BOATING ON THE HARD

Mucking around with boats when they are out of the water is called "Boating on the hard".  A wise man once said "If you don't like mucking around with boats, you better not buy one, because there is a lot of mucking around that goes on when you own a boat, that has nothing to do with the water".  On today's list of mucking, is to put our rear deck cushions and the outboard motor inside the boat, drop down the antennas, remove and stow  all her lines and bumpers and generally stow everything away. 

 

Then next we have to clear a path down the starboard side of the boat to install our staircase/storage/ladder.  They left us enough room for that staircase and we certainly need it for access to the boat and for storing stuff. 

 

So tomorrow's chore will be to make a couple of runs, out to Gimli.  Borrow a trailer, pick up our staircase/storage/ladder, bring it back to RMYC, then take the trailer back to Gimli and pick up our Daughter and Son-in-laws boat and bring it back into town,  picking up our haystack tarp for our boat on the one of these  trips. 

 

 

 THAT'S THE MUCKING ABOUT THAT SHOULD KEEP US BUSY FOR THE WHOLE DAY TOMORROW

 

Two trips to Gimli in one day proved a bit much so, we will do another one another day. 

 

 

 

 

THE BOATING SEASON IS OVER

In the past when we put the boat away for the winter season, it would be, put it in the hangar and we lock it up and walk away, to be back to work on it at our leisure. 

 

This year, because we are storing outdoors, I can't leave anything on board that might freeze.  So I have gone through the boat and checked every cupboard, looking for any liquids or cans etc., that was Wednesday and Thursday.  

 

 

It rained Friday and Saturday and some of the helpers didn't show up on Sunday.  So Now it's Monday and we are finally pulling the boat.  As you can see, they not only needed and extra truck to help pull the old girl up the ramp, but they had to add two extra trucks. 

 

 

With that extra engine power they got her up the ramp. 

 Dan also has extra chores in that the boat has to be winterized.  Not only the engine, but the plumbing and water system.  Then it has to be tarped down to protect it from the weather.    But that's later, we're just glad she is out of the water and "on the hard" as they say. 

 

THE REST WILL BE DONE AT OUR LEISURE

 

 

 

SORTING AND STORING

Ever since we got the boat to RMYC, I have been emptying cabinets and bringing stuff home then combining it with stuff at home.  No simple chore. 

 

You end up having to add a half bottle of sun screen, with another half bottle of sun screen.  Or worse yet, you end up with too much and you can't combine them and have to find room for two of some things.  But it's amazing how much stuff I found that I didn't realize I still had. Didn't really need and was able to just chuck out.  A forced clean-out like this is really good some times, but a lot of work. 

We are still waiting to hear when our pull out date is to be.  Maybe we will be lucky with the date and the weather and be able to go for a cruise through the city before it happens. 

ITS A GAME OF HURRY UP AND WAIT

ROYAL MANITOBA YACHT CLUB

 

This is the Royal Manitoba Yacht Club.  On the northern edge of the City of Winnipeg. 

 

  It was established in West Kildonan in 1955 by Gilbert Eaton and a group of like minded boating friends and was incorporated in 1956. 

 

 

It was given the "Royal" designation in 1981 for the Queen's  diamond Jubilee. 

 

We used to be frequent visitors to this club when we had our first boat  "LINDAN". 

 

 

Now this is where we have brought "Thunderbird" for winter storage. 

 

We have unloaded most of the non freezable stuff off of the boat and it's piled in the condo.  Now we are busy trying to find a place for everything. 

 

IT"S A REAL CHALLENGE 

 

 

 

 

BOUNDARY CREEK MARINA TO ROYAL MANITOBA YATCH CLUB (CRUISE)

Dan and I and our friend Ellie Gowie headed out of the beach harbour about 7:30 am this morning.  The cruise across the lake to the mouth was a little choppy, but uneventful. 

 

 

We were soon entering the mouth and out of the small waves and into the sunshine. 

 

 

 

With the sun out we decided to take some pictures.  This was going to be fun. 

 

 

 

 

That is until we got into the channel.  Manoeuvring past the first green marker buoy by about 6 feet, we were heading for the next cluster of buoys and discussing the fact that we need the dredge back here when we came to a sudden stop.  We were all shocked and immediately double checked to make sure we hadn't missed a marker or something, but no we were right in the channel.  Dan tried, to reverse straight back, then forward and reverse again, but all that did was stir up a bunch of mud.  Nothing he tried would make her budge.  So, here we were at 9:00 am, an hour and a half into our journey and we were stuck in the mud.   So, we put a call in to the Coast Guard, after all that's what they are there for.   And if they don't get enough calls the Federal Government will decide that we don't need them on Lake
Winnipeg.  

I had brought along some big Cinnamon Buns to cook once we were in the river, so now that the Coast Guard was on the way, we might as well have breakfast.  So, we made a new pot of Coffee and I buttered and fried those buns up and we sat back and enjoyed our breakfast.  We discussed the fact that a week of strong south winds not only lowered the water levels in the harbour, but must have also lowered the levels here in the mouth. 

After breakfast, Dan being Mr."A" personality can't stand to sit around and do nothing, so he got out his pike pole and checked the depth all the way around the entire boat.  By doing so, he determined that the shallowest spot was under the port bow and the deepest spot was under the stern to starboard.  He cut the wheel hard over put her in reverse and poured the coals to her.  She started to move ever so slowly backwards, then we really started to move, but just as suddenly stopped with a jolt.  He then pulled her forward a few feet and repeated the whole procedure and just as quickly as we hung up we were floating free.  Easing forward we were making headway through the rest of the channel markers.  Needless to  say we did not cancel our Coast Guard call until we were well though the channel and into the main part of the river, free and clear. 

 

 

 

We made the call to Thunderbay Coast Guard and cancelled our call for assistance.  They asked if we wanted them to keep the call open until we reached our destination and we thanked them and explained we would be on the river for hours yet as we were heading all the way through to RMYC. 

Within a few minutes the Gimli Crew came roaring down the river, checked with us to see if all was well.  They are a bunch of great guys and we got a chance to thank them and take some pictures of them as they circled around and headed back up Netley Creek from whence they came. 

 

 

 

 

 

Once in the river it is a long but interesting trip up stream, especially if you have never done the trip.  Which is why Ellie decided to join us, just for the experience.  She says she definitely wants to go and tour the Selkirk Marine Museum that she didn't even know was there. 

 

 

 

 

 

If you boat up on the lake like Ellie does, it's even a novelty to go under a bridge, especially if it's and old lift bridge like in Selkirk. 

 

 

 

We meandered along passed many sights familiar to us, but new to Ellie.   There is Netley Creek,  "The End of Main", the 2 old churches "St. Peters and St. Andrews", the Maritime Museum in Selkirk, Captain Kennedy House and of course the experience of going through the "The Locks". 

 

 

 

I think the highlight of the trip for Ellie was the experience of locking through at Lockport. 

 

 

Once through the locks it was a short time until we were settled in at the Royal Manitoba Yacht Club. 

 

 

 

So now it's time to empty my fridge, pack up anything that can't be frozen and prep the boat to be put away for the winter. 

 

 

If the weather holds through October like is sometimes does, we may even get a couple of exterior chores done on her. 

 

Other than, that hour and a half hold up at the mouth, 

 

 

IT WAS A GOOD DAYS JOURNEY

 

 

 

WATCHING FOR A WEATHER WINDOW

So, here we sit waiting for a weather window.  We are looking for some low winds and waves to make our way into the mouth of the river.  Once in the river the wind is not much of a concern except for making our way through the locks and also for docking.  Neither of which, do expect to be any problem. 

Saturday would have been a really good day, but we wanted to spend this last weekend at the Marina, so we passed that one by.  And now it is looking like it will be Wednesday, when the wind will die off and it will be a good day to travel.   

Today the forecast is for strong winds and rain, so it looks like this will be a good day to do some cleaning and packing.  I have to go through my cloths and decide what items I'm leaving on the boat and what I'm taking home, and what I have duplicates of and can take to Texas with me. 

Tomorrow looks like a possibility for us to get away early in the morning and across to the mouth.  Once in the river we will slow down and have a relaxing cruise for the rest of the day. 

  

OUR LAST WEEKEND IN BCYC FOR 2013

This is our last weekend in Boundary Creek Yacht Club for 2013.  Sometime next week  (weather permitting) , we will head south up the Red River to the Winnipeg suburb of West Kildonan.  Where at the Royal Manitoba Yacht Club, we will put "Thunderbird" to bed for the winter. 

 

 

 

We will say goodbye to all our marina friends and some local friends we have made.  We'll say "See you next spring".  Just like we do in Paradise Park when we say goodbye to all our winter Texas friends and say "See you next fall". 

 

 

All, that is except Sharon and Casey, who travel to the same area of Texas as we do.  We will see them during the winter. 

I'm sure we'll "Do". Mexico and South Padre Island together this winter as usual.   

And we will "Do" their Boxing Day Party, and they will "Do"our St.Patrick's Day Party. 

 

BUT THAT"S LATER IN TEXAS