Overnight with Redline

After as sail on Redline with Claude and Hélène, Redline and Bellum went out for a sail to Grande Anse.  

It was mostly a starboard close haul tack, I made it to Grand Anse and rafted up with Redline and had supper with a Sirene.  

Afterwards, I did a zero-carbon departure and anchored in very light winds behind Redline.

The next morning I rewired the binnacle power, lounged napped and then weighed anchor and sailed back.  Undecided about spending another night on the hook, I decided to go back to the harbour as the overnight gusts were forecast to be 22 knots. In the end, it would not have been so bad.

I decided to race the Windmill point on Thursday and invited Mark, Sylvie and Alison.

I cleaned up the boat and the locker, reinflated the dinghy and relaunched her. 

I planned to do a bike ride but never got off to it.  Watch the dinghies launch for their Wednesday race.

Had some hamburger steaks at the harbour and did a walk around the harbour and was invited aboard for a beer with Denise aboard her boat.

Claude and Hélène

Saturday Sunday Monday doing homework, bowling, locker, Costco and TAL.

Claude and Hélène had bought a Tanna 47 from Foutaine Pajot and looking for private lessons.  

Norm and I decided to take them out on Bellum or Redline.  They chose Redline. Good thing as it was pretty windy.  

We motored out to the Gut and sailed with a reefed main into a west wind.  Later we reefed the jib. Tacked to Ile Perrot and then ran back.

Got a pump out and Norm took off to spend the night as I lingered around the club.

FFR Anna and Lorri

Darla cancelled and Jimmy was stuck in traffic so it was only Lorri and Anna.

Anna was able to steer.  Lorri was not focused and got very annoyed at the tacking process.  

We did not do well at all - nor did we try.

Ad-Lib was not racing but was just annoyingly in the way.  But she respected our right of way as we tacked in front of her.

Had a beer on the way back and supper at the club and gave VV a lift home almost at midnight.

Friday sail with Anna

Again we were supposed to have a full crew for FFR but stuff happens.  I invited Anna to sail in the afternoon before the FFR race.

I regreased the port main winch.  It was seeking and when I opened her up, I think I might not have greased a major bushing.  I greased the starboard bushing too.  While getting diesel for cleaning, I drained the primary fuel filter.  I notice the packing was dripping a bit too much so I tightened that too.  I also wire the Pro Nautic charger to the telecom batteries.  All good.

Redline went out and I followed shortly with Anna at 1315.  Darla cancelled for racing so I invited Anna.  She arranged for a dog keeper to take care of her dog.

Small biting house flies were biting us.  Redline decided to return to the harbour.

Winds were very quirky.

We sailed around unable to tack toward the Gut because of the winds' continual changing of direction - sometimes more than 45 degrees.

We eventually motored to the gut and harbour to make it for the race meeting just before 5PM.

Thursday race - Chloe, Norm and Alison

We took Chloe out for her first sailboat race.  She had fun and was impressed by how many boats were there and how close they came.

Good winds and I think we did well. We got back to the harbour by 8, with plenty of time for the kitchen.

Chris and Gula and Erika were there for supper.

Adult sailing Tim and Christine

 I came in in the morning to tidy up the boat and had to negotiate to share a shark no 5 with Martin.

Christine was on time and we rigged the shark and then Tim came late due to traffic.

We had a little problem getting out. Tim was very sharp and handing the helm and main.  He no longer fought with the rudder stalling the boat and was using the main sheet well. We did some man overboard and he was mastering the boat.

Christine still had problems holding a course and oversteering.

We got back at 4:30  to hand over the shark to Martin who was taking Michael and Nadine.

Single handed - two nights

After dropping off Sylvie, Audette and Serge after the Tuesday race at 8PM, I took off motoring to the Gut.  I found Redline was at Dowkers South so I put up the sails and tacked to Dowkers South.  Redline was dead upwind.  

It was two days after the Sturgeon moon. Very nice,

Redline was trying to get DCS position requests and Radar to find me.  Unfortunately, the wind kept Redline with her mast between the radar and the main lake.  I flashed my steaming and deck lights and  Bingo, he could see me.

I anchored at 10:45 after two and half hours of sailing.  Opened a beer. Supper was a quick portobello mushroom and a couple of Tuna kebabs I got at IGA.  

Slept very well.  

The next morning I lingered around. Norm dinghied by.  

About 3 I pulled anchor and sailed around in variable winds.  The winds were much better earlier but I had missed them. 

Anchored at the Sandbars.

The port main winch was squeaking and acting up.

Had confit canard with some pan-fried potatoes.

The next morning was windy about 12 knots.  Started the motor to pull anchor and then had a good/great sail to SL33 and the notorious SL34 which had not moved since the single-handed race.

Came back to the harbour and prepared to service the winch.

GNS with Syvlie

We had an exciting race with Sylvie and Serge and Audette.  Robert and Audette never sailed before but Robert was in the Canadian navy.        

Maud had car problems and could not make it.

I did some groceries with the intention to stay overnight for two nights.

They were at the pool and when I arrived, we decided to depart early - at 5.

Winds were very strong - 13 to 15 knots and I decided not to reef. We motored to the Gut and put up the main and jib.  Sylvie steered.  Heeling was strong as winds increased.  I reefed.

We had a good approach to the start but were 30 seconds late.  Slow Dancer was barged out by us.

We had a great first triangle and shook out the reef at the first beat.

Nice sail back to the club.  

We had a quick dock as I departed after dropping off the PAX.

Last Tuesday Race.

Through the locks on Valhalla

It was very last minute plan. 

Andy and his crew just went through Beauharnois locks on Sunday and docked at the club. His crew had to return to Toronto for a family emergency

I saw him in the clubhouse phoning people on the racing crew list for help with Côté St Catherine and St-Lambert locks.

I offered to take the boat through the locks.  We departed 6h35 and then I got dropped off in Longueuil and took the metro back.

The Captain is heading to Halifax, the Caribbean’s, Panama, Vancouver. Three-year plan.

A nice passage. New friends.

Andrew

Valhalla

Motivation

Old and New Champlain Bridge

Approching Montreal

Marina Port de plaisance

Ferry closed

Metro Longeuil

Sunset, Sturgeon Moon, windy night sail

It was hot and I wanted to do a bike ride.  I tidied up the boat, put away after the AQVA, replaced the furling headsail.  

JP came into his dock with his recently repaired Talisman.  Honked the horn to welcome him back.

In the clubhouse, I met Andrew at the club desperately looking for crew to help him get through the Cote St Catherine and St. Lambert locks.  We had a short chat and I decided to crew for him tomorrow morning.

It was just too hot so I rounded up Mona and Stephan and we departed at 2:30PM for a quick sail.  The winds were good. We sailed past the sandbar and decided to go for a short swim that left us at anchor for the rest of the day.

Supper was chicken, ribs hot dogs and corn.  Winds picked up and I had trouble with the BBQ but it finally did the job.

The sunset was less than spectacular but okay, the moon was behind clouds so we did not get the red moon as we did the previous two days but once above the clouds it wag great.

A real fast sail coming back to the club in the dark at 9ish.