Buckhorn Yacht Harbour
44°32’43.9224″N, 78°21’3.5568″W
Ahoy! It has been a long time since my last post. I have been dealing with multiple competing priorities plus a certain amount of lethargy on my part – sorry! Anyway, it’s high time I got caught up with what’s going on.
Tuesday, July 7, 2026 is launch day!
Launch Day For Belisama
Buckhorn Yacht Harbour doesn’t have a travel lift. They launch all of their boats using a hydraulic trailer and a substantial boat ramp. It was interesting to see our boat launched this way. On previous occasions I have seen their marina staff launch boats that were even bigger than ours using this system – very impressive!
Belisama being launched (small) motor boat style!
Here is a link to the video I took of Belisama being launched: https://youtu.be/B_Rn9Fo2q1s (video is posted on my “semi-private” YouTube channel). After a long winter Belisama finally gets back in/on the water!
She Still Floats!
A lot has happened since last September. She has undergone a big refit with many improvements. Here is a list of the “major” items completed by Buckhorn Yacht Harbour staff (and others) over the past winter:
Systems/Mechanical/Electrical:
- New fuel feed lines from the deck fill ports to each of the 3 fuel tanks
- New fuel tank vent lines from the fuel tanks to the hull exterior vent fittings
- New fuel feed lines from the each of the fuel tanks to each engine and to the generator
- DC and AC electrical wiring systems improvements (clean up “orphan” wires, etc.)
- New engine hour meters for port and starboard engines
- New On/Off power switch for windlass
- Exhaust hoses from both engines replaced from engine manifolds to water mufflers
- New starter battery for port engine (new starter battery for starboard side in 2025)
- The “spare” propellers were modified by reducing blade size and pitch to reduce boat speed at low RPMs and installed for sea trial (Kawartha Propeller). The original propellers are stored on board for future use if needed.
Fiberglass Above The Waterline:
- Minor “wear and tear” damage to the transom’s swim platform door and door frame was professionally repaired
- Multiple drill and service holes and minor cosmetic damage to a variety of spots on the boat (all above the waterline) professionally repaired
Exterior/Interior Decoration:
- New exterior blue sunbrella window and door coverings (Amanda’s Top Shop)
- Cushions reupholstered in main cabin/galley settee and forward cabin (Amanda’s Top Shop)
- New curtains for all windows in main cabin/galley settee (“Admiral Catherine”)
After Belisama was launched there were still numerous items to be checked over so Buckhorn Yacht Harbour generously put us up in one of their covered slips. When I first saw these covered slips last year I wasn’t too sure about what it would be like to have a covered slip for an entire boating season but after only one day I was a convert!
Belisama spent a little over a week in this slip while the final commissioning work was completed by Buckhorn Yacht Harbour staff. During that time we had a mixture of blistering hot heat and a few big thunder and rainstorms. Belisama stayed cool and dry the entire time and the aft deck and flybridge proved to be the best place to hang out through the heat of the day and even during the rainstorms! It was also a great place to watch FIFA 2026 World Cup Soccer Games on Belisama’s “big screen” TV!
Watching the World Cup in style with unlimited refreshments and a private bathroom.
While we were in Buckhorn the air began to have a heavy campfire smell. At first I thought this was due to people on all of the properties surrounding Buckhorn Lake having campfires in the evenings but soon realized that all of this smoke was actually coming from the forest fires around Thunder Bay. Then the news reports started coming in about heavy smoke all over southern Ontario and deep into the USA. It’s hard to comprehend the size of the fires that caused so much smoke to cover such a massive area.
Soon it will be time to cast off. There has been a major change in our plans for the summer – stay tuned!
Cheers!