Lake Erie Interclub Cruise Canada, Committee Boat - Day 1, Long Point Bay Race

 Every year that I have been involved with sailing out of Port Dover, there has been a Lake Erie Interclub Cruise. This usually involves boats from the U.S. and Canada, racing from Club to Club on Lake Erie. Last year there was no Interclub but this year there are 2. One was held already on the U.S. side of the lake and this past week the Canadian one was held. I helped on the Committee Boat, 4 out of the 5 days.

The first race was on Saturday and was to be around Long Point Bay. The Committee Boat was Dream Girl. This picture includes the skipper, Bill Bailey, crew, Dani and the back of Karen's (Committee Boat Crew) head. Also on board as Committee Boat Crew were Jacqui and Gina

We were out on the lake at 9:00 am, sounded the horn and had to be ready to start the race at 10:00am.

The wind

hadn't

got the memo!

Pretty soon the boom tents were up for shade, the flies were swarming

and crews were swimming. I went for a swim myself.

At 10am we were into postponement, waiting on the wind.

J80s having a confab.

Eventually there were some little ripples on the water (cat's paws) and the boats with sails raised started to move.

The Course Committee decided there was enough wind to start the race but asked us to set up a finish line out at Bluffs Bar, thereby shortening the course.

We motored out to the green marker at Bluffs Bar (once we managed to get Bill's chart plotter working) and set up the finish line.

Not long after

the boats arrived

swooped through the finish line

and headed back to Dover for a rum party at the Yacht Club. I did not partake as I knew I had to be up at the crack of dawn (literally) to start the next days race.

PDYC Chaos Race

Oh my goodness, I am so far behind in my blogging. So many events that I want to document. So many blog posts floating around in my mind but I don't get to them because the next event comes along. No complaints here, they are all fun. I am about to embark on 5 days of Committee Boat for the Lake Erie Interclub (Canadian Version) and met an old crewmate, Steve, at the skippers meeting. He mentioned that he and his wife read my blog (and have a Portuguese bottle of wine that they want to share) and it inspired me to get going, review my pictures and just start typing.

So, the PDYC Chaos race was a couple of weekends ago. Rick and I raced, for the first time, on Spellbound. 

There are few things that prompt me to see a sunrise but a sailing race is one of them.

It's called a Chaos Race because four buoys are identified, markers out in Long Point Bay, and each boat chooses what order to round them in and return to the start. The first couple of hours were painful as there was little to no wind. Because of this the rules were changed and we only had to go around 3 marks, not four. The fleet of about 12 boats divided, choosing different directions.

We started "upwind" to Turkey Point along with a group of about 6 others. Sometimes we were close,

sometimes far away. I think we were one of the slowest boats entered but we tried to keep up with the faster ones or at least keep then in sight. Mostly because we did not have a chart plotter so were using lat and long and being able to see the markers. It was helpful to see a boat ahead of us round the mark.

After rounding the Turkey Point mark we headed for the Nanicoke Green Can, losing most of the other boats and searching the lake for it as we neared the shore at Nanicoke.

We sailed through a huge flock of gulls and cormorants. There must have been a school of fish.

We were out on the water for about 7 hours. Winds gradually built and of course we had too much sail up by the end of the day but Spellbound felt safe and solid (and speedy). We should have followed Caleidascope, who came in first (went to Bluffs Bar, then Nanicoke, then ED2). Sea of Dreams was second (same course) and we were 3rd (not bad for our first time racing her).

Now some "catch up" photos:-

Nice selfie from Mike and Aimee.

Praying Mantis on one of my chairs

Slightly wet Song Sparrow

Chocolate Mint flower. I love the smell of the Chocolate Mint but never know what to use it in so it just goes into flower, but those are pretty

as is the Wild Mustard, growing on the bank.

Brown eyed Susan and Echinacea  in a bowl with Hydrangea.

West end off a Bald Eagle flying East.

Bruce Trail - Map 3, Merritville Hwy to Wiley Rd

 With (relatively) cool weather and no humidity, Nicola and I thought we had better hike while the weather was this favourable. After some texting discussion we decided on a section in Niagara that we had been unable to do due to closures during Covid.

As soon as we entered the trail, near Brock University, we were greeted by this beauty. May be a Red Tailed Hawk, not sure.

What exactly is "passive use". As Nic said, only a University would erect a sign with this lack of clarity.

Lots of different terrain on this hike; meadows, woods

murky waterways,

and clear lakes.

We had our first snack break near this Peace Monument

with its memorial offerings for the residential schools children and

the flags at half mast.

Nic's surprise for this hike; a fungus identification app.

She's going to try another one as this asked too many questions, rather than taking a picture like the wildflower app does.

There was a group of swans on the far side of the lake but that was it for bird life, except for this odd couple; a female Mallard and a Caspian Tern.

Barn Swallow

A clear enough day for a long view. We thought we could see right across to the escarpment on the other side of the Dundas Valley.

Munching happily at the side of the trail.

 

"Why does the first 5k feel so good and the last 5 take forever". We were really dragging but finally came out to where I had left my car. We found out why that last 5k took for ever......

 

This is the map we have for this section from our guide book, Edition 29, published in 2017. We thought we were walking from km 25.3 to km 35.2 (approx 10km). But we never saw the Morningstar Mill and never walked on Decew Rd. Somewhere in that area I have circled in pencil, we got screwed up. But we were on the Bruce Trail, we saw the signs and followed the white flashes?????

We keep forgetting to check for trail changes before we hike. This is from that section of the website. The trail was changed in 2018.

They decommissioned 1.2km and added 3.5km. No wonder we were so bushed. We did over 12km rather than 10! Took 4 hours.

Advantage to hiking in the Niagara Peninsular and taking back roads home :- fresh, local peaches.

July Photos

 It's the end of the month and I realized that I have some pictures that I haven't posted. As this is my diary I like to include most events.

Rick and I took Spellbound out for a spin

Sail number 21 means that it was the 21st boat of that kind, Mirage25, to be built (in the early 1980s)

Its not easy to see my place from the water.

The fishing tug seemed to be heading straight for us

but he turned and we followed him in.

This Eagle flew back and forth a few times, while I was sitting in the sunroom, seeming to be begging me to take his photo.

So I rushed outside, got this shot, and then he flew away.

Another poser

on his own private sun deck.

When he realized it wasn't as private as he thought....."who are you looking at!"

A golden full moon

The lettuce has been pulled out (I ate a lot and then it went to seed) as has the Kale (it was being eaten by something other than me.) Peas and beans are now prolific (The peas don't even make it inside but I have eaten the beans for dinners and frozen some too.)

Rick and I had breakfast at Hoover's Marina in Nanticoke. Partly to eat an excellent omelette and partly to research the depth of the entrance. Unfortunately it sounds as if it is about 6inches too shallow to sail Spellbound in.