August 2019

In which we complete two cruises in company, returning to New England.

We started August anchored at Le Have River Yacht Club, Nova Scotia. The next stop of the OCC cruise was a small back-track to Lunenburg.  We picked up anchor at 09:50 on the 1^st and headed into the dock for a top-up of water then motored down the river. After an hour, the wind picked up to SW’ly 3 so we sailed for a while but it soon died so we had to motor again.  We were still in company with the RNSYS so the harbour was pretty crowded but, with six alongside and most of the others on moorings, we had little difficulty finding a good spot to anchor. Following a leisurely lunch, we dinghied ashore to have a little look around and greet a few people we hadn’t seen for a couple of days.  Once again, the temperature was in the mid 30s so we soon returned to Ruby to relax.

Lunenburg

To beat the heat, we went ashore earlier on Friday to walk through a different part of town then along a loop of old rail track through woods and past another sea inlet to arrive back near where we had started. A little light shopping and back to Ruby for the afternoon.  Another ‘Pot Luck’ was planned for that evening and, wishing to be seen to participate, we went a little over the top.  Elsie made an guacamole dip (a lot of work) and I made another rice mix (planned to be served cold this time, I managed to stop the rice cooking with cold water, so it wasn’t so pudding as the last effort) and baked a tray of flapjacks (which turned out a little sticky – more like oaty fudge). Not as relaxed as we should have been, we took our offerings ashore at the appointed time, together with a few beers.  We had taken over the municipal finger dock, which had fixed benches, tables and chairs and the organisers had organised a table each for starters, mains and sweets so we were able to smugly put a contribution on each.  It turned out to be a good social and, a week later than hoped, we actually managed to speak with a few of the squadron. 

On Saturday, the OCC and RNSYS fleets separated, with the squadron heading towards home and the OCC moving West.  It was a ‘free’ day as our next gathering was planned for Sunday.  Most of the OCC boats elected to just go back to the Le Have islands but, with a forecast of SW’ly (head) winds, we elected to go a little further.  After an hour of motoring to clear Lunenburg, we managed to hoist sail, initially on starboard tack, then on port, to pass inside West Ironbound Island.  A further tack, separating from S/V Grayce, who joined other at Cabbage Island, took us well offshore then back to the entrance to Port Medway as the wind built to F6.  A ‘spirited’ sail after a few weeks of gentle cruising, to blow away cobwebs.  Another short tack and we popped into Dogs Hole, a little bay outside Medway for a comfortable night.  A check on the bilges confirmed that they were dry and our fears of a month earlier were finally laid to rest.  Our hard sailing work was vindicated the following morning when we heard the ‘Cabbage Patch Kids’ motoring into wind after a dawn start.  We had a lazy breakfast, headed out and sailed the rest of the way to Port Mouton.  We were the last to arrive but we had another great sail, beating into a SSw’ly F3-4 with full main, Genoa and inner jib. This evening’s social was canapes and drinks aboard Twin Cove, a 60 ft Motor Yacht owned by George and Frances, recently gone over to ‘The Dark Side’. A beautiful, comfortable boat but not one we could ever afford to buy or fuel (average consumption at ‘economical cruise’, 1 MPG).  Elsie made us some mini pizzas on tortilla bases; others had taken huge amounts so, after a couple of hours of socialising, we returned home too full for a proper meal so continued snacking until bed time. 

On the 5^th, we headed to the final stop for the cruise in Canada, back at Shelburne.  We managed a couple of hours sailing but it was mostly a motor.  As we arrived at the entrance, we met the ‘Salty Dawg’ Rally coming the other way so there was a long stream of yachts heading for the Club.  The new-comers had to go alongside to check in, so we got our previous anchor berth back and let them squabble over moorings and other anchoring space.  We all repaired to the ‘Sea Dog’ pub that evening for a great meal and chat, re-meeting Babs and Paul from Lyra, not seen since Christmas day in Antigua, who were with the Salty Dawgs.  Tuesday was spent with Laundry and shopping.  In the evening the sailing club held a barbeque so another social evening.  We had long chats with Alan and Jan, now local residents but English sailors who had ‘swallowed the anchor’ here.  We listened carefully to how they had managed to get residency here, and tried not to ooze too much envy. 

On  Wednesday 7^th, we got up early, 06:00, with the promise of a sailing wind back along the coast.  The promise was not fulfilled and, with a brief sail, it was a day of motoring in fog along the coast down to Cape Sable Island.  The rest of the OCC fleet continued on towards Maine, still motoring, but we elected to go into the entrance to Clarkes Harbour and anchor clear of the fairway, still in the fog.  This lifted a few times, briefly, to reveal the town, Brigadoon like.  The fog was a very thin layer so we were sun-warmed on deck but the cold water chilled the cabin down.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed a quiet evening after all our unaccustomed socialising over the last couple of weeks. 

Crossing the Bay of Fundy is one of those steps, like crossing Biscay or passing Cape Hatteras that, for good reasons, holds fears for sailors.  It is only about 120 miles wide at the mouth but there are strong currents and the prevailing win d blows right into it so that uncomfortable seas can build. The rest of the fleet had gone over in light winds, and we knew that they had had to motor most of the way. We elected to wait, to catch a following wind.  To get best advantage of the tides, one leaves Cape Sable at low water, which was at 10:00 on the 8^th. As we got reports that ‘the fleet had had to slow down to make a daylight arrival, we delayed a couple of hours and left at midday. The fog had lifted, the winds was, as predicted, ESE 5, so we put 3 reefs in the main, rigging a good preventer, set ¾ genoa and headed west.  The wind was forecast to ease and veer so the plan was to make a gentle curve, starting west and finishing NW. All was good for the first hour, then the fog returned.  As Elsie put the radar on, she saw rain approaching and had a fairly miserable watch.  With the poor visibility, she had to spend most of it watching the plotter for AIS and radar target, so could take no shelter from the continuous heave rain. She did make good progress and by the time I came on watch at 17:00 the rain had stopped and the wind had started to decrease and veer as forecast.  I shook one reef out at 18:00 and another at 22:00 and kept the wind 30 degrees behind the beam.  Unfortunately, the fog continued.  It lifted at times during Elsie’s night watch and again on my morning watch but then thickened as we approached the Main coast.  20 miles offshore, we encountered the first fishing buoys.  This far out, they were large and spaced several hundred yards apart but it was a full time occupation dodging them.  The boats were out, too.  They would haul up and re-set the pots at one location and then charge off at 15 – 20 knots towards the next.  Most did not transmit AIS, so I had to stay glued to the radar to know which wat they were heading.  We do have an automatic radar plotter but, without gyro stabilisation, it is far less accurate than AIS so it took a minute or so to be sure when a target had stopped or which way it had started to move.  I was sounding our fog signal but all I heard in return was the occasional roar of engines.  I never saw another boat, even though some of them passed less than ¼ mile away. At 08:00, the wind suddenly dropped, so I put away the genoa, sheeted the main tight and motored.  The fog persisted until we were within a couple of miles from our destination, Bar Harbor, then lifted to show wooded shores and islands.  And many, many, pot buoys. 

We had chosen Bar Harbor as our destination as it is an official port of entry. We weren’t sure how it would work as there did not appear to be a local CBP office but, after a lot of searching, we found a spot amongst the lobster pots to drop the anchor and phoned in.  The officer I spoke to said that he could take my details if I insisted, but then might have to wait for hours for a field officer to visit.  I should, instead, use the ROAM ap.  Previously, I had thought that this was only useable by U.S. citizens but I installed it and, after half an hour of button pushing and a wait while the details were checked, we were cleared in.  The spot we had chosen wasn’t suitable for an overnight stay so we picked up and headed a couple of miles north to Hulls Cove. Here we found a float-free spot and spent a comfortable afternoon and night. A disappointment was finding that our propane tank, only refilled in Halifax, was empty so I had to change over top the emergency campingaz bottle.  Our stores, especially beer, being depleted, we needed a good provisioning run so on Saturday we headed back to Bar Harbor, re-anchored and dinghied ashore.  We spent an hour wandering around this very touristy town then had a good shop and took an Uber back to the pier. Then it was weigh anchor and head out again.  I expected to have to motor and just dumped the dinghy on the foredeck without lashing it down.  The wind did pick up, however and we elected to have a little sail.  We headed south on the starboard tack for a few miles but then needed to come about.  Elsie was still stowing stores so I tacked by myself.  I managed to get to the foredeck to grab hold of the dinghy as the genoa sheet got underneath and started to lift it but the wind caught it and overboard it went landing upside down and shedding the oars.  I managed to hold onto the painter and made it fast to a cleat.  Elsie was on deck quickly and we stowed the sails.  It was then a ten minute operation to recover the oars, which were lying vertical and just bobbing the handles a few inches above the water.  Dinghy back on board and properly lashed down, we sailed a few more miles then motored into Cranberry Harbor locating, after a search, an area big enough to anchor in overnight.  

Sunday was the official end of our Nova Scotia cruise, with a reunion on Mount Desert Island at the home of Susi, the local OCC Port Officer.  We motored the few miles across in the morning and took our offerings for the inevitable ‘pot luck’ ashore in the afternoon.  We were joined by many locals in addition to our fleet members.  It was all superbly organised, especially the dismantling of the gazebos, etc, at the conclusion.  I, correctly, deduced that Susi had been a primary teacher from the way she calmly organised random inebriated sailors in the task. On Monday morning, she kindly lent me her car to get the propane tank refilled.  It only took half the usual amount so I was confused as to why the gas had not been flowing.  We then went ashore and caught the free bus back to Bar Harbor for a better look round and a little country ‘hiking trail’.  We had not bargained on there being 2 cruise ships in and the joint was heaving. 

On top of a Maine mountain.

Having armed ourselves with maps and passes, we decided to do a serious hike on Tuesday.  Using Susi’s dock again we walked to the trail head again, only to discover that the route we planned to take was closed for maintenance, so it was up and over a hill.  I was wearing walking boots but Elsie was in her beloved Crocks.  Not suitable footwear for this trail, so it was slow going up and slower going down.  At the next hill, Elsie took the level route while I climbed over.  It was then a gentle climb on the third side of the original hill and a scramble down to our starting point.  On Wednesday, we lifted the anchor at 08:00 and had a gentle sail, into wind, to Isle Au Haute, anchoring at the northern end. 

Isle Au Haut.

We dinghied ashore the following morning and had a level 6 mile walk along trails and unmade roads.  Up anchor on return and then a 9 mile motor to Kent Cove on North Haven Island where we spent a peaceful night.  Friday was again  calm, so we just motored a few miles west through ‘The Thoroughfare’ past North Haven, to anchor in Southern Harbour, where we found just one other British boat, Zwailer.  We dinghied ashore to Thayer’s Y-Knot Boatyard and walked the mile back to North Haven in the hope of finding some milk and internet and some internet.  We were out of luck with the former but did manage to find some WIFI at the public library.

OCC gathering in Camden.

On Saturday, 17^th, it was time to head to Camden for pour next social event, an OCC rally, followed by a ‘Mini-Cruise’.  We were hopeful of finding somewhere to anchor in the outer harbour but all available space was taken up with moorings.  The inner harbour is filled with ‘floats’, 30 ft pontoons for boats to moor on either side.  Most are operated either by the Yacht Club or a commercial operator and we had already checked with them, with no luck as there we re 30 other OCC boats already booked in.  Fortunately, the harbour master had one vacant slot for us.  Ashore, to pay for this and to walk a mile up the hill to a supermarket to provision for the week ahead.  We took another walk around the town that afternoon.  Very touristy, but upmarket with some nice arts and crafts on display.  We also found a pair of walking sandals for Elsie: her last pair had disintegrated and her Crocks were really not suitable when we went hiking in the hills. 

Seal Bay.

Sunday was the OCC rally, with some 130 members turning up to meet, greet and see some slides of the South Pacific.  There was then lunch: pot luck appetisers followed by catered lobster rolls. Elsie wore her new sandals.  She also wore them to walk back to the supermarket later and wore holes in both of her heels. On Monday, we set off on the cruise, heading back East through the thoroughfare to Seal Bay in Vinalhaven Island.  There was thick fog most of the way and we considered dropping back into Southern Harbour to wait for it to lift but, just as we arrived there, the visibility improved to ¼ mile, so we continued. There were 2 other boats there, probably hoping for a quiet evening, only to find themselves joined by the 32 OCC boats.  That evening we all took our dinghies over to a catamaran, Gemeaux, for inevitable ‘pot luck’ appetisers and drinks.  On Tuesday, more motoring: first to Hurricane Island where we took a mooring buoy and went ashore to see their sustainability projects.  These would be pretty unremarkable in Europe but seem pioneering in the ‘States.  We also had a little presentation on farming scallops, which was interesting.  Then another 10 miles on to another anchorage where we anchored amongst the lobster pot buoys and dinghied to a beach for, you guessed it, pot luck appetisers.  Landing was easy, with no surf but, by the time we left, the tide had dropped a couple of metres so it was a long carry for those with heavy dinghies or big motors. 

Sunset at Dix Island.

On Wednesday, it was a 15 mile motor to Maple Juice Cove, stopping at a convenient lobster boat to buy a couple of his catch to have for supper.  We arrived with the rain and settled in for a quiet afternoon.  There were 2 activities planned for Thursday: firstly, a visit to The Olson House.  This was where Andrew Wyeth spent 30+ summers painting, including most of his best known works such as Christina’s World and Wind from the sea.  Thick fog in the bay made navigation interesting on the way there but, fortunately, I had my phone with electronic charts on it.  Once there, it was nice to be able to use Wyeth’s viewpoints from the house, with handy prints available for reference.  In the afternoon, ashore again for the final ‘pot luck’ of the season and a farewell to the friends we have made over the last few weeks.  As Elsie mentioned, when we started on the Nova Scotia rally, this has been an experiment to see how we would cope with the enforced socialising and has worked better than either of us had expected; we enjoy solitude and quiet but have managed to get (almost) enough of this while enjoying the company of others.  What has not worked so well is having to be in certain places at certain times.  This just doesn’t go with sailing and we have burned a lot of diesel over the last month.

The Olsen house.

 View from Christina's bedroom.

The weather looked good to head south, with several days of wind from the north west starting on the following Sunday so we took advantage of a morning weather window on Friday to sail down to Boothbay harbor.  We found a good spot to anchor and went ashore for a recce and provisioning.  On Saturday, ashore again for laundry and later for a walk round a very pleasant town.  One of the local tours is a boat ride to talk about lobster fishing and demonstrate lifting a trap.  We decided that we didn’t need this so returned to Ruby only to find, an hour later, the tour boat next to us lifting a float 20 feet off our stern and telling us all about it.  A check on the weather showed all change: a storm was heading up offshore changing the winds from Monday onwards so, instead of heading down to the Cape Cod Canal in 4 easy days, the plan was changed to a 24 hour voyage.  The wind was forecast to be 15 – 20 knots behind the beam so it looked like being a fast passage.  And so it proved; we lifted anchor at 09:00 and headed south with one reef in the main broad reaching with 15 knots of wind from the NE.  As forecast, this increased to 20+ knots so we put in the 2nd reef for Elsie's watch.  Even so, we were making over 7 knots and, for a while, it looked as though we would be arriving before dawn.  Again, the forecast proved correct and the wind dropped back to 15 knots.  We entered the canal at 07:00 on the 26th, just as the current changed in our favour and exited an hour later, making a turn to starboard to anchor at Onset.  Neither of us had slept well on passage, so we had a lazy day.  On  Wednesday we dinghied ashore, tying up at the yacht club.  We took a shuttle bus back to the canal and walked about 8 miles along and back, before catching the bus back and doing a little shopping at the local store.  I also bought some muriatic (hydrochloric) acid, to try cleaning the head plumbing before it became clogged.  Much foaming and release of gas but looking at the pipes afterwards showed less than complete success.  Maybe go for the full gallon rather than a quart, as used this time.

Cape Cod canal.

We wanted to spend more time in this area, exploring places that we missed 2 years ago so, on Thursday, we picked up and headed south towards Woods Hole.  Our planned timing was to take advantage of the current from the canal, have a lunchtime stop, then go through the Woods Hole passage after the change of tide.  We encountered one rain shower en-route but got to Hadley Harbour in the dry at 13:30.  This is a delightful little lagoon surrounded by private property but provided with free mooring balls.  We managed to get the last available one and, as the rain looked set to re-start, decided to stay.  Friday was again forecast wet so we just sat it out.  On Saturday we had an early start, lifting anchor at 06:30 and had favourable currents through Woods Hole and all the way east to Nantucket.  As it was the Labor Day weekend, we expected the harbour to be full and anchored just outside, but well protected by breakwaters.  We were inside the ‘no wake’ buoys but it was still a bit rolly at times with ferries etc.  having made good time, we had an early lunch and motored the mile to the town dock.  We guessed the town centre was to the left and set off towards the one site I had identified, a supermarket.  Wrong guess – we walked through a lot of suburbs, did a bit of shopping, overshot on return and within 200 yards found tourist centre, bus station and all the information that we needed.  Ashore on Sunday, we bought day bus passes and headed out for a six mile walk round a nature reserve which is being managed with different habitats to encourage the return of native species of flora and fauna.  We took advantage of the passes to travel round the rest of the island with stops at western and eastern ends.  It is interesting how the interior of the island is totally different from its neighbour, Martha’s Vineyard.  That has been shaped into an English rural idyll, while Nantucket is much more natural, albeit with a generous supply of golf courses.

Monthly stats:
Over ground     604
Log                   652

Second half of July: OCC / RNSYS Rally - by Elsie

We arrived in Shelburne, Nova Scotia on 12th July after a fantastic passage from Provincetown. The rain hit us as we turned into the bay and it was cold enough for four layers.  After the lovely customs and immigration people paid us a visit and stamped us into the country, we both collapsed and slept. A good tip, stick the cruising number customs gives you in a window so that if you are not there or asleep they can still check up on you and don’t need to revisit.

Shelburne Yacht Club (temporary clubhouse)

The next morning, we awoke to wall to wall sunshine. The yacht club kindly let cruisers use their dingy dock and showers even when they are anchored. Sadly, the club house had a fire on the 19^th May and they were housed in a portacabin with tables and chairs under a huge Bimini to shade from the sun and make sure you don’t get wet in the rain. They thoughtfully provide garbage disposal as well. Friendly folk who stopped to ask if you wanted a lift to the Mall were politely told no thank you as we needed to stretch our legs. The laundry was only up the road and there was a change machine, hurrah, and the Farmers Market was on the go down on the shore, it being a Saturday. Not many vegetables left when we got there but lots of home baking, loaves of bread and cake. We passed many establishments with menus and one of the items that caught my eye was haddock in beer batter and chips, yum. I haven’t had a decent fish supper for about a year so I persuaded the skipper that he didn’t want to cook a meal on the boat and we should go out for our supper. To be honest it didn’t take much persuading.

 Looking at the weather, before we left Ruby, for the next week, there were three days of wind that we could move north with. We are joining a cruise in company in Halifax by Thursday 25^th run jointly by OCC/ Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. We have never been on a rally before and didn’t know how we would like it. It was an experiment. One of our objections in the past has been that no matter what the weather is if the rally says go you must go. We would try this two week cruise in company. As we want to make good progress north, we decided we would only stop in Shelburne for a couple of days and sail north on Monday. Therefore, the priorities were food shopping, laundry and water.  We took a stroll up King Street to the supermarket which was surprisingly cheap with lots of fresh fish and a good bakery department, so we bought what we needed in the next 24 hours then returned to the boat for the laundry. While we waited for the washing machine to do its stuff, we picked one of the many pubs and had a leisurely meal of fish and chips and sampled the local beer and cider. My cider, No boats on a Sunday, was delicious, but expensive. One for a wee treat every now and again. Lionel seemed to like his beer as well. The food was good. Haddock is such a treat for this Scots girl. My only criticism would be the batter was a little doughy, the oil must have not been hot enough. We checked with the bar maid about tipping in Canada, as we did not want to seem stingy. 10 to 15% seems to be in order, a bit like USA.

The afternoon was spent drying laundry, finding out about Shelburne, sleeping and reading. Shelburne was settled by the French in the late 17^th century but after several reincarnations it became a viable town when Loyalists, escaping from America during the War of Independence, came in huge numbers. The name was changed from Port Roseway to Shelburne to honour the then prime minister of the United Kingdom. Ship building and fishing have been the main industries in the town which have a number of museums dedicated to those subjects. There seemed to be lots to do and see and it is a very friendly town so after looking at the weather again we decided to stay till Wednesday and recharge our batteries.

The next few days were wall to wall sunshine so we didn’t visit any of the museums, instead we took advantage of the rail track that the district had made into a walking trail and did some exercise. The countryside is very like the north of Scotland, shady lanes, pine forests and marsh land. The first part of the trail was a three mile walk through the town itself. Very nice but as we progressed out into the country it got wilder with lots of marshland on either side of the track. Marshland means bugs and we both got eaten. I would highly recommend carrying good bug spray with you if you ever go walking in Nova Scotia and wear a hat. One spray in the morning is definitely not enough. At one point we had to wade through a flood, I did ask if there were any snakes in these parts! As we walked back to the town along quiet lanes, I remarked on the similarities to Rhu Na Haven Road in Aboyne but on a much bigger scale. The houses were built in clearings on huge plots surrounded by trees. Sometimes there was just a glimpse of a chimney from the road. All of them were either built of wood or some sort of tongue in groove plastic. They must be very well insulated as it goes down to -15C here in winter. There were a lot of the plots undeveloped and we speculated on the price. After checking out some estate agents’ windows we found that a plot of a few acres was affordable but it’s too cold in the winter to settle here.

Lionel contacted the OCC Port Officers as a courtesy and it happened their boat was in the marina being readied for their cruise to Barbados in the Autumn. We went over to meet them and swapped stories about mutual places we had been and people we both knew. The club has an active social wing as well as sailing and we invited them to join us on Tuesday evening, our last night here, for a drink but it was their wedding Anniversary and they were going out for a romantic meal.  There was easy access to the fuel dock so instead of carrying water back and forward in jugs we took Ruby over and filled up the tanks. Lionel was rather disappointed to find the diesel and petrol was cheaper here than in USA. We had specifically filled up before we left Marion because he thought Canada was more expensive for fuel and finding fuel docks in remote areas is always problematic. And then we realised that we were buying litres, not gallons.  Another bonus, the water was free and drinkable. The anchorage and moorings were quickly filling up and we spotted another OOC pendant in the bay so the next morning we dinghied over to say hello. It turned out that Ann and Frank on Scot Free crossed over the Atlantic the same year as us and have spent the last three years doing more or less the same, Caribbean in the winter and USA in the summer. We were on our way for yet another walk so we asked them if they would like to meet that evening for a drink and natter, which we did and a good time was had by all. The Commodore  of the club came from Dundee and she joined us and told us the story of how she and her husband ended up living in Shelburne. We knew we would be up early the next morning so we excused ourselves before the pub quiz started and retired to bed.

On Wednesday 17^th July we regretfully left Shelburne with a light south westerly wind forecast. We had identified a few possible anchorages on our way just in case we got bored with the light winds but our preferred destination was Port Medway on the River Medway, about 60 miles away. We left around 8am giving ourselves plenty of time. The wind can be fickle in these river bays as it is in the sea lochs on the west of Scotland so one minute, we were sailing along nicely with the sails full the next the sails were flogging around looking for a breeze. The decision was made to motor sail to the mouth of the river then try to goose wing north east. We are now quite slick in setting up the preventor and pole to goose wing. For you landlubbers, goose wing means putting the main sail and jib out on different sides of the boat when the wind is directly behind the boat. The wind should be slightly more in favour of the main sail, sailing by the wind, so the main is in less danger of an accidental gybe. A good preventor is a necessity when doing this as it is (supposed) to stop the wind getting on the wrong side of the main and causing it to fly over to the other side (accidental gybe) which may damage or even break the boom and rigging. There are many theories about how is the best way to rig up a preventor and really it is personal preference and wind strength that dictates which way a sailor will use. In fickle winds we always try to get the best leverage which means stringing the preventor from the end of the boom to the most forward cleat and back to the back cleat in the cockpit so it is easily tightened or slackened. With the sails set and one reef in the main we made good speed with the wind building as the day progressed Early afternoon we put in another reef after we hit a maximum speed of 10.7 knots. We had been hampered with fog most of the day, not dense fog, but it was good to see the land as it lifted late afternoon and we had an easy passage into the River Medway and up to the town. In seeing a lone yacht moored in a bay just before the village, Lionel decide to anchor there for the night as it gave more shelter from the expected wind than the suggested anchorage around the corner opposite the town. We arrived at 5:30 pm just in time for a rest before cocktail hour and dinner. It took us just over 9 hours and our average speed was 6.9 knots.

We awoke the next morning to the sun splitting the sky. It was going to be hot and we needed some exercise so we prepared well with bug spray and hats and lots and lots of water. There was no obvious place to land a dingy at the harbour but after some discussion with two old sailors they thought it would be best if we tucked ourselves in a corner which was barred off by a hanging loose rope. The ladders were long and steep but I managed. Lionel did cheer me up by mentioning the climb back down would be even longer as the tide would be out by the time we got back. We had decided to walk out to the lighthouse in the river, about a six mile walk there and back. The town is a sleepy little place with houses strung along the main streets with large gardens, some tended, some left to nature. The French originally named the place Port Motare and it was a thriving shipping community, shipping salted and dried fish to the US, Caribbean and South America and lumber all over the world. Alas, it now has some very small fishing boats and relies on tourists as its main occupation. There is maybe a couple of hundred people who live in the community. As a local pointed out, you can’t come to Port Medway on the way to somewhere. The road ends here.

The walk to the Medway Head Lighthouse was a hot one but once there we were rewarded with views out to the Atlantic and the buoys at the entrance to the river booming out their fog horn warnings on a spectacularly clear day. The horn is wave activated and must boom 24 hours a day, seven days a week as the swell is constant. There were no tours of the lighthouse that day. The tours are Saturday to Monday and Wednesday 11am to 3pm. As we had come that far we decided to walk to Long Cove another half mile or so to get the full tour.  This was a little harbour with maybe half a dozen houses round it, some were just ruins but others looked lived in. The path stopped here abruptly. Time to turn back.

As we approached the junction of the roads which was all intent in purpose the centre of the village, a lady shouted us over to the Baptist Church and congratulated us on our epic walk. She had been doing her house work as we had walked out the road earlier, and now, she was the custodian of the church. The church had been closed a few years ago, there had been only three parishioners and it was not viable to employ a preacher so she opened the church for a few hours every day during the summer months, sold second hand books and told tourists the story of the church and the village. The money she made paid for the building insurance. The love of her church shined out her eyes as she eagerly told us her stories. She asked earnestly if either of us played the piano, we could play this one if we wanted. Regrettably we said no. Sighing, she wished us well and suggested we deserved an ice cream from the local café next door after our long sticky walk which we thought was a great idea as well. It was delicious and very good value for money. An old man came in for his lunchtime coffee and plonked himself down at our table. He introduced himself and we got a potted version of his life story and the story of the village. He had worked in the merchant navy for most of his life and liked to tell a tale. He mentioned the history weekend which started the next day and the fact that the café became a pub on the Friday night with live music supplied by a local band. The waitress told us if we wanted a meal, we would be better to come in early as it got very busy. Early to us is around 7 but she said no, be here for 5:30 if you want a seat. They did not take any reservations, it was first come first served. She wasn’t kidding.

 We bought a few supplies and then returned to Ruby for a well deserved rest. It sounded fun so we decided to stay for another day, having a lazy forenoon and turning up about 3pm to have a look round the history exhibition and eat some free food put on by the committee. It was interesting to see the different eras of Port Medway. It had been a busy little place in the past with a population over 5000. The main industries were well documented but Port Medway also had a part in the gold rush, it being a very small short part. The gold was hard to get to and too much time and effort was needed. Ah well. There were also many school and church pictures and some of families picnicking on the shore. Many locals were oohing and aaing at them, reminiscing about bygone days and family members no longer alive.  We had a short walk around the rest of the community then went for our pub meal and entertainment at the Grocer. The place was packed and we got the last table. There was a birthday party going on which seemed to have taken even the staff by surprise. We didn’t mind waiting as it was far too early to eat, in our opinion, so we amused ourselves by watching the band tune up and play a few familiar (and some not so familiar) tunes. Our meal eventually appeared. We didn’t mind the wait and tried to put the staff at ease as they seemed to be very harassed. The food was good. The music was OK. The dancers were hilarious. In the break, the owner of the restaurant came out and gave a speech thanking people and telling the audience to enjoy themselves. “We’re going to part all night long, the band stops playing at 10pm” This had us in stitches, our kind of party. No late nights here!

On Saturday 20^th July we upped anchor and headed out. The wind was forecast to be light and variable. We didn’t know how far we were going to go, so we identified a few anchorages along the way just in case we got fed up motoring. However, the wind was kind although it was from straight behind again so with one reef in the main and the cruising chute deployed, we goose winged up the coast. It got no stronger than Force 3 or 4 so it was safe to leave the cruising chute up. We don’t like using the chute in winds over maybe 15 knots as experience tells us that the safety line, a small piece of string that is statically placed at the foot of the chute, breaks. For a few years we had this at the top and when the wind got too strong the sail was dumped into the water. Lionel had to then rescue it and we had to somehow rinse it in fresh water and dry it off. Not an easy job. Now the safety line is at the foot which means it just flies and doesn’t get wet although it is far easier for it to get ripped on all the stuff attached to the mast. We had a good sail and turned into Sambro Bay at 4pm. There we took the chute down and motored towards a nice anchorage opposite the fishing pier at the town. I’m calling it a town, a few large houses. This could be a suburb of Halifax as the city is just round the next point and maybe 15 miles away by road. We had our small anchorage to ourselves and it was very comfortable with the prevailing south westerly wind. Another yacht was anchored the other side of the small island we were beside and we noticed that two boats were anchored just off the passage between the mainland and some very large rocks, This would be OK if you managed to get the prime spot but the swell would have made the night quite uncomfortable for the other boat.

The next morning, as we were having breakfast, a commotion broke out at the fishing pier. One large boat seemed to have taken a smaller boats space and they were not happy. Horns were blown and lots of shouting but eventually the big boat moved over to let the other boat in so they could unload that nights catch. Having made excellent time yesterday, we had a late start, 10am, and motored towards Halifax. We were not due to be at the Yacht Club till Thursday so Lionel had identified an anchorage on McNab’s Island. There was very thick fog, so I set the fog horn and we motored slowly round the point and towards Halifax, trying to make out buoys as we went along. It helps that Lionel understands the radar because of his work on “big” ships many years ago and he watched the screen closely. At one point another boat went down our port side but we never even got a glimpse of it.

Approaching Halifax

 As we passed Duncan Cove, the fog lifted and yes, there was a city there.

First glimpse of Halifax

 We were in the correct spot. At midday we hoisted the sail with two reefs and sailed along the west shore. The wind was very fickle and there was the added problem of staying outside the separation zone, a motorway for large boats going in and out of Halifax, so we dropped the sail and motored into a beautiful anchorage in Ives Cove. The whole island is a designated park with the usual rules and regulations but there seemed to be a little landing jetty which meant we could take the dingy over and go for a walk if we wanted to.

McNabs island

However, us being lazy, and it being a Sunday we opted for books and sleep. We had found out on Active Captain that it was possible to take the boat into the city and tie up during the day for free. There was about four or five floating pontoons where you could do this, one very close to a large supermarket. We needed stores and provisions so we made this our plan for the next day. Lionel phoned the published number to register and we were given a number which we had to display while we were on the dock. Sounds easy. We were also told that we could tie up anywhere on the pontoons as long as there was not a reserved sign. These spaces were for boats who were staying the night and paying for that privilege so they got priority. Sounds fair to me. After dinner we watched the black clouds gathering. We were in for a bit of a wet blow. It only lasted ten minutes but the thunder and lightning were spectacular and the rain did fall. Thank goodness we were anchored with 40 metres of chain out because we swung about like a cat on speed.

The next morning, we had breakfast then lifted the anchor early. We thought the earlier we went, the more spaces there would be. Our preferred pontoon was Bishop’s Landing, right in the heart of downtown Halifax. We found a vacant spot and quickly secured Ruby. There was one other yacht on the 30 minute waiting dock but the rest were empty. The pontoons are run by Develop Nova Scotia Waterfronts and their office is beside the tourist information centre. There is no need to book in unless you are staying the night. There is water and electric on the pontoons. The water is free, use your own hose, and it is potable. We did speak to one of the employees. The 30 minute dock is no longer time constrained – use it like the rest. The water has to be turned on by taps which are hidden in the old pylons, the taps on the consoles are not connected and there are lots and lots of spaces further down the water front which are a bit more private but are further away from the shops and attractions.

Ships stores were at their lowest for a long time so we decided to walk to the supermarket and see what we could see. The supermarket was only a very short ten minute walk from Bishops Landing and it was very well stocked with lots of bargains – coffee, tins of mushrooms, maple syrup, honey, cranberry juice, - everything someone needs to make the cruising life bearable! Having bought as much as we could carry, we returned to Ruby. Lionel’s first career was in the merchant navy and he spent some time in Nova Scotia working on an oil support vessel. One of his favourite pubs in Halifax was called The Split Crow which I had found out was still there. We decided to have a bit of a nostalgic lunch and walked there along streets that had definitely changed since he was last here 40 years ago. However, the pub hadn’t, although he was not greeted with “your usual is it?” The lunch was good and we wiled away a few hours listening to stories of Lionel’s misspent youth!

There was a guided walk done by students starting at 3pm so we hurried up to the Citadel, a very long climb, and joined Katie for an informative walk round downtown Halifax. Katie was a music student at one of the many universities in Halifax and had lived just across the water in Dartmouth all her life. Her chosen instrument of torture was French horn which impressed us as it is a very difficult instrument to play. The tour took over two hours and ended at the water front next to the pontoon Ruby was on. As well as interesting historical facts, Katie littered her commentary with personal anecdotes and quirky stories making it very entertaining.

Halifax claims to be the second largest natural port in the world, the biggest being Sydney. They have a few places who would like to argue that point though. The city was named after the 2^nd Earl of Halifax and it became the colonial capital in 1749. Major employers are Department of Defence, seven Universities, Halifax shipyard, various levels of Government, Port of Halifax and fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction. Because of the large natural harbour, it has always had a military link and this is where the Atlantic convoys gathered before they crossed the Atlantic in the war. They also lay claim of the biggest artificial explosion (apart from the nuclear bomb) in the history of man. In December 1917 a French cargo ship, SS Monte-Blanc, and a Belgian relief ship, SS Imo, collided in dense fog in The Narrows. The French ship was carrying munitions and it caught fire. When the fire reached the hold there was an almighty explosion which killed 2000 people outright and 9000 were injured. The Richmond District was flattened. To make it worse, during that night a blizzard started and people froze to death as they had no shelter. The people of Nova Scotia and Boston rallied round. Some of the stories told are heart breaking. A film crew had interviewed survivors in the 1990s and they have tapes of their stories which people can hear in the Maritime Museum. I am glad that someone had the foresight to do these interviews so that the eye witness accounts will never be lost.

On Monday evening we returned to the McNab’s Island anchorage for our very light dinner and a very peaceful night. Tuesday followed the same pattern – in the morning we tied up to the pontoon at Bishops Landing, did some shopping in the morning, some sightseeing in the afternoon and returned to the anchorage at night. The OCC Port Officer, John, kindly gave Lionel a lift to fill our propane bottle. His help was much appreciated as it was some distance. There were a lot of spaces reserved on the pontoons but we managed to squeeze into a space on a 90 foot pontoon. There was a 35 foot boat due late afternoon but Lionel measured the space we had left and there was plenty of room for them to tie up and some more space left so we were surprised to get an email in the afternoon asking us to move as there was not enough room for the boat. Lionel replied that we had left enough and we settled down to watch a film at the Maritime Museum. When we returned to Ruby, we saw the problem. Yes, the boat was 35 foot but their dingy was up on davits at the stern, adding on another few feet. However, they managed to get in and be quite comfortable.

On Wednesday we hurried alongside to do some shopping then went around to the The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron where we took a mooring. We were going to a “posh” dinner here on Thursday evening to mark the beginning of our cruise in company. I thought clean clothes would be a good idea as there would be a lot of socialising in the next few weeks. I also discovered that my “dress” sandals were no longer wearable. They were covered in mould which would not wipe off and the metal buckle had gone rusty so some shoe shopping would have to be done. We had a look round the club and spoke to John again. Very nice place but the emphasis is on racing more than cruising as we found out that evening. 35 boats went out for Wednesday night racing evening and yes, 35 boats came back in.

Race Night

 I did the laundry on Thursday morning and we caught the bus at the main gate of the club into the shopping mall, a journey of about 20 minutes. It was exact change only and they did not have card facilities but the bus driver let us ride for free. I eventually found a pair of acceptable sandals and we arrived back at the club in time for a rest then off we went to the dinner.  We had met six other sailors who were on the cruise on our return bus journey. They seemed nice chatty people and we exchanged news about where we were going and where we had been. Little did we know that this small group were the nucleus of another 4 boats which was going to make our remaining time in Nova Scotia a remarkable trip. The dinner was good, we got more information about the cruise and met most of the people who we would be cruising with. There was no grand departure planned. It was go at your own pace so we decided to go back to our little anchorage beside McNab’s Island on Friday morning and relax before the social whirlwind of the next few weeks happened. Two cruise liners were in the harbour, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.

This was unusual so the harbour authorities asked them to do a parade around the harbour bay before they left for their separate next ports. It was spectacular to see the two Queens together and of course Theodore Too had to show them the way. Theodore is a tug boat in a children’s TV program. Think of Thomas the Tank Engine but on water. The fire boat was out there as well, spraying everyone who came too near. Spectacular.

On Saturday we lifted anchor at 0910 and motored out of Halifax Harbour and towards Rogue’s Roost, our first night’s destination of the cruise in company. We knew Halifax was our turning point this year but people kept on telling us that the further North you sail the more scenic it gets so we might be back. It would not have been a day that we would have chosen to sail 25 miles but this was what we were going to have to learn to do in the next few weeks – go with the fleet. The wind never got over a southerly 2 but we did sail for part of it and arrived in Rogues Roost ahead of the main fleet. It was a small anchorage for so many boats so we decided to put out an anchor marker and put out fenders on both sides, yes it was tight. However, almost everyone got in and those who did not anchored in the next even smaller bay. It was a picturesque spot with no houses but also no place to land. Our intrepid leader Dick came alongside to introduce himself, followed by a few others, all experienced long distance sailors who had a lot of knowledge about this part of the world to share. We decided to have a quiet night and were in our beds by 10pm. I think some of the parties went on a lot longer.

The next morning, we awoke to thick fog which made the anchorage look rather eerie.

 Some of the boats had been invited to a pot luck supper on Young Island. Peter and Terry, OCC port officers welcomed us to their beautiful log cabin house.

Our host

That makes it sound basic and primitive, it was not. It was everything I would love in a house, open plan living area with kitchen and dining incorporated in it, a mezzanine den and bathroom and bedrooms tucked into the space left. They had sailed a 40 foot boat and yes you have guessed the house was 40 foot long but I am guessing far more luxuries than their boat. There were 2 moorings out in the cove which they allowed us to use but we opted to anchor in the cove behind the island. It was a beautiful peaceful place.

What a setting!

The company was great fun and the food was good. Stories were told and I think firm friendships were made that day. Great group of people which we are looking forward to getting to know better.

On Monday morning we left rather reluctantly and managed a good sail in a south westerly 3 to La Have Yacht Club. I know I am using “spectacular” and “wonderful” too many times but this place was both and some more. We have always said we are floating about the world looking for our forever home and I think we have just found one of our top three. There are all types of properties along the river and on the numerous islands. We were only sorry we would not have the time to explore the area fully as we were on a time schedule with the cruise. We anchored off the La Have Yacht Club and ashore we received a rousing welcome from the members and volunteers. As we had bought a load of fresh food, we opted for a starter between us but the meals served looked appetizing, the drinks were cold and the company was chatty. We eventually dragged ourselves away at about 8 and returned to Ruby for our evening meal and sleep.

It had been arranged the next morning that there was going to be a collective trip to the bakery which was just down the river. Instead of everyone taking their dinghies or walking the three miles, Grayce (with a Y) had volunteered to pick people up, motor down to the pontoon at the bakery and bring everyone back. I decided not to go as I had a lot of tidying up to do and with Lionel out of the way the job would be so much easier. After the 8am roll call, it was decided that Jim and Joanne would start their taxi run at 9am. They skilfully swung round Five and Dime and picked up the waiting hungry sailors and away they went.

 What we did not realise was that everyone was going for breakfast and the bakery was only a small part of the shopping complex. At around midday they returned with all sorts of crafty things, glass rings, enamel earrings and of course yummy pastries and fattening cakes. A good time was had by all. We had a very lazy afternoon and last nights drinks and snacks were repeated at the Yacht Club. Good conversation, a few laughs, lots of eating and drinking and meeting and greeting new friends. It was a good night.

We headed up the La Have river to Bridgewater the next day. The town had the same idea with the pontoons as Halifax but on a smaller scale, a boat could tie up during the day for nothing but either had to pay or leave at night. The river was still and there were very few boats on it. The banks had a scattering of houses, some large, some small. It looked very beautiful and peaceful. Some of the riverside properties had a private pontoon at the bottom of the garden and some had moorings as well. I could definitely see us living in such an environment when we give up full time sailing. Bridgewater is the end of the line of any large boat as there is a low bridge over the river. As we tied up, we saw Scott Free tied up at the marina. Ann and Frank were just getting their bikes of the boat so Lionel hopped into the dingy and sped over to have a catch up. They were enjoying Nova Scotia as much as we were but taking it at a far slower pace and doing far more exercise on their bikes than we were walking. It was good to catch up with them and they pointed out where the start of todays walk was. We had decided to walk to Rhodenizer Lake via an old railway track that had been made into a trail. It was scenic countryside but very hot and I was glad we had taken two bottles of water with us. It was a bit disappointing when we got to the lake as there were private houses all around it and no public access so we had to turn around and walk back without a paddle. Next stop was the supermarket. I have to admit I did spend a lot of time round the freezer section just to cool down. After lunch, Ann and Frank appeared, to invite us to join them at one of the small microbreweries in the town. I know its not like us but we declined, the walk had exhausted both of us. We blamed the heat of course. We motored back to the yacht club and dropped anchor for the night. Everyone had moved on so we did not bother to go ashore but spent the last evening of July quietly on Ruby contemplating how lucky we were to live the life we do.

Monthly stats:

Over ground   577
Log                 681