Wake up to the strangest sound outside the boat. What could that be? Scary as hell. I look out a hatch, can’t see anything while Christy goes out back, says there’s a dinghy there. I look, it’s George’s dinghy. He’s a day early to dive and scrape our bottom. No worries.

I drop Christy off at the Cove to start the laundry and then go over to Clarke’s for the market. We ordered some sausage but I also pick up some eggs and wine. Then I go back to the Cove where Christy and I wait for the laundry over a decent cup of coffee.

I forgot to check Clarke’s chandlery for a primary fuel filter so go back with Christy. End up buying the wrong one, returning the wrong one for another wrong one, then returning that one on Friday. They don’t carry the one I need.

Drop the stuff off at the boat, passing the gang around Hog Island as they head to La Phare Bleu for wing day. We turn around and join them. The Secret Harbour gang are creatures of habit – every day has an event and they stick to the calendar. On Wednesdays there is a group that plays Backgammon there so I’ve joined in the past couple weeks. Good to play again. Today I play with Anita who teaches me a new variation called Poison:

• first roll is the poison roll, any time you roll it during the game, you take your player furthest ahead and send him back to the bar
• roll 2-1 take any roll you want
• have to roll off exactly

It’s fun but I don’t like the roll off exactly part. It always boils down to who can roll ones and makes the rest of the game meaningless. We try a couple of other variations including Hit n Stay but she is a conservative player (always runs first chance) so she’s not fond of them. I win 4/7.

Wings are good, Christy and I are oddballs today as we don’t get any booze. That is a prime motivator for anything the gang does around here. Even the Walking Club starts off with beers at 8:30 am Sunday morning. Don’t get me wrong, we drink our share but probably half of the average.

The pool looks like a scene out of Cocoon with all the old folks from Mt. Hartman Bay. I can’t even find Christy in there until I see her in a Muskoka chair talking to Marj.

Wednesday is also Jazz night where Gary and the gang from The Cool Jazz Band play at Secret Harbour Marine. It’s nice and we go and socialize with the regulars.