Sailing from Montreal #4 with the complete family

When I started the year, I wanted to write about different sailing experiences around Montreal.  Some may argue that this one is too close to #2.  After all, I was on the same boat, with the same skipper.

Pointe-Claire Yacht Club is located in the heart of the Pointe-Claire village, a historical Francophone enclave in an English speaking suburb of Montreal.

When the engine didn't start, there was no panic.  After all, we are in Pointe-Claire, and there are fewer rules here than at Beaconsfield Yacht Club where sailing out of the harbor is frowned upon.  Sailing in and out of harbor is seen here as good seamanship.

What makes the difference this time is the crew.  My whole family is on board George's Shark, with Agnès the prettiest foredeck to grace Ketchup in years. George's son is also on board.

With a crew of 6, we could have sailed two Sharks.  What makes the experience bearable is that the older kids were captivated by tablet games inside the cabin.  With too many feet in the cockpit, releasing sheets gets risky, and sails go down painfully slowly.

George sailed masterfully well and shared the helm for the last run of the race with his son.  We finished second in our class, but the Tanzer 22 that passed us doesn't count, according to this boat owner.  We're really against the other Sharks.  There were at least 9 other Sharks on the race course, the most active boat on the lake.

Thanks George for the great sail and I'll miss you for the next few weeks.