Category Archives: Palmer Johnson Alberg 35
Toronto to Cap-à-l’Aigle
- Trip Time: 101 hours
- Distance: 504nm
- Top speed: 12.1kn
- Average speed: 4.9kn
First stop, Cobourg.
On my way to Cobourg I managed to drop my 5gal. bucket into the lake. It floated for a while as I scrambled to heave to so I could fetch it back but alas it sank. The biting stable flies were an absolute menace. I call them a pleasure tax, and like taxes in general they seem a high price to pay. I wore out my flyswatter on the dang things. So, it was awesome of my Dad to bring me a new bucket, replete with Canadian Tire logo, and not one but TWO new flyswatters!
Next stop Presqu’ile Bay
I left Cobourg around noon in the sunshine and a perfect breeze. That was short-lived because a few hours later thunderstorms and squalls kicked up huge waves and left me sloshing around in their wake. But I persevered and by evening I was sailing along quite happily into Presqu’ile Bay for a sweet anchorage and well deserved sleep.
Navy Bay, Kingston.
I anchored at Old Fort Henry on Thursday night, July 22 2021.
Thousand Islands always delivers the beauty!
Found a sweet anchorage between Hooper Island and Shanty Island.
Iroquois! and on through the locks to Montreal
Another great anchorage between Toussant Island and Presqu’ile right at Iroquois locks. Turns out my crew, Wayne, couldn’t get aboard at the locks as planned but the lockmaster let me go through alone and I picked Wanker up at the Galop Canal Marina next to the locks.
Locking through went fairly well. Our timing was great. Eisenhower and Snell were way easier than I expected but soon after that in the evening the squally thunderstorms made us anchor at 45 10.012N 74.572W for the night but we weighed anchor again at 4:30am. We got lucky as we arrived at the Valleyfield bridge because a ship was passing through so we moved on to Beauharnois upper and lower locks. We then anchored at Kahnawake just before the entrance to the canal that would take us through the St. Catherine and St. Lambert locks the next day, Tuesday July 27.
I filled the diesel tank, water tank, and charged the batteries. Took a shower, did laundry. Wayne and Tannissa drove me to the grocery store and Canadian Tire for coolant.
Ile la Piere to Portneuf
What a sail! NW 20kts all day. 11 hours, 64nm. Top speed 12kts!!!! (with current of course)
Portneuf to Quebec City
Another amazing sail. 6 hrs 34nm. Anchored in the bay out just east of Quebec City at 7pm. Watched a beautiful sunset.
Quebec City to Cap-à-l’Aigle
Yet another amazing day of sailing. That’s three in a row!! I sailed off anchor at Quebec City at 0750, 3 hours before high tide. The forecast of SW 15-25kts happened. I made the 82 mile trip in 12 hours, almost entirely dead downwind. I started with wing and wing poled out but when the 25kts kicked in it was just the main with first reef tucked in. Had to hand steer for 7 hours straight due to Ray not being able to handle the 2 meter following seas that tried to pick up the stern and pass the bow.
So I’ve been here at Cap-à-l’Aigle for 2 days now. Hopefully get going tomorrow.
’til next time, Toronto
After 2 days on the island it was time to cut the lines and head out. Huge thanks to Andy on ArtSea and Mike on Hammerhead for the going away party-ing!
The winds were light 6kts SW so I drifted on the spinnaker all day. 11:15am start, 4:00am finish.
On a day
When the wind is perfect
The sail
Just needs to open
And the world is full
Of beauty
Today is such a day
~ Rumi
Mid-winter update
Well, it’s February 17th and we’re in the deep freeze of Canadian winter now. Skating beside the boat at the dock is one of those things I never knew would happen but so glad it has! 
And so it begins…
Last man standing here at the bluffs. I’m hunkering down for the winter.
Zeelandia gets a new bowsprit!!
At the end of last summer I noticed the bowsprit had shifted about an eighth of an inch. Upon further investigation, much dry rot was discovered and the decision to replace confirmed.
Here’s the old sprit before removal:
Here’s what was left to clean up after removal:
I started looking for white oak, which is what the original is made of, but I also considered douglas fir. I finally spoke with Niko at Deadstok Reclaimed (deadstok.ca) and they had some amazing longleaf pine reclaimed from an old building torn down at Yonge and Wellesley in Toronto.
We got started by stripping the hardware off the original. Which required cutting the tip off and using a torch!
Next the guys at Deadstok laminated up the rough dimensions.
Then the “sculpting” began..
Here are some photos comparing the old and the new.
And here are some shots of the final installation:
I am extremely pleased with the amazing job Deadstok did with this project!
Rimouski to Montreal – tides and currents
Before I forget, I wanted to post my experience sailing up the St. Lawrence. This may be of help to anyone sailing up the St.Lawrence and “googling” for more info. It can be hard and slow working against the 1-4kt currents and prevailing SW winds in a boat that does ~5-6kts. Fortunately, the flood tide reverses the current for a two periods each day and if you’re willing to sleep/wake according to the tide cycle. This can be a great help from Rimouski to Portneuf.
Tip #1 – HUG THE SHORE. (unless playing the flood tide) Staying as close as possible to the shore, in shoal water and out of the main channel, drastically reduces the current. Sometimes the current even eddies and runs contrary near shore.
TIp #2 – Get a copy of “Atlas of Tidal Currents (St. Lawrence estuary)” or use their website: www.slgo.ca/ocean. I also highly recommend the cruising guide St. Lawrence River and Quebec Waterways 2nd edition
My route: I left Rimouski 2 hours after high tide heading for anchorage in Cacouna harbour, 55nm. It took 12 hours. I left Cacouna 2 hours after low tide and got to Cap a l’Aigle in 6 hours, ~30nm. It’s possible to make it from Cap a l’Aigle to Quebec City, ~70nm, in one shot if you leave an 1 hour before low tide, hug the shore, and take the south channel into Quebec. I got caught in the awful waves created when a strong SW wind blew against the flood current in the south channel. Avoid this situation at all costs!I Left Quebec City 2 hours after low tide to pass under bridge 3 hours after low tide when flood current arrives there, made it to Portneuf in 5.5hrs, ~35nm. Left Portneuf 2 hours after high tide to make it through the Richelieu rapids. It took 8hrs to Trois Rivieres. Trois Rivieres to Montreal took 19hrs, no more tide to help and the current averages 1.5-2kts. Zeelandia motors at 5-5.5kts through the water.
Sailing with Jeffrey
My nephew, Jeff, took a bus from Parry Sound to Montreal on Thursday August 7 to help me go through the locks and decided to stay on all the way to Toronto.
Basically, we spent 4 days motoring in the sweltering sun and heat. 
The alternator died, we “hit the bars” (mostly sand and mud but sometimes pale ale and burgers), and we’ve enjoyed some very nice hot summer evenings at anchor. The weather took a turn for the worst in Kingston so we had to wait out a storm one day and then sailed out into a 25kt headwind the next day and that wind seems to be haunting us all the way to Cobourg.
Guest post by Richard
Richard is a fellow member at Cathedral Bluffs YC, and loves to fish. Earnie runs the restaurant at CBYC.
Richard left this story in the comments today:
So there we were in Belleville, myself, Tristan and even Earnie, on his day off from the CBYC restaurant, fishing, when I looked up and saw the familiar yellow hull of Zeelandia, in full sail heading west and looking magnificent in her calm, steady passage through the Bay of Quinte.
I was hoping that you would stop at the municipal marina, where we were staying, but sadly saw your sail pass by the gap and onward westward. It was at that point that I regretted not getting a picture of you with my cell phone. Damn, I said to Earnie and he’s not stopping.
With no fish to haul out, we headed back to the boat from the park where we had been and once at the boat, I looked out where the Moira river meets the Bay of Quinte and deposits its silt and sitting awkwardly in the middle of that muck, who should I spot? Yup, both Earnie and I got our photoshoot, though far less glamorous, of poor Zeelandia stuck in the mud and listing to port from the force of the strong wind.
We watched the successful rescue and waved her on as Zeelandia got back into the channel.
I tried calling you on 16, but no luck, so here’s just to let you know that we thought of you and talked much about you and wished you a safe rest of trip.
Richard, Tristan and Earnie.
Hey Richard and Earnie!
I wish I weren’t the dumbass stuck in the mud in this great story!
(In my defense, my navionics chartplotter shows 10ft depth in that exact spot)
See you soon. Dave.