NEWS FLASH FROM DENIS GUERTIN: Lac St. Francois, Lampton, Quebec. Sunday March 29.

“Weather forecast is not an exact science! Before going to bed yesterday night, I checked the short term forecast. No more freezing expected, no more early wind, which was replaced by early rain. My hopes to sail today also changed with this new forecast.

When I woke up this morning, first thing I did was to check the forecast again. And it had changed again. Rain postponed to about 13:00, not much wind until 11:00, and 46 deg.

I raised my sail at 9:30 and decided to run away from this big lee where my camp is on a SE wind. I knew I had to get very far from there to get some wind when it would raise. So I walked my boat for about 1/2 mile… but no wind. Surprisingly, the ice was hard, no styrofoam. I waited…. At 10:22, I felt a nice breeze and jumped into the boat to get going, and it got me right to the middle of the lake, at about 1,5 mile from my place, and died. So I waited again….

10:45: Nothing… 11:00: Nothing… I checked the stock in my spare parts box to spend some time… 11:15: Nothing… I checked how many residents were looking at me and thinking that this guy is stupid or what??? There is no wind!! 11:30: I felt a small breeze, and it remained steady instead of dying as usual. 11:34: The small breeze seems strong enough to get going and get closer to the camp, just in case. So I jumped in the boat and sailed all the way to the shore, but as this breeze was holding, I jibed again and went back far away from the camp and… it died again !!

I was a bit depressed, but this wind came back not too long after it died, and I could sail all the way to the shore again, and again I jibed when I got there, but the wind stayed steady and built more and more. So I sailed non-stop for more than one hour, and the wind was building and building. I had many many hikes… Is there an award for a 1/2 mile long hike?? Speed was good, ice was smooth and hard, and at 13:00, I decided to go back home because… the wind was becoming too strong for my big rig…!!! Amazing, isn’t it??

The rain began to fall as I was getting my mast down. I never packed my boat so quickly!!!

That’s about it… I have been waiting for the wind since Friday afternoon, and my patience was rewarded… and well rewarded.”