Watching the weather

 With 35 miles to go from Cobourg to Whitby, wind on the nose, and thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon, we raised a double reefed mainsail, and motorsailed the whole way.  The first bit was a little choppy as we hobby-horsed through the waves.  We arrived in Whitby in the early afternoon, and made a trip to the nearby shopping centre for supplies.  Our next stop will be a little isolated, so we needed to have some meals available onboard.
The forecast rain did arrive just before dinner time, and we watched storm clouds to the east and south of us.  Then, just before sunset, a huge full moon rose over the lake.  Our first view was between the masts at the marina, and we walked over to the clubhouse, as the moon played hide and seek behind clouds.  

Pretty in pink

As sometimes happens, Ed and I were dressed in similar colours.  Today, we were both in pink shirts.  On our way down the dock in the morning, another boater asked whether we planned that.  Of course, doesn't everyone? 

We took a walk to Dean Marine, which has conveniently moved their store closer to the marina, to see if they had anything interesting.  I was looking for a particular kind of ruler to help me plot positions on a chart.  I had forgotten my plotting tools at home, where I had used them this past winter for my Celestial Navigation course.  They didn't have the kind of ruler I wanted, but Ed picked up a part to change the engine intake valve connection.  The straight connector would make it easier to clear blockages, than the current connector which has an elbow.
Sure enough, Ed was able to clear about a pound of seaweed from the engine intake valve, while I went for a pedicure at the salon right beside the marina.  Pink, please.

Sunrise, sunset

Sodus Bay, NY sunrise

We planned to leave Sodus Bay to cross over to Cobourg on either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, depending on the weather forecast.  With no wind expected at either time, we knew we'd likely be motoring, so chose to do it in daylight.  We left Sodus Bay just before sunrise.  While still in the bay, as we were approaching the channel, I thought the engine sounded funny and checked to make sure water was coming out of the engine exhaust.  No water, only smoke.  Since there was no wind, and no one else on the water at 0530, Ed shut down the engine, and I had a look at the water filter.  It was full of weeds, but when I cleared those, there was still no water coming in the intake valve.  I guess we had a bunch of weeds stuck in there, thanks to the weedy marina.  Ed tried clearing the intake, but was unable to get the weeds out.  Instead, he disconnected the house water hose, and moved the engine intake hose to the house intake valve.  We were back in business.  I'm lucky to have such a smart husband!    

no wind, glassy lake

Several hours later, in the middle of the lake, with no wind, we turned off the engine to switch from one fuel tank to another, and Ed again tried to clear the valve, again with no luck.  No problem.  The current set up was working, and would get us to our destination.

Cobourg, ON sunset

The lake was completely flat and glassy, so at least the motoring was easy.  Every now and again we'd see a few ripples, but mostly it was calm, flat water, and hot, hazy, humid air.  About 11 hours after we left Sodus Bay, we were docked at the Cobourg fuel dock.  
Cobourg Marina has made some changes to their docks, reconfiguring F dock and adding a G dock.  Business must be good.  This is a real crossroads for boats heading in every direction, and when we're here, we always keep an eye out for familiar boats.

Katlynn Marina

Monday we headed out for Sodus Bay.  We optimistically raised the mainsail, but only actually sailed for about half an hour.  The wind was very light, and too far forward to use the spinnaker, so we motor sailed all the way to Sodus Bay. Unfortunately, the club was hosting a LYRA regatta, and was full, so once again, we stayed at a marina - Katlynn Marina - just west of the Sodus Bay Yacht Club.

Protective mother 

The marina facilities are beautiful and air conditioned, so once again I did laundry.  They have an interesting building access card system.  They put the access info onto any card you have with a mag stripe.  I used my Air Miles card.  Unfortunately, the system didn't work that well, and while we could use the card before dinner, it never worked later in the evening.  Very frustrating.

We were hoping to have dinner at the Bay Street Inn, but they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, like so many restaurant facilities.  Monday we ate at Captain Jack's, and Tuesday, we headed over to the yacht club, which had their bar menu available until 7:00.  We ran into Terry and Nancy (Mi Vida Loca), from QCYC.  We had seen their boat on a mooring ball when we arrived.  Nancy told us their engine had failed a couple of days earlier, so they sailed overnight from Sacket's Harbour, and picked up a ball at SBYC.  A mechanic had a look, and thought they probably needed to replace the engine.  They were planning to leave Sodus Bay on Wednesday, hoping to sail back to QCYC or Whitby.  With no wind forecast for Wednesday, I think they were going to be in for a long couple of days. 

Sara's new skills

We always enjoy visiting with Ajay and Kathy and their daughter Sara, when we're in the Rochester area.  Because we only see them once a year, we really notice how Sara is growing.  This spring, she started taking swimming lessons at a new place, and her confidence and skill level are just soaring.  She had a great time at the Rochester Yacht Club pool, diving to the bottom to pick up toys, and doing handstands.