Friday, June 24, 2022

Boat log: GPS log:

I woke early at 435pm and took a quick shower leaving my phone alarm to wake Phil. As I was walking back to the boat, the tug cruiser next to us was leaving. We got the mainsail uncovered and halyard attached, then started the engine at 0535 and cast off 5 min later. The sun was rising, just about to clear the top of the trees. Many fishing boats were going out too, causing their usual wake and choppy waters in the area.

Clear skies, wind 4.2kts, wind angle 41deg in the channel out of Presque Isle.

Passed pierhead light. 0601

We’re heading dead into the sun low on the horizon. 0607 centerboard down

Coming around the end of Presque I. Wind 5.8kts from 47 deg.

0619 Activated GoTo Port Stanley WP. DTW 58 nm, eta 340pm. Waves about 1 ft powerboat chop. Wind 4.7kts wind angle 33deg. Phil plugged WP into the GPS and autopilot has taken over steering the boat.

0624 Sandsucker ship passed us at the west end of Presque Isle. There are 35 fishing boats in sight. Wow,

0630 raised mainsail. 0635. Boat speed 5.92kts.

Mainsail set. Boat speed 6.1 kts to 6.18 kts, so have a little boost. TWS 6.6 kts. Boat BTW 299deg. 56.37 nm to go

0654. The main sail started flapping with wind 3.2 to 2.8 to 3.9 now 12 deg from SB. Phil is adjusting sail move traveler all the way to SB. TIghtened main sheet and tightened the topping lift so it doesn’t flap around which worked.

0659. Boat speed 5.82 kts. Wind 4.9 kts at @7deg SB. DTW 54.32nm. 65 F

0740. 8.5kts wind. Wind angle 31 deg SB. Not enough to sail

0752. Wind 10-11 kts from 35 degree of boat. Waves getting choppy.

0755 let out jib, decrease engine to idle. TWS 11 kts. 41 wind angle, heeled over. Boat speed 4.92.

0756. Engine off.

Had to raise the main a little, then wind started to decrease. 0803 wind 7.5 kts boat speed 4.92 kts

0806. Wind 5.5. Boat speed 3.75 kts. This brief increase in winds was a teaser. 0807. Engine on. We left all the sails up. Boat speed 6.45 kts wind angle 45 deg to boat. Wind is out of the north.

The wind died and Phil rolled up the jib about 0900. When I woke from my nap at 945am the wind was 2.2 kts, the lake is glassy. DTW. 36.39. ETA 350pm wind 5 deg angle from boat, boat speed 6.11kts. Can still see the US shore. And I noted we’re in Canada per the chart and looking off the SB side, can barely see land and tons of windmills.

1036 am lunch over of sandwiches I made last night. Sourdough bread, mayo, cheese, turkey and roast beef.

1113. DTW 29.05 per boat. 28.07 per INavX. ETA 4pm. Most of the day was a story of no winds while keeping watch while I’m knitting my blue summer top and reading and Phil is reading his book by Catherine Coulter’s “The Devil’s Triangle “. Late morning felt like afternoon we had left so early.

Boat speed 6.11 kts DTW 18.98. ETA 409 pm. Phil was down for a nap.

1257 pm boat starting to heel. At 115 pm. Wind 9.5 kts at 39 degree angle. Phil letting out head sail with engine rpm lower. Engine idling. Boat speed 5.68 kts. Will we be able to sail. Yes!! Engine off 118 pm. 5.77kts boat speed. DTW 16.47 nm. ETA 410pm

1355 we have a few white caps but waves are <1.5 ft- wind speed 10.4kts, wind angle 43deg, boat speed 6.33 kts DTW 13.0 nm, eta 409 pm

0205pm. Lorraine down for nap. DTW 12.34 nm. Boat speed 6.15 wind 10.2 at 62 deg wind angle. No changes in waves

245pm Phil adjust the sails as the winds started going down to 9 kts and at 3pm the autopilot turned off. This is the 2nd time this has happened this trip. Lorraine heard sails flapping from the boat turning. Phil had to turn it on again.

1537 wind 7.4kts wind angle 72deg. DTW 3.81 nm (Phil’s) eta 5pm. Boat speed 3.60 kts. Then by 347pm boat speed increased to 4.25 I say that because Phil had an opportunity to get INavX Canadian Charts for $25 on his iPhone, so he had more accurate info that I did. I update the lat/Long of my Port Stanley WP to match his.

349pm Finally breaking down, we started the engine as boat speed was 3.6kts. 351pm rolled up head sail. DTW 2.74nm. Eta 420pm. We are almost there and can see the pyramid marking the channel entrance into the harbor.

405pm we dropped the mainsail on the lake and flaked it was so calm. We hardly ever do this on the lake due to the waves. Another reason we did this now is so that we could make the 430pm bridge opening, but we wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t safe to do so. We entered the river at 420pm. There is a dark colored sailboat in front along with a power boat, so feel sure we’ll get through the 430pm bridge opening which we did.

Port Stanley Sailing Squadron (PSSS) has a dock going out into the river with the bots bow 8n along each side. This dock end ps with a T which is the guest dock and available for us to use. Phil drove pass the dock, did a U-turn and came up to the dock no problem with a port tie up. Docked 435pm. Engine off 440pm. We fussed with the lines so that we could get off the high part of the dock by the shrouds and also where the boarding gate is open.

450pm It’s warm here compared to being on the lake. We went to PSSS building, it’s locked and no one is around, so we waited on the boat as we know that Ruth and Dick Foster know we are arriving today. We don’t have internet or cell phone service. 511pm the yellow dock line plugged in and we have electricity!

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About 530pm Ruth and Dick Foster from Port Stanley came down to the boat. It was so good to see them. They were one of 7 boats from this club who went to the Bahamas the year before we went. They have an Ericson 33.

While I chatted outside, Phil went through the drama of checking in to Canada. First he had to wait on hold. When Canadian border control answered, he couldn’t hear Phil. We changed to a cordless land line phone and after 7-8 minutes waiting, the same guy answered and we were able to check in. He gave them my passport number(they had Phil’s already) and the Arrive CAN number from the receipt. He answered some screening questions and he was done. Turns out we are the first Americans to come to Port Stanley this year after the border was opened because of the pandemic.

While Phil was inside checking in, other club members showed up along with Tony and Diane Lezak, also a couple who went down on their C&C 38. We cooked supper of hamburgers on the grill between slices of sourdough bread and heated up homemade tomato soup I froze from last summer. Everyone else was also making their supper and eating outside on the deck in the shade. The south breeze was nice. It was great chatting with old friends! We’re looking forward to seeing them more this weekend as we’ll be here for a couple days.

Phil was able to get Gigsky cellular data. I’m not able to send out text messages, but can use the internet and get emails.