We left Cape Vincent after a rough night of North wind, and under sunny skies we sailed fair Dolphin with the sail Jim had just cut from the old 170%genoa. The lapper, as it is known, set beautifully and pulled us on a 3 knot average beam reach halfway to Oswego. A great wind came and filled in all available canvas, the cooling towers and stacks of the generating facilities quite visible on the New York horizon. After putting the first reef in, we doused the lapper and put up the wee staysail. The wind started to back, as forecast, and we screamed in to Oswego, our speed topping out at 7 knots, the rig in complete control. I think I like this boat!
We tied off at a public wall, and went for another beautiful evening stroll.
Now there is a lot to do to prepare a sailboat to transit the Canal. Knowing that it saves us roughly 1200 nautical miles on the St. Lawrence, we felt it well worth all the cost and effort. Plus we got to meet the Legendary Bernie Bacon, crane-dude at Oswego Marina.
After unclipping rigging, wrapping up all the shrouds, turning the turn buckles, stowing the boom, club and spinnaker-pole, pulling down the sun shade and generally going out of our minds with work, we got our mast unstepped by Mr. Bacon. We had heard how great he was, but the actual experience has left us amazed. he and his crew had that puppy down in about thirty minutes. We were on the crane dock for an hour and a half. Kudos!
Jim had designed the whole load to go under the re-installed sun shade, rather that hold it high aloft, so we could travel confidently in case of other boats putting up a big wake, which happens. So here we are, back in the U.S.A, heading south.
Ah, South! We like to monitor the degrees of latitude w cross by seeing what grows. The holly bushes here are plump with berries 
My posts will be a bit less often, now that we are really on the road, but I'll check in at our next Public Library! Ciao!
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