Port Elgin

Sunday August 22 -The alarm went off at 6:30am as expected, but I was already awake - around 5:30am. Looks like it is going to be pretty clear this morning. Kathi actually got up first, had her cereal, made coffee, and poured OJ. She is already off to the showers. I am moving more slowly and sipping my coffee before I follow her. We seem to be on plan, and will be heading for Port Elgin hopefully by 8am. We only need to top off the diesel and get one bag of ice, before we are leave Little Tub.

More when we get to Port Elgin and have WiFi access again...

We did not leave until around 8:30am and went and topped off the diesel, and then were on our way. No problems getting through the Cape Hurd Channel and out into Lake Huron. We had a good but long sail down to Port Elgin arriving around 6:30pm. The marine forecast indicated that the winds would be from the Northwest at 20 knots, but all we saw was Northeast winds maybe 15 to 20 knots. When the wind as at 120° or less off of our port quarter, we could hit 7.5 knots, but it kept going to 150° or more, so the headsail kept collapsing and then refilling, limiting us to 5 to 6 knots of boat speed. We could have motor-sailed, but we wanted to sail.

When we arrived here at Port Elgin, all the transient slips were full, so we had to tie up to the wall by the marina office and by a restaurant - lots of pedestrian traffic. We did not want to walk into town (rain forecast), so we checked out the restaurants near the marina and beach area, but they were all burgers and fries type places, so we just grilled and ate on the boat. There was a so-so rock band playing in the pavilion by the beach. We were worried about when they would stop, but by 9pm it was over.

Tomorrow we will head down to Kincardine and probably spend a couple of days - got to hear/see the piper who plays at sunset. Kathi called down there to make a dock reservation since it was full here. They thought they would have lots of room, but took our boat name anyway.