Long walk on a short pier

Beautiful sailing day

We arrived in Port Dalhousie after a good trip from Bronte.  We sailed for the first couple of hours, then motored on a flat lake when the wind died down.  We spent several days on the wall in front of Dalhousie Yacht Club last year, and our initial plan was to dock in the same place, in case there were other boats docked in front of the clubhouse.  As we approached the pier, I realized there no cleats to tie up to!  Fortunately there weren't any other boats on the wall, so Ed motored forward until we found a spot which looked available.  The 'No Docking' sign painted on the ground near the dinghy crane confused us a little, but the dock master came out and assured us we could dock.  We pulled up as close as we could to the fuel dock, and got lots of fenders out as the wind and current were both pushing us onto the pier.

Pedestrian bridge from Lakeport to Pier 61 restaurant

The dockmaster told us that both the east and west piers have been fenced off as they are structurally unsound.  The club had to remove all the cleats to prevent boats from docking.  Where they used to be able to accommodate 60-70 boats, they can now take 6 or 7.  The piers were a favourite spot for locals to walk, and take in the beautiful sunset.  I hope they are repaired soon!    

Wild at Heart

Last year, Andrew and Deb bought a Hanse 37 named Delta G.  The name didn't really suit them, and when we met Andrew in Mimico, we noticed that the boat had been renamed to Wild at Heart.  
Andrew assured us that he followed an appropriate renaming ceremony (you can find anything on the internet), and made the required offering to Neptune, so can now safely sail under the new name :-)

Sexy pictures

On Saturday, we sailed to Bronte in company with Andrew and Chris.  One of the advantages of sailing with a buddy boat, is that you get to take photos of each other's boats.  It was foggy when we left, so we motored side by side for the first hour or so, but then we noticed that the visibility was improving and wind picking pick, and we raised sail.  

Prime Interest and Wild at Heart crisscrossed paths several times over the next few hours, looking for those sexy boat shots - you know, when the boat is heeling over, sails are full - boat looks great!

2015 Sailing Vacation begins in Mimico

This year, we started our vacation close to home.  We didn't have far to go to get to the Mimico Cruising Club, so the light rain which was falling on our departure didn't worry us.  We motored out the western gap, and then enjoyed a downwind sail to the entrance to the the yacht club.  
By the time we arrived, the rain was pretty steady, but we were settled before the possible thunderstorms which were forecast for later in the day.  Thankfully, thunderstorms didn't materialize, and we spent a cool, rainy afternoon watching the PanAm Games on TV.  Katie is working in the kitchen at MCC, so we had dinner at the club.
Later, (much later - well after dark) Andrew and his friend Chris arrived from Bronte aboard Wild at Heart, and we joined them for a nightcap and snacks. 

Let the games begin

Ed and I went out for a sail on one of the first really warm, nice summer days.  We saw several boats heading out onto the lake to take part in the first of the PanAm Games sailing events.  There were three different courses out on the lake.  Lots of spectator boats were heading out to watch, but with such nice sailing conditions, we opted to sail.