Happy Canada Day!

July 1st is when Canada achieved Dominion status and is celebrated similar to how the US treats July 4th. Last year we thought it would be fun to enjoy two holidays in a row, so we drove over to Port Dover, which has an old fashioned celebration, complete with soap box derby, boat parade, and the famous Calathumpian parade. We had so much fun we made it a tradition and journeyed over this year as well. Here's some pictures for you to enjoy!

Fishermen's Memorial

What is a parade if there's not marching bands?

Port Dover Beach


Boat Parade


Not high tech but plenty of fun!

Passage to Port Dover, Ontario

Setting sun over Presque Isle as I return to Port Erie

Waterside shops dot the Lynn River as you head toward the bascule bridge

The welcoming pierhead light at Port Dover

On June 25 I set out at 0145 for a night sail across the lake to Port Dover, Ontario. It was a spectacular moonlit night and it seemed that I had the entire lake to myself. The sailing was fine for about two hours, but then the wind died down, slowing me to a crawl. Up went the "iron jib" and I arrived in time to make the 0900 raising of the bascule drawbridge. A warm welcome as usual was offered by the Port Dover Yacht Club. Two boats from my club arrived shortly after me and we all had a great day at dockside quaffing beer and engaging in good conversation. The following day, after breakfast at the Dairy Bar and a visit to the Lion's Club Market down by Silver Lake, I headed back out on the lake, making the 1230 bridge opening. Winds were light but suffiecient to get me to Long Point, but after rounding that they lightened to less than 5 knots, leading me to motor for the remainder of the passage. I finally returned to my slip at the Presque Isle Yacht Club at about 2115, marking the end of another enjoyable passage.

100 Mile Solo Qualifier Pics

Saturday Sunrise

Late Afternoon Ride with the Chute in Full Bloom

Sailing into the Sunset

On June 18-19, Moonbeam completed a 100 mile solo sail as a qualifier to the Lake Erie Challenge, a 320 mile solo race sponsored by the Great Lakes Solo Sailing society in late August. In order to enter the Challenge, applicants must pass muster on a number of items, including the 100 miler to show they are capable of sailing larger distances alone and safely. I started out in light winds, sailing to Barcelona Harbor, NY at a crawl of only 1-2 knots. From Barcelona, I headed to Conneaut, Ohio. As evening approached, the wind started picking up a bit and after sunset it was blowing pretty seadily at 14-16 knots. At night I reefed the main and jib to settle her down. Still, it was a pretty bumpy night with little sleep! I finally reached Conneaut around 0900 and turned around for the final leg back to Erie. The sailing was ideal with winds blowing steady on my starboard quarter, enabling me to fly the asymetrical spinnaker all the way back to Erie. I pulled into the harbor at approximately 1600 - mission accomplished!

USS ENTERPRISE Returning to Norfolk

Here's the USS Enterprise, CVN-65, steaming into the Chesapeake on its way back to port in Norfolk. From our location at the Cape Henry Inn at Fort Story, we get a bird's eye view of the ship traffic coming and going into Hampton Roads.

On the Waterfront at Hampton Roads

Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer USS Porter, DDG 78, at its berth at the Navy Station Norfolk, the largest U.S. Navy base in the world.

On the Waterfront at Hampton Roads

Here's a collier from Bangkok, Thailand loading up with coal at Norfolk. The harbor exports more coal overseas than any other U.S. port.

On the Waterfront at Hampton Roads

One of the several container ship terminals at Norfolk

On the Waterfront in Hampton Roads

While on vacation in Hampton Roads, VA, I had the opportunity to get out on the water and captured some scenes from the waterfront in the Port of Norfolk and from the beach where we stayed at Lynnhaven, situated just west of Cape Henry. I thought I'd post some of my pics for the fun of it. Here's the Liberian flagged NEDLLOYD HONSHU steaming out of Norfolk Harbor.

Finally Getting Underway

Shortly after Moonbeam was launched, I had the mast pulled in order to run the halyards through as well as to pull the old wind system off the top and wire up the new one. Last week, after re-stepping the mast, I got the sails bent on and took her through her sea trials. The wheel pilot and knotmeter interacts wonderfully with the wind system, giving me both true and apparent wind, and even allows me to sail full and by. In the pictures to the upper right, my friends from Serbia, Katarina and Dimitri, enjoy the waters of Presque Isle Bay as we went for an afternoon sail recently. Below that is a view from the bow looking aft of Moonbeam's first sail into the lake.

Moonbeam Launched for 2010 Boating Season

On 08 May Moonbeam was successfully launched from her home at the Presque Isle Yacht Club. Shortly after she was secured in her berth, a nasty front blew through with sustained winds in the 40 knot range and continued to roar through the area all day. I doubled up all the lines and set some extra to prevent her from chaffing against the dock and she weathered the blow without incident. Click on the video screen to see Moonbeam playing "rock the dock" during the storm.

Moonbeam in Hibernation

Here's Moonbeam laid up for the winter. I had a custom canvas made for her which she wears very well. The beauty of it is that I can crawl inside my "man cave" and do work on her over the winter. With a good electric heater, I'm impervious to the elements outside. This past winter I re-bedded the starboard cabin window as well as the mast partners. I rebuilt and reset the cabin top hatch, installed a new knot/log/depth meter, and replaced the pedestal guard to house a new instrument pod. In addition, I recoated the interior and exterior teak.