Re: Mid-winter madness
By way of being more inclusively on-topic, it is a fact, is it not,
that the rivers in the Montreal area offer pretty good
small boat
cruising? The Hudson Yacht club docks had an
interesting
variety of
small cruising boats including several of the
Hinterholler Sharks and
a 28' sloop that my crew and I were allowed to sleep
aboard when the
owners found out that we had spent a night sleeping in
our car.
Peter,
It all depends on what you consider as"pretty good".Lac des Deux
Montagnes,where Hudson is located just West of Montréal,is just a
widening of the Ottawa River before it divides Southward to join the
St.Lawrence river and Northward to become the Milles iles river and
Des Prairie river.These last two are all but un-navigable except for
jet-skis,hovercraft and the like due to the many rapids and
shallow,fast water.
However,at the confluence of the Ottawa and St.Lawrence,there is
formed Lac St.Louis which cuddles up to the Southwestern shore of the
island of Montréal before narrowing once again to a river proper
and flowing into the famous Lachine Rapids.
If one does not mind having to keep a sharp eye on the chart or
the 1.5 kt current,Lac St.Louis can be/is fun.Added attractions
include;a constant parade of shipping through the St.Lawrence Seaway
system,the need to transit some big locks if arriving by water,many
small uninhabited islands to anchor by,spectacular view of Mont
Royal,6 yacht clubs and several marinas to service your needs.On the
downside;a pretty much unsupervised inexperienced hoard of
powerboaters who terrorize the waters every sunny weekend (This
particular sub-species appears to proliferate at an amazing rate as
there are more and more of them to contend with each year.),the
water,although clear,is a toxic soup of heavy metals kept in
suspension thanks to the agitation of heavy shipping and the bottom
offers such variety(rocky,sandy,muddy,weedy,gravelly..) that a couple
of anchor types are needed to ensure safe holding overnight"on the
hook".Shallow draft boats can pretty much go where they please
however
and this does offer some solace from the maniac powerboaters
mentioned
above.
All in all,small boat cruising is fun on the lake/river as the
shorelines are not industrialized and present verdant vistas to those
who choose to travel slowly.The prevailing winds tend from the
Southwest and,due to the mainly agricultural nature of the land which
boarders the Southwestern shore,often carries with it the
fresh,uncitylike,earthy aromas of cow dung.Perhaps not as enticing as
a low tide saltwater wiff but nicer then the cosmopolitan smells
found
in the downtown core of Montréal which is never more then a 15 to
20
minute car drive away.
All of this changes however,once one is East of the Lachine
Rapids.There you find the Port of Montréal with all its' attendant
heavy industry and filth.Further East still are the oil
refineries.....
Perhaps a nostalgic return trip is called for?A wee bit of Paris
in North America?You might like it!
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,almost longing for a wiff of the farm,right now,on the
shores of the frozen St.Lawrence...............
that the rivers in the Montreal area offer pretty good
small boat
cruising? The Hudson Yacht club docks had an
interesting
variety of
small cruising boats including several of the
Hinterholler Sharks and
a 28' sloop that my crew and I were allowed to sleep
aboard when the
owners found out that we had spent a night sleeping in
our car.
Peter,
It all depends on what you consider as"pretty good".Lac des Deux
Montagnes,where Hudson is located just West of Montréal,is just a
widening of the Ottawa River before it divides Southward to join the
St.Lawrence river and Northward to become the Milles iles river and
Des Prairie river.These last two are all but un-navigable except for
jet-skis,hovercraft and the like due to the many rapids and
shallow,fast water.
However,at the confluence of the Ottawa and St.Lawrence,there is
formed Lac St.Louis which cuddles up to the Southwestern shore of the
island of Montréal before narrowing once again to a river proper
and flowing into the famous Lachine Rapids.
If one does not mind having to keep a sharp eye on the chart or
the 1.5 kt current,Lac St.Louis can be/is fun.Added attractions
include;a constant parade of shipping through the St.Lawrence Seaway
system,the need to transit some big locks if arriving by water,many
small uninhabited islands to anchor by,spectacular view of Mont
Royal,6 yacht clubs and several marinas to service your needs.On the
downside;a pretty much unsupervised inexperienced hoard of
powerboaters who terrorize the waters every sunny weekend (This
particular sub-species appears to proliferate at an amazing rate as
there are more and more of them to contend with each year.),the
water,although clear,is a toxic soup of heavy metals kept in
suspension thanks to the agitation of heavy shipping and the bottom
offers such variety(rocky,sandy,muddy,weedy,gravelly..) that a couple
of anchor types are needed to ensure safe holding overnight"on the
hook".Shallow draft boats can pretty much go where they please
however
and this does offer some solace from the maniac powerboaters
mentioned
above.
All in all,small boat cruising is fun on the lake/river as the
shorelines are not industrialized and present verdant vistas to those
who choose to travel slowly.The prevailing winds tend from the
Southwest and,due to the mainly agricultural nature of the land which
boarders the Southwestern shore,often carries with it the
fresh,uncitylike,earthy aromas of cow dung.Perhaps not as enticing as
a low tide saltwater wiff but nicer then the cosmopolitan smells
found
in the downtown core of Montréal which is never more then a 15 to
20
minute car drive away.
All of this changes however,once one is East of the Lachine
Rapids.There you find the Port of Montréal with all its' attendant
heavy industry and filth.Further East still are the oil
refineries.....
Perhaps a nostalgic return trip is called for?A wee bit of Paris
in North America?You might like it!
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,almost longing for a wiff of the farm,right now,on the
shores of the frozen St.Lawrence...............
> Did you stop in at the Hudson Yacht Club with its' ancientpainting
> clubhouse and fieldstone fireplace topped with that huge oil
> of a very young Queen Elizabeth?I was at the Hudson Yacht club for a GP-14 championship in 1967
('Expo year', as they say up there) and again in 1969. Hudson seems
to be the nearest thing to Miss Marple's little English village as I
have ever been in (I've never been to Europe). I have wondered if its
Englishness is a reaction to being in Quebec. In 1967 we went on to
another championship in Kingston, Ontario, which is much more
American.
On the 1969 trip, we tore up the centerboard and broke the mast. The
kind folks let us borrow a mast in order to compete on the final day
of races.
By way of being more inclusively on-topic, it is a fact, is it not,
that the rivers in the Montreal area offer pretty good small boat
cruising? The Hudson Yacht club docks had an interesting variety of
small cruising boats including several of the Hinterholler Sharks and
a 28' sloop that my crew and I were allowed to sleep aboard when the
owners found out that we had spent a night sleeping in our car.
Peter
Goodmorning Peter,
The Quebec Winter Carnival,something of a tradition up here and
one with a long and colorful history!It did once offer a momentary
respite from the winter drudgery in the form of one wild and crazy
Caribou(the beverage,not the beast) fueled weekend of utter madness
whereby I discovered upon returning home that I was now the owner of
one nearly intact urinal that some buddies(not me!) relieved from the
Château Frontenac.These sort of shenanigans,while perhaps amusing
at a
certain youthful age,soon take its' toll on ones health,never mind
the
illegalities!
Todays' youth are pretty much consistent with yesterdays'.The
only difference today is the crush of "Disneyland"type marketing hype
that surrounds the"party".
Did you stop in at the Hudson Yacht Club with its' ancient
clubhouse and fieldstone fireplace topped with that huge oil painting
of a very young Queen Elizabeth?I've spent my share of peaceful
nights
at the guest dock after some grand sailing out on tree lined Lac des
Deux Montagnes(Lake of the two mountains).An interesting side trip is
to sail over to the town of Oaka and visit the Trappiste Monastery
for
some really fine cheeses needed to accompany an equally fine red
wine!
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,feeling very happy inside with each day growing
longer,on the shores of the St.Lawrence...........
The Quebec Winter Carnival,something of a tradition up here and
one with a long and colorful history!It did once offer a momentary
respite from the winter drudgery in the form of one wild and crazy
Caribou(the beverage,not the beast) fueled weekend of utter madness
whereby I discovered upon returning home that I was now the owner of
one nearly intact urinal that some buddies(not me!) relieved from the
Château Frontenac.These sort of shenanigans,while perhaps amusing
at a
certain youthful age,soon take its' toll on ones health,never mind
the
illegalities!
Todays' youth are pretty much consistent with yesterdays'.The
only difference today is the crush of "Disneyland"type marketing hype
that surrounds the"party".
Did you stop in at the Hudson Yacht Club with its' ancient
clubhouse and fieldstone fireplace topped with that huge oil painting
of a very young Queen Elizabeth?I've spent my share of peaceful
nights
at the guest dock after some grand sailing out on tree lined Lac des
Deux Montagnes(Lake of the two mountains).An interesting side trip is
to sail over to the town of Oaka and visit the Trappiste Monastery
for
some really fine cheeses needed to accompany an equally fine red
wine!
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,feeling very happy inside with each day growing
longer,on the shores of the St.Lawrence...........
--- Inbolger@egroups.com, "Peter Vanderwaart" <pvanderw@o...> wrote:
> > Peter Lenihan,going stir-crazy,in the cold and snow,on the shores
> of
> > the desolate St.Lawrence.......
>
> Peter, do you take any happiness in Carnival? There must be some
> benefit to the Quebec winter.
>
>
> Peter Vanderwaart (remembering the warm welcome he got on two
sailing
> trips to the little town of Hudson)
> Peter Lenihan,going stir-crazy,in the cold and snow,on the shoresof
> the desolate St.Lawrence.......Peter, do you take any happiness in Carnival? There must be some
benefit to the Quebec winter.
Peter Vanderwaart (remembering the warm welcome he got on two sailing
trips to the little town of Hudson)
Aha!Found it!Just up the road from Coolgardie and almost due North
from Esperance.....
Sorry to hear that you only enjoy 3rd place in alcohol
consumption....not hot enough,perhaps? :-)
Despite the climatological challenges,best of luck with the building
of your Folding Schooner.....take pictures!.....and pray for rain the
day BEFORE you launch!!
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,going stir-crazy,in the cold and snow,on the shores of
the desolate St.Lawrence.......
from Esperance.....
Sorry to hear that you only enjoy 3rd place in alcohol
consumption....not hot enough,perhaps? :-)
Despite the climatological challenges,best of luck with the building
of your Folding Schooner.....take pictures!.....and pray for rain the
day BEFORE you launch!!
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,going stir-crazy,in the cold and snow,on the shores of
the desolate St.Lawrence.......
--- Inbolger@egroups.com, wattleweedooseeds@b... wrote:
> Here is Kalgoorlie. Take a map of Australia. Find the WEST COAST.
> Draw a line 350 miles (600kms) inland . Now find the SOUTH COAST.
> Draw a line 400kms inland. Where the two lines meet is Kalgoorlie.
> Altitude is 1100 ft. There are no mountains higher than 1200ft, I
> believe you would call this flat. Coastal rivers only navigable for
> 10 to 20 kms, most large lakes are dry and saline. However we have
a
> local river called Ponton Creek which is 450 kms long and has
flowed
> twice in the past 30 years. Usually you can only find it on maps.
>
> Despite the movies it is not a wild west town, we have 34,000
people
> and only 30 pubs and 4 night clubs! Even our alcohol consumtion is
> low, only 3rd highest in Aust. main reason for kalgoorlie being
here
> is Gold and Nickel. The town now has one gold mine but used to
have
> upwards of 150 mines. The single remaining pit is the largest gold
> open pit in the Sthn hemisphere. You can still see the bottom of
the
> Super Pit from the lookout.
>
> Annual rainfall is 8 inches a year, however we can get up to
6inches
> in a single thunderstorm (now that makes the creeks flow!) Since
> there is not a lot of people herding cattle and goats and
attempting
> to subsistance farm the town is surrounded by 100's kms of
saltbush,
> eucalypt and acacia forests, with a lush groundcover of saltbush.
> Despite all this everywhere you look it is red. We have a number
of
> lakes on which to sail which are presently drying up and may remain
> so for many many many years. The home lake for the folding
schooner
> (when built)will be Lake Lefroy where up until a few years ago we
> were active members of the Lake Lefroy Land Sailing Club. Im sure
> the wording on the stern of the boat will baffle wet yachties for
> years to come (Lake Lefroy LSC). I'm sure they will be asking what
> the extra L stands for.
>
> Heat - lots of heat. A few days ago my prediction of 46 Celcius
was
> correct. One degree off our January record! It's too hot to epoxy,
> too hot to paint, plane, chisel, saw, sand, measure or even mull
over
> plans. However I want to get the boat finished before the minus 2
and
> 3's of winter start, when it's too cold to .....
> Despite spending 3 days at the coast this week I managed to plane
and
> sand two booms and two gaffs, a club boom, a dolly's high chair and
a
> hat rack for the back door. The forward hull has had the inside
> painted and is now hanging from the roof of the shed and sheets of
> ply are on saw horses ready for cutting the rear hull out.
>
> Since my wife is typing this out for me she will now be allowed to
> add her comments.
>
> Despite the summer's heat Kalgoorlie is a great place to live and
> bring up a family, provided you don't ever want to dress your
> children in white clothes.
> Susan
>
> Cheers for now Paul and Susan Day
> I'm surprised that's all she had to say....
Here is Kalgoorlie. Take a map of Australia. Find the WEST COAST.
Draw a line 350 miles (600kms) inland . Now find the SOUTH COAST.
Draw a line 400kms inland. Where the two lines meet is Kalgoorlie.
Altitude is 1100 ft. There are no mountains higher than 1200ft, I
believe you would call this flat. Coastal rivers only navigable for
10 to 20 kms, most large lakes are dry and saline. However we have a
local river called Ponton Creek which is 450 kms long and has flowed
twice in the past 30 years. Usually you can only find it on maps.
Despite the movies it is not a wild west town, we have 34,000 people
and only 30 pubs and 4 night clubs! Even our alcohol consumtion is
low, only 3rd highest in Aust. main reason for kalgoorlie being here
is Gold and Nickel. The town now has one gold mine but used to have
upwards of 150 mines. The single remaining pit is the largest gold
open pit in the Sthn hemisphere. You can still see the bottom of the
Super Pit from the lookout.
Annual rainfall is 8 inches a year, however we can get up to 6inches
in a single thunderstorm (now that makes the creeks flow!) Since
there is not a lot of people herding cattle and goats and attempting
to subsistance farm the town is surrounded by 100's kms of saltbush,
eucalypt and acacia forests, with a lush groundcover of saltbush.
Despite all this everywhere you look it is red. We have a number of
lakes on which to sail which are presently drying up and may remain
so for many many many years. The home lake for the folding schooner
(when built)will be Lake Lefroy where up until a few years ago we
were active members of the Lake Lefroy Land Sailing Club. Im sure
the wording on the stern of the boat will baffle wet yachties for
years to come (Lake Lefroy LSC). I'm sure they will be asking what
the extra L stands for.
Heat - lots of heat. A few days ago my prediction of 46 Celcius was
correct. One degree off our January record! It's too hot to epoxy,
too hot to paint, plane, chisel, saw, sand, measure or even mull over
plans. However I want to get the boat finished before the minus 2 and
3's of winter start, when it's too cold to .....
Despite spending 3 days at the coast this week I managed to plane and
sand two booms and two gaffs, a club boom, a dolly's high chair and a
hat rack for the back door. The forward hull has had the inside
painted and is now hanging from the roof of the shed and sheets of
ply are on saw horses ready for cutting the rear hull out.
Since my wife is typing this out for me she will now be allowed to
add her comments.
Despite the summer's heat Kalgoorlie is a great place to live and
bring up a family, provided you don't ever want to dress your
children in white clothes.
Susan
Cheers for now Paul and Susan Day
I'm surprised that's all she had to say....
Draw a line 350 miles (600kms) inland . Now find the SOUTH COAST.
Draw a line 400kms inland. Where the two lines meet is Kalgoorlie.
Altitude is 1100 ft. There are no mountains higher than 1200ft, I
believe you would call this flat. Coastal rivers only navigable for
10 to 20 kms, most large lakes are dry and saline. However we have a
local river called Ponton Creek which is 450 kms long and has flowed
twice in the past 30 years. Usually you can only find it on maps.
Despite the movies it is not a wild west town, we have 34,000 people
and only 30 pubs and 4 night clubs! Even our alcohol consumtion is
low, only 3rd highest in Aust. main reason for kalgoorlie being here
is Gold and Nickel. The town now has one gold mine but used to have
upwards of 150 mines. The single remaining pit is the largest gold
open pit in the Sthn hemisphere. You can still see the bottom of the
Super Pit from the lookout.
Annual rainfall is 8 inches a year, however we can get up to 6inches
in a single thunderstorm (now that makes the creeks flow!) Since
there is not a lot of people herding cattle and goats and attempting
to subsistance farm the town is surrounded by 100's kms of saltbush,
eucalypt and acacia forests, with a lush groundcover of saltbush.
Despite all this everywhere you look it is red. We have a number of
lakes on which to sail which are presently drying up and may remain
so for many many many years. The home lake for the folding schooner
(when built)will be Lake Lefroy where up until a few years ago we
were active members of the Lake Lefroy Land Sailing Club. Im sure
the wording on the stern of the boat will baffle wet yachties for
years to come (Lake Lefroy LSC). I'm sure they will be asking what
the extra L stands for.
Heat - lots of heat. A few days ago my prediction of 46 Celcius was
correct. One degree off our January record! It's too hot to epoxy,
too hot to paint, plane, chisel, saw, sand, measure or even mull over
plans. However I want to get the boat finished before the minus 2 and
3's of winter start, when it's too cold to .....
Despite spending 3 days at the coast this week I managed to plane and
sand two booms and two gaffs, a club boom, a dolly's high chair and a
hat rack for the back door. The forward hull has had the inside
painted and is now hanging from the roof of the shed and sheets of
ply are on saw horses ready for cutting the rear hull out.
Since my wife is typing this out for me she will now be allowed to
add her comments.
Despite the summer's heat Kalgoorlie is a great place to live and
bring up a family, provided you don't ever want to dress your
children in white clothes.
Susan
Cheers for now Paul and Susan Day
I'm surprised that's all she had to say....