This past weekend I had my last trip out into the lake and it was a really great trip! The purpose of this training run was two fold, first I sailed up to Port Credit Yacht Club to attend the Lake Ontario Shorthanded Sailing Racing Series Awards Banquet, and the second purpose of the trip was to put a few more, really tough, miles under my keel.

I left on Friday morning after doing final inspections and a few minor fixes. Paul Davis helped me get the final things sorted out and I headed off into a really nice 10-15 SE breeze and temperatures around 5 degrees. The sun was shining and I had a really nice afternoon headed out into the open lake.

Over the night the breeze built to a nice 20-25 and the waves continued to build to around 6-8 feet. We surfed almost all night under full main and jib and speeds were averaging 7.5 to 8 knots with a high speed of 10.5.

I banged the US shoreline around Olcott, and around 0400 gybed for the final leg into Toronto. As the sun rose, the wind shifted to the NE and built further so I had to put a reef in the main. The temperature dropped when the wind shifted and I have to admit that it was pretty darn cold. The auto pilot was working well, so I was able to go below and make a cup off coffee and have a little sleep.

I got into Toronto around 1200 and after cleaning up a bit grabbed lunch in the club and had a great afternoon nap. I awoke to a soft tap on the hull and I poked my sleepy head out the companionway to see that it was now dark and there were two very well dress men in jackets and ties. “Damn! I overslept” was the first thought that jumped to my mind. Brian Townsend and John Vinden, greeted me warmly and I quickly dug through one of my dry bags looking my jacket and tie.

We had a fantastic dinner and I met a tonne of cool sailors. It was great to talk about the project with people who could fully understand what it is like to manage a boat by yourself over extended periods. People were so interested in checking out the boat, and learning a little more about the mini class.

Ian McAllister, Brian Townsend and John Vinden were very gracious hosts, and they presented me with some Lake Ontario 300 schwag and kindly paid for my dinner. (Prime rib and Yorkshire pudding was a REALLY nice change from the freeze dried gump I had been eating.) It was an early night for me, as I knew I had another long sail ahead of me.

When I awoke in the morning, there was an eighth of an inch of frost on the deck, and clear cool sky to greet me as I poked my head out of the companionway. A truly beautiful, crisp morning. I had coffee and hot oatmeal on deck while I let the frost burn off and I eventually started to get things in order for departure.

I left PCYC around noon on Sunday and had an upwind buck for the first 2/3 of the trip; wind ESE, 10-15. I hugged the Canadian shore as it was the favoured tack, and I kept taking little hitches out into the lake to clear land. I was in good spirits and the boat was rocking. Every once in a while the boat would get so dialed in, and I had her going 6.5 knots with a fair good wind angle. Had my headphones in for a few hours, and found that music makes a huge difference to take my mind off the cold.

The breeze eventually backed to SE and rose to 15-20, and I had to switch down to the jib. The sail change went pretty well all things considered. Changing sails requires that I go up on the foredeck, leaving “Auto” to drive. It’s kind of like trying to ride a bucking bronco with no hands while having a fire hose trained on you. To change the sail, I have to take the old sail off the forestay and untie the sheets, shove the sail below, drag the new sail up onto the front of the boat and hank and tie it on. Then you have to head back to the cockpit to pull the sail up to the top of the mast. It’s an exhausting exercise which takes about 10-20 minutes, but the boat is so much more under control when it is done.

It was really nice to be able to ease the sheets, and head below for a three, 20 minute naps. Auto performed like a champ for these, and as I was north of the shipping channel, I was way less worried about freighters. The current was on the nose still, which was really frustrating as my boat speed was averaging over 7 knots and I was making only 5.5-6 over ground.

I rounded Point Petre around 0700 and it was really nice sailing heading north toward the Ducks. It continued to build and it was on the beam. I opted to stick with the jib and full main as the wind was getting gusts over 20 and was not in the mood to fight with the kite on a beam reach on the home stretch. As I passed Psyche Shoal I had even more wind, 25-30 and really broad.

Approaching the entrance to Kingston harbour I had my first taste of what debilitating mental fatigue is like. I wanted to take the Simcoe Island entrance instead of the “K route” along the north shore. Gusts were over 35 now and I put in a reef, as I wanted this to be super controlled. On the final approach the wind was almost dead aft and I was worried about the shoal extension from the tip of Simcoe Island. I couldn’t bear off and I didn’t have time for two gybes. I bailed, and headed up, and put a second reef in the main. I was so indecisive about what to do. I just couldn’t figure out the easiest way in Kingston Harbour. I finally made the decision to take the K route, as it was a better wind angle heading into the harbour.

After getting around K9 buoy, I was over powered and pulled down and lashed the jib, so I was sailing in with just the double reefed main on a beam reach. (Going 7 knots sometimes…) It was now dark and pouring rain. I got the mooring lines, fenders, engine and sails sorted out on the approach to the club. Thankfully this all went smoothly. I was really nervous about something going wrong at this stage. I somehow managed to get the boat into the dock with too much incident and thankfully Alison was waiting for me in the car. After a very gross clean up, we headed home to a nice beef stew and a warm bed.

I have to say that the end of this trip was some of the most challenging sailing I have ever done. Exhausted, cold and soaked (not just me, but everything on the boat) there was a real possibility of things going very wrong. I’m happy to say that I was able to keep both the boat and myself safe and under control, but just barely. It was a good indication of what we have to work on in the spring when we get out for early training sessions.

Getting back into the swing of things at home and work is really tough after this trip. With just 90 minutes of sleep in 32 hours, I had to get up and go to work as usual. I made it through the work week, but more than one person commented on the horrible bags under my eyes. It generally takes a few days to recover. (Which is what has delayed this post.)

I think this was my last sail for year and it was a great way to end the season. It was nice to meet some new friends at PCYC, it was good to challenge the boat and myself, and it was great to take advantage of these awesome “November Gales” that we get here on Lake Ontario.

I’m already looking forward to spring training!