After three days in Halifax it was time to push on down the Western Shore of Nova Scotia. We now had a dead line to meet. I’ve always heard talk of how sailing with dead lines is drag on the overall experience and can even be dangerous. Well, it’s true. (more…)
As we made our way south we were slightly disappointed again by Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore. While the scenery is beautiful when you can see it, we were plagued by foggy days and strong winds from the wrong direction. (more…)
Up, down, up, down… this was how we spent 10 hours on August 29th running downwind with the offshoots from hurricane Cristobal. It was our best day yet, and not even uncomfortable, making 74 nautical miles in just over 10 hours. (more…)
We bid farewell to Newfoundland in the early morning twilight on August 22nd, a day shy of a month since we’d arrived. We took off unsure exactly what our destination would be but we did well and with lovely weather decided to continue 75 Nmi south to Ingonish, having previously visited the protected harbour on our way north. (more…)
We didn’t tarry long in Grand Bruit but set out the following morning for the only remaining out port on the south coast we had yet to visit, La Poile. I’m not sure if it was the disappointment of finding Grand Bruit empty or if I was just worn down, but I hardly set foot in La Poile. We tied up on the far side of the ferry wharf, chatted with the locals and watched the comings and goings on the waterfront. We stayed only one night and set out the following morning without a fixed destination, only intending to work our way west. We had read about Petites, a community that was resettled in 2003, so after only 15 Nmi we decided to motor in a take a look. (more…)
We started this adventure on the 14th of June and after some 56 days we turned around and began our way westward, back along the south coast of Newfoundland. From Bay D’Espoir we had a lovely 35 nm day running down wind and working our way up into Devil Bay and then into Rencontre Bay, where we picked up a mooring off of what had been the out port of Rencontre West. (more…)
We are very far behind in posting about our trip, but will continue where we left off in Newfoundland around mid August. Leaving the magical fjordland and continuing our way east along the coast we entered the Bay D’Espoir. This beautiful area is a series of passages and bays that continues some way east and north becoming more and more protected the further you go. Ironically this bay is pronounced “Bay Despair” here, but it seemed like this area was one with renewed industry and perhaps more hope than despair for the time being. (more…)
In the absence of many fresh vegetables here on the south coast of Newfoundland, Matt and I have gone berry crazy! Potatoes, carrots, turnip, cabbage and onions are about all that come fresh; so we have been on a berry blitz to try and get our nutrients! (more…)
Over a year ago when Jessica and I first began talking about taking Heart’s Desire up to Newfoundland we thought of Gros Morne National park, probably the most well know fjord in Newfoundland, if not in North America. I’ve never been there, but it’s supposed to be extraordinary. It’s the fjord whose photo graces the travel brochures of Newfoundland. It’s the Fjord that everyone who comes to Newfoundland strives to see, and are able to get to. That “able to” being key. I”m sure that Gros Morne lives up to it’s reputation, and I look forward to going there some day, but if you want fjords, I mean really want fjords, then you must go to the South Coast, but you’ll have to find your own way there. (more…)
At the dock in Port-Aux-Basques a worker told us “ Newfoundlanders don’t burn, we rust.” And, despite the seemingly impenetrable layer in the sky above us we did find ourselves with a fog-burn by the end of the day, entering the minuscule opening into Burgeo harbour. (more…)
Grand Bruit or “Grand Brute” in Newfoundland speak, is a beautiful town named for the large waterfall that cascades through the center. Most places along the South Coast have french names with Anglicized pronunciations. Some places have also informally reverted to the spellings indicated on the 1790’s charts made by James Cook, who could not spell in French, on his expedition along this coast. (more…)
We spent our first morning (July 24th) in Newfoundland strolling around Port-Aux-Basques and debating whether to stay another night, in the hopes that the fog would lift for our trip down the coast. At 1pm with our minds made, as the fog may never leave, we cast off our lines and alerted the Port-Aux-Basques traffic authority we were on our way. They replied back that there was no traffic within 5 miles of the harbour. Our way was clear! (more…)
I’m not sure that I have the literary ability to convey the majesty of place in which I am writing this. I stop to listen and hear the song of birds echoing off tree lined walls of granite, only a stones throw away, rising up to disappear in the fog on either side of us. I can hear a waterfall, but it is hidden in the woods somewhere near. Drips of fog fall from the rig to patter gently upon the deck, lulling the mind into a state of peace. The rest is silence broken occasionally by the warbling cry of a loon.
Southeast Arm of Grey River fjord, Newfoundland.
When we departed White Point in northern Cape Breton we were headed to Codroy, Nfld. We thought the weather sounded great, 15 to 20 knots of nice southwesterly wind. But we’re learning (the hard way) that Environment Canada is a little too conservative for their wind reports to be practical. We got up at 3:30 am, and were off by 4 am for the 75 nautical mile crossing. With only 5 knots of wind, and big rolling seas coming east from the St. Lawrence and west from the Atlantic, we were going nowhere fast. By 11 am we were only 20 miles into our trip. After some hemming-and-hawing we made our decision to head for Port-Aux-Basques, a closer destination on the south coast. (more…)
Our last night in the Bras d’Or Lakes was spent in Otter Harbor, a common place to anchor and wait for the proper tide before running out the narrows, where the current can reach up to 8 knots. After two weeks in the lakes it was refreshing to once again see the unbroken horizon of the sea and to feel that we on our way. (more…)
We had great wind and were having a lovely sail into Baddeck, deciding to burn by the harbour before dropping the sails. Unfortunately as we entered the only channel, between docks and a mooring field, a passing group of site-seeing kayakers were spread across the channel. They were now stopped, and taking photos of us… I’m not sure if they realize that we couldn’t just stop, and had very little room to maneuver, but luckily their guide got them moving again and all was fine. (more…)
The Bras D’or Lakes, Nova Scotia, referred to as “Canada’s Largest Inland Sea” were a pleasure to sail around. We spent almost two weeks enjoying nice weather, flat water, and the cruising life. The danger in these lakes is the phenomenon of lathargia; where days somehow don’t start until noon and sometimes you forget to go sailing… (more…)
We have been a little behind at putting up posts recently so here is a photo blog of our 10 days in the Bras D’Or Lakes, Nova Scotia! More to come. (more…)
We had our first bout with the true Nova Scotia Fog as Jess described upon leaving the Liscomb river, thick as heavy rain clouds and just as wet. After 6 hours of it we ran for Fisherman’s Harbor, 90 odd miles along the Eastern shore from Halifax. It had been an exhausting day; glued to the radar we ran deep down wind under fore sail and jib alone in a steep 6’ sea and a steady 20-25 knots. Fisherman’s Harbor is wide and clear of hazards and very easy to enter from seaward. Once inside the main bay, the harbor proper is made up of a government wharf that is well protected by a small island and offers excellent holding in sticky mud. The pilot guide recommended anchoring on a line between the government wharf and the green light on the western shore of the island. What it should say is anchor “anywhere in the bay avoiding the power line that runs directly between the wharf and the light on the island!“ The following morning I had a hell of a time pulling up our anchor as I was also dragging a heavy inch and half diameter power cable out of the mud. Thank god the insulation wasn’t breached or I would have been smoked mackerel! (more…)
Slowly Sailing Somewhere 