June 22 was a busy day at QCYC. It started with a Marine Sale, where members donated items from their boats or lockers, with profits going towards the Learn to Sail program. We picked up a new anchor, sold the old one, and bought a beautiful sextant. Now we just have to learn to use it.
Joe and Lynn were going to come for a sail, but it was raining heavily until about 3:00pm. They came for a visit, and stayed for Lobsterfest, where Joe ran into someone he had once curled with. The band which played on the lawn during dinner was great, and helped get the party started for the after dinner band in the Great Hall.
Summer solstice fell on a Friday this year, so Ed and I headed out for a sail after work, to enjoy the longest day of the year. The weather was great and we got a few hours out on the water. We then toasted the arrival of summer with a sip of rum, with Ken, Deanna, Eriks and Jacqui on Wild Jasmine.
I've had lots of trips up masts this spring, since I have a climbing harness, and have fun doing it. Generally the trip up is quick - just to remove the mast crane strap from the mast, when it is attached above the spreaders. This trip, though, was to attach the topping lift on Sea Sharp's mast - a Nonsuch, with an unstayed mast. It was my first time to the top of a mast, and this one was quite wobbly. I managed the job without dropping any of the bits, and enjoyed a great view.
Sailpast 2013 fell on our 28th wedding anniversary! It was a breezy day, and our first sail of the season. We headed out a little early, and zipped around the harbour under (our new) headsail alone, making 6.5 knots. We rolled up some sail, and were still making over 5 knots, so when it was actually time to 'sail' past, we rolled up the sail and motored past. We joined a group on the tennis courts for snacks, since none of our immediate boat neighbors were around, then enjoyed the Commodore's Punch Bowl before dinner.
This is that great time of year - the start of sailing season on Lake Ontario. The boat was launched on April 14, and we took advantage of the warm weather this weekend to step the mast. All that's left now is to hoist the sails, including the new #2 headsail we had made at North Sail over the winter. Sailpast is in a couple of weeks, and we're starting to plan our summer cruise and booking sailing dates with friends. Club members are slowly returning from wherever they hauled their boats, and we look forward to catching up after the winter. We're awaiting the return of some QCYC cruisers who spent the winter in the Bahamas, and can't wait to hear the stories they didn't include in their blogs. We're watching the weather and planning a few boat jobs to take care of over the summer. This is that great time of year.
