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Rockland Maine to Halifax Nova Scotia June 24
Jan met me in Rockland, Maine, and after a busy few days buying food and supplies we set off for Nova Scotia where the remaining crew members would join us. We sailed and motored through two nights, much of it in the fog so we never saw much of Nova Scotia. The only excitement was sighting the Canadian Coast Guard cutter approaching at full speed. At first we thought they were on a mission and just passing by, but it soon was apparent that they were coming for us. Had we done something wrong? It turns out that a spotter plane had seen us and we did not respond to their call on the radio so they sent out the patrol boat to check us out. Satisfied that we were neither smugglers nor terrorists, they waved us on.
Halifax to St. Anthony, Newfoundland July 1
Barry arrived from the airport gave us a group hug with the words “let’s go sailing”. Within minutes the dingy was on board and we were on our way out of the harbor. Passing the crowded moorings of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, and dodging the various dingy races in the harbor we set sail with a favorable breeze only to have it die off as a large thunder storm approached. We motored for the next 20 hours mostly in the fog to Canso. Like many fishing towns it was desperately trying to survive the loss of the fishing industry by attracting tourists. It turns out we just missed the music festival. There were still a half dozen lobster and crab boats in the harbor, but the heyday of fishing was gone with the decimation of the fish population and the eventual moratorium on fishing the Grand Banks.
From Canso we went through the channel that separates Nova Scotia from Cape Breton Island. There is a lock in the channel to equalize tidal differences, but we arrived at high tide so locking through was merely a matter of opening the doors. On the west side of Cape Breton we had clear skies and hot weather. Marina and I went swimming off the boat and when Barry saw that we survived, he joined us. Jan declared that anything colder than 80 degree Florida water was unfit for humans and stayed on the boat. We spotted a pod of Pilot Whales and several other whales too far away to identify. Gannets dotted the water like white jewels reflecting the sun on the otherwise dark sea.
In a few hours the wind picked up and we had a rolling run to Magdalene Islands, an outpost of Quebec. They are another case of a simple fishing village that turned into a tourist mecca. The road along the harbor is dotted with small fishermen houses. Every one is now a boutique selling jewelry and clothes. There were around 20 sailboats at the dock and more coming in for a round-the-island race. We had a long lunch in a crowded cafe, used the internet and took showers. The forecast was for wind the rest of the day, then calm, so we decided to make use of it and with only a 6 hour stop we moved on.
The forecast wind turned out to be more on the bow than expected and we had a bouncy trip to windward all night. We had been hoping for an easy sail to make up for the rolling of the night before. It was a 48 hour sail to Newfoundland. The last day was mostly motoring and motor-sailing through rain and fog. We caught glimpses of the coast at one point, revealing steep cliffs in yellow and red rock with emerald green fields sloping up to a land covered in forest.
The fjord appeared as a gap in a coastline of cliffs whose tops were obscured in the low clouds. White boxes of houses scattered on a green slope invited us into a harbor which turned out to have little protection from the forecast SW wind. We had the anchorage to ourselves as the few fishing boats present were tied in the lee of a breakwater. We had a uninspired meal at the local restaurant and motored out of the harbor against an increasing wind and chop.
In gathering darkness, we anchored at Woody Point on a ledge between the shore and the deep fiord. Soon after we anchored, a small motor boat came by and the skipper greeted us and offered to open his home to us for showers, an offer which was greeted with great enthusiasm. The next morning we took a guided walk through the table lands of the park and learned why this park is a world heritage site. It is the only place in the world where the evidence is visible on the surface of the collision between the African continent and the American continent. The ranger was also interested in the plant life that had adapted to life in the serpentine soils and pointed out three species of carnivorous plants. A good hike up the ridge, a swim in the fjord, followed by showers, tea and opera music on the stereo at our new friend's house, completed a perfect day. We set sail around six in the evening for St. Anthony, 200 miles to the north.
The wind held for the whole leg to St. Anthony. On the way into the harbor we saw our first iceberg aground in 300 feet of water. Whales and dolphins accompanied us in. Just as we entered the harbor and took in sail the engine died. I had just changed the filter so I knew it was not that simple, so we sailed into the harbor and anchored. The bottom sloped steeply away from shore and the holding was poor so I was anxious to get the engine going and get to a dock. The crew went ashore to explore while I found the problem - a clogged fuel line. Black crystals of some sort had settled in the low point of the line agglomerating into an impenetrable mass. I suspect the crystals were formed from the fungicide I put in the tank in Trinidad. The only dock space available was in front of the only other sailboat in the harbor. We squeezed in and after measuring the depth with a pole figured we would have 6 inches of water under the keel at low water; enough under the circumstances. At the dock we were able to pump the fuel tank dry and swab it out with a rag on a piece of wire to get out the last of the crystals.
The next day we shared a taxi with the couple on the boat next to us to see the reconstructed Viking camp on the north end of the island. Guides in costume act out and describe the life of Leif Ericson and his band of explorers while they wintered over in the sod houses collecting wood and exploring the land before heading back to Greenland the following summer with their ships full of timber. In the afternoon we split up to do the necessary tasks before heading out on the passage to Greenland. Barry went in search of a laundromat, Jan a shower and Marina and I in search of food. Diesel was delivered by truck, and we were ready. We invited our neighbors over for dinner and had a very enjoyable visit exchanging stories and dreams.
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