2003 North American Wayfarer Rally Saturday photos - 3 |
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Our waitress
(cute!) brought us another beer and asked which boat
was ours. "That
one!" we pointed out proudly. She was amazed that we
had come across
the lake in such a small boat and expressed the hope
that we would make
it back OK what with ... ... |
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...
the
storm (above?) that was coming in over the
Adirondacks
behind us. In the end, we waited out a little rain,
had another beer
and then set off to follow the gang - of whom there
was no sign by now.
We had dawdled for about a mile in 5 knots of breeze
when suddenly the
water darkened in front of us and seconds later we
were in a good 20
knots of breeze. "Spinnaker weather," said Frank.
And a fine ride it
was. It seemed like seconds later that we were
getting close to the
cliffs north of Button Bay. Even Al was getting a
bit nervous about the
proximity of the cliffs by the time Frank finally
consented to dousing
the spinnaker. But Frank had not had nearly enough!
In increasing
winds, we beat back up the lake with Jake Maarse
whom we had crossed
going the other way near the end of our ride. This
time we wanted to
get upwind enough that we could plane straight into
Button Bay and, we
hoped, tempt one or another of our guys to record
our ride on film. So
we slogged up to the lighthouse again, popped the
chute and settled in
for a great ride. Both of us sat well aft so that
only the leeward
quarter of SHADES was touching the water.
Minutes later, we
entered Button Bay in a cloud of spray. It had been
a super ride,
admirable even by the high standards of a windsurfer
whom we met while
hauling out a few minutes later. Sadly the beach and
the cliff were
empty, so our ride went photographically unnoticed.
Since
Frank
had to leave early the next morning and take SHADES
to Ottawa with him for the following week's Ontario
Championships (to
save Al two long tows), we decided to haul out right
away. No sooner
said than done. With an evening out at Rosie's
Restaurant ahead
of us, we grabbed the showers while they were sure
to still be hot.
Then we returned to the cliff to watch for boats.
... |
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In one of the
lulls between fronts going through, the first of the
boats returning
from up the lake hove into view. ... |
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It turned out
to be Kit Wallace and his gang. ... |
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As he neared
the beach, the gray skies and increasing winds caught
up with him ... ... |
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... just as Ab
faB
reached the shelter of the bulrushes. ... |
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Interesting
stuff coming up the lake from the south. ... |
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By the time
Bill Harkins and Margie McKelvey ... ... |
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... zipped in
under almost full sail (note the rarely seen storm
jib) ... ... |
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... the winds
were up to planing strength yet again. ... |
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A quick sail
douse and ... ... |
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... a
satisfying sail comes to a happy end. ... |
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The series of
mini-fronts continued ... ... |
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... for some
time ... ... |
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.... but
everyone made it back without incident and easily in
time for our date
with ... ... |
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... Rosie's.
And
a pretty tired but ... ... |
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... happy
looking group we were! ... |
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Even Frank (r)
lacks
his usual verve as he tells of our spinnaker ride. It
was an
early night for all. |