The true Meaning of Anchors A Way !

Can you remember reading the words I wrote, at the end of yesterdays blog ............... "That's all we know till morning, when we wake up and find out where we really are."

Well, at 5 am, at anchor in the Bay, we heard loud lapping of water against the hull of the boat, which is not abnormal when you are anchored. We expected the winds to pickup and when that happens the boat will always swing at anchor. At 1:30 am we had done a last check on the anchor line and all seemed tight. At 5 am, after much controversial conversation between crew members, we decided that we were not where we anchored. The captain was actually wrong, and admitted that to the crew. We started the boat, and checked the GPS Chartplotter only to find the anchor had lost it's grip and the winds had moved us across the bay into 3 feet of weedy water. I think we moved about 1/2 mile from our original anchorage. At least the sun was rising and we could now see where we were. Slowly we idled the boat through the low water into the main channel and moved to a concrete wall at the entrance to the Murray Canal. We were safe, no damage, except for a large gathering in grasses on the anchor and props but Cynthia, our on board specialist in keeping the galley tidy, made sure she washed the anchor before putting it back to its storage location.

Our anchor had truly gone A Way from where it was set !

The boat was tied to the dock at 6 am and we were not expected into Trenton till 11:30 as our crew was a fine tuned team and had well planned the exchange to take place at the Trenton Marina Gas dock, which is located right beside the downtown area and we can get vehicles close to the boat. Not to mention the TRUCKLOAD of goods that Jan and Cynthia were removing from the boat.

We arrived at the dock precisely on time, and everyone else was late so we sat for an hour and relaxed. At least Cynthia was busy, as she had friends from the area meet her there to say hi.

The swap went smooth but we failed to take any pictures of the departing crew and their goods. We did get a photo of Paul, Bruce and Chester just as they boarded to start their voyage up the Trent System Waterway to Midland. They believe they will be at their destination by next weekend. For three guys, all over the age of 70, it is a Senior Trip with absolutely NO SUPERVISION. But we all have to remember to take our pills each morning.

So it is Labour Day Monday, and as such, a holiday in both Canada and the USA. In Canada, Labour Day's roots go back to a 1872 printers' strike in Toronto. We wish our friends and all Blog Followers a happy holiday Monday.

In a time when workers’ rights were taken for granted and even workers’ benefits had come to be expected, the origins of Labour Day are confined to the history books. What evolved into just another summer holiday, began as a working class struggle and massive demonstration of solidarity in the streets of Toronto. They were fighting for a nine-hour work day, and the strikers' victory was a major milestone in the changing relations between Canadian workers and their government.

The first leg of the Trent was a bit challenging as the winds and current in the Trent Waterway were fast and at times, a 35 km wind gusts. It played havoc on getting the boat in and out of the locks and we have to tie to the Starboard side of the boats for the first 13 locks. As we entered Lock #1 we had planned a Port side tie, and as we entered they advised us to switch which was not easy in the winds. The boys quickly moved fenders but our concern was the dingy motor which overhung the width of the boat. We made it though 4 locks but with difficulty holding the boat off the wall in the winds. Finally, when in Lock #5 the Trent System had us wait as Lock #6 was busy and we convinced the Lockmaster to let us wait in the Well (that is what they call a full Lock of Water) while the next lock was moving other boats around. at that point we tied the boat to the wall (as if we were docking) and lowered the hydraulic swim platform, and moved the dingy forward 18" to protect it from hitting the engine in future locks. That worked out very well.

Tomorrow we plan to make it to Hastings for our next overnight stop as we know there is a good pub/restaurant at the dock. Make the best of Holiday Monday and be safe, especially if you are on the water.

Here is our Nebo Log for the day. We travelled 34.2 km over 3.54 hours at an average speed of 9.2 km/hr.