Sailing with Andrew and Tanya Hay - SV GIRI - North Channel, Bath

I love Loyalist Cove Marina.  They’ve taken such good care of the SV GIRI. I’d thought they were going to pull it out and store it for the winter as they did last fall but Tanya asked if we could go sailing one last time.  Loyalist Cove Marina will haul the SV GIRI out next week and prep the engine for winter and wrap her up to protect her from the snow.

Tanya had painted the bottom and deck so wanted to enjoy the fruit of her labour.  Andrew is just a madcap sailor who wanted to race and tack.
I was happy to take them out. They are a terrific couple, loving and supportive of each other as well as being lots of fun.
The skies were overcast but as the day progressed we got blue sky and sunshine.  The wind was SouthWest.  Once we’d got out of the harbour I pointed the GIRI into the wind and put the autopilot on.  Andrew, Tanya and I brought in the bumpers in then Andrew took off the main sail cover and  we  raised the main sail. I showed Andrew how to look up the sail and see it taut against the mast without the scalloping of cloth that means the halyard isn’t winched up enough. .
I left one reef in the main sail  knowing from experience that my autopilot is fussy if I have the whole mainsail up.  With one reef there’s lots of wiggle room.  What a sailing racer deplores but that which appeals to the cruiser in me.  My racer friend Tom likes to get maximum speed by aligning the sails perfectly for most efficiency.
Once that was done ’sufficiently’,  we got the lines sorted out for the roller furling genoa.   That I let out  opened that sail almost fully.  Then we weared round to a lovely broad reach.
I am a solo sailor so it was with some effort I did everything using the correct nautical terms.
“More Nautical Terms!” Andrew called out to Tanya whenever I introduced another.
They are both quick studies and I’d been through the various reaches and close haul positions with Andrew when we’d last sailed with Ron and Graeme.  We were actually doing 6 knots with rather light winds, maybe 10 to 15 knots at most.
Tanya and I loved it while Andrew was wanting to tack and heel.  I think he’d be most at home with an alien space ‘flitter’.  Because of my sail configuration I had the maximum heel at around 12 degrees whereas if I had put all my sails up fully I’d have probably heeled 20 degrees.  10 degrees is less work.  20 degrees is enough and more heel in cruising doesn’t really gain a whole lot.  I liked the easiness of it all. Tanya said she really liked this ‘comfortable sailing’ as well , having envisioned a lot more ‘grunt work’.
“I actually rather like this sailing since you and Andrew are doing most of the work while I’ve been enjoying the ride”
 The sailing grounds around Loyalist Cove are truly lovely.  Great reaches and rather well protected from the worst of the Lake Ontario weather. Lots of bays to explore.  I really look forward to more sailing here in the coming years. There’s even the famed thousand islands further along which everyone tells me has so many picturesque anchorages..
The fall scenery was magnificent, the leaves just beginning to show autumn colours, reds and gold.   It was glorious.  I made coffee and we all had a cup sitting in the cockpit with the sails doing the work and the boat on autopilot. While I love my Volvo engine I love the quiet when we are just sailing like this.  Fair winds and following seas.
Almost to Collins Bay we gybed round to close haul back the way we came, tacking a couple of times , more to please Andrew.  We were past Loyalist Cove when I decided to turn on the Iron Jenny and pull down the sails.
Adell had packed lunches which we enjoyed while sailing. All round a wonderful day on the water.
When we got the boat into the marina  this time I told Kim in the office as we were leaving that this was the last time I’d take her out . I was flying back to Vancouver.  I just love the way Loyalist Cove Marina cares for GIRI.  I’ll miss her till next year.



Here are some pictures Tanya took and sent to me.