Close calls

Sailed from Cobourg to Belleville on Saturday, another ten hours on the water. Mostly clear skies, but strong winds.

For the most part, sailing trips bring carefree days, but we had more than a couple of close calls that day.

At one point Rob went to drop the main and I insisted he tie himself to the mast because the boat was tossing like a bronco at the rodeo. The waves were almost two meters high and the boom was swinging like crazy. I'm not sure whether I inhaled the whole time I was at the helm, trying to steady the boat into the wind. I think our next boat will have furling on the main!

When we finally reached the Murray Canal it was a great break from the bluster, but along the way we managed to catch a small island of weeds. Rob ended up diving to set us free from the tangle. There is a much stronger current than you'd think, and when he rose to surface, he met the dinghy bottom and then came up for air between the lines, gasping for breath.

Both times I felt time slow and called on angels and ancestors to keep him safe. Happily, no disasters.

Drama aside, it was a great day on the water. At one point the white caps looked like gulls following in our wake. Later, we saw a flock of five Trumpeter swans bopping in the waves. Dazzle on the lake like dancing diamonds.

The scenery en route changes from open water, to marsh, to canal, to bay. It's very pretty to watch how the shore connects to water. Unlike the trip from Toronto to Cobourg, a lot more houses and cottages dot the landscape. I imagine what it would be like, to look out their window, and watch the sailboats gliding by, blue water, blue sky.