It is really fun riding in fast boats. Amazing. Adrenalin pumping.
Andrew and Victoria recently bought a gorgeous 2022 Regal 33 and after a long morning coffee session on the deck followed by a kingly breakfast, we find ourselves screaming down the Bateau Channel at well over 50 kph.
“It’s a lot different riding in a vessel whose speed is measured in miles per hour instead of hours per mile,” I say to Andrew as I’m clutching our gear so it doesn’t fly off the boat. “Oh, and if you were thinking of stopping for gas, just want to let you know I forgot my wallet.”
“I knew you would.”
We arrive in the lee of Simcoe Island – located across the channel from the city of Kingston, and we find a lovely spot to anchor with 9 feet of water below us. There are maybe 15 other boats, here to enjoy Sunday Funday. And what a day it is – hot and clear with unseasonably warm lake water. Adrian and Sarah arrive shortly after us and we get the boats rafted together. Within seconds we are gathered with drinks and snacks and rapid fire conversation ensues. It is great to see them again.
We swim. We jump off the hardtop of Adrian’s boat. We hover in the water on oversized Costco floaties. It’s fricking amazing and I can’t imagine a Sunday Funday being any better…especially for those of us not going to work tomorrow.
Adrian is famous for buying and wearing white sunglasses that cost no more than about five bucks. He says he can’t be trusted with anything expensive. Andrew hands him a box, and in this box is a brand new pair of classy Ray Ban shades.
“Damn man, these are gorgeous,” Adrian says as he tries them on. “But I’m not good with nice sunglasses, you know that.”
“You’ll be fine. They’re yours - enjoy.”
Fifteen minutes later there is some commotion on Adrian and Sarah’s boat. Adrian has his back turned to use and is fiddling with something.
“What happened?” asks Victoria.
“Nothing…” says Adrian as he shifts his position to make sure none of us can see what he’s doing.
“He was making a move on me and he knocked the sunglasses off the table!” admits Sarah.
We could now see Adrian was trying to pop a ejected lens back into the frame.
“I told you I was bad with expensive sunglasses,” Adrian said, then manages to get the lens in, puts the shades on and flashes a prize winning smile. “See, all good!”
A while later there is some conversation between Andrew and Adrian on the status of his generator, followed by an exchange of insults. Adrian and Sarah too have recently purchased a different boat and some systems have required mending.
“There she goes!” Adrian says triumphantly as the generator fires up.
“It stinks,” says Andrew.
“You won’t be saying that when the hot dogs start sizzing on the electric grill. No, then you’ll be saying can I have a hot dog please,” says Adrian as he twirls his tongs. “Hey, do you guys want to guess what kind of meat is in these hot dogs? I made them myself at home.”
“Cat?” says Victoria.
“Please say pork or beef,” says Andrew.
“Nope, all wrong,” says Adrian. “These are made from manatee.”
“Manatee?” I ask, worried. “Manatee is my spirit animal…so I probably shouldn’t. But why not, I’m up for a manatee dog.”
“It’s real tough finding manatee meat. Unbelievably tough.”
“What’s taking so long on the hot dogs?” asks Andrew.
“I like to slow roast them.”
“That’s a good idea,” I say. “I like to do mine overnight in a flavoured brine solution. It can bring out a real menagerie of flavours.”
“We always sous vide our tube steaks,” says Victoria. “You can use a poorer cut of hot dog and they come out amazing.”
Well, the manatee dogs were delicious and hardly distinguishable from the pork or beef varieties, especially with all the ketchup, mustard, relish, and garlic sauce dumped over them.
Sunday Funday goes way too fast and shortly after 3 pm we untie the boats and are headed back to Holmes Mansion at full speed. Andrew and Victoria have invited the regular gang of neighbourhood friends for dinner, folks we have become good friends with over the years and over many visits.
Victoria and Andrew grill some burgers and assemble salads while I put together a mango/peach crumble from a recipe I found in a sailing memoir. Ana is deep in conversation with the guests, catching up on the many happenings since we’d last seen them. We enjoy an excellent meal together.
By the time the guests leave we have enough collective energy left to watch The Babadook – an Australian horror film from 2014. Over the past 12 years Andrew and I have considered it to be an outstanding horror movie. Ana has not. So we had to give it another showing to make a final determination.
It was excellent.
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