Port of Newcastle
Trip Start
Jul 21, 2001
1
11
45
Trip End
Apr 22, 2002
Port of Newcastle,
Ontario,
Canada
Friday, August 17, 2001
"Margaret, wheres Sinbad?
"Not again?
"Yep!
Another day of motoring to Port of Newcastle marina. Very quiet little area, restaurant on the premises with great prices. The rain started soon after we arrived and stayed all day. We had the total enclosure up so that evening we felt there was no need to be concerned about anyone jumping ship so we left the cabin enclosure open. I got up around 3 am and there was Hercules keeping watch in the cockpit but no Sinbad. I went the dock area and called for him in the nearby trees. No luck. I figured that this time for sure we were down to one cat as this was a much larger area than Mentor Harbour to search. I came back and told Margaret to be prepared for us not seeing him again. Of course, one doesn't sleep well after this and around 4:30 am a dark shadow crossed the forward hatch cover.
"Margaret, either a racoon has just boarded the boat or your cat is back."
Just my bad luck that it wasn't a racoon, so we continue with two cats. :-)
Aug 17
"Small craft warning for this morning with gale force winds predicted for the waters of Lake Ontario this afternoon with waves of 4-5 meters predicted." That was the morning forecast from the Coast Guard ... SO ... back to a cosy berth because we wouldn't be going anywhere today.
As it turned out, we had a very pleasant day. The marina provides free bicycles and I took a ride into town. It is a small town but definitely too far away to walk. Thankfully, fellow sailors, Greg and Jane Burns of Gussy II said they had to go into town and, kindly offered to take us with them to shop. They had planned on sailing today but like us prudently stayed put. During our time together they also gave us excellent tips on anchorages and restaurants in the Bay of Quinte area. One of their favourites, which we are looking forward to, is a meal at CFB Trenton.
We also had the good fortune to meet Michael and Giselle Davis of Breeze, who had sailed to the Bahamas 12 years ago. We sat at one of the many picnic benches provided by the marina and took notes as Michael regaled us with stories of his trip south and the many places we just had to see. It was reassuring to hear him describe the offshore passages which well have to make south of New York city especially since we have read a number of horror stories on different web sites of people who had made this passage.
The evening forecast predicts the winds will diminish around midnight so hopefully there will be enough time for the waves to subside from today's strong winds and we can leave for Cobourg tomorrow. The entrance to this river is very narrow and even if the winds are right for sailing, if there are large waves there is a danger of hitting bottom in the trough of a large wave as one tries to exit.
