The Admiral behind the wheel in Canadian waters.
The Admiral and The Mother came north for the week to do a bit a sailing. We set sail from Herl's Harbor on Monday afternoon for a trip to Leamington, Ontario. Since the winds were out of the north and due to our late start, we decided make the first leg of our trip short and drop the hook in Schoolhouse Bay of Middle Bass Island. The forecast was calling for westerly winds of 10 to 15 knots becoming northwest. A perfect wind for sailing to Leamington. After a leisurely morning swim by the Captain, we pulled the anchor, deployed the sails, and we left for Canada without ever starting the engine.
The Mother was cold, even when it was hot.
The wind was as predicted and the sailing was perfect as we took a bearing of 20 degrees and made Canada without tacking in only 4 1/2 hours. The 15 to 17 knots made for 2 to 3 foot waves... and a lot of fun. We even passed a couple of fellow Herl's Harbor neighbors on their way back from Leamington. Once there, we walked and toured Leamington and almost started an international incident. Dad seemed concerned with receiving "Canadian" money in exchange for his U.S. Greenbacks and I was asked if I wanted any Loonies for change. I thought the name was slang for the Queen, which is pictured on the $1 coin, however was told that picture on the reverse was that of a loon. Go figure.
The reproduction "Nina" moored at Put-In-Bay.
With the threat of high winds and thunderstorms, we decided to leave Leamington on Wednesday and sail to Put-In-Bay. We needed to check in with Customs and PIB would get us closer to home in case bad weather rolled in. The sailing was great once again as the wind was fairly steady at 12 from the southwest. As we came into port, a reproduction copy of "Nina" and "Pinta" followed us into the mooring field. You just never know what you'll find at PIB! That night brought rain and Thursday was unbearably hot and humid. We motored to Kelley's Island for a golf cart tour before heading home. A quick check of the radar at Kelley's saw no rain in sight however as we pumped the holding tank at Anchor's Away, the sky turned dark and a huge thunderstorm came out of nowhere. We raced the storm back to Herl's Harbor and tied up at the dock just before the strong winds and heavy rain hit us. Although the week was cut short... we had a great time sailing.