Days Events:

Wx great - clear, sunny, 43F at dawn, rising to 55 by 11:00 and to 62 in pm. Winds NE 5-9-12 .

Today the sailing club, YYC, had their first race of the season, with about 7 boats leaving around 10 a.m. It was a closed event, running 16mi. down to Wilson Harbor, where we had been, and returning; closed meaning only club members and they reported their times by the honor system. It was interesting to watch these 30-40' boats get their rigging in order and set off; we know nothing about sailing.

I dry vacuumed the engine room and then wet vacuumed the water from the bilge that the pump couldn't pick up. Also, cleaned out the bugs and crud in the lazarettes which I hadn't had time to do after they have been in storage; looks much nicer now. This is early spring here and allergy season with lots of pollens, etc. The obsessive cleaning helps to keep an eye on all the systems as well, to identify a potential problem before it happens.

The admiral and chief-of-all-things 'chef-like', made a mouth-watering late brunch of bacon/eggs/toast/coffee. Always a pleasure to eat. She then outdid herself with a fantastic pasta with feta and black olives for supper, after we moved the boat to pumpout the holding tank; it's always a load off our mind to have that tank emptied [once a week usually]. Wanted it empty, since it was about 85-90% full when I checked it today, before the piloting crew came aboard.

Several sailboats are in 'dry dock' next to us. One of them is dedicated to racing: has a near flat bottom, no cabin with open deck, long/deep keel with a 'torpedo' on the bottom, a closable propeller blade [when not needing the engine power, to reduce drag/windmilling], a rudder extending down the full depth of the keel, a tall mast. Impressive looking boat. Took some photos to compare the more traditional rudder, prop, keel, and hull shape.


Photos: See several about the 'racer' sailboat and others on shore next to us. The propeller is fascinating because it is shown closed; when the engine is in gear then it would open its 'bills' to drive the boat.


Planning:

Tomorrow the transit capt. and 2 crew arrive at 06:30 and after we provide an orientation to D.A. they head for the Welland Canal at Port Weller to have CBSA check them before going through the first lock. The capt. has given us his wifes Jeep for the day and we will trade back this evening, hopefully, at the Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo. The trip is about 54miles from Youngstown, up the Welland, and back to Buffalo. The wx looks great for the day. Can't leave an 'excessive' amount of alcohol onboard - leaving only 12 beer and 1 L.bottle wine - meets CBSA rules for 'importing' alcohol amounts per person [even though we aren't getting off the boat or staying in Canada!!!!!!!].

We will be checking in to the Courtyard Marriott near the marina in Buffalo, probably after lunch, and will be shopping for groceries. If all goes well, we will check out again that evening and get back on the boat and Tues. a.m. head SW for Dunkirk, NY, 36 mi. from Buffalo, on the south shore of L.Erie.

Having a scotch and then a beer now to celebrate our successful pumpout and the nicest evening we've had since resuming our journey [sun, wind down to min.breeze, warm].


From the Admirals Desk:

Lots of activity on the dock this morning with everyone getting set up for the race. Plus there are a few who appear to just like hanging around boats and visiting.

Nothing very eventful today for me to report on. But, the salad Rob mentioned was a pasta salad with many veggies, not just feta and black olives. Those are his favorites so apparently the only things worth mentioning.šŸ˜. I basically used up all the fresh stuff so I can get fresher stuff tomorrow. Having a car with a good grocery store near the hotel is an opportunity to restock before heading back to marinas in smaller communities with no transportation. We generally prefer to stay out of big cities with huge marinas.

We're looking forward to getting tomorrow over with and moving on. There are many possibilities for a bureaucratic screwup regardless of how thorough we've been. We'll both pack a basic overnight bag just in case.

And I should get off my butt now and get started! So...

Good night.


Comments:

Monte - 31 May 2021 Hi Rob & Marg, fabulous experience, wishing you both the best. Just a thought, In regards to the engine coolant ā€˜disappearingā€™ ... check the engine oil levels just to make sure you are not ā€˜making oilā€™. No creamy looking oil on the dip stick. If coolant gets into the engine oil via for example head gasket leak, the glycol in the coolant will take out the engine bearings. I donā€™t mean to alarm you, odds are itā€™s not that as you report coolant level drops on both mains, you are likely aware of this and have made the oil level checks, just though I would mention it. Safe travels!

Ann R - 31 May 2021 Enjoying the blog. Hoping all goes well in the Welland. Get Rob some good groceries - sounds like heā€™s working up an appetite every day! Love the photos! Be safe and enjoy your day off the water.

Ernie R - 31 May 2021 Hopefully next report will have Welland astern!

Robert & Margaret - 31 May 2021 Monte, thanks for the heads-up. I had indeed had the worry in the back of my mind and the oil levels have not increased and don't look foamy. Ernie pointed out it could be a faulty thermostat gasket/seal which fails when heated and I'm not seeing any stains around or below it. Now Ernie would simply replace the thermostat and I may have to yield to his experience over many years of having things fail!! :) Should probably get a spare thermostat and cap anyway.