A Weekend With Tom & Chris!

It’s time to catch up on a few blog posts. Now that we have been able to spend some time on the boat we have taken full advantage of it.

Our first official guests on the boat for 2021 were none other than Tom and Chris. We think they only wanted to come back to kick our butts at euchre again. Last year they beat us 17 games to 2 and we wanted to prove that they just had a lucky streak.

It wasn’t long before Tom picked out his spot on the boat.

…. or was it here?

Where ever it was he made himself at home which is what this boat is all about.

We decided that this was going to be our first official “on the hook” experience. The weather looked perfect so we headed to an anchorage about 8 NM from Wiarton called Little Port Elgin Bay.

Leanne and Chris sat on the bow lounge chairs the entire way. At 8 knots there was only a slight breeze and they rode in comfort protected from the sun.

I don’t have any photos but our first time setting the anchor went very well. The water was about 12′ deep and the bottom was all sand. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to tell when the anchor dug in but I soon realized I really didn’t need to worry. You really feel it grab hold when it does.

Our slip neighbours (Cam and Heather) were anchored nearby and Cam came over to teach us something about anchoring that we didn’t know (and given that this was our first time that meant pretty well everything). I didn’t have a snubber for the anchor chain. For those of you who don’t know what a snubber is here is what the internet said …

“At its most basic, a “snubber” is a short length of non-stretchy cordage attached to the anchor chain and to a strong point on a yacht, with the aim of taking the load off the windlass or to stop the chain rattling on the bow roller”

In our case there are 2 ropes creating a V shape so that the chain is centred on the bow. The ropes allows the chain from the windlass to where the snubber is attached to not have any tension on it. The cleat on the bow (both starboard and port) take all of the strain.

He just happened to have an extra snubber on board for us (who does that???)

We really loved being on anchor.

Tom and Chris took advantage of the dinghy and took a tour of the bay.

They cooked up an amazing meal of steak and shrimp that night.

I know that a picture is worth a thousand words but these ones are also about 5,000 calories

Seriously … it was really … really good.

Since we weren’t really set up for anchoring overnight we were planning on heading back to the marina after supper. Cam suggested that, since they were there for the night, we should stay as well. That was all we needed to convince us. We still don’t have our solar panels set up yet and so I knew that we would have to be careful with how much power we used.

It was a gorgeous night for our first time out on anchor.

Chris enjoying a quiet moment on the bow.

For those with a keen eye and experience with boating will notice that I don’t have an anchor light on yet. Luc (the electrician) will be coming back to Wiarton in a few weeks to help me with that. I also have to install the antenna as well.

Now about that euchre rematch.

We tried again and we failed again. I understand that euchre does require some skill but you literally play the hand you are dealt….

… and Tom dealt himself this …. over … and over… and over again!

… and for some reason he insisted on keeping score but we didn’t have a pad of paper available.

The next morning the water was smooth as glass and both Tom and Chris enjoyed the loungers. I do have to give a name to this area. Maybe the “Lido Deck”?

It was a very successful first anchoring and first overnighter for us. For the rest of this season we will be sticking close to our marina as we learn more and continue to get the boat ready for more extended trips.

Over the next few weeks I will blog about the following weekends. We have been very lucky with the weather so far considering how unpredictable the season has been so far.

Stay tuned.