Bottoms Up, or Maniac Moms
What a day!
Sailing, Sailing
Day of wind on water, this time featuring Windrider and Heliotrope.
Of course, lots of jet-skiing and tubing, too. And swimming. Not to mention the catching of frogs, king fliers, and a water snake.
The main event, however, at least for the adults, might have been the the couples timed races on Windrider from the committee boat (Heliotrope at her mooring) to a windward mark (Bri's tubing tube anchored about a mile to windward off the Sandy Beach point). I will avoid posting the results of the five races, out of modesty.
Fabulous Summer Day
Sunny, almost hot, light wind, warm water. Jet-skiing, tubing, stand-up paddle boarding, sailing, swimming, jumping off the high dock, and evening fishing at the falls.
And, the traditional homemade pizza party. Many self-styled pizzas, but 13 diners, not counting four dogs, so not much in the way of leftovers.
Full House
The whole fam damily is here all at once. How fun is that?
One soggy family.
This morning the most intense thunderstorm of the year, right when the Nies fam was almost to the falls after walking up river. But by afternoon sunny and perfect for tubing.
We appreciate the younger Nies family bringing rain with them. Perhaps the fire ban will be lifted soon.
Now with the Janowiec fam here the fun has really started. At present everyone down to the dock now to see the an almost full moon sending paths of golden moonlight across the bay.
Two Days In One
Windy, rainy morning (when the ship came in), calm and sunny afternoon for swimming and tubing. The Heliotrope cruise a success, in spite of the damp return trip.
They're Off
Nies family off on a cruise.
And, prior to departure, a cooling off period.
Nice south wind.
Vacation Weather
Bright sun, now appreciated after the good rain. Poker run in the morning on both Windrider and Heliotrope. Jet-ski, tubing, swimming, and frog catching in the afternoon. And, in between, Mimi and Bubba attending the road committee meeting and pot luck.
Rain Day
First of the summer, much needed, though ill timed. A fun day nonetheless.
Lunch on Heliotrope. Grilled whitefish for dinner.
They're Here
Bri, Renee, Ellie, Maddie, Becca, and Morgan
Clouds, Actually
Very slowly and very reluctantly, a layer of cirrus and alto stratus moved in, and by late afternoon the searing sun was somewhat shaded. There are rumors of rain, but you know what you can do with those.
Cows. Photo shot about a week ago—last time we saw clouds.
Prepping for visitors. While Mimi cleaned and rearranged I practiced with the new chartplotter and developed a 10-minute short-course in its use.
Hate to admit it but I'm starting to long for sweatshirt weather. And how I would love to have to don a rain jacket!
This evening we saw what we think was an otter swim by south to north, under the pier, and on to shore in the reeds this side of Tyson's. It was moving fast. Maybe a juvenile beaver?
Wildlife
A second bear sighting claim has come in—said to be at about the same time last week as the first one—so I am starting to give some credence to the claim. Possibly a good-sized black bear heading north to south.
And, a turtle enjoying harbor life, alongside Lollipop.
I was going to title this posting, ""Dry Roasted" because that's what happened here today. The only relief was in the water. In spite of the heat, Norm came by and re-installed the starter motor, and when Sue and I took a little trial cruise the engine fired up every time the key was turned.
Regarding Trump: I've always known he was unqualified, but with his latest comment (threat) he is now disqualified. Self-disqualified. I've been enjoying the news lately because of a prurient interest in seeing the self-inflated poke holes in his own balloon. But now it's time for Trump to go, or be removed. There must be some way a political party can disqualify and dismiss a candidate who is obviously deranged.
Sure Start
To Sudbury today, and back, getting Heliotrope's starter motor repaired.
Park in downtown Sudbury, across from the Vianet building. We had an excellent lunch at a new, upscale lunch place nearby.
For years things have been a little iffy in starting the little diesel on board of Heliotrope. Most of the time the engine would start, but once in a while, when you turned the ignition key, nothing happened—and this could be problematic, especially in rough weather or when trying to claw off a lee shore. Always, up to now, a certain amount of fiddling, switching on and off, etcetera, would result in the engine starting—but the instances of malfunction have been increasing over the past few years, and given the way of things mechanical, a total failure was certain, and almost certainly occurring in a stressful situation.
So this morning Norm came over to Kagawong and pulled the starter, something that hadn't been done for 38 years. As anyone who has worked on old equipment knows, removing a component after 38 years of attachment is impossible. Add to that the inaccessibility of an engine stuffed into the bilge of a sailboat and it becomes obvious that Norm is the only person on the planet who could have done it. Took him less than an hour, too, and he still has some skin on his hands.
Soon as the starter was off the boat we put it in the truck and headed to Sudbury and a repair shop Norm recommended (and called on our behalf). The place looked like a dark cave littered with gobs of metallic slag, but the people inside were incredible. ""I'll get right on it," said the guy at the counter. And two hours later the starter was rebuilt.
It will be good to have an engine that starts. To a small degree I kind of liked the uncertainty, always figuring it would be a fun challenge to utilize plan B (which every good sailor always has), and in the past I've quite enjoyed being engineless and having to sail into a dock or marina only under sail. (I remember coming in somewhere, sometime sans engine and receiving a round of applause from all the bystanders.)
But, when grandkids are out on the boat cruising around with their parents, I believe a yacht should be fully found, with an engine that is always ready to go at the turn of a key.
The Day That Got Away
Errands in Gore Bay caused a late start. Luckily, gazpacho at Pine Box this evening. Sunny, warm, and dry. Had to water the garden AGAIN.
But the day started with an early morning dip, just a little after sunrise. And that's the way to start any day. I'm thinking an early morning dip should be part of every camper's routine.
The garden, dry as it is, is starting to produce.
Another Lovely Day In The Desert
Light wind, intense sun. Heard from George Gaiser that he heard at church that Ed Burt has not yet irrigated but is harvesting decent crops--which shows that you can't believe everything you hear at church.
While not the best day for crops, it was a fine day for a bike ride. Above is the ride back from the marina, which is majority up, including a bit of Lebar hill. This is the new record.
Lunch at Harbor Island
Actually, a swim, a tasty lunch, and a nap.
Close hauled on the way out, with a fitful wind—sometimes slack, sometimes enough to almost bury the rail. Overall, a quick trip, and an enjoyable one, because of the need to pay attention and make adjustments.
After lunch, a luxurious nap as the boat swung to anchor in the lee of Harbor Island. But then a gust, and then another, sneaking around to the protected anchorage, inciting the boat to heel at anchor. Time to get up said the elements. So we did.
And the ride back was lively, with just one-third jib along with the mizzen, but with the boat still hitting seven knots, from time to time. Heliotrope's new, very accurate, wind gauge showed 25 knots of true wind, with gusts occasionally higher (and all that is just short of a gale). Experienced as we are, we battened the hatches in advance to avoid the sheets of spray slicing across the boat from sneaking down below.
The trip home was quick. We fell back to our old routine of heavy weather sailing. And it was fun.
At the moment, as we are sitting shoreside, occasional violent gusts come ripping down from the bluff. We are hoping all those anchored out are enjoying them as much as we are.
P.S. —Cheetos make a delicious side for an off-shore lunch.
Providential
An odd night with two power outages (and attendant screeching of detectors), the rain which was forecast not showing up, considerable dog nervousness, and finally a belated shower.
Over to Providence Bay (with the next door neighbors) to check out the new coffee shop/art gallery and for fish and chips at Lake Huron Fish and Chip (or whatever it's called—the sign has weathered away pretty much). Illustrated below, the mural on the side of what used to be a hardware store back when Prov was more of a town, but which now sells lattes and lithographs.
Mighty west wind all day blowing some of the humidity away and cooling things down a bit. Garden in desperate need of water, AGAIN.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
We did see several today but they quickly vanished in the desert air. If Wordsworth can say "rocks and stones and trees," I'll say "wind and sun and heat." But I know it is worse elsewhere. Here a dip in the lake and a sit in the breeze, and climate change seems bearable.
Wolf in the Tango as we sailed by.
Heat Warning
Too hot, and, of course, too dry.
The kind of day when you either had to crawl under a rock or slither into the water.
But, the Falls were overrun, with cars parked everywhere. Apparently people are willing to suffer extremes for a little natural wonder (which at present is the merest trickle). Marina also filled beyond capacity (one anchored out), this time with big sailboats. It must be the height of the season.
An odd little shower this morning with drops few enough to count. And this afternoon a few cumulo-nimbus sailing past to the west and north. Once again the tomatoes look painfully wilted.
Sunny, Hot, and Dry
No wind in the morning, rambunctious wind in the afternoon.
Note the monarch.
Continuous watering necessary of garden, flowers, and herbs. Lively sail on Windrider, with all systems fine with a blow.
Cicadas buzzing in the trees.
Sunstroke
We had to hide from the sun from 9 to 5.
More dog vomit fungus, this time on the chip pile at the bottom of the driveway.
Mimi taking an 8 pm dip to cool off after our cruise.
Lovely cruise on Heliotrope from 5:30 to 7:30. John and ME, Murray and Elaine, and us. Just the right breeze for snacks and cocktails. Good fun silently buzzing a yacht anchored a short bit off Donna and Al's. These fine cruisers invited us to breakfast, I'm pretty sure.