[Public-List] A great sailing weekend

Mon Jul 14 09:16:07 PDT 2014

Welcome to the new Millenia - Selfish is the new good.

Thanks Gord, a splendid write-up.

On Mon, Jul 14, 2014 at 12:12 PM, David Gilbert via Public-List <
public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:

> Many thanks Gord for taking the trouble to write about your great sailing
> week end. I was not surprised by your description of the power boat
> incident. We had pretty much the same thing happen on Big Kanu last year
> albeit on the Toronto Islands, not in such pristine conditions as in your
> story. It was quite similar though in effect. We were quietly moored on the
> Hanlan's Point wall, a week day so not much traffic, enjoying a lovely
> quiet evening when in came one of the many tour boats, St. Marie with
> stereo blasting away -thump thump thump. I went over and asked them if they
> could quiet the thing down a bit and the fellow told me I was rude for
> asking. I wrote in my log, "so much for the dumbing down of our society." I
> also agreed with your comment on the Hunter.
> Keep 'em coming.
> David
>
> On 14-Jul-14, at 10:42 AM, Gordon Laco via Public-List wrote:
>
>  Good morning -
>>
>> We had a great sailing weekend in SURPRISE these past two days.
>>
>> We’d planned to leave Friday afternoon but one of my historic ship clients
>> called just as I was laying down my pen (well shutting the computer) and
>> that kept me at work till the usual closing time.  I’m pleased to have the
>> business of course and was glad to look after them, but skipping out early
>> was not possible after all.
>>
>> So we cast off lines some time shortly after 1800, filled the fuel tank at
>> the marina next door then started motoring down Severn Sound.  We ate
>> supper
>> in the cockpit while trudging along under power and in due course reached
>> the Minnicognashene Channel where we had to decide if we were going up the
>> inside passages and dropping the hook at Bone Island, or over to Methodist
>> Point (no more Methodists there) and anchoring where we’d be better set up
>> for a dash up the outside.  The sun was setting but we chose outside...
>> Getting into Methodist in the dark isn’t a problem and of course there
>> was a
>> full moon coming.
>>
>> So we altered course right at the entrance to The Pins at Minnicog, and
>> chugged along west.  On the way we saw the Canadian Coast Guard ship
>> RISLEY
>> busy working on Indian Maid Rock buoy... That is an aid to nav that is
>> notoriously difficult to find sometimes and we said to each other “we KNEW
>> they move it around!  There’s the proof!”
>>
>> We got to Methodist about sunset and dropped the hook into the clean sand
>> in
>> 12’ of water.  I’ve often thought these Georgian Bay anchorages were just
>> made for yachts – usually just the right depth, usually just the right
>> bottom.   We had an evening drink, watched the incredible moonrise, then
>> turned in.
>>
>> I awoke early and gently woke up my crew (wife Caroline and son Rob) with
>> the churtling of the coffee percolator.   After a wonderful breakfast in
>> the
>> cockpit looking up at Giant’s Tomb Island and noting the RISLEY still at
>> anchor over by Indian Maid Rock, we hoisted the main, plucked up our
>> anchor
>> then set the genny as SURPRISE’s head fell off the wind.  As we glided out
>> of the anchorage we crossed the stern of a large Hunter forty-something
>> with
>> davits on it’s stern & an oxygen-tent cockpit enclosure... and received a
>> ‘nice boat’ compliment from the couple in it... I couldn’t in all
>> conscience
>> return the boat compliment but I did manage ‘lovely morning’ in return.
>>
>> The wind was WNW so that gave us a nice close reach away.  In due course
>> Hope Island Light Station came about abeam, so Rob and I took bearings on
>> the top and bottom limbs of the Tomb aft to starboard, and a third
>> portside
>> bearing on the light station’s tower.  When plotted we found we were
>> within
>> a hundred meters or so of where we were last July also heading north and
>> figuring to get a fix from which to set out into the Void.
>>
>> The wind eventually failed, but carried us up to O’Donnell Point by just
>> after lunch (sandwiches in the cockpit)   We fired up the loyal A4 and
>> motored in past the light tower, zigged and zagged through the channels up
>> to Double Island (which we call ‘Big Bum’ because it looks like cheeks
>> rising out of the water)  then set our course in to find the red can
>> guiding
>> to Wreck Island.
>>
>> Oh we rejoiced when we found the anchorage there empty.  As we circled in
>> past the rocky reef inside the entrance, we saw a beautiful large black
>> bear
>> on the island.  He ambled up the rocky shore, paused to stare at us, then
>> loped over the top.  Wonderful!
>>
>> We just finished settling in when a very large power boat came idling into
>> the anchorage.  They had a stereo going and their engines were throwing
>> echoes off the rocks where the bear just was.   They cut close over our
>> anchor chain then backed themselves in between ourselves and the shore –
>> not
>> 50 meters away in the otherwise empty harbour.  They immediately dropped a
>> boat with a 50hp outboard on it into the water and started up their
>> generator.  Hard female laughter, the roar of the generator, and the
>> dribbling of the water from their air conditioning plant made us all stare
>> at each other.
>>
>> A few hours later, after supper, I rowed over and asked them politely how
>> long they were going to be running their gen set.  They looked very
>> offended
>> then with false smiles such as one would give an offensive visitor, told
>> me
>> ‘about ninety minutes or two hours more’.
>>
>> I rowed the few strokes back over to SURPRISE and talked with Caroline and
>> Rob.  The span they offered would have them shutting off some time around
>> 2000  (10pm) IF they were telling the truth about their intentions.
>>
>> We hoisted anchor and moved over to the western lobe of the harbour.  We
>> could still hear the power boat’s gen set, but they were not so close.
>>  Once
>> settled in, I rowed over to the cottagers who have their wharf at that end
>> of the harbour.  I introduced myself and apologized for anchoring in front
>> of their place and explained why I moved.  They told me that sailors are
>> always welcome ‘because you folks are quiet and don’t leave a mess’.
>> Wonderful.  I thanked them.
>>
>> During the night squalls with heavy wind and rain blew through... I was up
>> several times thinking about our rather hurried re-anchoring but all was
>> well.  At 0600 I heard the power boat’s gen set start up....  Oh what
>> inconsiderate people.  I’m sure they have no idea how offensive they were,
>> in fact I am certain they thought I was offensive by asking about their
>> generator.  I said to Caroline and Rob ‘running that equipment in such a
>> lovely place, so close when they didn’t have to be so close, is like going
>> into a fine restaurant and farting!’    But I’m sure that would never
>> occur
>> to them that’s what they were doing.
>>
>> So, here we were at Sunday morning.  The wind had settled in from the
>> north
>> west and at a solid 15knts.  Perfect but for one thing... Pea soup fog.
>> We
>> decided to wait for it to clear which it started doing by 1130 so up came
>> our two hooks and away we went.  As soon as we started moving the fog
>> closed
>> in again.... Well we went anyway.
>>
>> On the way out the entrance we passed the flat barely surfaced rock there
>> and saw a martin (seemed large for a mink) having a lunch of crayfish...
>> True to his type he stood his ground glaring fiercely at us as we motored
>> past.  What a beautiful, bold, little animal.  Well to us he was
>> beautiful;
>> to any creature about twice his size down, no doubt he’s death on four
>> legs.
>>
>> We slowed to four knots and felt our way around to the red can...glad that
>> we’d marked our courses on the chart before leaving.  Our luck was in and
>> the mist lifted as we motored to windward and Big Bum appeared ahead and
>> the
>> whole area cleared.  Once up to Big Bum we uncorked the genny and began
>> reaching down the coast through the inside channels... Later we hoisted
>> the
>> main too.
>>
>> Below Split Rock we had a few open stretches and with the building wind
>> really started galloping.  We had a fantastic sail home in weather just
>> made
>> for an Alberg 30.  We surged and surfed, galloped and drove hard all the
>> way
>> down the coast.   What a great weekend.
>>
>> Gord
>> #426 Surprise
>>
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