Summer is halfway

With summer well into the halfway point and this year being a very busy one with work (just started with this company in Feb 2014) which has had a direct impact in my time on board.
I have been installing satellite systems for Bell express VU.
Work is busy and steady which will help the kitty more but my time on the boat is suffering.
I miss sailing the weekends away even if I am just sitting in the cockpit with a coffee.  There was always something to do on my boat always on other boats and just chatting and talking dock stuff.
Retirement cant come fast enough now, only 10 years to go sooner if I sell the house and head out and see the world from the cockpit of my boat.

Vacation plans

Planning out vacation time in advance is a spring time thing and this year as luck would have it my time off falls on two of the three big holidays this year. May 24 weekend and Canada day. I will be working the weekend of labour day but will have the weekdays off after which still works for me, as anytime out is good time. 

May 24 is a three day weekend and I am going to be heading to Leek island this year which is located on the thousand islands area for the first night and then heading to navy bay for day two with a side trip to Kingston to see family for dinner. Day three is back to the marina for a dinner BBQ party and then waking up having coffee and breakfast, followed with a good cleanup inside and then a wash down of the entire boat. Back to house for dinner and getting ready for work the next day. 

Canada day is going to be great this year as I am planning to do a night sail to Toronto for the fire works. We'll be on the hook at Toronto island and then heading back home over the next three days for a total of five days. Well that's the plan but time will tell and it could also just be a great reach to Main Duck Island and just veg out for a few days walk around the island, check out the light house and maybe bury another geocache.
 A windward day to ram island is another favorite as well. 
Kerr bay another great hangout usually a few boats there BBQing and swimming as is Stella bay. 
I guess were lucky to have a few great choices right by our home port that are a easy day sail and also offer good protection. Rounding Amherst Island is another great but long days sail, maybe Wolfe Island will be on the list this year as an weekend adventure.One thing for sure is i'm planning to put some serious mileage under the keel this year.

Commissioning the boat will be a full weekend for sure and that happens the week prior to launch weekend. 
Some of the upgrades this year include standing rigging finished, all small stays are done and waiting to be installed, Last year the main side stays back stay and fore stay rigging was done with the install of the furler.
Mast work this summer will include a complete re-wiring and new VHF antenna and cable, Mast head light, wind vane, wind speed added as well. spreader lights have been upgraded and just need to be installed as does the steaming light.
I found these red and white individual LED lights and will be placing them inside the cabin area, galley, head, wet locker, fore peak and quarter berth. Outside in the cockpit will have two installed both by the sole at opposite ends to light up for foot traffic at night. two of each will be placed into the tube of the dodger and pointing down to give full illumination of the cockpit when required. 
Combing boxes are to be marked off and installed this season glassed in and then a kiwi grip finish over the whole deck and cockpit.
Every year I just keep adding to the list of things to do on the boat and almost as fast strike them off the list.
Galley is getting propane piped to the stove so that will reduce the small one pound tanks on board to a big 20lb tank mounted on the stern with a splitter to the new Magna rail mount.

Winter setting in

With the cold winter starting to set in for another season on the hard, a reflection of the summer comes to mind of where, what, who come to mind.
What happened over the last sailing season, Ron and Lauren joined us this year in their Catalina 25 called Y-Knot also another younger fella Darrin bought in with his Annapolis 26 and had lots of questions about sailing and handling, rigging and a day sail with him started him on the right track .

Boats were repaired and tuned up, furlers were installed on a few this year and three were rebuilt on the dock. The crew at the marina is second to none, full of ideas on how to, and then do show you how its done.
Some upgrades at the marina were also done, Gary and I did some electrical outlets and rewired the pumpout dock along with power to the west section which has not been working for the last year.
we had a great turnout  on wednesday night rounding the poles with an average of four boats each week but the party always had at least 35 people joining in the fun and burgers, with happy hour being stretched to hours.
Projects are being planned out for the winter months which will be wiring upgrades and looking at a hard top dodger and an arch for the solar panels and a possible wind generator.

Weekend run

A

Out with a few friends over the weekend and the wind was up around 10-15 knots gusting to 20 ish. 

Gary on the stick I was on foresail and Ron was snapping pictures. 

Ron got a picture of us a few days before while we out and want me this 

A shot of us as we came by to see how Ron and Lauren were doing. 

Kami also got a pic of the drifter as we were on a run the weekend prior

A good couple weekends of sailing and hanging with friends