Month: March 2021

I’m itching to get going. Picked up my new dinghy today.

And I have a travel plan. I’m going to do a reverse great loop. East out the St Lawrence, around Nova Scotia, down the east coast of the US to Florida, across to the Gulf of Mexico, then up the rivers to Chicago.

I like big loops. And I like to keep moving. This books in the next year or so. Summer 2022 I really want to get back to sailing in Ontario. I’ll either arrive back on Escapade in the spring or leave Escapade on the rivers somewhere and return in the fall.

My winter dockage is ending at the end of April. I’ll be leaving Toronto in early May, noodling east for the opening of the Rideau Canal, then up to Ottawa, down to Montreal and down the river.

I had been thinking of exploring Labrador and Newfoundland, but I think that’s too ambitious. As usual I’ll make plans on the fly. No time constraints other than seasonal, and I’m happy to be a straggler heading south.

I think Escapade will be a fine river runner, and I’ve been itching to head north from Mobile. I really want to explore the Tennessee and Ohio rivers.

I’ve designed out extra tankage and will order and install in the US before that segment. Apart from that I’ve solved for all the major boat issues, I think. Time to put down some miles…

It’s a tough problem, having too many boats.

The question is a bit of an inside joke in my family. We had a bit of a problem with bicycles, and maintained a household cap of 15 for years. Getting a new bike was OK but you had to give one up.

That for me was a good exercise. It sort of forced examination of the use case for each bike, how wide or narrow the bike’s range of activities, and how much you needed those capabilities.

I think I’m at equilibrium with boats. Here’s the fleet.

Escapade you know already if you’ve been reading along. This boat is my traveling home. 2021 will be my first full season with this boat, and I’ve been doing lots of improvements over the winter.

New for 2021 is a brand new inflatable, a Highfield 340 ultralight. I’m excited about this. Will be putting my 15 hp Yamaha 2 stroke on it. Related to this, I have a new set of stern davits ready to install.

Tin Lizzie is a 31′ racing sailboat that I own with Samantha and Sarah. I wanted a fast boat to sail solo through the great lakes and had a blast doing that in 2019. There is an active shorthanded racing fleet on Lake Ontario, and I hope to join them. But probably not until 2022. Boat is shrink wrapped on the trailer.

We also have a Snipe. I like these boats, and there is an active and competitive fleet at Guelph Lake. Samantha and Sarah go club racing, and Sarah and I have done occasional regattas.

I haven’t sailed my Laser much in recent years. Sarah has been using it occasionally in Guelph. In 2021 it’s going on the deckhouse on Escapade. I still have aspirations of doing more Laser racing. There is a great Masters fleet in Toronto.

There. Five. That feels about right.

I should also mention that I have an old inflatable free for the taking. It’s in Guelph. 9′ Zeppelin aluminum RIB with hypalon tubes. Needs a patch.