Sailing with Andrew and Tanya, Loyalist Cove Marina, Lake Ontario

I actually thought the SV GIRI  motor trip and anchoring in Kerr Bay with Alan would be the last time I took working yacht out. However, Tanya who had painted the boat in the spring asked if she and Andrew might go sailing.
So off we drove from Hay Bay  to Loyalist Cove Marina. We backed the sailboat out of the marina then drove into the wind to raise the sails.  Once they were up I let Andrew take over. He was keen on sailing. Lots of gybing and tacking while I explained wind and sail positions.  We really were doing well making quite the clip in the light winds.  I even had a single reef in the main because my autopilot handles best that way. The genoa was all out.
Tanya and I liked the flatter pleasanter (hear Sailing, Sailing song in back ground) downwind sailing. But Andrew liked best heeling and racing close hauled into the wind.  Gilbert loved being part of the whole affair and especially loved Tanya who recognized his importance as Admiral.
I enjoyed drinking coffee, reminiscing about off shore adventures and wanted to keep on going.  We were out a few hours tacking back and forth across the strait.  I just want to go on forever when I get in my sailboat and put the sails up.   I’m not a day sailor but love expeditions.  Pacific offshore sailing has ruined me.   Sailing all day and ending up anchoring at an island then sailing all day again is okay. I loved sailing around Vancouver Island each time I did that, and sailing to the Queen Charlottes. Sailing in the Sea of Cortez with anchoring at night was also a lot of fun. I like being able to anchor at night and I love sleeping at anchor.  It’s really is a whole lot more exciting though when you just continue day and night at sea. But this was just a little sail.  It was a whole lot of fun even if it was  a bit of  tease.  Next year I hope to sail island to island for days on end, getting in some fishing and swimming and forgetting about all the landlubber concerns that accumulate. These are great sailing waters and remind me a bit of the Gulf Islands and even Desolation Sound. The difference is that while they’re both protected waters, these are fresh water.
Tanya and Andrew were terrific companions.  Fun and laughing and quick learners. I have the smartest fastest nephews, the oldest being Graeme who is an engineer and knows his way around boats, where as Andrew is into robotics and the youngest Alan first went boating with me as a teen and now is well on his way to being a psychologist.  Tanya is into computers and web design so understood the chart plotter and electronics immediately.  They’re all natural sailors and keen boaters.
It was all fun. Adell, my sister in law,  had even packed a lunch we enjoyed.   I was glad to get back without mishap.  This was the last sail for the Girl  I’d hoped my brother would have been able to get out again but he was really just glad to be out of the hospital and home at that time.  He’d had a lot of fun with the family sailing in the summer when I was down earlier and he was still doing well.
Now the boat is up on land bundled in it’s winter parka, thanks to Dave at Loyalist Cove Marina. I really love the care my boat gets here.