We actually had a really good sail to Oswego. Winds were building throughout the afternoon, and we were flying. As usual, we arrived on Harborfest weekend. I guess we're always here on the last weekend of July when this event is on, along with the regatta, which means no room at the inn - we were on the wall with no power for a very breezy night, but by morning, it was quite calm. A free beer at the Oswego Yacht Club ($2 for the second one), dinner in the park overlooking the lake, and funnel cake in the midway for dessert. Life is good.
When we signed in at the yacht club, we noticed that the very first entry this year, was Steve Rose aboard T'ai Chi. Steve and Liz passed through in May, on their way home to QCYC after a winter in the Bahamas. A link to their blog (Adjusting Our Sails) is on the right.
Sometimes I feel like all we do is drive around the lake. We had a bit of a sail to Sodus Bay, but mostly, the engine was on. Sodus is a beautiful place. Every time we're here, I look for real estate. We had an uncomfortably breezy night, which carried on until the next day. While we were taking our usual 'we were here' photo, a woman came by and offered to take one of both of us. We got chatting, and she recommended a good place for dinner. Our walk took us past the Lighthouse Museum. Really cute, and you can see a long way from the top. We walked past the Bay Street Hotel, the recommended restaurant where we would have dinner, and as we were warned, it doesn't look like much. When you look in the window, you see a bar and pool table, but we were game to try the place. Dinner was amazing. The chef cooks here in the summer, and spends the winter cooking in Key West. Chef Ramsey would have a field day with the décor in this place, but the food really was good.
Or maybe it's a late start. Ed and I were planning to leave Toronto on Friday late afternoon, but with a forecast of severe thunderstorms, we decided to wait until they were done, to make run for Rochester. The severe weather was pretty dramatic, with high winds (while we sat having dinner in the clubhouse) and an amazing lightning display late in the evening. It was still raining at 2:00 am, and any hopes of a really early morning departure went out the window, because we fell asleep and didn't get up until 5:00. A quick check on the forecast, and we were off by 5:25 on Saturday morning. We had a quick downwind sail for the first 3 or 4 hours, and then alternated between motoring and sailing, and made it to Rochester by about 7:30 pm. On Sunday, Ajay, Kathy and Sara came for a visit to the Rochester Yacht Club, and then we went back to Webster for a barbeque dinner. Our 'traditional' dinner at Schooners followed on Monday evening.
In May, our friend Cathy's daughter, Diana, helped organize a fundraiser in support of Light the Night, a charity dedicated to ending blood cancers. Although we were not able to attend the event, we offered an afternoon of sailing for the silent auction being held at the event. Terry won the sailing trip, and invited her friends Laurie, Cindy, and Elaine. Two of the ladies had gone to elementary school together, and three of them attended high school together - in Belleville. They hadn't seen each other in decades, and got together at the fund raiser.
After storms and flooding earlier in the week, the day we picked turned out to be perfect - sunny and warm, with enough wind to give us a good sail. We did see some of the aftermath, with lots of debris floating in the lake.
We had some guests aboard this weekend, and for possibly the first time, I have no photos to show for it. We didn't invite anyone for Saturday, since the forecast was for rain, but while there were big clouds over the city all day, on the island we had sunshine until past dinner time. Derek, Hayley and Marysia came on Sunday, and although it was sunny and warm, the wind was fairly calm, and we only actually sailed for about an hour. We mostly motored around the island, and went past IYC to show our guests where Katie is working this summer. There was a great firework display just off Harbourfront in the evening, and we had a prime view from the QCYC lawn. On Monday - Canada Day - Cora came with her husband Dwen, and children Alex and Olivia. We had hoped to take them sailing, but it was overcast and cool, and there was a high wind warning in effect. Instead we enjoyed some refreshments on board, took a walk around Algonquin Island, and fed the baby ducks...and the bigger ducks....and the little ducks....
Sometimes I feel like all we do is drive around the lake. We had a bit of a sail to Sodus Bay, but mostly, the engine was on. Sodus is a beautiful place. Every time we're here, I look for real estate. We had an uncomfortably breezy night, which carried on until the next day. While we were taking our usual 'we were here' photo, a woman came by and offered to take one of both of us. We got chatting, and she recommended a good place for dinner. Our walk took us past the Lighthouse Museum. Really cute, and you can see a long way from the top. We walked past the Bay Street Hotel, the recommended restaurant where we would have dinner, and as we were warned, it doesn't look like much. When you look in the window, you see a bar and pool table, but we were game to try the place. Dinner was amazing. The chef cooks here in the summer, and spends the winter cooking in Key West. Chef Ramsey would have a field day with the décor in this place, but the food really was good.
Or maybe it's a late start. Ed and I were planning to leave Toronto on Friday late afternoon, but with a forecast of severe thunderstorms, we decided to wait until they were done, to make run for Rochester. The severe weather was pretty dramatic, with high winds (while we sat having dinner in the clubhouse) and an amazing lightning display late in the evening. It was still raining at 2:00 am, and any hopes of a really early morning departure went out the window, because we fell asleep and didn't get up until 5:00. A quick check on the forecast, and we were off by 5:25 on Saturday morning. We had a quick downwind sail for the first 3 or 4 hours, and then alternated between motoring and sailing, and made it to Rochester by about 7:30 pm. On Sunday, Ajay, Kathy and Sara came for a visit to the Rochester Yacht Club, and then we went back to Webster for a barbeque dinner. Our 'traditional' dinner at Schooners followed on Monday evening.
