Part Three of the Big Boat Delivery HOME to Canada
Departure day from Sarnia Bay Marina. A good looking day, on a good looking boat with a GREAT looking first mate ;-)
These next two shots were taken by the crew of the aforementioned 'Plan B'.
The boat looks nice except for those black streaks on the hull, a result of the new black dock lines bleeding. . .
Insight; I've saved a boating magazine since 2007 that has a 'for sale' ad for a similar model to this boat & I've been hanging on to it as inspiration. The ad shows the boat on the water with a lady crew member on the bow while it's underway. A great boating shot.
Well, here I am - my boat, my very attractive lady crew mate and a sunny summer day on the water. . . .
That's what I call a dream come true, my friends!!!
Thanks again for sending me these pics, Glen :-)
Video from the fly bridge;
Exiting the marina and back on our way northbound for the last part on the St. Clair River;
This would be the final great lakes freighter we would pass by on this voyage;
Approaching the Bluewater Bridge. This is the bridge that joins the Canadian side of the river to the American side. Ya, we spent allot of time waiting to cross the border into Michigan on that bridge on the many trips we took to see/buy/take possession of the boat. I tell you, it was quite a bit of work to make the deal all come together - but it was exhilarating, exhausting and inspirational - and well worth it!!
Some video of the approach to the bridge, complete with commentary from yours truly ;-)
The lighthouse on the U.S. (Port Huron) side. Yes, it's the very same we took pictures of from the bridge on the road trips to see the boat & would be the first of many we would pass on this journey;
On Lake Huron. I've heard the term 'Big Water' used by my fellow boaters, but nothing we've experienced compares to heading out onto a body of water that stretches for hundreds of miles before you.
One is privy to many emotions, to say the least;
To keep everyone traveling (with pink toe polish) aboard 'Boogaboo IV' as happy as possible, I took a route that at least kept us within view of land;
A zoomed in shot passing by Goderich and the Sifto Salt Mines operations located there.
Note also the electrical generation windmills on shore. There are many of those things - 200+ in this region;
Just before Goderich, we unexpectedly came upon a series of small, bobbing buoys in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. Good thing my eyeballs were on the ball, as the buoys came upon us without warning.
I suspected they were marking fishing nets and shortly afterward, spotted this commercial fishing boat well off in the distance.
A little disconcerting initially, to say the least, as this was something that I had totally NOT anticipated;
Note also the bounce we experienced at slower speeds. Although the video doesn't quite capture the essence of the water conditions, we were running through solid 5' - 6' swells and they picked up to 6' - 7 footers the next day. Remember that this is taken from roughly 12' above the waters' surface on the bridge, making it hard to get a feel for.
You'll get a better representation of what I'm talking about when we come to the Flower Pot Island clip. . . .Stay tuned . . .
Safely in Kincardine Marina on yet another glorious day.
I hadn't even got the boat into the slip here when a Canada Customs officer came over - and waited at the end of the dock - to talk to me. Seems they are continuously looking for out of province registration numbers on the hulls (note the Michigan registration or 'MC Numbers' on Boogaboo). Those fellows roam around from marina to marina to check to make sure everything is in order - proper checking into the country, vessel registrations, taxes paid - you know, the important stuff.
This wouldn't be the last time we were to be questioned by Custom's guys either, as we would meet up with their compatriots again in Parry Sound;
A shot of the marina from the bridge, looking out on to Lake Huron. Can you see the Big Boy in the distance?
The Kincardine Lighthouse - this shot taken from the road bridge next top the marina.
We took a stroll for a bite to eat and were impressed by this neat, clean & well preserved old town;
The view from the boat, looking north east across the marina. Another spectacular day;
Here's a close up shot of the lighthouse from our vantage point;
Myself, relaxing in my own, unique way - capping off the day. HA!
Here is the storey of the 'Phantom', as told on the Kincardine Scottish Piper Band web site. . .
Way back in 1856, on a cold, October day, a small vessel left the Port of Goderich carrying a family from the Isle of Skye, Scotland. It was the final leg of a journey for the immigrant family that intended to farm at Penetangore (now Kincardine).
The weather was cloudy with a light breeze out of the southwest when the vessel left Goderich. But as the boat approached Point Clark, the sky turned black and a cold wind started to blow out of the west making for heavier and heavier seas.
As the vessel slowly beat its way north, late afternoon turned to dusk and the captain feared he would not find Penetangore in the dark.
Donald Sinclair, fearing for his family, went down into the hold and fetched his pipes. He prayed for safe passage and then played a lament. The sound of the pipes carried across the water to Penetangore where another piper heard the rich sound. The settler on shore retrieved his pipes and played another lament in return, just as the sky suddenly cleared in the west and the sun set beneath the cold waters.
The captain, knowing he had to be near Penetangore, headed for the drone of the bagpipes and eventually made his way into the harbour.
For many years after the narrow escape, Donald Sinclair often went down to the harbour to play the pipes at dusk. They say it was a way to remember his good fortune and to remind others of the power of the pipes. And it's in the memory of Donald Sinclair that the Kincardine Scottish has decided to play at dusk atop the lighthouse on sunny summer evenings. The piper will only appear when the sun sets and will pipe the sun down.
As good fortune would have it, we were lucky enough to witness the 'Phantom' playing on a perfect summer evening. Here's some video of that event, including a panning shot of the marina and the sun setting over Lake Huron;
A look from the bridge towards Lake Huron and the setting sun;
Beautiful . . .
Next time we cross the last half of Lake Huron and enter onto Georgian Bay & Tobermory.