Time&TideTravels

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Trenton to Campbellford

Well, the moment we have planned for and dreamed about has arrived. After years we are finally setting off on the trip of a life time. Some people still don't know what the Great Loop is, I urge you to google AGLCA and read about it ...

http://www.greatloop.org

Our last weekend home was filled with family commitments; our granddaughter, Avery, had her first dance recital and we were sure to be there for that big occasion

On Sunday 10th of June Gary and Nick got to race Formula 101 cars in Barrie. Gary won the race ....beating Nick by .006 seconds

We left CFB Trenton Yacht club at around 9am on June 11, 2012, good friends were there to see us off, Lois and Eric Irwin and Pat and Jack McDonald.

After a quick stop in Trenton we set off North on the Trent – Severn. We only travelled as far as lock 4 and tied up there for a couple of nights. What a great spot for quiet togetherness.... then we were visited by friends; Anna Wheatley, Denise Franklin, Bob and Monique Car. We had dinner (Pizza from Frankford) and homemade cheesecake compliments of Anna. Later in the evening we were visited by Lois and Eric. There were other people who came to visit after 4:00 pm but the gates were locked and they didn’t walk down to the boat.

It was a short run from 4 to 5 but that was part of the plan of slowing down. We were joined by Bruce and Ann at Lock #5 Wednesday evening. We went back into Trenton with them, to one of our favorite restaurants, Tomassos. Afterwards we went to their boat in Fraser Park Marina for a night cap where we met Roger and C-J on MV Sea Jay. They motored up to #5 lock on Thursday morning. We enjoyed a good afternoon and evening with them, having a couple refreshments and dinner together. We were then joined by our good friend Deb Langstaff to finish the evening on a fun and memory filled note.

At Frankfort we met several other Loopers. We had a great get together at sundown and we look forward to crossing paths again with all of them as we travel further on The Loop.

We were waiting for Mya,our grand daughter, to join us for part of the trip. It was a foggy morning but lovely and warm,

Lucky for us that we are still close enough to home to get a surprise visit from Nick and Freddie.

Sundown with Josie the cat - Blue Hole Anchorage

Grampie handed over the helm to Mya for part of the trip from Lock 7 to our over-night anchorage in Blue Hole ... We spent the evening swimming and fishing at Blue Hole Anchorageafter a warm day of travelling Perfect cell phone reception after having zero in Frankfort. In the afternoon we had a HUGE storm with lightning and thunder and rain like we haven't seen in ages. Afterwards it was lovely and cool and the nasty deer flies were gone. Grampie and Mya went for a ride in the Zodiac. Mya caught a couple of BlueGills and Gary and I each caught a Pike, nasty ugly fish , we threw them all back.

The next day was very hot, temperatures were in the +40s and I must have got a little sunstroke cause I was feeling yukky all day. We had carried on to Lock 10, past #9 where we were going to stay originally but there was no shade. We turned the genny on and had the air conditioner going for a few hours.

Today we are in Campbellford. I am catching up on the blogging and Gary is running the water-maker. The air is on full blast because it is yet again another boiling hot day. Mya is fast asleep , napping in the middle of the day...because boating is hard work :)

to be continued....

Monday, 26 March 2012

Spring 2012

The days are getting warmer (not that we really had much of a winter here in Ontario this year)
Last week we had record highs for March and it seemed such a shame that the boats are not in the water yet.
Winter was not, however, without some moments of sheer terror. We had some very high winds here and there is nothing scarier than watching your boat rock in the wind while it is on the hard. There were parts of the USA that were hammered with tornadoes and we saw videos of boats that were destroyed by storms that also claimed lives. We were so fortunate that the only casualty we had was a ripped cover. Our thoughts go out to everyone who suffered a loss.

Over the winter months we religiously followed Tom's Weather musings on the AGLCA website, http://www.greatloop.org/ when he posted his last weather forecast ,we realised the next time we read those weather updates, WE will be one of the boats waiting to cross the Gulf !!

We did a few improvements/ changes over the winter. I spent hours sanding and varnishing the wooden accents in the salon and galley. I also resealed the bath tub in the main head. Gary replaced the vanity mirrors in both heads and it made both areas look larger and brighter. Last year when we had our survey done it was suggested that we replace the bushings that support the prop output shafts. Our favourite neighbour hood marine mechanic ( David Garthshore) helped Gary with that job and with the propellers, shafts and trim tabs in place, the aft is back looking the way it should. We purchased a new heat exchanger for the port engine and a new radar/ sonar (which needed two extra supports installed for the heavier head) I invested in a SPOT and now I just have to figure out how to work it :) We also purchased a "Devil's Claw" that takes the strain off the chain at the bow pulpit , so when we are swinging on the hook you don't hear the clunking noise of the chain on the roller and everyone gets a better night's sleep:) Gary installed a little table on the flybridge which could serve as a little chart table as well as a drink holder for social get togethers. At the Toronto Boatshow we picked up a new BBQ along with new flares and a second line snubber. We exchanged our old aluminium propane tanks for new 2 fibreglass ones. Lots of work still lies ahead, bottom paint, cleaning , waxing and provisioning....those of you who are boaters know what I mean. The new radio will be installed shortly and in a few days we will uncover Time&Tide for (what we hope) will be the last time in a while.

In the meanwhile we are getting things ready for storage with some mixed emotions, some apprehension but mostly excitement. I don't know if anyone else is as anxious as Gary and I am right now, we are counting the days and keep asking each other if we could just leave all ready!!

Preparing for this trip certainly has had some interesting moments: we had applied for a SVRS card through the U.S. Customer and Border Protection but when we showed up for our appointment at the border they had no idea what we were talking about. After a few clicks with a mouse and thanks to the paperwork we had with us, they gave us a number that would make entering the USA easier. We also applied for the decal you are suppose to have if your boat is over 30foot. We have really tried to prepare for this trip as best as we can but I am sure there will be a curve ball or two coming our way just to keep things exciting.

Since purchasing the boat four years ago, we have done countless modifications in preparation for our departure date which is now less than 80 days away now. We have learnt so much from other boater blogs and websites.Thank you to all of you who selflessly share what you know. That is what a true boater is all about.

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Fall 2011

Well, it is that time of the year...Time&Tide is out of the water, last lift-out for (hopefully) a long time! We stared sanding the bottom about three weeks ago, it is a hard, dirty job but the end is in sight! 3 Coats of sealer and 2 coats of anti fouling. Gary and I have had paint in our eyes, hair and under our fingernails....all the work is well worth it as the count-down continues to our departure.

Getting some on

not a drop wasted

Here are some pictures of Gary as he is putting the last bit of paint on in preparation for the anti fouling. Hopefully by this weekend she will be covered and resting through winter.

Thursday, 15 September 2011

End of Summer 2011

The Summer of 2011 is fast coming to an end and we are knee deep in preparing the boat for lift-out, which is in just a few days.
This summer we spent more time on the land than on the water. Our last summer home we decided to land camp with friends and family who we won't be able to spend time with next year.

Big events at the yacht club included CFB Trenton YC and RCAF Trenton CPS 50th Anniversary.
BIG THANK YOU to Lois Irwin for sharing the photos.

The Ladies hard at work at Registration.

Discussing our Loop plans with Pat and Karl Scharnitzky; SV Ishmeal, veteran sailors, and Karl is a Past Commodore of the yacht club.

CFB Trenton Base commander, Col. Cochrane, veteran club member, Red McGillivary and Club Commodore Dennis Dove

CFB Trenton YC Past Commodors

Our boat was featured in a slide show, not only the biggest boat at the club but also the only one with a bath tub, which Gary is showing off in the picture.

We also spend a great weekend anchoring in Sandy Cove as part of the annual YC anchoring weekend.