Belated Canada Day post

Rick and I were invited to participate in the Port Dover Canada Day Boat Parade on Zatarra. Here's Rick and Zatarra in their CD finery.

 

Paul and Bucky the Beaver hanging on for dear life.

We were representing the Long Point Bay Yacht Club whose membership are in the Harbour Marina.

Out of the marina and heading towards the lighthouse and entrance to the river.

We had to negotiate through the spectator boats clustered around the entrance.

It's an unofficial and therefor unorganized event so I don't know how they decided who would go first but there she is.

Commercial tugs,

pleasure tugs,

power boats and

sailboats

entertained the on water spectators.

Smallest boat but he made up for it with flags and enthusiasm.

Paul spotted a break in the queue and headed in

past the coast guard boat coming out.

Crowds lined both sides

and cheered as we pulled our "doughnut" and blew the horn, as is the tradition.

Exchanging "Happy Canada Day" with people on the pier, slaloming through the spectator boats and milling participant boats and heading back to the marina.

Paul did some victory laps up and down the various docks and then had a difficult time docking as the prop was restricted by masses of weeds. The marina cannot treat the weeds until a certain date. I believe it is something to do with fish spawning, but the weeds are terrible this year (warm, wet spring)

Rick and I helped "undress" Zatarra and then took Spellbound out for a lovely sail.

The following day I kayaked on a much calmer river.

Out for a couple of hours and all I saw was 2 people in a canoe and one family with a paddle board and kayaks....

and lots

and lots

of turtles.

I didn't go out to the harbour this time but turned at the Yacht Club and went up the Lynn River to the dam at Silver Lake, then turned back.

Remnants of the day before.

Lake Erie Interclub 2024 - Monday

 

Monday saw Rick and I back on the Edge to see the fleet (42 boats we were told) amassing for their 10am start of the Long Point Bay race.

As each fleet started the spinnakers would pop up as they sailed down wind to Bluffs Bar.

From there they sailed to the Turkey Point buoy. The finish line was re-positioned to there as the wind dropped.

The river and lift bridge were busy as they came in from the lake to dock at the Yacht Club.

Monday night Rick and I went to the fish fry at PDYC

and enjoyed

the party atmosphere.

Plenty of sailboats,

flags given out (Port Dover boats Sequence, Sheets and Giggles and Flyer all received honors),

music (we danced),

camaraderie

and lots of sailing stories to be told.

Back at home:

Its been very wet...but not this wet.

Its also been very warm

and the garden

is responding.

Lettuce, spinach and chard grew rapidly and then went to seed. Kale, radishes, beans and carrots are doing much better. Tomatoes are growing well but the moisture and warmth have given them rust so I am not sure how they will produce.

New Cardinal flower is still happy.

When Nicola and David bought this house in Guelph, the front yard was baked grass. Now it vegetable gardens, flower beds and shrubs.

Congratulations to Ellis - graduated from Carlton University.

As predicted, the wind and rain has littered the yard with these beautiful Catalpa flowers.

Lake Erie Interclub 2024 - Sunday

 This years Interclub involved a race in Erie on Saturday and we watched, from the Edge, as Port Dover boats headed over there on Thursday and Friday.

On Sunday, Rick and I were sitting on the Edge for our morning coffee and Eagle watching.

Enjoying the colour

on the bank.

The Catalpa Tree next door is a mass of flowers that will soon be raining down on their yard and mine.

It was VERY windy and

we were surprised to see the committee boat out and a boat finishing the Erie to Port Dover race. Knowing what time they left (Rick and I have both experienced the cannon going off at an "ungodly" hour in Erie and readying the boat in the dark) they completed the race in under 4 hours. This was Damn Yankee, a Farr60 (60ft long and the biggest boat in the fleet)

Others were not far behind.

and there was a steady stream, battling their way across Long Point Bay to be able to rest at the Yacht Club or Outer Marina. All except the Farr60, who is too big and has to find a sheltered anchorage out in the Bay.