Single-handed on Lake Champlain

The trial run was successful and I felt surprisingly comfortable and confident with the boat. The weather forecast predicted hot and very light winds for the weekend. We had the car and a boat so we decided that I would make series of smaller hops north and my dad would meet up with me with the car after each day.

After breakfast I cast off on Friday with clear skies and a slight SW breeze. I motored around the corner and into Willsboro Bay. I headed into the wind and raised the sails. I cut the motor and enjoyed the morning and mountain scenery. The wind was a bit flukey until I left the bay and then it remained steady at the SW 5 knots and the boat moved along surprisingly well at about 3 ½ - 4 knots. The wind picked up a bit before Plattsburgh and we flew along. There were only a few sailboats in the distance. It was such a peaceful feeling being out there alone. Just before the city marina, I dropped the sails and got out all the gear for docking. My dad was waving at me at the end of the dock and I took it real slow and proudly pulled up alongside. The marina was bustling with activity as the Canadian long weekend was beginning. Almost all the boats stored at the marina were from Montreal. It is only about an hour drive and Lake Champlain is a deep, no tides or current sailing destination with canals to the Hudson River, Lake Ontario or Lake Erie.

The next day my dad and I went out in the morning for a little sail around. It was super hot out and after about 20 minutes the wind died completely. We tested out the tiller pilot, which would make single-handing a whole lot easier. We motored until we found a bit of wind, then turned around and headed back to the marina where I dropped off my dad and continued north a few miles. I picked up a mooring ball in Deep Bay, off the Point Au Roche State Park. I didn’t quite feel comfortable anchoring yet. I spent a quiet afternoon and night by myself. My dad on the other hand was panicking a bit, as he was unable to find the boat. He drove up and down the road adjacent to the river looking for me. He of course assumed the worst. So when we met the next day at the Gaines marina, he was very relieved. It was a very, very hot Sunday afternoon as we took off the sails and the boom and made a stand for the mast. We were scheduled to get it stepped the next morning and have the boat hauled on to the trailer.

Launch and Trial Sail

We headed to the boat after grabbing a coffee at the local gas station/grocery store/restaurant (it's a very small town). Things were quiet in the boat yard, a few people starting work on their boats and one boat in the process of being launched. We began to get Senta prepared. We put on the mainsail and found some dock lines and fenders in the boat.  I tried to tidy up a little below as we had rummaged around to find where the previous owner kept everything. We made sure all the thru hulls were closed, and checked the engine oil. The man in charge  came by to see if we were ready to go and to give us a few instructions. 

The boat was transported to the launch area with a yard trailer than lifted off the cradle and placed gently into the water with a travel lift. It all thankfully went without any problems. Once in the water, I checked the bilge and thru hulls for leaks. Only a small drip was coming from the sink drain. We pulled the boat forward to the dock and did a more thorough check. Our plumbing that we did when installing the marine head proved less than ideal as it leaked as soon as we tried pumping the handle. Our connections needed some plumbing tape and some caulking. We were able to stop the leak in the sink by tightening the old bronze fitting that attaches to the thru hull. 

The true test would be when we tried to start the engine. I had been worried about it working as its quite an old motor, over 30 years old. However, the previous owner recently had it overhauled and many of the parts replaced. It took two turns of the key, but she started up and seemed to run smoothly.  After running for a while we shut down the engine. It was a huge relief to know that the engine works as repairs or replacing would be a major unwanted expense.

Sure that the boat would not sink, we headed back into town to pick up some food. It's quite hard to buy for a couple days because I end up wanting spices and condiments with the food. But I think we did ok. I bought a package of hot dogs and buns and some ketchup, as well as some sandwich supplies, pork chops, potatoes, fruit and some cereal and milk. So we shouldn't starve.

I was anxious to get out on the water and do some sailing. I had a fear that the boat may not sail so well as she displaces 6700lbs and has a full keel. We had a less than perfect pull away from the dock as I wasn't used to the throttle, gear controls or tiller but no dings or scratches, just not very pretty (I hope no one was watching). We motored out a little ways then I went forward as my dad steered and I raised the sails. Second wind had all lines leading back to the cockpit so raising the sails from the mast was new to me. The sail went up easy, well a little too easy as the bottom sides came out of the track on the mast. I had to lower the sail back down and reinsert the slides. More carefull this time I raised the sail and winched it tight. I raised the yankee sail next and quickly returned to the cockpit. Once the wind filled the sails we cut the engine and were left with only the sound of water rushing by the boat and quiet lap of waves. 

Ahhhh I had waited all winter for this.

 I was impressed with the boats performance. We had all sorts of wind conditions in the bay from dead calm to gusts to a steady 15 knot breeze. I love the sturdiness of the boat as the gusts created only a slight heel and even in the lightest breeze she made good speed and kept a straight course. I could have kept going but we turned around at 4:00pm so that we could be back to the dock before it got dark. 

Satisfied with the days events, we spent our first (very cold) night on the boat. I claimed the v-birth or what I like to refer as the stateroom as the door to the head shuts off the v-birth from the main cabin. My dad took the starboard quarter birth. The only complaint we have is the cushions are original to the boat and are rock hard. I mean, "It was like sleeping on concrete" as my dad put it. The cushions, I think are top of the list for replacing!

Annnd...We're Off

Tuesday we packed up the truck and finished up the trailer.  A family friend welded 6 stands onto our new trailer in the fall. Yesterday my dad shortened the tongue and Tuesday we moved the wheels forward about 6 inches. We did numerous measurements each time we visited the boat so hopefully when it comes time for the boat to be hauled out, she will sit on the trailer perfectly.

The truck was packed full. Passports, check. Money, check. Boat papers, check. Ladder, life jackets, tools, etc, etc. check check check.  I'm sure there's something that we forgot, but hopefully it will be something that we can either do without, or purchase while down there.  Wednesday was a gorgeous day as we headed south.  Our first stop was at the north end of Lake Champlain where we dropped off the trailer and made arrangements to get the mast stepped and the boat hauled in a couple days time.  Next stop was at U-haul where we hoped to rent a truck to tow the boat back home.  This is where we encountered our first problem.  All the ball hitches on the u-haul trucks were 2 inch and our trailer needs a 2 and 5/16 inch ball.  According to the guy all the trucks come this way and there's no way to change the ball as they are welded on.  Ohh noooo.

 Well we must have visited about 6 truck rental places in Plattsburgh without any success.  Car rental agencies won't allow towing with their vehicles and any moving trucks seem to only have the 2 inch ball that can't be changed.  We were out of ideas and starting to get a bit worried.  We still had a bit of time and hoping that we'd think of something, we left and headed to the boat.

At the boatyard Senta was as we left her.  A few boats had already been launched but many still on cradles.  I did a quick clean of all the lockers and interior to get rid of a small amount of mold and the musty boat smell.  We unloaded the truck and filled the boat with supplies that we would need for our trial sail.  We called it a day, but will be returning bright and early for the launch tomorrow.

Contingency Plan

The warm weather is really getting me excited about sailing.  Yesterday I strolled along the Ottawa River with a friend and it was a glorious sunny day with a light breeze.  A couple sailboats were out on the water and it really got me longing to be sailing. 

There are plans in progress for bringing Senta home.  I managed to do a couple switches at work and have 14 days off.  I called the marina and booked our launching date for Monday, May 14^th.  That would give us 13 days to bring her back to Canadian waters before I have to work again.  Rarely do our plans go without a hitch though.  It was originally planned that my dad would help me bring the boat back, unfortunately he’s got a stomach bug at the moment so we’ve had to make a couple contingency plans in the event that he’s not better.  Perhaps now we’ll do a smaller trial run on Lake Champlain for a couple days, and then trailer the boat back? 

…We’ll see how things pan out this week.