A new sailing season, a new adventure

We have been a bit silent on this blog recently, but we have a very good reason. We have uprooted our lives in Prince Edward Island and are moving to Kingston, Ontario. In April, I was offered a new job in Kingston starting in May and couldn't say no. Of course, there are two things I could not move without, Jay and My Obsession. Ironically, we had always planned to make the trip up the St. Lawrence this summer and then over the next few years follow the Eerie Canal and move the boat south. Now, we are sailing the boat to Kingston where we will live aboard for the summer. The past two months have been a flurry of activity getting the boat ready, cleaning out the house so it can be rented to vactioners over the summer, finishing up consulting contracts, starting a new job from afar and making plans for The Turret Bell and Jay's business. Getting the boat ready always has its little challenges every year. This is our first year with My Obsession as Lia and Bob took care of everything rigging the boat for the season last year. I am happy to report we didn't face anything too major. Jay did have a challenge with getting the water heater reconnected. He missed closing the valve he had opened to drain the heater in the fall and had to pump out several of gallons of water from the bilge. A few weeks later, a clamp let go and we had to again pump hot water out of the bilge. The upside is, I am happy to say we have a very clean bilge now. It only took 5 days and visits to 12 different stores to find a replacement bulb for the reading light over the chart table and thanks to my Dad we identified someone nearby who could weld a replacement bracket for the small solar panel that powers 4 small cabin lights. Jay also took his first trip to the top of the mast. Unfortunately he left the camera on deck so he has no cool photos of the boat from on high. I do have one of his bottom side as he is aloft though. It isn't the most flattering photo of him, so I won't post it. Now most people don't move to a new job by sailing their boat over 900 nautical miles, but that is what we are doing. A friend is driving our car up and we are sailing the boat up. After weeks of packing, planning, provisioning and prepping (and a few tears of goodbye with family and friends), we finally cast off the docklines yesterday morning at 10am bound for Kingston. Our friend, Owen, is along for the first few days of the trip as additional crew. The morning was warm and sunny with only a light breeze. We had planned to round the eastern tip of PEI and beeline across the Gulf of St. Lawrence for the Gaspe. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't favourable, so we decided to follow the Strait instead. It added distance, but as we hadn't really had enough time for a shakedown cruise, we knew this route was prudent as the south of PEI offers many more possible anchorages. We ended up motoring most of the day as the wind was either too light or on our nose. We travelled through the night, the three of us taking turns on watch. The seas were fairly calm and the night was cloudy, but peaceful. We spent a lot of the night motorsailing, averaging about 6.5 knots. I pulled the night watch crossing under the Confederation Bridge. It looked amazing all lit up at night. I also pulled the early morning shift and got to watch the sun come up over PEI as we passed the iconic West Point Lighthouse. Jay was on watch at 7am, just after me. Within a half hour, the wind and waves increased substantially. I bounced around in the bunk as I tried to sleep as the boat was pitching and rolling. The seas built to about 2 metres. Bashing into 25 knots of wind, it soon became apparent we were making no progress at all. Jay decided to alter course and head for Richibucto to wait out the weather. At 11am this morning, we pulled into Richibucto, having covered 146 nautical miles, with less than two hours under sail alone - a disapointment for sure as we all love being under sail. So, we spent the better part of the day in port. It gave me a great opportunity to work. Tomorrow, if the weather is better we will resume our journey.

Spring has arrived

Well it was an unseasonably warm 16 degrees Celcius today - the first day of Spring. With the snow melting and the warmer weather, we decided to go check on My Obsession to make sure the warmer weather hadn't softened the ground and compromised the stability of the boat on her jackstands. Happily, all is well. Unfortunately, a nearby boat in the storage yard fell over at the beginning of the winter causing itself some serious damage. It has made me a bit paranoid I confess.

The harbour was clear of ice and with the balmy weather, I couldn't help but feel the itch to get going on the little boat projects necessary to get the boat ready to be launched. Alas, it is still too early, but my mind is already churning with plans for the upcoming sailing season. A season which can't start soon enough for me! The countdown is officially on I think.

Sailing in Hawaii

It has been way too long since we posted to this blog. Once My Obsession was put up on the hard for the winter, we have been very focussed on work and not so much on on all things sailing. We did have an opportunity to go sailing on a 53 foot catamaran while in Hawaii this winter. Somehow, it seemed strange to be sailing along at 10 knots, but not heeled over! The weather was beautiful. The whales and dolphins were plentiful. The sun was warm. Wonder if we will ever sail in the pacific on our own boat?

An Update

It has been over a month since we returned with My Obsession from Cape Breton and an amazing 5 weeks in the Northumberland Strait and the Bras D'Or Lakes. After we returned to PEI we only managed to squeeeze in one final day sail before we had to have the boat hauled at the end of September. October has passed in a flurry of work and activity, preparing for the colder weather which is steadily approaching. Winterizing My Obsession was a bit more complicated than it was to winterize Obsession 305. The boat systems are still somewhat unfamiliar and just tracking down all the connections takes time.

Now, My Obsession sits on the hard in Souris, PEI, fortified against the wind and weather and quietly waiting for another adventure in 2012. This season saw us travel from New Jersey up the coast to Nova Scotia, around to Souris, PEI, up the Northumberland Strait as far as Buctouche and then to Cape Breton and the Bras D'Or Lakes. We sailed a total of 1750 nautical miles this season and spent 84 nights on board.

The past few weeks, we have been following the adventures of our friends, Chick and Cheryl on Great Habit as they begin a year sailing in the Carribbean. We wish them fair winds and safe passages. Follow Great Habit's blog if you are interested.

A trip to Ottawa over the Thanksgiving weekend meant no trip to the Annopilis Boat Show this year for us. But, the Miami show is coming up in February...

A clean(er) anchor

On our first boat, Obsession 305, we did some anchoring overnight, but one of the major attractions of our new boat, My Obsession, is the enhanced ability for anchoring.

Earlier years, although we were pretty self-contained, our main limitation was refrigeration. Having only an ice box meant that we had to come onto land to get ice every second day, or risk food going bad. Since that meant pulling up to a dock, our routine became a night at anchor, followed by a night (or multiple nights) at dock.

Now we have a refrigerator and freezer. This greatly extends our independence, and we will stay out at anchor for multiple nights. It also allows us to take a mooring when we want to be closer to land. For instance, on our current trip to Cape Breton, we have been at a mooring in St Peter's instead of on dock. Since we generally spend quite a few nights here to visit family, it is a big savings - $25 per night on mooring, as opposed to about $55 on dock.

That brings me to the second item that enhances our abiity to anchor - Ducky. This is our dinghy, which gives us a bit more freedom of movement without having to bring up the anchor. It also makes mooring possible, since we use Ducky to get back and forth from shore. I think Ducky has paid for himself in the one summer we have had him.

Also, handling the anchor on My Obsession is much more pleasant. One thing you learn quickly when anchoring is that underwater mud is messy and stinky. Previously, I pulled up the chain by hand. I had a dedicated pair of gloves that I used, which would get mud coated and would really smell. All that mud would end up in the anchor locker, which was always a mess.

Now, we have an electric winch on the bow, which pulls up the anchor. In addition, there is a washdown hose that we can use to clean the anchor chain as it comes on board. Much nicer and cleaner than our earlier arrangement. Anchoring is so much more pleasant now, and we can enjoy the best parts of cruising more than ever before.


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