Port Dalhousie

When it was time to move on from Wilson, we headed to Port Dalhousie, and with the light wind on the nose, we motored again.  This was our first stay at the Dalhousie Yacht Club.  We had heard that it can get quite bouncy in the river, but we had three very peaceful nights.  It was a great place for people watching, as there is always lots of foot traffic along the pier with casual strollers, serious walkers, fishermen, and photographers (especially at sunset).  

On the second day, a boat from Mimico Cruising Club pulled in behind us.  Ed thought Burin Star was a familiar boat name for some reason.  When he googled it, he found an article about the boat that he remembered reading some time ago.  The boat if for sale, and looks like a big, serious cruiser.

We had a couple of really relaxing days, walking around the neighbourhood, and across the river to old Port Dalhousie.  About the most excitement we had, was when we left a restaurant on Thursday, and I missed a step and fell flat on my face.  Didn't get hurt, just embarrassed.  

Happy Birthday

Dave and Denise needed to be in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Tuesday, and would be leaving early.  Since it was Denise's birthday on Tuesday, we thought we'd try out the oven on our boat, and bake her a birthday cake on Monday evening.  I hope you had a good day, Denise!

Bad Karma?

On Sunday, the wind was really blowing from the west, and with no particular place to be, we opted to stay in Wilson for another 2 nights.  Since IYC and Sunset Marina do not offer wi-fi, I walked over to Tuscarora to ask whether I could use their internet for an hour or so.  The senior steward apologized for not being able to allow that, and informed me that technically, I shouldn't even be on the grounds since I was not staying there, and was not a guest of anyone who was staying there.  I think that's the first time I've had anyone at any yacht club around the lake be less than hospitable.  
Ed and I thought we'd try the heated pool at IYC, only to discover that it isn't being heated this year.  I only got my ankles wet, but Ed managed to get waist deep before deciding it was just too cold to be fun.
Sunday night, storms blew through, and we were first blown onto the dock, then by morning, were being blown into the boat beside us.  Lucky we have lots of fenders.  We took a walk to Tuscarora YC to see what the sea state was, and the waves were really crashing into the channel walls.  We saw a crane at TYC, and thought it was an odd time for someone to be hauling anything with the winds as strong as they were.  It turned out to be a dock that was being  lifted, and we guessed that the strong winds must have ripped it off the wall or the stern piling.  Since these are not floating docks, we wondered whether any boats were damaged.

Old friends

We filled up fuel, and managed to fill our new propane tanks in Point Breeze before heading off to Wilson.  The waves were a little rough as we motored into the wind...again.  As we approached Wilson, we called the Tuscarora Yacht Club to see whether they would have any space.  They were having a cruise in from Ashbridges Bay YC, so no space for us.  We went up the bay to the Sunset Marina/Island Yacht Club (Wilson).  As we were debating whether we would fit into the slip assigned to us, two people on bikes stopped and waved to us.  It was Ian and Shauna from Blue Wing.  We had sailed in St. Martin with them a few years ago.  Ian retired from the Bank a couple of years ago, and Shauna only recently, so they were enjoying an extended cruise this summer. Ian and Shauna are out-of-town members at IYC which gives them reciprocal privileges around the lake, and an inexpensive place to haul out in the winter. We joined them for IYC's Friday night Fish Fry and $2 beer. 

On Saturday, as we were relaxing in the cockpit, Livin' Easy came into the bay looking for a mooring.  Sunset Marina has the wrong phone number printed in the Ports Guide, so we contacted the marina office, and were able to help Dave and Denise get a spot for the night. 

New Boats

Livin' Easy

We finally got to sail for a while between Rochester and Point Breeze.  The winds had been quite strong overnight, and were still blowing from the north as we were leaving.  Because of the tight mooring at RYC, Marv helped us off the dock, and we would have been fine...if another boat we didn't see hadn't been leaving at the same time.  With some quick maneuvering, we managed not to hit anyone.  Livin' Easy left shortly after us, and we crisscrossed paths for a while.  As we headed further west, so did the wind, and as a result we ended up motor sailing most of the way.

Anahata

As we entered Oak Orchard creek, someone came out onto a dock and was waving at us.  It was David from QCYC.  He has purchased a Passport 42 - Anahata - and is refitting her prior to going on a long term cruise to the south Pacific.  To avoid import duties, he won't be bringing the boat to Canada, and is doing the work at the Point Breeze Marina.
Our only disappointment was that the bridge we used to walk over to get to Brown's Berry Patch, is gone.  Going to the next bridge south would have added at least a couple of kilometers to our walk, so no ice cream for us.