[Public-List] Misery Trip 2022

Mon Oct 24 08:52:18 PDT 2022

Lake lice Gordon, they are called lake lice.

Great story as always. Tiger Moth, yeah, I could get into that too.

-----Original Message-----
From: Public-List [mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of Gordon Laco via Public-List
Sent: October 24, 2022 11:38 AM
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
Cc: Gordon Laco
Subject: [Public-List] Misery Trip 2022

Well I guess it wasn’t really a Misery Trip… all the criteria where there but for one.

Saturday, The Girl and I decided we’d better grab a last overnighter in the boat before she comes out.  various circumstances had caused me to cancel two previous appointments with Misery (sorry Fred, Pim and Jon) and the clock was ticking on haul out this coming thursday.

So after lunch Saturday, away we went with some wine in the icebox, pre-made shish kabobs keeping them company in there and warm summer-like weather.

Yes, I was disappointed about the weather, but we’d had a light frost earlier and this was a ‘last chance’ so we called it the Misery Trip of 2022.   This is the first named Misery Trip my wife has come on.

Down at the sailing club late haul-out for those who winter at the club was in full swing, which drew cheerful abuse from our friends whose boats were going ashore while we were heading out.  Oh well, too bad guys, away we went.  We hoisted sail just off the club’s spit and away we went in a warm SE breeze broad reaching at just under 6kts.  The new dinghy was skipping astern… the sun was shining in the cloudless sky; what bliss.

We broadened to a run around Midland Point heading down-sound toward the turn to port that would head us over to Penetanguishene, our nearby destination for the night.  We gybed painlessly, ran for a while then when the angle opened enough gybed the genoa and started broad reaching again.  On the way in we passed our friend Dave Hadfield aboard DRAKE, heading out for his next to last trip of the year.  I first met Dave when he was still an Air Canada pilot volunteering for a local historic aircraft club where he was taking people for hops in a WW2 vintage deHavilland Tiger Moth.  What an experience that was… when we were coming back down side-slipping along, dropping in steps toward the airfield, I was scheming how I could get a Moth… sell the boat… sell the MG… give up both for ever for THIS!!!!  Well I didn’t do it but much later became friends with Dave who was our neighbour at the marina we winter at.  He’s retired from the airline now and is chief pilot for Vintage Wings… he flies Spitfires, Hurricanes, Mustangs, and even a Lysander… how cool is that.  Iff you search his name on youtube you’ll see his flying videos.   Anyway, he sails too and has become a friend.

So eventually after passing pleasantries with Dave (he hollered to us ‘what a nice ’surprise’ seeing you - what comic genius) we neared the entrance to Penetanguishene Harbour with it’s lighthouse on a circular ’think’… when the boys were small we called it the ‘floating lighthouse’ and well, ya, we still do.  We doused sail and proceeded under power into the harbour.

Round the bend we opened the old Royal Navy’s dockyard inside Magazine Island where the RN’s Upper Lakes Squadron was quartered during the years following the War of 1812.  I am engaged by the provincial historic site there to oversee refit and maintenance work being done to the two reproduction warships there, one of which I’d put ashore for the winter just the day before.  I was captain of HMS BEE back in the 1990’s and still retain a great fondness for her… I vividly recall what I used to think of as impure thoughts of what I’d do with her if she were mine… I’d sail her anywhere in the world there was water under her keel.  Well that was then… her larger sister HMS TECUMSETH was not so pleasant to sail, but she’s pretty imposing, being more than five times BEE’s tonnage.  She’s still at the wharf and I couldn’t help squinting at here while we anchored off her wharf… I’m going to be overseeing her down-rigging and everything about her is big and heavy.  Well that’ll be later, not today.

Once the hook was down we settled into the cockpit to have a pre-supper and last-of-the-season gin and tonic.  We both like that drink and abstain from it except when aboard the boat to keep it special.    And what ho… here comes a large fellow aboard a sea-doo or whatever those buzzing noisy things are properly called…  

After several zooms around us it suddenly stopped.  We could see the guy trying to restart it… no dice.  I called over to him hopefully ’trouble?’  He called back ‘yes, I think I’m out of gas!’   Oh what a piece of good fortune.  A rescue.

Into the dinghy I hopped, rowed over to him and had a short conversation.  He was indeed out of fuel, and wasn’t sure where he’d started his rental experience.  But… he did have a mobile phone.   I offered to tow him over to TECUMSETH’s wharf from which he could call the rental place and arrange proper rescue.  He thanked me and I replied ’no prob… I love a rescue, you’re making a hero of me, I should thank you’.  This proved an ordeal for me because of course the sea-doo only had a five foot piece of old window sash cord for a painter, and the rider preferred to hold my line in his hand.  The contraption kept turning sideways… We were nearing the wharf when a guy in a RHIB came along to look at HMS TECUMSETH… my charge waved and shouted, I waved too… at first the new guy didn’t turn toward us;  I said ‘perhaps he doesn’t love rescues as much as I do’  the sea-doo rider grunted… but eventually the new guy came over and assumed the tow.  I directed we tie the attenuated painter to a line from the inflatable and away the two of them went.

Back aboard we rigged the cockpit table and BBQ, cooked our kabobs and ate them as the sun dipped to the tree tops along the western side of the anchorage.  When dark developed the stars were incredible - Caroline saw a shooter which was great, various planets and stars were pointed out to each other, and we retired below to the wood stove where I read aloud to Caroline from one of Patrick O’Brian’s books.  

In the morning we had a great breakfast and in a dead calm motored home.  The mast comes down this afternoon and the boat herself comes out Thursday… alas that’s it for Alberg 30 #426 ‘SURPRISE’ for the 2022 season.

Onwards,

Gordon Laco
www.gordonlaco.com
705-527-9612

_______________________________________________
These businesses support your Association:
http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
Please support them.
_______________________________________________
Public-List mailing list
Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org