Cruising on Zatarra 1, 2016 - Port Dover to Ashtabula, Ohio

Left Port Dover at about 10am Monday in a nice breeze and sailed to "the Point" doing about 6 knots on  a beam reach.

The Long Point lighthouse.

As we rounded the Point there were 10 fishing boats making their way back into Port Dover.

I don't think I have ever seen that many all out fishing in the same vicinity.

Also a couple of "Lakers" on their way up the Lake

Turning towards Erie put us on a different point of sail and we dropped to 4 to 5 knots. We checked in with Customs at the video phone at Perry's Landing and were docked at the Erie Yacht Club by about 6:30 right next to the boats of friends from Ashtabula. They are making their way to Port Dover while we are making our way to Ashtabula. We may cross paths again on the return journey.

Zatarra 1 at the transient dock with Manganinnie (red) and Caolila Gael (black)

The Erie Yacht Club cannon, aimed at Paul, gets fired

at sunset.

Politics are in evidence (that's a life size cut out on the boat) in the deck discussions.

Walking the docks leaves me amazed again at the rigging of Dreamer, a 2 masted wooden boat I have photographed often when she is racing in the Interclub.

Saturday night supper consisted of quiche made from scratch and BBQed veggies. The zucchini was brushed with oil and garlic before grilling and the sweet potato with oil, sugar and cinnamon.

Saturday night we had a huge thunderstorm. We battened down the hatches when we were woken by it but I forgot about the side window in the bathroom. The toilet bowl and floor were filled with water when I went to use it so I talked myself out of needing to go and went back to sleep. In the morning I found out that the toilet/shower has its own bilge pump and we cleared the water with the flick of a switch.
Thunderstorms were in the forecast for the next 5 days but we decided to head out.

Past the Commodore Perry monument.

Followed a tour boat out through the channel, dodging the flotsam that the storm had washed into the bay.

We turned West, past the lighthouse on Presquisle and were able to sail for about an hour and a half before the wind dropped and shifted. Had to motor sail after that.

We sailed down the lake watching the storm clouds building over the land.

The wind picked up and changed direction ahead of this cloud and we happily sailed along for about half an hour until we passed it and had to motor again.

Into Ashtabula harbour

and passed the old lighthouse building on our starboard and

two immature bald eagles on a huge pile of gravel on our port side.

Also a mature bald eagle,

an osprey and

a duck with ducklings, all

while waiting for the bridge to open.

We were lucky enough to be hailed by an off duty customs officer who checked our info and said she would visit us in the morning, in uniform, to see our passports. Seems we have to check in at each jurisdiction, not just on entering the U.S.

Docked at Ashtabula Yacht Club and across the river

another bald eagle and

two king fishers.