Land Ho!  Cape Breton was in sight more than halfway across – Hoped once we lost sight of it, NF would then be in sight on the other side.  There’s a certain comfort in actually seeing your destination – false comfort of course – the depth finder stopped measuring after 600 feet of icy water.  But such was not to be – NF came into sight about 20 miles out.  Having a drink of rum dockside now – exhausted.  New auto helm conked out 4 hours in, Mount Pearl crew on their own to sail the rest of the way.  Halifax crew had to disembark at Baddeck – heartbroken to lose them.  Fill you in later – feast of lobster and cod awaits.

Safe and sound.

Pushing off at 5:30 – 15 hour sail to reach the other coast.  5 tons of boat to weave through the maze of lobster pots before hitting the open ocean. Hoping to get some pics of life in the Cabot Strait.

Looking forward to seeing that first glimpse of NF coastline.

Fog finally lifting

Our safe haven has been shrouded in heavy fog all day – rain and drizzle too.  In the near distance we can hear the crashing of the waves of the ocean – hard to believe it is but a few hundred feet away from this peaceful inlet.  The water here is like glass – without a ripple. The fog only now starting to lift as we plan tomorrow’s sail – tomorrow, near Port aux Basques, the winds will be 9 knots, not the 55 knots of today!  Mother Nature is not to be toyed with.

Our study table

Our breakfast table

Living aboard a boat, or any tiny space, is a great lesson – in efficiency, frugality, respect for personal space, functionality, conservation….. And much more.

We are a wasteful society.  We live in huge houses, using lots of energy and water, making lots of garbage.  A kitchen table and a dining room table a few feet away in another room, and perhaps a desk or two.  2 or 3 and sometimes 4 bathrooms!

Living aboard this boat is perhaps much like being a poor student – stretching every dollar, using every paper towel sparingly (if you’ve splurged and bought paper towel at all),  sharing a tiny bathroom with four others.  Organizing your space so that you don’t go insane every time you need to get something.  Reusing your same glass all day, because you don’t want to dirty and then wash all those dishes, or perhaps because it is the only one you “own”.

There’s a consciousness in living in a tiny space and being concerned not to waste your supplies – of water, fuel, food, dish detergent!  It’s amazing how little water you actually need to wash your dishes.

And there is a great appreciation of the things many of us take so for granted in our everyday lives.

It is a lesson in humility, realizing our place in a huge world.

And finally, it’s a great trip back in time for the older folks – nothing like a good ole sponge bath with a facecloth and a bar of camay soap to bring back childhood memories 😃.

Safe Haven Ingonish

Full range of emotions on this sail day.

Exhilaration over the sail itself – the best day yet – riding out the tidal ebb of the Bras d’Or Lake as it entered the ocean we reached 10 knots in brilliant glorious sunshine.  Anxiety caused by vacillating between heading straight to NF on this glorious day or staying the course for Ingonish and waiting out the storm coming on Monday.   Anguish over hearing on our radio a Mayday Man Overboard from where we had not long left and wondering about our new friends that were following at our heels.  Sadness 2 hours later over hearing the outcome of that Mayday – a lobster fisherman dead.  Apprehension upon entering the narrow channel to Ingonish and finding hundreds of lobster trap lines and buoys that must be avoided – weaving through them like an obstacle course.  Relief at finding the most perfect shelter from the brewing storm – an obscure cove with a single mooring owned by a doctor who graciously offered us safe haven.  Appreciation for a hot and delicious meal after a 2 km walk to a nearby restaurant.  Disbelief upon returning to our boat exhausted after a long day and discovering we had left our keys and phone back at the restaurant!  Fatigue after trekking back, finding our belongings right where we had left them, then trekking back to our haven once again, cold, tired, but immensely happy to be “home”.

Cozy inside Come What May for the night, we contemplate the ebbs and flows of life.  The joys, the disappointments, the ups, the downs, the opportunities, the challenges, the wins, the losses.  We are grateful for all we have experienced and we miss our family and friends.  Yet we commit to living in the now.

The best laid plans of mice and men…… On the way to Baddeck, the auto helm (auto pilot) got busted. Auto is a fabulous instrument that enables the cap’n and crew enjoy some time together. Not necessary of course but sure handy, especially when sailing alone. Voila – Super Dave back in the picture. With new auto helm in hand. Late getting here so another night in Baddeck is in the cards.

Enjoyed a few swallies last night at the Baddeck Yacht Club with some locals and some visiting boaters. There is no doubt that a brotherhood/sisterhood exists in the boating community. We’ve been heartily welcomed in every port. In West Jaddore, Jon V took our garbage, in Liscombe, the lodge staff laundered our sleeping bags (which were wet and dank) at no charge, at St. Peter’s the gate keeper gave us tips for our journey through the Bras d’Or Lake, at Baddeck we were welcomed by a bagpiper! You get the picture.

The Austrian couple just arrived, and another couple from England on their way to Greenland is here as well. They are being joined shortly by friends from Maryland – we’ve been invited out to their mooring to join them all for a visit tonight and in the morning, seems there will quite a floatilla heading towards the Cabot Strait.

Monday calls for 35 knots of wind from the south east – won’t be nice on the Cabot Strait so current plan is to cross over Tuesday when the winds are 10-15 knots West – Southwest which will be quite pleasant sailing.

Will be 4 days late 10 days in…….3 in the bank so 1 day behind. How do you like that math?

In case you are wondering where the guys are when the girls are at the helm 😀

Marvellous sail day today all the way to Baddeck.  Time at the helm of course is shared between the cap’n and crew – sailing is hard work, not always the leisurely event depicted in movies.  The reward felt in mastering the winds and getting safely to your destination is worth the hard work though.  And the sleep you have after a long day at sea is deep – the kind you had as a kid after playing outdoors all day.

Gotta dash – Can’t believe we have to stock up on some things but we do, so the ladies are headed to shop, and the men are checking the engine, refuelling, etc.

All looking forward to a relaxing evening……

Mavis at the Helm

Michele at the Helm

St. Peter’s Gate

That lazy day at Liscombe Lodge?  Ha Ha – after spending three days aboard the boat, and learning what was not working so well, we spent that day reorganizing and cleaning,  the lazerette in particular needed attention.  But that is a story in itself.  The largest junk drawer you can imagine!

Yesterday was so fine, we decided to push on past our Canso leg onto St. Peter’s – 13 hours at sea.  There we were greeted by an Austrian couple we had met at Liscombe and lo and behold, they too are headed to NF!

Up early this am to make for Baddeck where we will have some down time.  As we lined up to get through St. Peter’s Gate, we all concluded that this is the closest to heaven this cap’n and crew will probably ever get 😀

A sparkling sea

Yesterday’s sail was dreamy – beautiful sunny warm weather, glassy ocean, still a sea swell but it felt more like a gentle roller coaster ride than the beating we took the day before. On the way we saw just a few seals, another shark, a deer with two fawn on the shoreline just as we entered Liscombe River.

The water was sparkling – the sun hitting the ocean looked like the shiniest of diamonds floating atop it. The winds were light and we were able to sail without motor for 4 hours. The ocean and sky both vibrant shades of blue – so much prettier than the ugly shades of grey just the day before.

3 days on a boat – we were happy to hit Liscombe Lodge right on target. Everyone had their sea legs – so those first few steps on the hard, hard land were, well hard! In fact, 15 hours later, eating a hearty breakfast at the Lodge, we can still feel the room floating beneath us 😊.

The Lodge is lovely, rustic, great service. After a wonderful supper of seafood chowder, scallops, planked salmon, BBQ ribs, we settled into the common room where a huge hearth sat stoked with birch awaiting our arrival with the promise of a huge crackling fire that the Cap’n and all his crew share a love of.

One of the things we look forward to in our travels is meeting the locals or crossing paths with other travellers. We were not disappointed. Joining us at the fire was a couple from St. Louis, Missouri – Frank and Rhonda. They had just arrived to Nova Scotia via Newfoundland! Their first time to both.  What better company for them to happen upon than a couple from NF and a couple from NS? Frank entertained us with some excellent piano playing and singing – we traded many stories and laughed a whole lot!

Chatting with another couple at breakfast, we realized once again what a small world this is sometimes. They live in Tatamagouche where the Cap’n and crew had visited just a year ago for the annual Jost Winery grape stomping contest. But they lived for a while in Gander and from there had visited by land many of the places we would be sailing to in NF. And his father had been a sail maker so there was much to talk about.

Gonna be a long lazy day at the Lodge today – weather warnings say DON’T GO…… So more later on the Lodge itself and some pics of the crew.