat so she could come over for steak and ribs. Quite an ordeal to get the tether to her and bring her to Bellum.

A good night of rock and roll, but the anchor held and it was not so bad.  Darla took off to her son's graduation and I sailed to Dowkers and back 

Anchor at Valois Bay with Darla

I had a late departure at 8 PM and sailed to Valois Bay to spend the night.  As forecast, the wind went from west to south.  

Nice sunset and an almost full Strawbeerry moon.  A nice night at Valois.  

Thursday morning Darla wanted to come out so she joined me at Valois and we lingered around on her floaties.  

I had a meeting at the club at 4 so Darla anchored and I took off for the club at 3PMK as the south winds picked up.  I called Norm and Garry to see if they were at the club but they were not.

I docked fine in 20 knots south winds but with the aft spring line attached the bow started to move to port.  Peter, Richard came to help but I hit the dock with my bow.  Too bad Flow Control was not there otherwise it would not have been so bad.

Had my meeting.

Boat work and TV installation and sailing with Nancy

Tuesday I biked to the club using the Japanese bike and bought electrical tools for Darla and wired her bilge pump and other work   Then went to Toni to install her TV and had pizza.

On Wednesday I went back to Darla to finish the wiring and charge her batteries and then went to IGA to get steaks and ribs.  

I met Nancy at the club inside the parking lot with David's assistance.  We went out for a three-hour sail to Baie D'Urfé and back.

She is going to look at becoming a social member.

Sailpast with Rachel and Jimmy

A fabulous day for a sail past with Jimmy and Rachel.  

We left early about 12:30 and sailed around the fleet in a dance in which we were leading the sailing fleet on both sides of the Gut.  

Bubbly at the dock missed the cannon firings

Supper with Rachel at six, - dry.

Drove Rachel back - dry.

Fixing a MacGregor, night sailing laser racing and more shark work, FFR Cancel

On Thursday I went to Darla's by bike to check out her MacGregor 19' centreboard and electrical work.  The centreboard up cable had been long broken and was rigged to stay up years ago.  Access to the cable was very limited and blocked by the trailer cross-member.  We agreed to look at this later on Thursday or Friday.

I biked to drop off insurance at Osborne and then to BYC and picked up some Cardinal beer at Pointe Clarie.  I showed my autopilot installation to Didier who has an M35 named Farouche on Lake St Francis but it was a later model with a shaft rather than a chain. He took some photos.

I looked at the dinghy crane to lift  MacGregor and thought it might lift the bow enough to access the centreboard.  David saw me and gave me a reprimand.

I decided to go take photos of the Laser races and later had supper at the club and slept aboard.  I missed the retirement seminar that I booked for 7PM.

Thursday morning I texted Darla about working on the boat and we met at 10 ish, We lifted the boat but the trailer came up with the boat so we went to the Pointe-Claire ramp to launch and re-trailer the boat to give us better access to the centreboard box.  

We tied the centreboard with Dyneema and threaded it through the pulley up the tube to the cam cleat.  I did not see any sharp edges in the rigging.

We launched her and the board came up and down perfectly.  

We return to the drop-off trailer, I went for a drive on her Mazda, returned to Bellum had a drink and we decided to go sailing in 12 knot west winds from the club channel into the bays and tacked through the gut avoiding Ghost Owl at the gut.  Lots of precision tacking but Darla really got the handle of it, showing great improvements.  

We sailed into Dowkers and had chicken and ribs. Took a nap and got up at 3 and sailed back in pretty much a dead run. Broke another B&W filter because the camera with the zoom was not properly stowed and fell on the floor.

Darla went home, Friday morning 

I was going to bike to the boathouse but it started drizzling so I went back to the boat, made labels for the sharks.  We installed the rest of the line hooks on the shark and waited for the FFR which I cancelled due to rain.  

A great day.

A night at the sandbars with zig-zag

On Saturday about noon, I set sail from the harbour.  I chased Balade from AS 12.  I got lucky with the wind and beat Balade by the time we got to the Gut.  I even caught up and passed Zig-zag after the Pointe-Claire church.  They left the harbour before me.

I sailed toward Grand Anse and back to sandbars.  I sailed around Zig-zag and Esmerelda who were anchored at the sandbars.  Then the wind died as I drifted around.  Fugu crossed me.  I tacked and anchored 150 feet from Zig-zag.

We spent the night there - just the two of us.  Mike wanted to paddle to Bellum for a nightcap but there was a problem with the toy dinghy.

The next morning the sandbar got crowded.  

Mike and Karla took the paddleboard for an afternoon drink.

About 3PM, Zig Zag and I pulled anchor and motored back to the harbour.  

I downloaded some church videos for mom as they just started virtual church service.  Then I biked there for supper and then home.

No FFR with Maud

After my Osteopath session, I biked back to the club.

The FFR was cancelled due to government regulations.

Jimmy was having his second COVID vaccine and decided not to come out.

Maud was recovering from surgery and met me at the club.  We lounged around and went to the lawn to see if there was anybody who did not know that the FFR was cancelled.  Nobody showed up.

After routine chit-chat with everyone, we finally cast off sailing to Pointe-Claire church and back.

Supper was Octopus Salad for me and gravlax and lobster salad for Maud with half a bottle of white wine.

Soledad and Eclipse

After my rental board hearing, I went to Costco to get groceries and dental floss.   

Then I sat on a couch with a scotch,. 

Then I came home, packed my bike and headed to the club.

I motored out of the harbour and sailed to Dowkers in rather strong steady winds. 

As I anchored, someone came up and told me I was too close to his mooring and he took the mooring.  No motor used.

I had a nice evening with a piece of salmon I got from Costco.

Thursday morning, I got up at 4:30 for the eclipse but the horizon was cloudy but beautiful.

Deanchored without motor and I sailed in light winds to sandbars and spent the night there.  No motor anchoring

Friday, I de-anchor without the engine and I sailed back to the club and finally started the engine to dock.

I biked to my Osteopath appointment.

A great couple of day's sail.

Indecisive Sunday

About 4 PM I decided I wante1d to go spend the night an anchor.  I would be busy with TAL for the next few days and thought it would be nice to sleep at anchor.

I motored to about AS 16 and sailed around the lighthouse and then to the Gut but I had to start the motor to get through the Gut.  Winds were strong and gusty.

Tacked to the Pointe-Claire Church and the forecast showed strong gusts to 33 knots overnight.  I decided to run back to the club at AS 15 I decided I really wanted to spend the night at Dowkers
.

I got to Dowkers about 8:30 and there were the regular day anchors and one boat moored and another boat told me he was taking the other morning.  Who put moorings at Dowkers?

The day sailors left and it was a nice evening.  Got up the next morning, went for my first swim and left the bay at 11 and sailed to PCYC.  Redline was at the Sandbars, so I sailed there doing sail by and back to the Gut and the dock.

I biked back to pick up toothbrushes from Lynda and moved a couch for Shana and did a Race Committee zoom meeting.

Lou Lou sailing

 

A nice Sunday morning with Linda.  

Linda was concerned about Thunder Storms which had happened on Saturday so we went out early Sunday at 10 AM to avoid the chances of thunderstorms in the afternoon. We did one big circuit to Ile Perrot and back.  We got back about 1.  Great winds.

Wild Tuesday, Pleasant Wednesday - Thursday rain

Tuesday morning Scott drives me to the club since my bike is still there. Picked up breakfast at McDou and at it at the Duggan House.

I went to wait for Charles to fix the rudder stop, but it turns out that he had fixed it on Monday and did not tell me.

I programmed the Sonoff fridge control using Android and it worked fine.  I waxed the port topside and departed the dock at 3PM, motoring to the gut in a strong west wind.  Winds were up to 28 knots but Bellum handled herself very well with just a reefed headsail 

.

I sailed around undecided if I wanted to spend the night with these winds.  Nobody was sailing until Chaos showed up with her headsail around 6.  

At 7:30, I pulled into Dowkers to be more sheltered from the west south west winds.  4 1/2 hours of fabulous sailing.

The night was very pleasant.  Norm reported lots of rain in Pierrefonds.

Wednesday I pulled anchor at 11 and slowly sailed to the sandbar in very light winds.  

Dropped the anchor without the engine.  I tried to take a dip but 15C was too cold to go in all the way.  Did some reading, took a nap. 

I pulled the anchor at 2PM without the engine and had nice sailing until 5 when I headed back to the club for a pump out and deck wash.  

The club terrace was quite active.  I took the bike with the trailer home.