2008 Voyage of "Necessity Too"
by Butch Wrocklage
A Circular Trip From Channel Grove Marina, OH via the Welland and Trent-Severn Canals
The comfort of computer work from the “NT, Necessity Too,” is coming from the Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club on the SW area of Lake Ontario. We are in our ninth day of travel from Channel Grove Marina. You sailors would enjoy the dock walk today, because it is sunny and warm with many different types of sail boats and a very few power boats to be seen at this club. One night free because of belonging to I-LYA, (Inter-Lake Yachting Association).
Now for a quick run down on how it went since leaving Channel Grove Marina. Thursday, May 29th, slow travel to Edgewater Yacht Club, Cleveland,OH. Engine running time was 7.1 hours and 14 gal.diesel on a calm Lake Erie. That was a great beginning. I know this can’t continue but pray to have a repeat.
Friday, May 30th. Our destination is Conneaut Boat Club. After the free night at Edgewater, the weather is changing. Maybe I didn’t pray long and hard enough. We had strong winds from the west giving us a following sea with auto pilot doing a far better job than I. “NT” took water over the bow a couple of times. The slow ride of Thursday was not to be had, and there goes some extra diesel out the exhaust. After 8.1 hours used 22 gal and a few beers, life is good.
Now headed for Erie,PA. and hoping to see some boats along the way. No boats traveling. Same lake conditions but a little more sun. Still too cool for bathing suits and Diane wants more sun. I say keep praying. After 3.3 hours of travel, we fueled up at the Erie Yacht Club. Took on 36 gal and got our slip assignment. The Erie Yacht Club has expanded its building with an enclosed patio. Everything first class and people wanting to know where are we heading, etc. Now this is more like it. We did our forced walk that Diane enjoys so much, but I got to see their new floating docks and anxious people getting on their boats. We had dinner at the bar area and not in the FORMAL DINING ROOM with the china, silverware, and white table cloths. This visit was our third over the past boating years. One of these years we may just make this a destination and see the history and have more time to visit the friendly people.
Sunday, June 1st and 5.6 hours later we arrive at Dunkirk Yacht Club and 12 gal less in the tank. This club is really neat. Everything is built over the water. So when you do your morning head visit, you can either read the boating magazines or fish for breakfast. I still like seeing the magazine ads with the young ladies trying to sell boats etc. Yes, there are many good boating articles, too. This club is very active and proud of the buildings on the water, and they should be. On Friday nights the party begins with much food and all kinds of drinks. We did enjoy one of those Friday nights when we did the Erie Canal two years ago. Remember, this is Sunday and their beer was almost gone but enough munchies to forget dinner. Diane did take some cheese dip and crackers and I offered some of my Natural Light Beer, but they prefer the hi-test beer in the keg. Story telling is at an all time high and some very good info does come out of it. This is always a fun place to visit. Again, they honor the one night free, as well as offering their food and drink.
Monday, June 2nd This is a work day for many, but for us will be the joy of traveling with strong winds from the west as we head north to Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. We played sail boat and tacked with and against the white cap waves and good size swells. It was not that bad, and I know the sun and warm temperature helped. Diane gets to be in her bathing suit and finding the sun in any window that faces the sun. You can get good exercise jumping from one window to another especially when doing a tack. I just hold on and see if the auto-pilot needs help. Only once when I got into a big trough, Diane’s yell forced me to take over the piloting. I’m getting better because the yelling stopped. After 3.4 hours we are moored at Marlon Marine at Port Colborne. I quickly checked in with Customs and told them the truth about the volume of beer and wine in “ship stores”. This overcomes the meager 40 oz. per person. We stayed here for two days to get caught up on laundry, etc., as well as seeing the staging area for locking down the Welland Canal.
This arrangement for getting set for the trip down the Welland is not easy, and there were problems right from the beginning. Please stay tuned while I recharge my mind.
Photos from top left to right and second line from left to right are as follows: Cleveland background from Edgewater Yacht Club, visitors at Edgewater Yacht Club, Erie Yacht Club, Perry’s Monument at Erie, PA harbor. Coast Guard Station at Erie, PA harbor, Dunkirk Yacht Club on the water, and Dunkirk’s light house.
June 3rd. Tuesday is laundry and walk into town. I’m more interested in seeing where we will stage the boat so that I get the $200 ticket for locking through the 8 locks. We make it into town and find the staging dock. First problem, it has been vandalized. The mooring lines were cut which made the dock swing out and sent the steps that connect the dock to shore. We found the person in charge of the dock, Denise Carpenter, and found out she was just made aware of it. She already has a crew coming in the next day sometime in the morning. Not good since our intention was to request passage at 6:00 AM. She was kind enough to contact “Seaway Welland” and explain the problem. She gave me the direct phone # and extension and said to phone at 5:30 AM to get instructions. OK, now it’s 5:30AM Wednesday the 4th.and he says to come around and tie to the concrete wall on west side. I could not get a departure time, but the only encouragement was that we will be locking through sometime.
He also said if we hurry, there was some space at the wall. We activate our drill to perfection except the power cord was just thought of before engaging reverse. Diane holds boat I unplug and away we go. I must remember that there is a strong current going down-bound. This requires doing a 180 turn, have big bertha fenders out ,lines at the ready, and nobody around to help. Did I mention about prayers? Thank God for the bow-thruster and a lucky toss of the spring line unto a post five feet over my head. Now I hear this music coming down the walk and sure enough, here is a young fellow with earphones on that couldn’t hear a yell if need be. Well the Kahlenberg Air Whistle got his attention. He about jumped into the river. Now I have his attention and help with the tying of the NT’s lines. My next step is to get off the boat and purchase the ticket. OK, climb onto the pilot’s roof and step onto the wall. Did that, now climb over or under bar fence. I got the ticket now to get back on the boat. Be sure not to lose ticket and follow Diane’s many orders on how to get back onto boat. At least it’s not raining. Take a deep breath and don’t overrun after the jump. VHF phone on 14 waiting for instructions and finally three hours later we get word that it will be about three more hours for travel. Now we have time to rethink this whole thing over. $200 already spent, yes we will do it!!!
12:15PM we are heading down to the draw bridge with one sailboat and one 42’Egg Harbor fishing battle ship. Lock #8 is the first lock and for beginners because of the short drop of ten feet. The next seven will be 45 feet drop. The sailboat took the lead. This was a catamaran about 35’ long driven by 2 small outboard motors. I chose to be the last one into the lock. I am sure you can think of the many reasons for being last. Everything is going quite well until lock #7 which was 13.7 miles down stream. There is a strict rule on speed and of course the sailboat and NT were doing fine. The Egg Harbor was on a mission and getting quite antsy at this travel speed. OK we get into the lock just fine but the back gate doesn’t close. Why? We get word that another cruiser is coming down to join us. It will be but 30 minutes, right !!! About an hour later here comes the 40 + foot cruiser,and this lock woman asked if he could raft with me. I guess she thought I was a working tug. I said “no thanks and have him tie unto the Egg Harbor.” As it turned out there was enough room behind us. The next six hours was lock through time into Lake Ontario. Believe it or not, the lock walls were in great shape. The water was very clean and the lock people handed us the coiled lines for the 45’ drop. Diane was enjoying talking to the late cruiser behind us, and I finally relaxed a little to talk to the three guys on the Egg. He, Peter, had just bought the boat at Huron, OH, and was heading for his home in Boston. So far he had used three hundred gallons of diesel from Huron, Ohio, to the locks. He said he should have enough to get to the next port in Welland, Ontario. I didn’t want to ruin his day by saying we had used 12 gal. from Dunkirk, NY, to Port Colborne, Ontario.
What a relief finishing the last lock and getting into Lake Ontario. But wait, small craft warnings and strong NE winds. Thank God for the NE winds because that’s head seas for NT, and I swear I heard her say “thank you” for the head winds. About an hour later we were entering St. Catherine’s Marina on the east side of the Welland Canal. It didn’t take long to tie up. We were really hungry and just reheated the leftovers from our pressure cooking dinner from the night before. The pork chops,baked potato, and salad were delicious and, we were ready for a good night’s sleep.
Photos of the Welland and of beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake are included below.
June 5th. With a late wakeup and breakfast because of yesterday’s experience. The pontoon houseboat to our port had a gentleman that welcomed us and showed us around his boat since he did the interior himself. There also came two other gentlemen that showed interest in what we were doing. One of them has a 42” MarineTrader built to his specs for traveling across the Atlantic for a Med. tour. He and his wife took four years for that experience. We did get great info about activities and restaurants at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. They also gave info about Toronto and where to stay. It didn’t take long to cast off with their help and had a short, comfortable trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Sailing Club Marina is the only choice, and we were able to secure a nice slip amongst all the sailboats. Barb, the office manager, checked us in and gave us one night free and second night for $30. Much better than Marlon Marine at Port Colborne. Since we are only going to be here two days, we made the walk to town. The day was beautiful and what they say about seeing people from many different Countries is very true. We had a Greek lunch at “Fournos” with plenty of food to take back to the boat. I mentioned to the waiter that the fifth answer must have been a YES. He did spend time with us telling about his wife and family and recommended more interesting places. You could spend a week plus because of all the history, well kept old homes and many, many, shops. Did I mention shops?
June 6th. Friday, more walking, sight seeing and a different restaurant for lunch. Lunch time was after 1:00 PM, and we were told that the electric had been off for about an hour earlier in the day. We did not lose electric at the marina in the morning. Picture taking, talking to English speaking people and enjoying the hot weather, 90 degrees but cool at night. Someone told us that the power went off because of all the air conditioners going on. Later that afternoon about five o’clock our power went off, yet some of the sailors there didn’t care. Probably were not concerned because they don’t have air/heat, etc., on board. About an hour later power returned and life was good again. I was ready to get the Honda generator going, because we needed to micro our previous day’s lunch that we had brought back to the boat. Now we are getting anxious for the trip across the lake and how strong will the SW to W winds will be Saturday.
June 7th. Saturday and the sun is shining and the one to two foot waves made for a straight shot to Toronto. Four and a half hours later and using nine gallons of fuel was good enough for me. During that trip, I did run the Cummins at its redline of 2635rpm for a short time to clean the turbo blades. When I run at 1500 to 1800 rpm during our travels, it’s important to run fast for a short time. The National Yacht Club was suggested by the two fellows at St. Catharines Marina. Lots of activity going on in the inner and outer harbors of Toronto. Sailboat racing of all types, tour boats, and a four mast schooner and very few power boats. Now the trick of cell phoning and getting a slip. First call to National Yacht Club and Diane talks to a young waitress since no one answers their exchange phone numbers. Of course we lose a cell and more phone dialing. There was no answer on VHF radio either. So let’s try the Alexandra Yacht Club which is just next to NYC. Diane gets someone on the phone and we have directions to tie. A sailing couple helped us tie and the docks are floating rubber boxes tied together making for their docks. No cleats for line tie, just chain to use for your lines. Now to hook up 30 amp power cord, not so fast. This is 15 amp service. Diane sees me not a happy boater. I make a fast walk to the office to see if there is a different slip. No other slips available. Maybe this is good because I noticed when I touched land, the static electricity I generated gave me a pretty good jolt.
Another member saw my problem and suggested I walk next door to NYC. Of course, this club has a security fence. I did find a way with trying to climb the fence since it didn’t have barbed wire. This will be easy, just swing around the pole on the water side to gain entry to NYC. Right, first make sure no one is looking. Then again maybe I should see if someone would let me in. Too late. The pole held and I made it to the other side. Things get much better now. The Officer of the Day checks me in and walks me to the slip assigned. Bow in starboard tie, excellent WOOD DOCKS with 30 amp service. One problem, Diane is on the boat and doesn’t know I am at NYC. Things will be OK because the slip rate is GREAT. $15 per night and I still tried for a one night free. I better take this good deal before there is a shift change. OK, now another pole swing and onto NT. Diane was watching this whole action and no doubt had a few things to say if she was in talking distance. A big smile she had when I told her about the 30amp service and the slip rate. We did a short tour of the club and were impressed with the restaurant on the second floor as well as the other facilities. Very first class and friendly people. I made a phone call to Tom Bennett, our District Manager for this area, and he has the plans in place for his visit and two couples from Husky Mfg. Co. Our Company has been working with these people because they sell their injection mold machines to our good customer, Nestle Waters. Building good relationships with customers doesn’t hurt either. More picture taking and seeing all the activity that goes on in this beautiful city.
June 8th. Sunday, is the day that I am doing this log on the lower deck of the club while Diane is doing a little bit of laundry and cleaning up the boat. I am going to close for now.
The first set of photos are from Niagara-on-the-Lake and the others are from Saturday.
June 9th. Monday. The meeting with Customer friends went OK. I say OK because we had plenty of snacks, beer and wine that Tom Bennett and his Distributor, Shawn, brought to the boat. Weather-wise was not good. High winds, rain, and fog caused a no go for the boat ride. All seemed relaxed even though we were doing a lot of rocking at the slip. After the rock & roll, we headed for the National Yacht Club’s restaurant. It’s on the second floor with great views of the city as well as the lake. Unfortunately the fog prevented the view; yet everyone had a lot to say and enjoyed the many stories told. It truly was enjoyable to share the talk and interests without having the beautiful sights outside the large windows take away from the talk. Business wise, I believe we built a stronger relationship with this fine Customer. Just this morning I received the thank you e-mail from our Customer. There was another couple at NYC on a Marine Trader Trawler that we spent time visiting and getting to know about their travels and family. They are Canadian and just cruise Lake Ontario. As for the city of Toronto, it is beautiful and well represented by many nations. We were very well received during our city walks. Spoke to many friendly people and shopped at their local grocery store.
June 11th, Wednesday, we departed from NYC and headed east to Cobourg, Ontario. About six and a half hours later we are at the town of Cobourg Marina. Upon arriving we took on 40 gal. diesel and an important head pump-out. We did visit a traveling couple on board their 42’ Nordic Tug. John and Eileen purchased their tug four years ago and made the trip up the ICW , Hudson River, Erie Canal, Oswego Canal and into Lake Ontario. Their home is near Trenton, Ontario, and they gave us good info about the travels on the Trent/Severn Waterway. It’s unbelievable what ten extra feet will do compared to our little 32’. They sure are traveling in luxury with all the bells and whistles. Wait a minute; they don’t have the Kahlenberg Air Whistle. They did enjoy our “TOOT, TOOT.”
June 12th Today, Diane is in town shopping and finding a hair salon. The ladies at the harbor gave her two locations. I’m doing the logs and checking the vitals in the ER. So far, all mechanics and fluids are in fine shape. Looking out our salon window, I see the Canadian Coast Guard Station with their two boats at the ready. Their station is in the same harbor. The weather right now is beautiful, high 60’s, few clouds, and light south winds. I’m hoping for the same weather for tomorrow. We plan on doing about a ninety mile travel to Waupoos, Ontario. We have to do this route because the bridge over Murray Canal is being worked on and won’t be open for movement until July.
Therefore, our travels will take an extra two days and close to 150 miles longer. Diane returned from the hair salon, and I agree with her that the lady did a fine job on her hair. We will walk into town and do some shopping and picture taking.
The picture showing a separation in the concrete wall was the entrance into the National Yacht Club’s harbor. Some of the pics are not in the correct order but it’s easy to figure it out.
As you can see, we are still traveling and presently in Campbellford, Ontario on the Trent/Severn Canal. So here what’s happened since we left Cobourg Marina on Friday the 13th. Our goal was to make it to Waupoos Marina on Prince Edward Bay. Did you notice FRIDAY THE 13th?
Well our intentions were good because the Murray Canal is closed because of bridge work. The 13th. was beautiful at the start and we did get an early start heading east. About a couple of hours into to the trip a west wind kept building and the autopilot does a much better job than I. After a couple of nose dives with the bow taking water over itself I thought maybe a better course should take place. I looked aft from the pilot window and saw this black sky and mentioned this to Diane. It didn’t take long for her to get the weather report and they are saying for boaters to get off the lake. We do have choices!!! Do a 180 turn because NT likes head waves and two or three hours we’re back at Cobourg. Another choice is to look at the chart and see if there is a port of safety. Well, head north into Presqu’ile Bay , Harbourview Marina. This would have been our destination if the Murray Canal was open. At least we are going to see what it looks like. Three hours plus later the owners help tie us up and want to know why we were there other than knowing a good storm was brewing. This husband and wife are from England and the most cheery people you would want to meet. She runs the restaurant and does the cooking. Many of you know the English are not noted for their cooking; however, this lady was taught how to cook by an Italian gentleman. The number of people that drive to this little restaurant is unbelievable. We did have lunch and it was excellent. I even ordered her home made wild-berry pie. Diane did accept a bite that I offered. The day was productive because we made it in safely, met a number of couples getting their sailboats ready for water and got laundry done.
As all storms move on, we must do the same. Because of this we are now running behind schedule.
June 14th. Saturday, we started early to Waupoos Marina on Prince Edward Bay. This was an extremely long day because traveling two plus hours we were back in Lake Ontario where the storm had been. It was still a west wind with white caps on swells but autopilot doing fine. We finally get to the leeward side of the bay and a few hours later, we dock at a marina that has truck tires tied together to make their seawall. You can only see about half a tire above the water. This has to be an old Indian trick but it works. It must have taken thousands of tires to make this seawall. Again, this is a very small marina and mostly sailboats. We did some picture taking and had leftovers for dinner.
June 15th. Sunday, our goal is Trenton, Ontario to start the canal system. While traveling our kids checked in via cell phone for father’s day talk. I really enjoyed hearing from all five kids and hearing that all’s well with them, too. There are three bays of Bay of Quinte in order to reach Trenton. All three bays were filled with sailboats racing. The wind was still up and I thought a couple of the larger boats were going to pass us. We were doing our 8 to 9 knot speed to conserve fuel but I couldn’t let this one sailboat beat me to the next entrance channel. There went the two to three gal/hour. Now I’m doing 14+ knots and winning the race. I know I didn’t really win when my fuel burn more than doubled, but I did get to the channel first. Diane phoned Fraser Park Marina for slip and fuel. Harbor Master Craig promised slip and fuel and all went well. I took on 91.2 liters of fuel which is 24 gal. and I was surprised that it wasn’t more because of the race. Long story short, this fellow was quite good at putting us at ease and really making us feel welcomed. He really explained that the Trent/Severn was in good shape and we should not have any problems because of all the rain and high water. We did some shopping at the A&P Grocery store. It’s been many years since I have been in an Atlantic/Pacific Grocery.
June 16th, Monday, we made it to Campbellford, Ontario after doing 12 locks. The last two were step locks and the lock men waited about 15 minutes after closing time to lift us. The previous lock person phones ahead to let them know who is coming their way. We were the only traffic for the day. So far all the lock walls are in very good shape and rubber covered cables are spaced just right for us to handle. We did have some rain but it wasn’t heavy. It’s getting late and Diane is asleep on the sofa and usually I’m in bed first.
We are now at Bay Port Marina, Ltd. Midland, Ontario. Those of you who are following this trip on a map will notice we finished the Trent/Severn Canal.
June 17, 18, & 19th. We spent time at Hastings, Ontario. Hastings has a wonderful newer marina with easy access to the town. This provided Diane a chance to shop and get to know what’s going on in this little town. You see, I am waiting for a relay switch from IMTRA, SidePower Bow Thruster. Just after Campbellford and locking through two locks, the bow thruster wanted to turn on all by itself. Not good!!! So we did the flight locks (three in a row) with wheel walk, wind, extra work for the transmission, and a few choice words from me. Diane was doing something else. As you may know, going up is not as easy as going down. Plus, the attendants didn’t know that I had a problem. Since we were the only boat in the lock, they quickly close the gate and start filling the lock. I’m still trying to get my line around the cable, turn off the engine and see how Diane is doing. By the time we make it to the top of the lock, I’m able to mention my problem. I got to say, these people are very understanding and one attendant gave me a business card of a marine service that does good work. Randy, part owner of Upper Canada Marine, in Havelock, Ontario was called and met with me at Hastings. The extra days at Hastings allowed us to eat out at an Italian Restaurant and have enough food for the next day. To get to the restaurant and stores you walk across the swing bridge just after the lock. A number of people fish from the bridge and get their bait from a little building where the owner greets any and all people that pass his store. He reminded us of my late Uncle Ralph Wrocklage in Delphos, OH. Always had a story to tell and he looked and acted very much like Ralph. Diane got one of his special pens that has its own holder, and I could have gotten some worms if I had wanted to. Randy shows up on the 19th. with the switch and all works well.
June 20th We left Hastings very early. After twelve locks we made it to Buckhorn Yacht Harbor. This included the Peterborough Lift Lock. Just think of two separate large bath tubs each having a hydraulic piston lifting and lowering each tub at the same time. The tub we were in, has to be lifted so they just add enough water to the other tub which makes it a little heavier and therefore pushes our tub up. The story has it that one time the door gate opened too soon and the ascent was very quick but no one hurt. They double lock the gates to prevent this from happening again. The last lock called Buckhorn Yacht Harbor to let them know that we were on our way. This family run harbor stayed late to help us in. The daughter was there for slip direction and the uncle stopped by to fill us in what’s happening at this spot. The scenery is beautiful with new cottages as well as old huts and all had a dock. Their boats varied from small fishing boats, trailable runabouts, cruisers, and hard to believe go fast boats such as Formula, Scarabs, Donzi , and Checkmate. The only place to do that kind of speed is on Lake Simcoe. Wrong, there are some wide spots on smaller lakes that they are the only ones to know where the rocks are. Most all larger boats were doing what they should be doing and that is to follow the channel carefully and remember which side the red buoy is on. Sometimes this is very hard because so many of the cottages have these wooden chairs painted RED and some painted GREEN. From a distance you could see the color before knowing that that’s not a marker.
June 21st. and 22nd. These were travel days to Bolsover Sunset Cove and Severn Falls. The scenery is more green and rocky with narrow channels, swift rapids, and many colored buoys to follow. We met people from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and various places in Canada. All had their story to tell and we exchanged boat cards and phone numbers for future meets. Many of them asked about the flooding that’s happening in the Midwest. Two of the couples trailed their boats from Wisconsin to Severn and were traveling just up to Lake Simcoe.
June 23rd. Today we did the Big Chute Marine Railway and finally into Georgian Bay with a short travel to Midland, Ontario. The pictures will show what this railway is all about. Even though our travels gave us new experiences, it was still good to get back to water without locks.
June 23rd. Midland, Ontario, proved to be an enjoyable overnight after leaving the canal system. After 50 plus locks of all types since we left our home port of Channel Grove, we needed a nice marina with excellent facilities. This marina had it all. Even though this location is at the bottom of the bay, it is certainly worth the visit. Their people and full services are top notch. We did meet a few people that were traveling and some were very large boats, 45’ and larger. I guess the fuel cost was not a problem for them.
June 24th Midland to Lion’s Head. We were looking forward to big water travel. After a good rest, we left Midland at a reasonable time and let auto-pilot do the work for a change. The winds pick-up but at least we are not tacking to avoid the troughs. This was strictly on the nose and Necessity Too doesn’t mind getting its beard wet nor do I mind that I must use more rain-X on the windows again. As the day continued, the lake calmed down some and picture taking duties of Diane begins. As you enter the bay of Lion’s Head, we look for the image of a sitting lion looking over the water. I couldn’t figure it out but Diane sees the image but I got to say she used her imagination. We checked in to this very small harbor, fueled up, and got slip assignment. There were a few people at the picnic table enjoying drinks and talk. I needed beer and asked where the beer store is. A Canadian lady quickly spoke up and explained that it would be a long walk and probably be closed by the time I walked there. She offered to drive and Diane made sure she went along for the ride, too. You see this lady was very friendly and being from New Zealand was very talkative. I believe Diane wanted to know about New Zealand more than worrying about my ride with this lady. We did get a history lesson and also found out that Lion’s Head on the rocky entrance had a breakage that left its face change so that you can’t really see the lion’s face. With that explanation, I didn’t feel so bad about not seeing the image.
June 25th. Lion’s Head to Tobermory , Little Tub. This was a short trip and had good weather and more head seas. It was nine years ago that we enjoyed Tobermory. They did change the location of the fuel dock and check in for tie-up on the long dock. Craigie’s Restaurant still has the excellent white fish that we remembered. We were able to take half the lunch back to the boat. Soon I was helping a couple in a beautiful restored thirty-four foot ’77 Egg Harbor. They are from Port Stanley, Canada. They were going to stay a few days because of fog prediction and he didn’t have radar. That’s another story about radio waves being harmful to humans. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, no fog, and their Johnnie-on-the spot toilets. The marina is building the new restrooms and because of this, they shorten the length of your boat to compensate for the inconvenience. The walk around this little village has not changed much. The tour boats and scuba dive boats were busy.
June 27th. Tobermory to Kincardine was a longer trip but the weather was to our favor. After tie-up and checking the engine room and recording all the vitals, we walk into town. There are many shops and one super ice-cream store. I just had to have two scoops of black walnut chocolate swirl and Diane had chocolate chip mint. I was ready to go back for more but the cell phone business call stopped that action. We had a talk with sailors that were going to Tobermory and were very interested in the marina location and the building that was going on.
June 28th Kincardine to Goderich although we were planning on Bayfield. The winds were very high and the following seas made the choice easy to visit Goderich. We have been here before and it seemed to be the same. The docks are floating and in good shape. Many people were grilling out taking advantage of good weather. Many storms have hit this part of Canada just like some of the Midwest.
June 29th. Goderich to Port Huron. This is a favorite stop over for us and we use this port for reentry. That went very well because the officer was new on the job and explaining step by step what questions to ask. He was very pleasant and made sure the long entry # was correctly taken down by me. Port Huron Yacht Club is mainly a sailboat club. This was our stop going to and from Lake Superior last year. One night free and the splicing I did for their oldest living Commodore, 85 years old, last year. He owns the 42’ Nordic Tug . We also met a couple from California that just bought a lobster style pilot trawler made in Rhode Island. How they were going to get it to CA. was still in the discussion stage. It was a beautiful forty-two footer.
June 30th. Port Huron to Channel Grove. This is a long trip but will take advantage of the one to two knot current going home. We know this trip by heart and the waters were fine until we get into Lake Erie. The NW winds were strong and making our SE travel to home port called for careful handling of NT. Auto pilot just about had all it could take. A couple of times I tried manual steering and it worked out OK. An interesting side light was that we were following the Niagara, which is a restoration of Admiral Perry’s ship from the war of 1812, all the way from Lake St. Claire. We are now at our home port of Channel Grove and looking forward to seeing family and friends soon. We hope all have enjoyed this account of our great trip.
