@ Home Again

We didn't have far to go from Whitby, so we sailed most of the way, even though the wind was a little light.  Just as we approached the Leslie Street Spit, we noticed a QCYC boat called @ Home Again.  How appropriate. 

Weather

After a couple of really pleasant days in Cobourg, it was time to move on.  The weather forecast for Friday was calling for thunderstorms in the afternoon, so we got an early start  for the trip to Whitby.  We had no wind, so were able to make good time motoring.  We saw rain to the north of us, and another big cloud heading southeast.  We got a little sprinkle of rain, but most of it passed us.  It did look dramatic though, and we saw a couple of power boats hurrying along to avoid the weather.  Just as we arrived at Port Whitby Marina, the sky to the west got quite dark.  We were safely docked by the time the heavy rain, thunder and lightning came by.

Cobourg

We left CFB Trenton YC, and with absolutely no wind, we once again motored all the way to Cobourg.  We had to slow down a couple of times, reverse the engine, and do all sorts of circles, to get rid of the weeds we picked up in the Bay of Quinte and Presqu`ile Bay, and were dragging on our rudder.  The Murray Canal had a number of weed mats floating right across, that we had no choice but to power through.  You`d think someone could keep those few kilometers of channel clear.   Cobourg Marina was busy, so we tied up to the north wall, with no water or power.  Just behind us docked an Island Packet 38.  Ed met Nigel and Patricia on Dancing Brolga, from the Lakeshore Yacht Club, and invited them aboard.  Then we got to tour the IP.   Beautiful boat, and huge compared to ours.  We went for dinner at Oasis Bar & Grill, and invited Nigel and Patricia to join us.  It poured rain overnight, and into the morning, so we decided to stay put for another day.  A dock opened up once the rain stopped, when a group of Americans on power boats headed out.  A couple of them ended up returning, because conditions were apparently pretty rough on the lake. 

CFB Trenton

We had a long motor from Picton to the Bay of Quinte.  We decided to bypass Belleville this year, if we could get into CFB Trenton Yacht Club.  They were able to accommodate us, although they generally have smaller boats at their club.  It`s a lovely location on Baker`s Island, adjacent to the base.  One of the staff recommended a visit to the National Air Force Museum, so off we went, as there isn`t much else to do.  There used to be a big open training field on the base, which now houses the Aerospace Warfare building,

and another large building under construction.  We watched a Hercules go around in circles, as it practiced take-off and landing.  It was a LONG walk to the museum, maybe 3 kms past the base airstrip, and we arrived half an hour before closing.  We took a quick walk around some of the model planes, and a lovely volunteer showed us a few key exhibits, including an Olympic Gold medal.  You might remember the RBC commercials during the Winter Olympics, which made reference to the year RBC sponsored a hockey team made up mostly of Air Force personnel.   

Familiar Faces

The wind was brisk today.  We sailed for the first couple of hours out of Waupoos, then turned the engine on, as the wind was right on the nose at about 13 - 18 knots.  As we were motoring west through Adolphus Reach, Ed spotted a QCYC burgee.  Ted on Comus was heading east.  Ted is 89 years old, and regularly sails his boat alone, around the lake.  Later we passed another boat which was heading the same way we were (but they were sailing), and came into Picton Marina just after us.  Margaret and Alan on Griffwn (PCYC) are good friends with Harry and Mandy, the previous (original) owners of our boat.  In Picton, Ed and I took a walk to the grocery store (and the Tim's, of course).  We spotted a group of cyclists in matching jerseys, and Ed mentioned that he had sponsored someone in the Friends for Life Bike Rally, from Toronto to Montreal, and he should keep an eye out.  A few seconds later, I heard Ed call to Ken, who turned around and waved, but kept riding.  There are over 400 people riding, and I'm sure they're spread out over some distance by now.  What are the chances that someone Ed knows happened to be on the same street in Picton, at the same time we were - amazing!