And this means that we have a Mutineer 15 for sale as we can't keep all these boats!
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| Ready to leave NSC. |
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| In her new home at BYC. |
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| All waxed and shined! |
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| Full view. |
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Sailboat News
Towards the end of June, I decided to put up my old Superlight II for sale, as well as my 7.5 racing rig. So I was browsing on Kijiji to see what was there for sale already. Then I decided to search for sailboats. To my great surprise, I find some keelboats that are really affordable. On a whim, I show Dave a picture of a Mirage 24 for sale at a club across the lake from ours. He's interested and starts asking questions. In the meantime, I post my equipment for sale and sell all except the sail in only 2 weeks. I also go to 2 sailboard regattas so no time to explore the Mirage 24. In the end, we looked at the boat on July 8th and 12th and bought her on July 17th! We had it moved to Britannia Yacht Club, just a few kilometers down the road on Friday, July 20th and worked at cleaning and waxing the hull and cleaning the cabin during the weekend. Now we have to have the rudder fixed and she should be ready to hit the water for August.
And this means that we have a Mutineer 15 for sale as we can't keep all these boats!
And this means that we have a Mutineer 15 for sale as we can't keep all these boats!
Friday, 6 July 2012
CMWA Championships at Rondeau Yacht Club & Road Trip
Another road trip, very close to the last one! This time the destination is Rondeau Yacht Club located inside the Rondeau Provincial Park, close to Chatham on Lake Erie. A friend of mine, Jocelyne, accompanies me on this trip. Jocelyne also windsurfs so she hopes to get her board wet for the first time in two years. We drive to Cambridge on Wednesday, June 27 and do the rest of the trip the next day.
The windsurfing area is in a bay as opposed to the open waters on the big lake. However, there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of weeds. But the organizer had warned us and we came prepared with weed fins. I had bought a Makani weed fin and it worked very well.
On Thursday, June 28, we arrived early afternoon, checked out the site and rigged to go sailing. We had a pleasant afternoon getting used to the waters. Jocelyne went out too and enjoyed herself.
Friday was day one of our masters championships. We did two races in the morning then one long distance race in the afternoon. I managed to finish all three! The wind was not too strong, just my speed. Jocelyne also spent time on the water.
Saturday brought a lot more wind. We held our AGM from 9 am to 10 am then got out on the water for three races. I managed to finish the first one, with one fall only and a scary downwind leg. I finished last but was happy that I was able to hold on. I did not do the other two races as I was sure I would not be able to hold on. So I made a bee line towards the beach and that was long enough.
After lunch on Saturday, everyone wanted to take out their shortboards so there were no more racing. I decided to take a break and went to see the beach on the other side with Jocelyne and Carole, Denis's wife. Nice sandy beach but water was colder than in the bay.
That night we had our last dinner and awards ceremony at the local golf club. I ended up finishing 2nd in my age category (only 2 of us)! And overall last out of 8 kona racers!
On the way back we stopped for the night in Port Hope and saw some of the Canada Day celebrations downtown. One of the band playing happened to be my step-daughter's uncle. They were pretty good. The next day, Monday, July 2, we went to visit Presqu'ile Provincial Park, located just west of Belleville. We walked around trying to find camping sites with water access for future windsurfing/camping trips. We found a few. What a nice park. We also walked a trail in the woods and checked out the beach where there were about 5 kite sailors. There is also a nice Bed & Breakfast on the side of the bay and we visited for possible future trips.
All in all, a very nice short vacation (6 days on the road) with great company.
The windsurfing area is in a bay as opposed to the open waters on the big lake. However, there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of weeds. But the organizer had warned us and we came prepared with weed fins. I had bought a Makani weed fin and it worked very well.
On Thursday, June 28, we arrived early afternoon, checked out the site and rigged to go sailing. We had a pleasant afternoon getting used to the waters. Jocelyne went out too and enjoyed herself.
Friday was day one of our masters championships. We did two races in the morning then one long distance race in the afternoon. I managed to finish all three! The wind was not too strong, just my speed. Jocelyne also spent time on the water.
Saturday brought a lot more wind. We held our AGM from 9 am to 10 am then got out on the water for three races. I managed to finish the first one, with one fall only and a scary downwind leg. I finished last but was happy that I was able to hold on. I did not do the other two races as I was sure I would not be able to hold on. So I made a bee line towards the beach and that was long enough.
After lunch on Saturday, everyone wanted to take out their shortboards so there were no more racing. I decided to take a break and went to see the beach on the other side with Jocelyne and Carole, Denis's wife. Nice sandy beach but water was colder than in the bay.
That night we had our last dinner and awards ceremony at the local golf club. I ended up finishing 2nd in my age category (only 2 of us)! And overall last out of 8 kona racers!
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| Sunset on the bay, from restaurant. |
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| Launch area. |
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| Me trying to avoid a collision! |
On the way back we stopped for the night in Port Hope and saw some of the Canada Day celebrations downtown. One of the band playing happened to be my step-daughter's uncle. They were pretty good. The next day, Monday, July 2, we went to visit Presqu'ile Provincial Park, located just west of Belleville. We walked around trying to find camping sites with water access for future windsurfing/camping trips. We found a few. What a nice park. We also walked a trail in the woods and checked out the beach where there were about 5 kite sailors. There is also a nice Bed & Breakfast on the side of the bay and we visited for possible future trips.
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| One of Ontario's oldest lighthouses at Presqu'ile. |
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| Beach at Presqu'ile. |
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| Managed to catch a butterfly! |
All in all, a very nice short vacation (6 days on the road) with great company.
Monday, 25 June 2012
Kona racing in Trois-Rivières, Québec
Friday, June 22, I hit the road towards Club Multivoile in Trois-Rivières for the East Coast Championship. Going by myself but my friend Denis will be there and Andrée Gauthier from Toronto and a few others that I met along the way windsurfing.
What a great weekend we had! Fourteen Kona racers! We did 4 races each day, Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, the wind was gusty and irregular but it changed direction for Sunday and was pretty steady. Just my strength of wind too! Saturday I had two 7th and two 8th but Sunday brought one 8th then two 5th and another 8th. I could not believe those 5th. I was right behind the best in our group! I ended up with a bronze medal in the women's division. I finished 7th overall. My fellow Ontarians and I did pretty well overall.
What a great weekend we had! Fourteen Kona racers! We did 4 races each day, Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, the wind was gusty and irregular but it changed direction for Sunday and was pretty steady. Just my strength of wind too! Saturday I had two 7th and two 8th but Sunday brought one 8th then two 5th and another 8th. I could not believe those 5th. I was right behind the best in our group! I ended up with a bronze medal in the women's division. I finished 7th overall. My fellow Ontarians and I did pretty well overall.
Club Multivoile is also the site of the 2013 World Kona Championship so that was a good practice race for us. We will be back next year! Thank you Dominique Vallée and her army of volunteers for organizing a great weekend on the water.
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| Photo of the site (Denis sailing). |
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Summer 2012 Kona Racing
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| This is me pursuing Tom Mae! |
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| The three eternal opponents - Suzanne, Stephanie Todd and Andrée Gauthier now all on Konas. |
Monday, 5 March 2012
Ormond Beach, March 5 to 12, 2012
I did not think I would write anything about this portion of my vacation but today something happened not far that I thought I'd share. A 12-15 foot whale was found beached this morning. So after I had done my work (yes I had to work today) I took a walk to go see it. Took me 20 minutes to get there so it was a good walk there and back on the beach! Here are a few pictures of what I could see.
The whale had to be euthanized. See article in the local paper.
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| Tail end of the whale. |
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| Nose end. |
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| View of the action. |
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| The view from where I am staying. The whale was a the top of the picture. |
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Calema Midwinters March 1-4, 2012
Traveling to Florida with Denis Dagenais to participate in the Calema Midwinters. This is my first race outside of Canada and I will be racing in the Kona One Design Class.
We flew in to Orlando on February 29th, took our rental car and drove to Cocoa Beach where we are staying. The trip went smoothly.
March 1st was a day to set up our rental equipment to our liking and take it out for a test run. I decided to install an outhaul system on my boom so that took a while. Once I went out, I realized that I had not put any lubricant on the daggerboard so came back to find some. Then out again, one of my cleats on the boom slid so I had to come back in to fix it. Finally I was able to go out and test everything and it seemed to work fine. The big test will be tomorrow.
March 2 - First day of the regatta
This morning the sun is shining and the winds are light. Konas are sent out at 10 a.m. to start the racing. We do one race in light wind then go to the beach for a few minutes before we are told to go back out for another race. But now the wind has picked up to around 15 knots. I start the second race, do the upwind leg and manage to start the downwind leg and then I drop my sail. It took me about 10 minutes if not more to manage to lift it up again and get going. By then, I am tired and I know I won't be able to finish that race so I head back to the beach. Lunch is served! We are called out for one more race but I decided not to do it but to just go out and play and practice. Denis is having a better day and in the third race, he finishes 5th overall, his best international race finish ever.
March 3 - Second day
It is blowing and the sun is shining! Oops but a bit much for me to race so I am beached (with John Darling). Last night I bought a cheap beach chair so I can at least be comfortable while I watch the others race. There are 4 women in the Kona race: Andrée Gauthier from Toronto who I can never beat, Joachim Larsson's daughter who is 18 and raised on a Kona, a woman named Joanna Merritt from Colorado who is older than me and moi. Joanna did all the races. So I feel a bit bad that I was not able to hold on in heavier winds with 7.4 sail. I may have been able to just play but I did not risk it. I know I can do it with a smaller sail on the Kona in higher winds but I did not have such a sail in Florida. This pushes me to hit the gym even more upon my return home. Gotta be in better shape for the summer!
March 4 - Third and final day
It is blowing and raining but the rain stops early and eventually the sun comes out. However, it is a tad cold. The sweater and the jacket and the long pants come out of hiding. Everybody hangs out while the organizers decide if they are going to run races in high winds and in a direction that would take the racers farther out. We have lunch then we are told that racing is finished for the weekend. The awards are handed out and then everybody gets ready to go home. Denis is staying an extra day and I get a ride with Andrée and John who are heading back to Toronto and they drop me at a Walmart close to the 95 where my mother picks me up and I will stay the week with her in Ormond Beach. Even if I did not get to race much, I am happy that I came to the Calema Midwinters to live the experience of a big regatta with more than 2 fleets. (And I got to meet some of windsurfing's big names!!) There were 27 people registered in the Kona fleet and the whole event was very well organized.
We flew in to Orlando on February 29th, took our rental car and drove to Cocoa Beach where we are staying. The trip went smoothly.
March 1st was a day to set up our rental equipment to our liking and take it out for a test run. I decided to install an outhaul system on my boom so that took a while. Once I went out, I realized that I had not put any lubricant on the daggerboard so came back to find some. Then out again, one of my cleats on the boom slid so I had to come back in to fix it. Finally I was able to go out and test everything and it seemed to work fine. The big test will be tomorrow.
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The beach and some of the area where we are sailing.
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This morning the sun is shining and the winds are light. Konas are sent out at 10 a.m. to start the racing. We do one race in light wind then go to the beach for a few minutes before we are told to go back out for another race. But now the wind has picked up to around 15 knots. I start the second race, do the upwind leg and manage to start the downwind leg and then I drop my sail. It took me about 10 minutes if not more to manage to lift it up again and get going. By then, I am tired and I know I won't be able to finish that race so I head back to the beach. Lunch is served! We are called out for one more race but I decided not to do it but to just go out and play and practice. Denis is having a better day and in the third race, he finishes 5th overall, his best international race finish ever.
March 3 - Second day
It is blowing and the sun is shining! Oops but a bit much for me to race so I am beached (with John Darling). Last night I bought a cheap beach chair so I can at least be comfortable while I watch the others race. There are 4 women in the Kona race: Andrée Gauthier from Toronto who I can never beat, Joachim Larsson's daughter who is 18 and raised on a Kona, a woman named Joanna Merritt from Colorado who is older than me and moi. Joanna did all the races. So I feel a bit bad that I was not able to hold on in heavier winds with 7.4 sail. I may have been able to just play but I did not risk it. I know I can do it with a smaller sail on the Kona in higher winds but I did not have such a sail in Florida. This pushes me to hit the gym even more upon my return home. Gotta be in better shape for the summer!
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| Denis reflecting before a race. |
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| The spread of equipment. |
March 4 - Third and final day
It is blowing and raining but the rain stops early and eventually the sun comes out. However, it is a tad cold. The sweater and the jacket and the long pants come out of hiding. Everybody hangs out while the organizers decide if they are going to run races in high winds and in a direction that would take the racers farther out. We have lunch then we are told that racing is finished for the weekend. The awards are handed out and then everybody gets ready to go home. Denis is staying an extra day and I get a ride with Andrée and John who are heading back to Toronto and they drop me at a Walmart close to the 95 where my mother picks me up and I will stay the week with her in Ormond Beach. Even if I did not get to race much, I am happy that I came to the Calema Midwinters to live the experience of a big regatta with more than 2 fleets. (And I got to meet some of windsurfing's big names!!) There were 27 people registered in the Kona fleet and the whole event was very well organized.
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| A blue heron standing just there. |
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| My old and new idols: Nevin Sayre, Joachim Larsson, Steve Gottlieb. |
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| Me battling with John Darling at the upwind mark! (He won as he pushed me up and I could not turn!) |
Monday, 12 December 2011
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Not much going on at the moment sportswise as we wait for snow to start the ski season. But plans are underway for a March 2012 trip to attend the Calema Midwinters in Florida. There is a Kona One Design component to that windsurfing event so I have decided to make that my first ever competition "abroad". So check back in March for updates on that trip.
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| Santa in North Pole, NY where we went to visit him last December! |
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