A FALL WORK WEEKEND

We went out to the hangar to work on the boat on Friday.

Here's Dan unloading all the tools he is going to need for this weekend's projects

As I'm sure everyone is aware, it was very cold on Friday.  We have an indoor/outdoor thermometer on board and of course the outside temperature was really the inside of the hangar.  So, it took a long time to get the chill off of the boat.   We finally got it up to kinda room temperature by bed time on Friday, but the bedding was still very cold.

Kevin Scott's boat is right in front of ours and I was surprised to see that he has changed the name on his  boat.  He probably did it some time this summer, but I guess we haven't followed him in or out of the harbour during the summer so I wasn't aware of the change.  Nice choice Kevin.  Much nicer than the old name.

We have a few situations where moisture has gotten under the fiberglass, and into the plywood underneath, so we have to cut out the bad spots and replace and repair them.

It's a matter of cutting it back until you find solid wood and rebuild from there.









Once that is done then it's, seal up where the water was penetrating, then replace the plywood, re fiber glass then repaint.  Oh, well, that's part of owning an old boat.

BACK TO BOATING ON THE HARD

We had a busy week in town getting settled back into our Condo for the fall.  The place was a mess.  Coming into town once a week over the summer sometimes for an overnight, makes for a messy place by the end of the summer.  But, I was awfully glad we were in town when that snow hit.  Boating is no fun in the snow.

So, this weekend we are heading back out to the hangar to start working on this years maintenance projects.  We have some rot to deal with on Starboard Bow walk around and some on the Port Bow walk around.  We will not know how extensive this problem is until we start gouging the damage out.

I was planning to do some more sewing this fall, but Dean made me remove my sewing machine from the hangar, so that will have to wait until spring.

BOATING ON THE HARD

Well, there is "The Bird" , tucked away, in the same corner of the hangar as we were in last year.  So, our boating for the rest of the year will be "On the hard", as they say.  We have a list of maintenance issues to deal with, so we will be going out to the hangar and living on board every weekend until the winter gets too cold and the snow too deep to continue.  

We are taking next weekend off and staying home to cook a turkey and have a Thanksgiving dinner.  Then on Oct. 12th we will be hard at it.  We painted the hull last spring, so this year it's the superstructure that needs paint, but first we have some maintenance to see to on the walk around.  It's always something, with an old boat.  We also have to finish our Captain's seat.  I have more sewing to do, but that can wait til spring.

PUTTING THE BOAT AWAY

So, here we were in Gimli for what was to be a very long weekend.

We walked the dog.  Trying to find a grassy spot for a dog in a downtown harbour is not easy, so that keeps you busy,

Then of course you can always go sight seeing.


But, of course we have seen it all before.

Then another walk for the dog.  Someplace further, but grassier.

Then you can always do some more sight seeing.


There is lots to see in Gimli. (If your new in town)

The one highlight was being parked where we could watch them craning the sail boats out of the water and on to the cradles for the winter.  That kept me entertained for a while.









Dan kept busy prepping the boat for the hangar.  The mast has to be put down.  The boat needs a final pump out.  My chore was packing up things that can't stay on board over the winter.


                                                                                             

So that was our LONG weekend waiting in Gimli harbour for our "Pull-Out".

  

NORTH FOR A WEEKEND IN GIMLI HABOUR

 We went out to the boat early Friday to head for Gimli for our "pull out".  The weather was perfect, so we wanted to take advantage of that.





As we cruised out of our dock, everything was so

still and beautiful.  The water was like glass.  A perfect day for a cruise.  But, not many around to enjoy it as the boats in the harbour are becoming few and far between.

As we rounded the red marker buoy at the harbour mouth, it was good-bye to Winnipeg Beach and Boundary Creek Yacht Club for another year.



It's always sad to see the season end, especially on a day like Friday was.  It felt more like Summer, not the end of September.

                                                                                                                     

As we headed north, we saw lots of fishermen tending their nets.  That's a sure sign of fall, as they don't fish during the summer.

When we arrived in Gimli, we were pleased to find the perfect spot for us to dock, was open and available to us.  Our boat is big and clumsy and not easy to manoeuvre into some of the tight spots usually available to us.  And we can't dock along the concrete seawall, because then neither I, nor my dog can get on or off our boat.  Art Wilks of "Misprint", had arrived a day earlier and passed up that spot to leave it available for us.  Thanks Again Art, the gesture was much appreciated.

We settled in for the weekend to prep the boat and await our pull  out on Monday Oct. 1st.  

OUR LAST SUNDAY CRUISE

The weather kept improving after Friday's devastating winds, and Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day.  We decided to take one last leisurely Sunday cruise.

We headed South out of the harbour past very deserted beaches, and continued to the south end of the lake.  As we approached the fairway marker at the mouth of the Red River, we saw a boat coming out onto the lake from the river.

Dan grabbed his binoculars to identify the boat and low and behold it was the "Molly Maybelle".








We haven't seen this boat since "Morten Sparber", the previous owner passed away.  It's wonderful to see one of the old boats back on the lake and giving someone else some pleasure.

Then, after a couple of hours of cruising, we headed back to the harbour for the last time.  Next weekend we have to pick a good "weather window" and get the boat to Gimli harbour for our pull out on Monday Oct. 1st.

And that will end the in water part of our boating season and we will turn our attention to the list of chores that need to be seen to on "The Bird", while she is on the hard.  We have some serious maintenance issues on the front walk around.   We wont know how extensive it is, until we start to rip it apart.  Then we want to install a good windlass system before next year.  We have to finish our captains seat and I have more sewing to do, on a dinghy cover, and back seat cushion cover as well as a Bar-B-Q cover.  So that will certainly keep us busy every weekend this fall, before we turn our eyes south to Texas.  

THE BOATING SEASON IS COMING TO AN END.

This weekend certainly shows us that it really is the end of the season.  


The leaves are all turning.

A lot of the boats are departing the harbour, not to return till next spring.

And on Friday the lake got really ugly, with waves smashing so hard against the sea wall, they  were quite a sight.