(June 7) We're finally starting our sailing adventure for this summer! We left Wiarton Marina today, where Komeekha spent last winter. The staff did some minor repairs this spring.
And, we installed a brand new radar and chartplotter. I haven't tried the new chartplotter yet; I'm looking forward to discovering the new features! Our old chartplotter -- 20 years old -- was good to us.
During Covid, as we have sorely learned, any plans regularly change due to circumstances beyond our control. The good thing: both Frank and I have our 2 Covid vaccines. Our goal to sail to the Caribbean Sea will have to wait until next year. The plan for this summer though is to sail the North Channel again. We loved anchoring among little islands and bays, often the only boat there; fish was abundant; kayaking was perfect.
We might venture into Lake Superior if we have enough time. Our son is getting married on August 7! Very exciting! Yes, it does cut our sailing season in half; but we're nevertheless very happy for him. So, we'll go to shore for a couple of weeks. We'll take this opportunity to travel by car to Quebec City for a visit with my parents and siblings. Then, on to sailing again for a few more weeks.
It takes a few days for us to relearn some basic routines. With time and frequency, we do them naturally. For example, we must make a knot at the end of every rope. If we don't, a rope could fall in the water without our notice and tangle around the prop killing the engine. It happened to us during a storm in the middle of the night many years ago. We really want to avoid another occurrence. Another example is checking for potential flying objects inside and outside before we leave a port and an anchorage in case we raise the sails and the boat start to heel. Flying objects may break, fall in the water or be in the way when we rush.
Our sailboat is 20 years old. Technology and other components are starting to break. Replacement is required, if possible or necessary before it happens. As we were tieing the lazy-jacks (small ropes that hold the folded main sail on the boom), one broke 5 feet from the top of the mast while we were en route. This rope didn't look frayed so we thought we'll wait another year before we replace it.
Thankfully, Frank most often has spares (ropes, tools, boat bits and pieces). We'll replace the lazy-jacks tomorrow at Wingfield Basin - the weather forecast is sunny and no-wind.
To conclude, the beginning of the sailing season is exciting and interesting for us. Even though we emit a few frustrated explicatives (wink) once in a while, we enjoy every minute of this time of year.
