March 23

March 24:

the sun is out and spring is in the air. Life slowley is returning to normal as the effects of Belize slide away.

Marine Forecast issued for Lake Ontario. Issued: 3.00 AM EDT Sunday 25 March 2007 for the period ending at 3.00 AM Monday with an outlook for the following 24 hours. Forecast: Wind light and variable becoming east 10 knots early this morning then southeast 15 this evening. Mist and fog patches dissipating this morning otherwise fair. Waves 1 metre or less. Outlook..Moderate to strong southerlies veering to moderate westerlies.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

The morning is gray and has now become this dark lizzard skin above freezing. The ice went from around the boat Saturday and Defiance is floating freely. As a testiment to the strength ofg the ice it ripped off a 4x4" section of dock siding You can plainly see how deep the ice was as the hull is scrubbed clean, pretty clean of anti-fouling too I might add.It is so nice to be floating again with the snow already 99% gone from the front of the cottage Waupoos is waking up. Bill Bennet has alredy got the tarp of the Nonsuch, Nicki is getting started on the Hunter and Arthur is back from up north.

Monday March 26, 2007

This was a Toronto trip that will hopefully be a first step to my picking up freelance photographic work. I suffered through all of the Belize trip with this Cannon pocket camera often missing increadable shots that I needed a Nikon for. But a new digital Nikon was not cheap meaning as always the only way to get what you want is figure out a way to make it pay for it's self.

It was not all hard work as I stopped by Port Credit and was amazed at the number of new BIG fiberglass boats that are being sold. Acres on acres of them and just to think of the bank payments gives me a chill. AFter that I checked out the Lakeview recreation area and confirmed that the only docks where boats are in the water belong to Port Credit Yacht Club, not the public marina. The Cherry Street basin and the inner basins are being overwhelmed by construction and ther is but the one ferrocement still living aboard off Commissioners Street.

I spent a fair part of the evening with friends aboard in Frenchmans Bay and caught up on local skuttlebutt. The live aboard comunity is so vibrent there in comparsion to out here it is hard to imagine living there again. However if I get enough Toronto work I will probably go back there as the most reasonable live aboard harbor in the GTA.

The drive back turned into a compleate nightmare as by the time I hit Darlington the fog had begun to roll in off the lake. Combined with the light rain and 401 traffic visability was far less than safe. It was not untill I started along the Brighton cut off and crossed the Murray Canal that the enormity of the issue struck me. Without the center line you could not distinguish the road from the ditch. More than once I stopped and got out to make sure I was seeing right. There were moments of zero visability and I learned to measure my speed by how many broken setions of center line. Most of the drive that I could make 50 kph I could see 3 center line markers in front of me. I arrived home drained and tired.

March 27, 2007

Toronto has changed and so have the purchasing practices of what is a far more organized industry. Freelance photo assignments are there but hooking up is going to require far more contact time than I can do in one day binges. This is starting all over and even in the hay-day of multi image it took me close to three weeks to hook up. So that goes to a slow burner as I deal with the Marine Service calls. This week I will do a polish up of ET in preparation for delivery and get a start of the dory.

With the warm weather a thick fog continues to shroud the bay cloaking the shore with a misty veil. The ice is giving up but is still too thick to release Dru Harrison's tug the McKillany which froze solid while trying to breakl up an ice jam off the Belleville Yacht Club. Everyone in Stillwater Basin is doing well and have survived the winter. Mark and Ruth have a new stove aboard Witchcraft and John is working away at his windscreen.

The vessel trim is showing signs of having used up tankage over the winter. We are somewhat down at the head with a 4° port list. Not too bad since I cut off shore support early this year and that is almost 6 months since I took mon water or fuel.

You can see how thick the ice was by where the bottom paint is removed and the scum is missing. I also made the first steps at sanatizing the bridge deck in case I run out of time to tear it off and do it in steel and fiberglasss. The new curve will make the roofline far more pleasent and all I have to do is build some cool corners.

March 28, 2007 07:51 EDT

It is a beautiful spring day this morning. The remaining ice will go out today or tomorrow making this a super short ice period for the County. The ice has completely withdrawn from the area adjacent to Defiance which allows me to get a look at my hull for the first time in 5 months. Once again Defiance is amazing as the hull looks identical to last year with no perceptible distortion to any plating.

There is a warm glow radiating from the land as it welcomes the warmth of the sun. Rufus is off bird watching in his favorite tree on the front lawn. He is enjoying the feel of grass again to the fullest as am I. Oh yes for bird lovers, he can in fact not reach the birds in the bird house so this watching is recreational peeping with his perhaps his least successful hunting place. In fact Rufus prefers to prowl out back behind the shop and in along the path is the public watering hole for a drink before it’s across the road and into Bill’s front garden which is full of coniferous trees and manicured grass.

I have not seen Sweetie on 2 days now which was a long time for her not to show up when I call. It was good to find everyone in excellent health and doing their social best to welcome me. Mom cat was in her favorite spot perched on the swing-set ladder watching as I filled the “wild cat food”. Sweetie loved to the point of a couple of minutes of lap sitting before breakfast in the sun called too loudly.