Sarnia Bridgeview Marina June 26, 2016

One fun thing about traveling is meeting fellow cruisers. I met a nice couple in their late 70's who had just bought a big Cape Dory sailboat. They came from Rhode Island and had planned to sail their boat through the North Channel, but a death in their family changed their plans. So today they were leaving to go home, via the Welland Canal. Smartly, they hired a captain for at least part of the trip.I was able to give them some tips which they appreciated. I met them when the lady commented on how much she liked Nordic Tugs.

We have seen a beautiful C+C sailboat for 2 days, as they are also traveling North. I have not meet the couples yet, but they are docked next to me now.

They too are in their 70's and I hear they plan to circumnavigate Lake Superior. I must say, this does not appear to be a good Lake Superior boat - deep draft (7'), little canvas, no dingy, etc. They must be very adventurous or very foolish.  I wish them well. Perhaps I will meet them today and know their skill level better.

Blog readers from last year will remember Annie's water heater pressure relief valve releasing water into my bilge and my daily routine of emptying it. Well, it's back this year too, even with a new water heater. I think it happens when I run the engine, which heats the water to a really high temperature. In port, there is hardly any water in it. When we motor, my cup can "runneth" over.

I did meet neighbor, Bill, on the 38' C+C. He is from Toronto and has owned the boat for 7 years, He did the Welland to get here, and has visited VYC and PIB in the past. He has never been to Superior, but has cruised Huron and other venues. He is a nice fellow and I think he is adventurous, not foolish. They plan to sail from here non-stop to De Tour Village, MI, over 200 miles he says. I would not want do that.

He does have a problem with his anchor setup though. He had to have it added since this is a racing boat and does not come with one. The installers put on a roller that is too short, and the anchor flukes overlap the stem of the hull. And, the anchor shaft is only a inch from the roller furler. He expects to have problems with it.

We biked to the Sarnia Yacht Club to have breakfast at their Galley. We had tried the Casino but could not get a seat on their really nice patio. We had a nice breakfast and met Peter's friends Terry and Sue, who are coming to Brillig this evening for cocktails with us. They have a Grand Banks 36' trawler. We passed the Blue Water Bridge on our trip to the SYC.

We also rode to downtown Point Edward and downtown Sarnia, and came back by the waterfront, stopping by the Sarnia Bay Marina. It would be a nice place to stay. It has a pool, restaurant and laundry. In one window we saw our reflection which was kind of neat.

I got the best picture of the day when Peter was treating me to a dingy ride in the marina. These boat guests in the picture below do not have on shoes, complying with the sign on the back of the boat to "Please Remove Shoes." Most considerate of them.

We plan to go to Bayfield tomorrow. I tried to make a reservation at the Village Marina but they were closed. Hope to hear from them in the morning. It is 46 NM away, across Southern Lake Huron.

Kerry's Comments:

I am the sort of person that if anything is going to happen, it happens to me.  For example 500 people can be at the Annapolis boat show and the only bee there stings me.  When insects bite me, it isn't just an annoyance, I usually get a huge welt accompanied by a red, unsightly patch which lasts several days and requires a faithful regiment of Benadryl.  So, this itsy, bitsy spider bites me on my right, upper eyelid.  You guessed it.....I have a welt on my eyelid that extends up to the brow line and a huge red patch of totally irritated skin.  One Benadryl down the hatch so far, will keep you posted.