Day 69, Friday August 30th

Day 69, Friday August 30th

Today is our day to pick up Alex and Alicia in Leamington which is about a 13 nautical mile sail to the north.  We head off by 9:30 and the winds are perfect. A bit light so we launch the assymetrical sail which we have figured out is more of a reacher than a downwind sail.  We were docked 3 hours later and getting a pump out, and asking to park for a few hours while we spend some money in Leamington to stock up on some groceries.  Alex and Alicia were also at the dock and they had wheels which was great for grocery getting.



Alicia on deck



Alex on deck

By 2:00 we were under sail enroute back to Pelee Island.  The winds were now on the nose so we had to tack which made for a longer voyage.  The sun was shining and the waves were minimal which was good for our newbie sailors.  Alicia had sailed once before with us and the waves and weather were horrible so she took precautions and had the wristbands on and the seasick pills in her belly.  All went well.  We were nicely anchored back at the North Bay by 6:00.  We had a great swim off the boat and then had dinner.  We decided to head into the pub via dinghy at around 9:00.  With headlamps on we set out and it was a bit freaky cause there were fish jumping beside us.  Julie was concerned it was the asian carp and that the next one was going to broadside her in the head.  We got to the pub and listened to 2 sets of Ray Whaling and it was decent music.  The crowd was funny to see.  Quite drunk and did not abide by the no shirts, no shoes no service.  The draught beer was somewhat flat too.  We headed back to the dinghy before midnight and all was well with the boat.  Winds were forecasted southwest and to go west about 5:00 a.m. and not heavy so we were okay with the anchorage. 

Tall ship in port at Pelee Island

About 3 minutes after we went to bed there was noise from the wind as it was shifting north. Oh no!  We all got up.  Our wind generator was on and just spinning like crazy, to the point the autobrake came on.  The bay started to roll.  It was horrible.  “The boat and high winds rocked me to sleep” was Alex’s comment, but Alicia and her seasick bucket, Dawson and Julie stayed on deck until about 5 a.m.  We were concerned the anchor might drag so we were on the alert to start the engine and take some pressure off.  Luckily we held well.  The sand here is a bit hard so sometimes not as good of hold.  We were able to catnap in the cockpit as we rolled back and forth.  We knew Alicia was watching the lights on shore as there was no way she was getting any sleep.  Alicia’s stomach held until about 3 a.m. but then our wonderful barbeque dinner was no more.  Luckily at 5 a.m. the winds subsided a bit and Alicia and Dawson went to bed.  Julie continued to nap on deck until 7:30 when we decided, to get a slip at the marina.  Alicia and Alex went in by dinghy to catch our lines.  By 9:00 we were nicely anchored into a slip meant for a 30 foot boat, but all was good.

Cheers

Julie and Dawson