There’s something special about the first time you sleep over on your boat. For me, it started with a late July morning that was already pushing 30 degrees before noon. I had a late start driving down, and before I could even think about fishing, I needed to add 80 litres of fuel. That meant a detour—20 minutes out of the way to buy native gas. Worth it though: truck filled, Jerry cans topped, and I was finally on my way.
Lake Erie in July feels more like Florida than Ontario. Sure, Port Dover has its palm trees, but the real giveaway is the heat. Even the dogs weren’t motivated. Still, pride of ownership comes first—fuelling, maintenance checks, electronics prepped, and a good wash-down. By noon, though, I had to escape the oven.
I took Our Time out for a spin, rods ready for some trolling. Big mistake. Shorts, t-shirt, and only the top of the Bimini up—it was too humid to last. After half an hour, I gave in, came back, and sipped lemonade in the shade. The dog days of summer had officially arrived.
Dinner was easy—brought from home, no cooking required. But the galley and berth were sweltering. I opened the ports, turned on the fans, and tried to get some air moving. Fellow boaters stopped by, and we swapped stories about fishing and, of course, the heat. By bedtime, I had one more ice water, closed up the cabin, and fired up the portable A/C. It dropped the temperature by a whole degree. Not much, but with the fan running and the boat perfectly still, I slept like a baby.
Morning came early. A quick shower to rinse off the night, and by 6 am. the guys arrived. No long drive in—just coffee and breakfast from Tim Horton’s, and we were off. The forecast promised flat water, but Erie had other plans. A summer breeze turned into a summer gale, with three-foot chop from one direction and wind from the east. The tiny ship was tossed. Life jackets on, we fished for four hours, landing a number of big walleyes before calling it.
Back at shore, the heat had broken and a storm was rolling in. We’d had a good sleep, a good catch, and a good reminder: sleeping aboard is convenient, but climate control is going on the checklist.