Bill, Nino and Sarah (9 years old) took their respective bunks aboard and settled in on Friday night. Sarah got first choice (since she was queen for the weekend) and selected the v-berth. Nino was left with the quarter berth after Bill took the starboard berth in the main cabin.
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| Murph, Brig Niagara, Nino sailing Lake Erie |
We all went to breakfast in Erie, then slipped the dock lines and sailed eastward toward Barcelona, NY. It was a quiet sail with a bit of motoring, but finally enough wind came to our aid so we had some episodes of nice sailing. Nino is quickly becoming an experienced sailor, even though this was only his second trip on a sailboat. Last year he joined Kelly III for a sail to Conneaut, OH. Nino seems to have a knack for quickly understanding and doing what is needed at the right time . . . he's a natural!
We sailed into Barcelona harbor recalling the very shallow depths and carefully staying within the green buoys and going very, very slowly (less than 1.5 knots). Regardless, the mud pulled us to a stop until the skipper on a moored sailboat gave us the local knowledge we needed to stay in deeper water and settle into a berth at the gas dock. It was the first time Kelly III stayed on the east side of the harbor, in the small marina where we once met the owner/builder of a Tahiti Ketch. After we had tied up and settled the boat for the evening, the marina owner came by to collect his fees and give us a key to the head and showers. He's an 80-year old salt who knew everything about all the people he had met in this harbor over the years. It was a real treat to spend some time with him. He had recently lost a friend to cancer, but his friend's boat was left to him to cover the costs owed as the marina owner had provided slip, storage and other services without pay for some years. We were given the chance to climb around the older 33 footer, but it was difficult to determine what shape she was in. The gear was definitely circa 1960, so it would be an expensive refit, if someone bought her.
Bill and Nino then put on their Chef's hats and cooked up a terrific dinner on Kelly III's propane grill and alcohol stove. The steaks were excellent and the fresh bread dipped in virgin olive oil and vinegar was superb. Bill's attempt at painkiller's was less than notable without Jim's expert guidance, but all the other drinks filled the gap. As always, Sarah was the penultimate sailor and crew as she did whatever she was called upon to do. And always with good cheer, just like Nino and Bill!
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| NOAA Chart of Barcelona Harbor, NY |
We also met the skipper who shared his local knowledge with us. It turns out he's originally from Titusville, sold his fledgling cable business, bought the hull and built his boat in 1978. From his humble beginnings in Barcelona Harbor, he sailed around the world on the boat he was working on when he spoke up about where the deep water was. He has sailed 3 times around the world, met his wife in the South Pacific and continued sailing with her. It is truly amazing the terrific people we have met on our humble adventures around Lake Erie.
Our sail back the next morning was wonderful as our motoring was soon replaced by a building breeze until we were sailing along at 4 to 6 knots with a reefed jib! Again, we got some nice photos of the brig Niagara as she was out sailing in the lake waters off Erie, PA.
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| Nino certainly enjoys sailing! |
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