Port Stanley, Ontario August 15, 2015

Sleepy little Port Dover turned into quite the party town last night. It was the Friday before the big Art in the Park Festival, and PDYC Fish Fry. People were celebrating all over, except on Annie, of course, where the Skipper was ready for bed at 9:30.

We did get past that though, and when I looked at my watch it was 5:45 - time to get moving. We left the dock at 6:25. We did not have to worry about the bridge because Annie is well under its 20+ foor height restriction. I did learn that the bridge was broken and that only one side raises. And, that side got hit by a commercial fishing boat just before we arrived. Apparently the wind blew the fishing boat into the bridge. I snapped a few more metal boat pictures as I motored out of the harbor.

The trip was pretty uneventful. I tried to average 9 knots and hit 8.8 for the trip according to my GPS. It was 71 miles per my GPS. We arrived in time to make the 2:30 bridge. The Port Stanley bridge has a height when closed of 11', so we needed to respect the opening times. Only one side of this bridge is opening too. My log on Excalibur said it was 78 miles.

I always make the same mistake every time I round Long Point. I cut the corner too close. Long Point is a spit of land that goes straight out into Lake Erie about 17 miles. So to go west you must go southeast for 17 miles before you can turn west. I rounded Long Point in 35' of water according to my chart plotter. As I was setting a waypoint for Port Stanley I glanced at my depth sounder and it said 7.7 feet! I have 2 depth sounders so I immediately checked the second and it said the same thing. I grabbed the wheel and turned sharply east, toward deeper water. This has happened to me every time I have rounded Long Point. You think I would learn or the charts would get more accurate. Next time I will do better.

The trip was long today. Kerry and Marty are veteran voyagers and know how to utilize the time on a passage.

Port Stanley is a nice port. We walked around and visited all the shops once we were settled in. No purchases! The Kettle Creek Marina is run by a lady and her husband, Fiona and John. They are most accommodating. It is located right next to the Port Stanley Sailing Squadron. They share a lot of facilities, and I am actually using the PSSS wireless.

Kerry made our left over perch into sandwiches for lunch and for appetizers at happy hour. It was so good. She made her black bean salad for dinner. We enjoyed both cocktails and dinner on Annie's upper deck. 

Annie is in need of a good wash. She really has not had one since we left Vermilion. Parts have been washed, but never the entire boat. Our plans now are to go to Rondeau Bay tomorrow and Vermilion on Monday, weather permitting. We will wash Annie tomorrow in Rondeau. We have spoken with Rosemary and have tempted her with a dinner at Rudy's if she will pick us up Monday night in Vermilion. 

Jim and Jola made it to Fairport today. I believe they are staying two nights to visit friends. They may also make it home on Monday. A reunion dinner at Rudy's could be a possibility!