The day begins early for me at 4:30am as we push off the dock. The water is still choppy from the previous
day’s wind, but there is a bright full moon that leads the way. This morning I have to keep on close watch as
there are many fishing boats out in the lake – I see at least 20 of them in the
first 15 miles which is a stark contrast to most of the days we have sailed,
surely because we are now much closer to shore.
The wind is blowing at an average of 15 knots which is pretty good for
sailing, but the wind is shifting around making a confused mess of the waves
and providing for a very rough ride. I
have both the main and head sails out and the boat is heeling like crazy with
the edge rail coming close to dipping into the water. This is always fun for the guy at the wheel
but wreaks havoc for the crew down below who get pelted from side to side and
rammed around. It’s pretty hard to eat a
bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios on a 45 degree angle.
We arrive in Goderich around 1:30 pm.
It is very easy to spot because it has the largest salt mine in the
world on its shores located in a deep water harbour, and there are huge buildings there that serve
as a useful navigational aid. We get a
slip at the Maitland Valley Marina, which is located right beside the
commercial marina. It is small, a bit
run down, but very homey place, and they have a pool.
The young man working the marina is quite different than the standard
issue dock hand. He is well spoken,
articulate, cheerful and competent.
After helping us dock he demonstrates to Magnus how to properly secure a
line to a cleat. We spend some time
talking with him and find out he has been here for three summers, works 70 hour
weeks, already has an engineering degree, and is enrolled in a law
program. I would have stopped at the
engineering.
He gives us a ride into the town centre and a guided tour along the
way. We have been to Goderich once or
twice before on day trips years ago, but this was before the tornado of 2011
that ripped their iconic downtown to shreds.
It was an F3 tornado and caused in the neighbourhood of $150 million in
damage to the town. The town centre in
this planned community is a unique giant octagonal roundabout and unlike any
other in Canada. You can walk around and
around all day long and never have any clue what direction you are facing or
how many times you have completed the circuit.
One time I paced the octagon while Ana was shopping and reported back to
her that I found at least three cool Irish pubs. But it turns out it was just the one, and I
have the memory of a goldfish.
We have lunch at the one and only Paddy O’Neils. Magnus and I grease it up with burgers and
fries while the ladies go for pasta dishes.
We then take our newly acquired calories and expend a few of them
walking the octagon. The kids and I hang
at a book/toy store while Ana scours the clothing shops for deals. The town centre looks great as nearly all of
the shops have installed fancy new street side signs and awnings. Though the century old trees are all gone
from the central park, which used to provide such lovely shade in the summer,
it has been replanted and the new trees are growing quickly.
We enjoy a nice walk back to the marina.
Back at the boat I realize it’s 4:30 – quitting time – so I crack a beer
and enjoy a nice end to the work week I didn’t participate in. But I do think about my colleagues back at
the office slamming shut their laptops, overturning their inboxes, gathering up
their lunch kits, and racing out the office door and out to their cars without
looking back, anxious to kick back and enjoy the long weekend.
I am actually mentally prepared for the trip to be over. We are in the home stretch now and Sarnia is
no longer so far away as we’ve been doing some long sailing days and making the
miles. Ana and discuss our vacation and
agree that one week away from work is not long enough to have a real
break. Two weeks gives you enough time to
clear your head, stop counting the days, and really get away and feel what life
is like without the cloud of work hanging over your head. The single week trips we normally do to a resort
in the Caribbean during the winter months are certainly a lot of fun, but it
always seems like we are in a race to relax.
I think about my colleagues and most of the people we know and I really
can’t think of many who ever take two consecutive weeks of vacation. An obvious reason is that many people only
get two weeks of vacation a year (damn you Ontario!) so that is completely
understandable as half of those days are easily taken up by time you need just
to get personal things done. That leaves
one measly week. But then you also have
people who have worked with the same company for years, and therefore get four
weeks plus or school teachers who count their time off in intervals of months
instead of days. Why not take longer
trips? Maybe people are simply broke and
leave no budget for vacation, or maybe most just don’t like being away from
home for that long. It certainly works
for us. In fact, it makes our family
thrive.
The rest of the evening is spent chilling on the boat and we all retire
early, ready for the last full day of our trip tomorrow sailing to Grand Bend.
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