Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

Badeck was great. Kinabalu lay happily at anchor off the Badeck Yacht Club and we dinghied in each day to spend time walking along the coast and into town, shopping at the fish market on the public pier, and exploring the amazing Alexander Graham Bell museum. Bob had always attributed AAlexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone to Scotland, but it seems that although he was born in Scotland, Alexander Graham Bell spent much of his time in Badeck, Nova Scotia. His work with the deaf in his early years, which led to the invention of the telephone and his flying machines all add to the extraordinary image that is portrayed. His house Beinn Breagh, on the opposite shore, is still owned by his family. We were at the opening of a fine new production, The Young Ladies of Badeck Club, which gave lots more insight into the Badeck area at the turn of the century.

We were in time for market day, which just happened to be my birthday, and not having been able to get into our chosen restaurant, we bought some of the best oysters I've ever tasted from a local lady who lives in Mabou. She gave us a shucker too!

 

And we found some garlic scapes, having been introduced to them, cookedon the barbecue, by Wilson and Thelma in Chester. Together with the best halibut and some Nova Scotian wine, we had put together a fine birthday meal to eat on board Kinabalu.......in a thunderstorm!!

It was a good decision to sail back to St Peter's Marina, leave Kinabalu on a morning for a few days, hire a car and head off to the Cape Breton Highlands. We had glimpsed the sun occasionally and loved the little anchorages but we needed a break from the awful weather.

We headed for the Margaree River region where we'd heard much about the salmon fishing. Fabulous rivers but not many people fishing this year, due to a catch and release enforcement, together with no barbed hooks. The Scots knew what they were doing when they settled in this area a couple of hundred years ago. We found a log cabin for the first night which was a great place to shelter from the drizzle!

The sun came out next morning and we drove north for the Cape Breton National Park, knowing that we needed a weather window from the fog and rain to see anything at all!! It's hard to register our joy at finding a short boardwalk trek, although you can see from "the Bog" photos just how beautiful it was.

 

 

Our lunch stop was at a camping area and the entrance to a waterfall trek ......Kate had given us a 12v coffee espresso machine to use on Kinabalu and in the car, which proved to be just what we needed!

 

 

This is definitely somewhere we would go back to although not sure that we would want to attempt it by bicycle, nor in a tent! Keltic Lodge at Ingonish was more our style:). We met Ushi and Erich during dinner and established that they had drive all the way from Cleveland Ohio for her birthday get away!

 

 

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Jumped over a rock...just a little one!

Farewelled Gerry, our wonderful OCC host at St Peter's Lions Club Marina in THICK FOG but in good time for the bridge opening and transit through the canal. Fog gradually cleared and the sun shone through as we motored with very little wind out to the Canso Strait.

We wished that we'd had more time to explore Isle Madame and the Lennox Passage, but onward we must press!

The wind picked up as we crossed the Strait and we hoisted the mainsail, rolled out the furling jib and WE WERE SAILING:).

It felt good to have the wind in the sails once again after our time on Cape Breton Island. I look back at the ship's log and see that there had been RAIN every day of our two week cruise. Not that it rained all day, nor was there fog every day, but it was damp enough and cold enough to really wish that we had a heater on board. Sometimes the sun appeared from behind the clouds and we rejoiced! There were some good sails in Bras d'Or Lake as we scanned the chart to find another peaceful scenic anchorage for the night. Despite the cold, the bugs still came out to play, but we were ready for them;

Today were beating into the 15knot SW breeze in 1m seas which gave us some speed and comfort. Dover Passage is mentioned as tricky in both of our guide books, but the visibility was good so we decided to enter at Dover Head on the eastern end of the Passage. Entrance was clear except for a couple of rocks well above the water level. There was a huge spring tide, the Blue Moon having occurred the night before, and so we felt we would see everything there was to see! There was a slight current as we traversed the Passage and we had slowed down to a minimum, constantly checking the depth. As we approached the narrowest part at the western end, Bob was on deck watching for rocks and I was steering, watching the depth and making allowances for the current which had increased in this narrow part. BUMP bump bump - we had just touched - perhaps moving sideways with the current, but not enough to stop the boat. Bob called to take the boat forward with the throttle and we were clear! Not something that happens on the good ship, Kinabalu and truly the first time for me. Bob assures me that there would be no damage, just a little scrape, but I will relive the experience over and over, I am sure.

Now we are anchored in a beautiful peaceful cove on the north-east arm of Port Howe, surrounded by spruce trees and listening to streams of water as they enter the cove from the hillside, with the day's events behind us....ready to meet the challenges that tomorrow will bring us.

 

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Nova Scotia - wonderful when the sun shines!

 

We had set out for Nova Scotia on a whim....why not? A five day sail from Bermuda and we're there! And it's a similar latitude to the south of France so it will be warm! We didn't think about the Labrador current and the cold North East winds and it is beautifully warm....when the sun shines!

After a huge electrical storm in the early hours of Tuesday 23rd June with heavy rain and thunder and lightning all around us for more than two hours, we had some great sailing during the first couple of days. After that the wind was variable and the seas often lumpy. The water temperature when we crossed the Gulf Stream was 33 degrees C and dropped to 15 degrees C when we hit the Labrador current off the coast of Nova Scotia. We motored into Shelburne Harbour Friday afternoon and waited for Customs on the dock. We had reluctantly observed the Canadian alcohol requirement when purchasing 2 bottles of duty free in Bermuda, but needn't have worried because the two young officers were keen to finish their shift. Great Yacht Club at Shelburne and they were delighted when we won "the money" at their Friday night fundraiser! Farmers' market on Saturday morning was wonderful, punnets of strawberries, freshly dug potatoes and lots of greens!

There was thick fog as we motored gingerly out of Shelburne four days later.....

 

 

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Hove to in the Atlantic Ocean 180nm from Bermuda!

Interesting morning, Friday, 5th June! We had reckoned on an eta Bermuda late Saturday afternoon, reaching a waypoint south west of the islands. Seas had been building and it had become more difficult to maintain a south easterly course with SE winds of 25 knots;) Breakfast was prepared at intervals and we managed to contain everything at the top of the companionway. Our morning "fix" with Chris Parker on SSB radio had confirmed our decision to "go slow" until the SW lighter winds filled in and we could make an entrance to St George early Sunday.

Quite pleasant really being "hove to", might I even say "relaxing", after close reaching for 48 hours with either too much wind and sea or not quite enough, having to deploy the "iron topsail". I paired the trusty Delorme inReach SE with my iPad via Bluetooth and sent a message to James. Quick came his reply "Bummer" was all it said, conveying what he thought would be our frustration! What he didn't know was that the Skipper was snoozing below and I'd finally found some time to BLOG. Not easy on a sailboat! All the time in the world you would think, but there's always something........

We departed Mac's dock in Town Creek, Beaufort NC on Monday morning 1st June, having spent two weeks fitting a new Force 10 stove, finishing the back stay wiring for the SSB radio, changing the position of the wash down pump on the bow, waiting for orders to be delivered after the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a more powerful inverter and a plate to fit to the engine sea water intake pump. Sending Bob up and down the backstay and the mast with the new Kranker was a breeze and having access to shore power and water made life easy.

Larry on his trimaran, Running Cloud, would overtake us en route to Bermuda with his crew of four, and John and Georgina on Shamal (Karpaz Gate Marina, North Cyprus 2012) would head north on the ICW. In the meantime Toby and Sam on Sweet Chariot (OCC mid Chesapeake Rally 2014) would take our place on the dock! We had caught up with Doug and Shanna on Hob Nob and Hugh and Linda on Wild Goose (Marina di Ragusa, Sicily 2013) and new OCC friends Stuart and Anne on Time Bandit, all of whom had just arrived in Beaufort after an ocean crossing from the Caribbean. Lots of fun for sundowners in the Beaufort pubs and restaurants listening to stories from abroad about folk we know so well.

Larry had his car and aeroplane in Beaufort and nothing was too much trouble when it came to sourcing spare parts and shopping for anything under the sun. His introduction to Mac and his private dock meant that our two week stay had cost only $200:))

The blog entry above was written on Friday and it's now Sunday 0500 hours, a beautiful morning but we're still 80nm from Bermuda and not looking like getting there until after dark! What had happened in those intervening 48 hours?

'Heaving to' was bloody uncomfortable with the wind at 25 knots from the SE and the seas crashing into the bow, and no prospect of let up for 36 hours, so we 'ran off' under 'bare poles'......to the north.....away from Bermuda....into the dark dark night. There was lightning to the west, poor visibility and heavy rain. It was like crossing the Atlantic with the trade winds but with no sense of purpose. A wave crashed into the cockpit and into the companionway. We closed ourselves in, in full wet weather gear and very wet. Chris Parker assured us that it would get better and by lunchtime we were drinking tea and eating peanut butter and crackers in the cockpit, finally making some progress under 80% jib and some engine power. The seas were still big and "jobbly" which is a Bob word and sounds just the way it was. But gradually they moderated and although there were still some squalls, the wind was in the right direction and we could motorsail relatively comfortably.

After a fantastic close reach through the night the wind died and we are now motoring in lumpy seas and I'm waiting until the skipper wakes up and we can have coffee and an egg and bacon roll! Roll on Bermuda.....can't wait to be peacefully anchored, have a hot shower off the stern and sleep for hours.

 

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Goodbye to Deltaville and sailing down to Norfolk

Last drinks with Bill and Lydia on board Kinabalu in the slip at Chesapeake Boatworks with a promise that they would meet us in the San Blas Islands and help us through the Panama Canal later in the year, we sailed south on the Chesapeake to Norfolk, the largest naval installation in the world.

It's not advisable to get too close to any of the ships that line the shore or you will have a small naval patrol boat will gently guide you back into the channel as you motor along the Elizabeth River into Norfolk. An historic town with lots of charm around the 19th century houses but the city around pretty much geared up to serve those naval folk who live there.

 

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JUSTIN joins Kinabalu

With Judy in Australia for the month of September it seemed like a great idea to fly Justin from his parents' yacht in Athens to join Bob for the passage Tunisia to Spain and onward across the Atlantic. He was on board for three months, very much a part of the crew on Kinabalu!

Justin and Bob left Monastir (said goodbye to our friends from Marina Di Ragusa, Vince and Barbie) on 11/09/2013 with very little wind, and eventually headwinds, for the 700+nm journey. They had expected to get to Gibraltar but tacked over towards Cartagena on the east coast of Spain. Cartagena Marina offered a very good deal for the month and besides, it was skateboard friendly. Bob left Justin in charge and travelled to Scotland.

Said goodbye to Cartagena on 15th October, slow going with wind and tide against us.

 

 

Anchored for the night in a wonderful bay, Ensenada de la Fuente. Motor sailing in lumpy seas and fog, full moon but finally a spectacular dawn, smooth sea and dolphins all around. Visit by Spanish coastguard at 3.00 am and finally a sighting if the Rock of Gibraltar shrouded in mist. Cold and damp with dolphins and seagulls everywhere. Tied up at Al Cadesa Marina, La Linea late Friday morning 18th October. We spent the next five days repairing sails, maintenance to engine and cleaning, in preparation for our journey along the African coast to the Canary Islands.

 

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Summer sailing Northern Hemisphere...today's plan!

All cruising yachts need some structure, a plan! But, "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley" and so we refer to "today's plan", because inevitably it will change.

Our lay up in Chesapeake Boatworks, Deltaville VA was great. It kept us out of the path of any hurricanes, very economical (we knew that when we found "Summer Wind" had laid up there as well!), friendly and clean, and most importantly we had access to boat parts and excellent skills, if we should need them.

Best of all was the renewed offer of the cottage in the grounds of Bill and Lydia's summer house and the use of their truck while they were in Europe. All we had to do was to cut their grass!!

Very hard to get going in the morning as we settle in to the tranquility of the surroundings and watch the osprey building their nest, wild turkeys, the Canada geese calling in for a short break, ducks looking for food and of course the great blue heron stretching his legs on the dock. If we stay around longer we can spot a bald eagle catching its prey in mid flight.

 

And yet a lot has been accomplished in two long weeks - antifouling applied (my speciality), steering gear repaired with the help of the machine shop and reinstalled, wash down pump installed on the bow (electrical connection will happen shortly), cockpit table stainless steel supports refinished and polished and table now installed. Bimini stainless steel structure strengthened, gas cooker re-installed, taping to dry mesh underneath cabin cushions and batteries reviewed. Local sail maker has completed repairs to the mainsail and 130% genoa and Chris from C2 Canvas has done a fantastic job making a new canvas dodger and bimini with connectors, all adjustable. Two stainless steel handles have been installed on the dodger at either side to the cockpit entrance which will make a huge difference in heavy weather.

First coat of antifouling^

The Lofrans anchor windlass was disconnected during the first few days and horror upon horrors we found a bearing had entirely disintegrated. With windlass in bits, spare parts were couriered from all over the U.S., the machine shop in Gloucester helped once again, and the bearings should arrive tomorrow......then the windlass will be reassembled and mounted on a new base.

While all of this was going another big job for me was to clean out the anchor locker, scrub off the rust left by a rusty anchor chain with a weak solution of .....and paint it ready for the wonderful regalvanized anchor and chain. Only problem was that once you're in the locker you can't get out!! Well, not without the help of a line tied to a deck cleat on either side. Even then, unless you're very skinny, it's a difficult manoeuvre, and impossible to bend down!! So, using my feet and a sponge I finally soaked up all the water and leaves below the outlets and found a nifty Shurhold attachment to our pole for scrubbing down. Luckily the weather held for drying out and the day came for painting with bilge paint and an angular paint brush (long handled brushes not available:( Bob said he was the man to start this job because he could reach in head first and with longer arms he could at least paint the bottom! He forgot that his shoulders are wide, his upper body weight heavy and with only the line to hang on to, he desperately needed some divine intervention from above;) It was a struggle to get him out, and remembering his performance with sticky adhesive for the windlass base and the cockpit table supports, I had visions of bilge paint being applied to everywhere other than the anchor locker!! Needless to say, I finished the first coat with just a little pain in the nether regions:0))

We are waiting for the rain to stop and the weather to get warmer again before Bob can finish polishing the freeboard and I can apply the second coat in the anchor locker and antifoul the fiddly areas around the rudder.

 

 

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