vicarious travelling: Overlapping Hobbies

September is always busy due to the overlap between summer hobbies and winter hobbies. Sailing continues and we race 2 nights a week in September. Gardening chores increase as the vegetables need to be harvested and then pulled out, dead flowers removed and shrubs trimmed. Bird feeding kicks up a notch as they stock up for the migration south. J.J. Ruggers start meeting monthly after the summer off and I have signed up for a watercolour course, photography course and introductory Spanish course.

Due to the J.J.s meeting I missed the first day of the Maythem Regatta but it turned out there was no wind so it was cancelled. I was out there for the second day.

Still pretty light but we did manage to creep around the course for 3 races.

Races held in the evenings have 3 fleets, starts are 5 minutes apart, but regattas have fewer boats participating so we just have one start. That means these bigger boats come barreling into the start line, faster than us and taking the wind. Spellbound had a rough couple of starts.

We ate a quick lunch between races and Scott, on Messenger, played the guitar and sang.

Gord at the stern, in light winds it is important where we position ourselves in the boat. We came in 2nd in our fleet.

Its often too hot (or too buggy) to kayak in the summer but the fall is perfect. This time I launched at the docks by the museum (top right of the photo). I usually launch at a boat launch further up the river but have been finding it increasingly difficult to get out at the end of my trip (my hips, knees and arm strength aren't what they used to be). This launch point was easier but meant I had to carry the kayak further.

It is closer to the lighthouse and pier, but further from the more natural section of the creek.

I grew carrots in 2 different raised beds and in a large container, to see where they did best. Looks like the container (where they surrounded a tomato plant) is the winner. I also recently learned that you can put carrot tops in a smoothy so now nothing goes to waste.

Of course the new shed meant new flower beds, on either side of the ramp. Some new plants but mostly filled with plants that I needed to divide and some grown from seed in the raised beds, between the veggies.

https://unhurriedsailing.wordpress.com/

One of the racers has quit his job, sold his stuff and is sailing down to the Caribbean. This is his boat at the dock nearly ready to go. He is going via the Erie Barge Canal so his mast has to be down or he couldn't get under the bridges. I believe he will get it put back up when he is in the Hudson River, or maybe New York. It you want to follow his progress he has a blog and a youtube channel. The sailboats name is Unhurried.

The first class of the Watercolour class at the Port Dover Seniors Centre had us playing with consistency (less water, deeper colour)

and techniques

before working on a painting (masking taped trees, then put down a wash,

then pull off the tape and finish the trees using the edge of a credit card)

Bird banding is in full swing in Long Point but we went on a very windy day and there were not many in the nets.

Just one Swainsons Thrush to be examined, talked about, banded and then passed to a Western University student who is studying their resistance to antibiotics, before letting him go.