24 June, 2015, Today is Yacht Club Day

      The Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club to be exact.  

A brisk but fair wind assists us Northeastward in the big ship channel. Where the channel turns more to the East, we continue North into a smaller but well marked seemingly hodge-podge of turns that makes up the channel toward The Club's man-made harbor.

      Approaching a weekend between two Wednesday Canadian holidays there is a lot of boat traffic and we are passed close aboard by several large fast moving power-yachts. Did I say close? We are trying to avoid getting mad each time someone throws a big wake at us from close aboard, so we are rating the ride we get from the wakes. Call it “the fun factor”. We got a couple 9.5s this morning! Kathy suggested a celebratory long blast of our loud electric horns might be in order to signify any wake rating over a 9!

      Both our smart phones guide us right in and we make fast at the service dock. The club is so completely protected that we hardly recall the choppy lake we just left behind. We are greeted by no-one, so while looking around we help a large cruiser tie up at the holding tank pump-out.

      Finally we track down dock manager John, who doesn't find any free nights for any boats from Maine on his list, so we shuck out the $2 per foot, for which we get showers, laundry, and our own slip.

      We want to see about getting into the city, but end up instead going for a long walk down the lake-shore, much of it flat lawned areas, with both bike and walking paths.

     Lots of families are out enjoying the sunny day, bicycles by the hundreds, and everyone getting set up for St John the Baptist Day. Our legs about done in we get back to the boat, ready for our showers and laundry dates. After duties are completed we go to the restaurant at the club for a light supper.

      After supper we head back to our slip, and shortly we get a knock on our cabin, it's Gerry in from an evening of sailboat racing, inviting us over to meet the gang for a night-cap. We head over and see the fleet of Laser-28s, a new to me class, crewed by 6, with a very serious summer long series that stretches into September. All on a points system, they race towards a season championship. The boat Gerry crews on didn't win today, but is ahead in points. Back in the clubhouse, Gerry and his buddies give us some local knowledge tips on the lake and the Lower St Lawrence, well needed.

      After we say our goodbyes, we grab just one more piece of chocolate cake from the desert tray!