Presque Isle, Erie

[Kyle]As the week wore on, it was clear to me and Maryanne that our time in Erieau was going to need to come to and end. Dave was great, and even fudged our reservation a bit so we could stay a little longer without having to go to the trouble of digging out the credit card reader again, or leaving before ideal weather arrived. Even so, we didn't want to take too much advantage of the situation during delays, and run the risk of being charged the full rate for any extra time. This despite there being no facilities yet, other than a magnetic dock and access to water (provide your own hose).

Lake Erie has very little in the way of protected natural harbors. As we still needed to wait a while before the Welland Canal opens to recreational boating, our choice became to go to one of the many constructed harbors available and stay at a marina, or to sail across the Lake to Presque Isle State Park by Erie, Pennsylvania, where we would have 360° protection and could anchor for the duration for free. Plus, there was a chance we could spot beavers. We took that choice. We'd been to Presque Isle before, the previous year, and knew we'd be comfortable anchored there.

The sail went about as well as could be expected. We left Erieau just before sunset in rain and fog, which pushed through a few hours later. Once Begonia was pointed at Erie, I synced the flux gate compass with our actual heading as a stopgap. That made the instruments read pretty normally, so long as we didn't deviate by more than ten or fifteen degrees.

Maryanne gave the main and jib a good airing. After waking me at midnight for my watch, the wind had moderated enough for me to switch to the spinnaker for the rest of the trip eastwards across the lake.

Maryanne and I switched watches again at sunrise. She woke me a few hours later to say that we were outside the harbor and that she had already received our inbound clearance to the U.S., so we were free to go right to our anchorage. Once through the main breakwater, we ran through the procedure for swinging and aligning the compass. Then, for good measure, we did it again. Now everything is behaving as it should.

Not surprisingly, after entering the next basin, Begonia was the only boat there, so we got our first choice of a spot to drop the anchor. ALL the boats at the adjacent marina were still on the hard under their covers, with not a single intrepid one in the water.

We departed Erieau around dawn, and I'm sure we were the only 'pleasure boat' on the lake. 85 nautical miles later we sailed passed Erie where the fire fighters were executing some practice drills. Soon we were away from the city, anchored, and snug in the tranquility of Presque Isle Park

On the first nice day, we went ashore at the park to stretch our legs. We also rowed over to the marina where we learned they were doing a big improvement project and didn't expect to be putting boats into the water until early June. That's why almost no one looked like they were even starting to get ready for the season. We did occasionally see a fishing boat launch from the nearby boat ramp, but anytime the wind picked up or the sun got too close to the horizon, they would head for their trailers and leave us to our solitude. After a winter of near-constant travel, it was nice to sit back and enjoy some proper unstructured time for a change.

We spent 10 days in Presque Isle, only 3 of which were nice enough to venture ashore - so we made the most of those times

---

Anchorage location >> On google maps

Last few days in North America (for now)

[Kyle]After leaving Kate and Mark's in south Virginia, we had a long, but otherwise uneventful drive for the last leg back to Canada (via West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York, before reaching Ontario) . As we headed further north, the season seemed to advance by about a week for every hour of driving. We had started with a cloudy, drizzly sky full of falling and blowing leaves. By the time we crossed the border into Canada, the trees were all bare and we were driving through a proper blizzard of big, fluffy snowflakes that squeaked under the tires as we laid our tracks.

Driving North back to Canada

Since we were just to the south of them, we made the short detour for a look at Niagara Falls again, this time from the Canadian side.

Compared to our previous visit to the American side of the falls, it was much, much colder, with some of the mist even forming into ice and snow along the paths. We stayed until darkness fell and the multi-colored floodlights came on to illuminate the falls through the night. Then it was time to head for our hotel, just a short drive from the Hamilton, Ontario airport.

Niagara Falls - from the Canadian side

Our rental car return did not end up involving any drama as a result of either our high mileage or our repairs from the October bear attack. (Our credit card rental insurance ended up denying our claim on the basis that it only applied to short-term rentals that don’t leave Canada for more than 30 days.) Hamilton is much smaller and less crowded than Toronto Pearson International Airport, so we were checked in for our flight and sitting at the gate with hours left to go before boarding time.

Oh, Canada!

[Kyle]Finally, FINALLY, we had a sail go the way the forecasts told us it would. Blind squirrel and all...

We motored out of the Erie harbor entrance, turned left, set the spinnaker and left it there for the next twenty-four hours until we rounded Point Pelee (the southernmost point of mainland Canada). From there, we switched to working sails for the upwind leg to Leamington, with Point Pelee flattening the seas for us.

Our timing was a bit weird. We left Erie because of the great weather window, but that got us to Leamington two-and-a-half days earlier than we wanted. We considered throwing another stop in, but everywhere we considered would have required a real bash to get to Leamington afterwards. We decided to get there early and have a couple of easy days instead.

When we were anchored, we called the Canadian authorities to report our arrival. Apart from their having a difficult time understanding that we were anchored right outside the Leamington harbor entrance and not forty miles away, they were friendly and efficient. They gave us our entry number and told us to call again once we are tied up at the marina.

After a couple of days at anchor, we moved into the marina next to Arabella
After officially clearinging into Canada, the Babins entertained and spoilt us

Our main reason for clearing into Canada at Leamington was because that's where our boating friends Paul and Lynne Babin keep their boat. In fact, they managed to get us the slip right next to them.

Uh, oh! This was a bit intimidating because of the way we met. When we last saw them in person just over twenty years earlier, we had just taken possession of our new boat, Prydwen, a Tartan 30, which was their old one.

Paul had annoyed me then because we were really broke and try as I might, I could not get him to haggle. He didn't have to. The boat was impeccable. I cursed his name a few more times in the years to come, usually while working on something difficult and hard to access. He didn't design the boat, of course, but how the hell do you remove the engine without scratching the teak?

I suspect Paul didn't. He is the sort of person who, if he scratches the teak, he pulls it all out and redoes it so that it looks better than the original factory job. Who has time for all that? Paul does, because he can do it in a tenth of the time it would take me. Thus, when we finally sold Prydwen, she was a nice boat, but she no longer looked like we had just sailed her over from the factory last weekend.

While we were busy buying and sailing our two catamarans, Paul and Lynne bought two more Tartans, a 34' and then their current 37'. The Tartan factory is right across the lake in Fairport, Ohio. I thought they had finally gone for a new one, but they tell me their boat was a half-sunk wreck in Brooklyn when they found her. They ripped out the interior, built a new one, redid all the systems, gave her some paint. Oh, of course! Now, I bet the Tartan factory wishes they could deliver a new boat so nice. We put a lot of effort into keeping Begonia seaworthy, but the time-consuming cosmetic stuff always seems to fall off the bottom of the list.

Despite the years, we recognized the Babins at once. When they started towards us to say hi, I put up a hand and said, "That's close enough right there! We will come to you."

That only kept them at bay for so long. Soon, they were climbing aboard. They said many nice things, allowing that Begonia is in great shape considering all the sailing she has done.

The Babins kindly offered to take us on any errands we needed to do. Since we had done most of that in Erie, we only needed one or two minor things. The rest of the time, we spent being guided by them on tours of the area, including a walk to Point Pelee, Canada's version of Land's End. On the walking path, we passed the sign marking 42° North. Actually, Canada has two bits of land even further south than that, Pelee Island, the largest in Lake Erie, and even farther away, uninhabited Middle Island, sixteen nautical miles from Point Pelee.

On hearing about our winter haulout plans farther north, The Babins suggested we consider coming all the way down to the Detroit River instead, to the yard they have used for years. The idea made a lot of sense and they even drove us up there to have a look at the place. It's not as fancy as where we were originally planning to go, but then again, it's not as fancy. We'd have to deal with being stored on gravel instead of concrete, but there is also a refreshing lack of additional charges on the price list for every tiny thing.

We visited Point Pelee, and were treated to a drive to many of the lovely towns along the coast - all with great stories and info from Paul and Lynne

The other thing is, and this really surprised us, that the Canadian side of the Detroit River is really nice. I mean, it's right across from actual Detriot, which is, uh…less so. I honestly think the Canadian government poured a little bit of extra money into the area just so that the Americans could see what a prosperous, well-ordered society looks like. Amherstburg is so charming, it seemed like the perfect place to retire to a life of waterfront walks, cozy cafés, and incredible restaurants.

The one thing it will be missing when we return is the Babins. They are heading through the Erie Canal for a winter in the Bahamas, so they will be gone by then. It really was great to see them again. I hope our next reunion doesn't take so long.

Tranquility and wildlife at Presque Isle

[Kyle]After experiencing most of what Erie has to offer, we motored the short mile-and-a-half to Marina Lake in Presque Isle State Park. Despite being just across from Erie the city, it feels remote and peaceful and gave us time to decompress while waiting for a suitable weather window. I had been to Presque Isle briefly while working. I remember it being pleasant enough, but the main thing for me at the time was that the round trip from the hotel was exactly a half-marathon. This time, Maryanne and I took it much slower, and I must say it is just wonderful.

We took the dinghy well into the shallows and made a point of walking miles of the less-used trails away from the main road. We saw and heard songbirds galore, as well as terrapins and even beavers with their big lodges. It felt good to be walking on soft ground through miles and miles of chlorophyll, occasionally stopping to study some fascinating new flower or critter. Our phones are mesmerizing and all, but it really does feel nice to observe the world in its own time and to realize how interesting it all can be if we just take the time to slow down and appreciate it.

{Maryanne: We hiked all over the park from our anchorage in Marine Lake (there are plenty of trails, and aside from the ones that can take bicycles seem rarely used), and we rowed through miles of water-lily covered waterways. We missed out on a morning guided tour unfortunately, but still managed to enjoy plenty of wildlife. We were both surprised at how nice it was to spend time in the park}

We enjoyed the tranquility, and even had a beaver swim by the boat at anchor