The Beckoning Delivery Day 02 - Wingfield Basin

We were all in bed before 10:30pm, as we wanted to leave in first light.

I had set my phone alarm for 5:30am, and was up before it.

We hoisted the anchor and were underway by 5:45am.

Winds were forecasted for 8-12 knots from the SW.
The original plan  was to head directly west across Georgian Bay to Lion's Head marina.
However, the wind was much more 10-15 knots from the west, meaning that we would be heading into large waves without sails to get there.  Routing software that I used calculated it would take 11 hours to cover the 45 miles to Lion's Head.

We decided to motor sail almost close hauled with reefed jib and main to the top of the Bruce Peninsula 51 miles away.  It was a close reach about 35 degrees off the wind.

Click for BIGGER
Yellow circle is Lion's Head

Trip Odometer: 52.2 miles
Moving Avg: 5.6 knots
Max Speed: 10.3 knots
Moving Time 09:22

We arrived at Wingfield Basin a little after 3pm.

What a kewl spot:

From the Internet:

Wingfield Basin bears the name of Lieutenant David Wingfield RN who first sounded the bay in 1815 with Captain William Owen. He was a member of the Royal Navy's pioneer hydrographic survey of the Georgian Bay coast.
Wingfield described the Basin as circular, ¼ mile in diameter, and three fathoms in depth, and offering perfect shelter to any boat which could pass the shallow bar at the entrance.
This ridge of stones prevented the entry of large vessels until it was dredged in the 1890s. Range markers were then added to lead yachts through the narrow channel. Steam tugs and small schooners, however, found it to their liking and recreational boaters have always sought the Basin’s refuge in ruff weather. Windfield Basin is today a tranquil calm harbour where at Cabot Head Light House offers some services including ice.
When the weather threatens, the inlet is filled with pleasure boats lying peacefully at anchor.

The channel was narrow, but we just lined ourselves up with the range markers on the other shore.

Not lined up

All lined up

After we got anchored in 15ft of water, we all went for a swim.
The water was warm and clear, you could see the bottom clear as a bell!

Walter and I went for dingy ride around the basin

When we got back, the girls discoved that there isn't any pressure water on the kitchen tap.
Sure enough, the pump was on, and it appeared the forward water tank was empty.
Thought it might be a plugged filter in the water system, but no it wasn't.
We switched over to the aft tank, and we had water, so the front tank must have been empty!

Went into the V-birth, and our bed was soaked along with much of our clothes and the camera bag!
Opened up an access panel, and a hose that sends pressure freshwater from the tanks to anchor locker had come undone in the pounding, and emptied the 85 gallon water tank into our bed!

We proceed to move everything on deck to dry it out

• sheets
• comforter
• mattress
• pillows
• camera equipment

The mattress weighed like 100 lbs!

Luckily the camera bag was only wet on the outside.
The Nikon DSLR and several lenes were fine.

At least we know the bilge pump is working fine!

After all the commotion, we all went for a dingy ride around the basin:

We went ashore thinking we could walk over to the Cabot Head lighthouse:

Walter noticed the the rocky trail was covered in poison oak:

So we quickly retreated back to the dingy:

Good call!

The limestone cliffs looks like the Niagara Escarpment:

Several sailboats came in and anchored around the bay.

There is even a partially submerged wooden shipwreck just over from us:

We cooked some bacon wrapped pork medalions on the BBQ.

We got some heavy rain and had to move everything off the deck.
It was nice have a drink under the full enclosure dry as a bone!

We dropped the salon table and setup a bed for us while our stuff dried out in the V-birth.

After a long day, we were in bed by 09:30.