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.

Preparations for Bringing Senta Home

When we purchased the boat it was late fall and the boat had already been hauled out of the water and stored on a cradle in the boatyard.  She was boxed in and would be staying there all winter.  Now as things are starting to warm up we have begun planning how to bring her back to Canada.

Over the winter we purchased a trailer and my dad built stands with measurements taken of the boat.  A trailer will allow for “easy” transportation and storage.  We were debating bringing her back by land, as it would certainly be faster, however we decided to take her back via the Champlain River to the Champlain Canal, Erie Canal and Oswego Canal and across Lake Ontario.  We decided against going via Montreal as the current would be fast and against us up the St. Lawrence River (We weren’t sure how the 7hp engine would fair). Once in Canada, we would have the boat hauled out and trailered back to my parents home.  Taking Senta back by water would also give us a chance to see how she handles and learn a bit about the boat before we begin work over the summer. 

My dad and I headed down to the Champlain River last week, enjoying the 4-hour scenic drive over the mountains.  We had a couple things to do on the boat before bringing her home.  The boat had a port-a-potti, which are neat, compact heads, however we wanted to install a permanent marine head with a large holding tank. The previous owner had left many spare parts and tools so apart from what we brought, we only ended up needing to buy a few bolts and screws from a marina store.  It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed exploring all the storage areas and goodies left by the previous owner and of course planning future cruises and all the possibilities with this boat.  Each time I see the boat I get more and more excited.  She’s only 3 feet longer than Second Wind but feels like twice the boat.

We have lots of work to do on the boat, including sanding and applying a couple of coats of Cetol on the exterior teak, as well sanding and varnishing the interior teak, and adding a 2-burner propane stove and new interior cushions.  The boat is in fantastic shape for her age.  She was built in 1980 and only had one owner, which is very rare for a sailboat of that age.  The owner has taken meticulous care of the boat and she is really gorgeous down below.

We’re just waiting for the Canals to open, some time off work and we can call and book a time to get the boat launched.  Then we can begin our maiden voyage, bringing Senta home.

Back to Sailing and Blogging

It's been almost a year since we returned from our trip to the Bahamas.  A lot has changed for Sal and I as we returned to life back on land.  The first change was that we sold what was our 'home' for the past 9 1/2 month.  It was a rushed decision to sell Second Wind. Fall was approaching, and if we wanted to sell then we had a better chance to do so while it was still relatively warm out.  I thought that since we would be moving to Ottawa and both have jobs, our sailing time would be minimal to non-existent. There were also some feelings that sailing back in Ontario would never compare to sailing in the Bahamas.  So the decision was ultimately made to sell. I spent about a month cleaning and fixing up the boat, getting her polished and back into good shape.  Living on her for 9 1/2 months did take it's toll, but a bit of sanding, varnishing, polishing, cleaning, painting, and replacing a few parts had her looking almost like new again.  We listed her on a few websites and were pleasantly surprised with the response.  She was sold a few days later to a young guy from Toronto, who we think will take good care of her and get good use out of the boat.  Driving back home without a boat was sad and I admit I did feel some regret. My parents yard looked empty without Second Wind parked there. 

So off we went to the City, Sal started work the end of August, and I started the end of October.  We got an apartment and settled in bracing ourselves for a long, cold, Canadian winter.  We would often reminisce about the trip… “Remember when we were so cold in Florida?”  “Remember swimming in the Bahamas?”  “Where was it that we anchored and saw the Manatees?” Our answers would be followed by a brief sad silence.

I can’t recall exactly when I began surfing the Internet for boats again, but in no time I had a short list of boats that I thought would be a great next boat. The criteria or wish-list contained many of the great features that we enjoyed on Second Wind.  Our next boat would have to be:

-       Small and easy to single-hand

-       Shoal draft to tuck into the best anchorages

-       Trailerable to keep costs down (no marina fees, storage fees, etc)

-       Lots of storage room

Some of the upgrades that we really wanted were:

-       Standing headroom

-       A fixed keel with good ballast for more comfortable heavy weather sailing

-       A built in icebox

I had narrowed the list down to a Vancouver 25, Pacific Seacraft 25 and Voyager 26.  Both looked to have a lot of what I loved in the Rob Roy and contained a bit more room (standing head room was top priority after being hunched over for 9 ½ months).  So when a Voyager 26 came up for sail in the New York area, we got really excited and the dreaming and planning began. After a couple trips down to see the boat, the deal was finalized and I became the proud owner of a gorgeous Voyager 26.