2002 christmas

December 14, 2002

I was to have gotten an entire set of pages together for you but have not quite made it. In stead I will direct you to the link pages for the various updates today and merge them later.

With Edgar's passing and a suitable new home found for Naughty Lass 2003 opens a new door in my life. With luck the health care system will do some thing to resolve some medical problems which have a lot of impact on my future. but Overall things are looking pretty positive.

Robin

My Last summer with Edgar July 2002

This has been a very trying spring.

June 17 2002 - Edgar enjoyes the evening sun at Waupoos

photo take June 17, 2002 - Edgar enjoys the evening sun at Waupoos.
He seems to be doing a little better on the whole having regained a little strength since the low points of the saga. He can get out to the porch or to his computer pretty much on his own at the house.

Naughty has spent the summer sitting beside the launch ramp with only a few scattered trips to check on her as it is a day to day battle for Edgar.

A lowered flag and private toast marked the passing of Edgar Dutton.

Following which the immediate family took him for one last pass over his favorite fishing hole, before returning his remains to Montreal for a final memorial and burial in the family plot.

Edgar's Memorial September 7 2002

It was not too long after we had completed saying goodby when I got a message from the marina that a Bill ?Smoke to whom I had been talking to earlier in the week wanted me co contact him about a delivery job. In keeping with my overall keep out of trouble, around people and busy it sounded good.

The trip was made on a Grand Banks 42 that I was hired to crew on, Oar Else during September to transit the Rideau Canal to Waupoos, the captain a case all his own. I still have not gotten around to moving the story from a pad to the net so all I con offer is some of the pictures as we picked our way down the canal, vacuuming the bottom all the way.

It was here at Poonamie Lock Rideau Canal on, day 3 that Mee Mah made her first boat break that all cats seem to do for one day when you first set out on a new boat. In this case after three days of being contained we reached this secluded little spot and she drove me crazy not coming back all night. Playing cat tease and me without the ability to lay over as Bill would have left her if I had not gotten her to return.

Once we made it into the Big Rideau Lake to Kingston things did improve a lot such as this cruise was ever to become. I must admit that it was nice not to do mechanical as all I did was drive the boat all day.

Photo index (no copy for a trip down Rideau September 2002

Sometimes giving up during a delivery is the better part of valor. This was the case when we attempted to deliver the Bayfield 32 Arthur had bought from Port Credit to Waupoos via one long mid lake jump this October 23 & 24th.

A frozeb Aurther stans an early morning watch

We arrived at Port Credit late afternoon and began the long process of unloading the car stuffed full of supplies and equipment down Port Credit Harbour's long "O" dock.

We furled the genny as I found the jib below decks and then fought my way forward with it on the slippery deck. The crude lifelines that had seemed adequate in harbour now filled me with dread as there was almost no place for me to clip my safety harness to, clipping it to the toe rail made it difficult to release and the lifelines outright scary. The jibs sail hanks were in poor repair and difficult to open forcing me to lie on the foredeck and pry them open with my knife, then the clasp came apart in my hand forcing me to tie the halyard to the jib. As waves washed over me was thankful for a the full exposure suit's tight cuffs keeping the icy water from getting inside.

For now I am concentrating on completing the entire estate thing while getting both the house and boat ready for sale. The boat is gone or I have now had a weeks of free labor, but no this is a deal.

There are a lot of things I would like to do if my body will allow me. But that is yet to be determined as 2003 is the year OHIP (our health service) will fix what they can or perhaps I should say will.

I have gotten back to the website after a minimal year due to Edgar and will have the Trent Severn On Line Cruising Guide ready for the 2003 season. I current have more than adequate photographs of the entire waterway and am getting back to it seriously now.

Trent Severn On-Line Cruising Guide

If they can fix or improve my back and shoulder situation I am almost positive that I want to pursue the concept of an Eco Charter boat in the 65' size, operating in Canada to the north. Even if there is not a boat there are some established people doing the same thing. It is also worth pointing out that the eco charter biz is overall pretty laid back. You could check out these west coast folks who are doing pretty much what I hope to if I can get he body fixed.