Land Ho!!

We are anchored north of Great Sale Cay in the turquoise waters of the Bahamas! We had a beautiful crossing in the company of PEACE IV, JAVA, and INTERMISSION.

Hard to tell but this is Branko - Manjack beach

With the fair winds forecast for tomorrow, we will continue on to Green Turtle Cay to clear in and live here in the Bahamas over the winter. Woohoo!
Branko

We are crossing!

We have left Lake Worth and heading for the Bahamas. The conditions are beautiful: south wind 10-15 knots; warm and pleasant seas.

Crossing the Gulf Stream

Last Stop in Florida

Peace down the ICW

We are lying to anchor in Lake Worth, FL; at long last staging to cross the Gulf Stream to arrive in the Bahamas.  Ever since we left Daytona we have been waiting for a break in the weather to take us over to the Bahamas - only 50 miles away.  Ideally, one wants to cross ahead of a cold front passing south, also known as a "Norther".  When this happens, the wind will veer from the east around to the south, which is when you begin your dash, and will continue to veer to the north.  By then, you have happily crossed the gulf with a tail wind and don't mind the northern wind to move you through the Bahama Banks.

Lake Worth

It looks like we will get the chance tomorrow.  If the forecast holds up, we will leave late in the afternoon to cross the Gulf Stream overnight.  We anticipate reaching the Bahama Banks in the early morning and continuing across them to an anchorage in Great Sale Cay.  The waters in the Bahamas are crystal clear and shallow, or so we are told, and the run from the edge of the banks to the anchorage is about 50 miles.  We do not want to miss any of it in the darkness; even though this is one of the few stretches where one can safely sail at night.

From Great Sale Cay we will head for Green Turtle Cay to meet our friends Terri and Drew who will be arriving  just after Christmas.

Stay tuned: we will post again en route to report on the crossing.

Branko

Florida

Daytona Beach was all about spending time with Diane and Richard,

• picking up items that Branko had ordered and shipped to D & R
• purchases to fix something on the boat
• food and beer/wine provisioning for Bahamas and well we were out of fresh stuff....chips and cookies 

Richard & Branko

Daytona Beach

Richard, Diane & Branko

Provisioning....

Richard and Diane were wonderful,  they took us everywhere and never complained.   Travelling around Daytona was fun because well D & R made it so - cheerful and always ready to suggest the best places to eat.   Honestly,  they knew the cheapest places with the best food.  The first night we dined at a 4.99$ all you can eat Pizza Joint - it was surprisingly good with a selection of not only pizza but pasta and a vegetable bar.  Branko of course had to have pop which made the price go up to 5.99$ but the rest of us settled for water.   Are you thinking,  crap does she not have anything else to tell us about?  Well yes,   another night we went to an "all you can eat"  buffet for 9.99$ that had EVERYTHING,  I mean everything - and good too - starting to feel like a snowbird from Canada,   because yes we did eat early as well.   

Richard and Diane treated us like royalty,  we spent many hours sitting in their KOA campground talking and meeting Diane's family - we had a marvelous time.  Thank you!

So back to the boat a bit;  while anchored in Daytona the tides changed a little, due to the moons neap cycle,  and the wind blew  up and so ...... Branko , Sophie and I found ourselves sitting yet again on our keel but upright.    We waited patiently until the tide came up and floated us again - what  happened is that we 'gunkholed' into this anchorage on a full moon and then spent a number of days here,   the moon waned,  the water level decreased,  a wind blew up and add a sandy shoal and voila you have the perfect recipe for sitting on your keel :-)   No worries,   we pulled the anchor up and were on our way.

Travelling the ICW 

Travelling down the ICW was pleasant.   Not many boats, channel easy to follow and good depth - fantastic wildlife, dolphins, hawks, manatee, pelicans and vultures, WOW - but I do not want to jinx us,  so I will stop there.

We motor-sailed to Titusville,  dropped anchor, slept and next morning continued on - we ended up a few days later in Vero Beach (also known as Velcro Beach) tied/moored to a  boat called PEPA that we had met in Savannah -  funny how you just keep running into the same people.   A day or two was spent here while Branko updated his scuba equipment and we, of course,  picked up a few more provisions :-).    Vero Beach is a lovely place for the boating community.  The city owns the mooring balls and marina and provides free bus access for shopping,  laundry, TV lounge and  a dingy dock -  so as you can imagine it is quite crowded,  but pleasant.   There are boaters who end up spending their entire winter here....hence the name Velcro.

Velcro Beach

We arrived in Fort Pierce last week and anchored in an area that was noted in our guide book.   It was a little strange.   There are two rivers flowing into this anchorage, with the ICW channel very close, and also the Fort Pierce inlet; so there are some very strong currents 'hanging' about.   We ended up staring down two other sailboats as every boat in the anchorage started to face different directions and seemed to move closer and closer to each other....yikes.   We left after 2 nights and moved a mile down the ICW to the south end of the inlet and anchored right outside the Fort Pierce City Marina -   perfect for the northwest winds we were getting plus for 5.00$ we had "all you can use" laundry and showers - plus a TIKI bar that has a happy hour -  Life is good.

What great wildlife.....

Already anchored,  was Annie and Neville on a Wharram catamaran   http://wharram.com/index.php named Peace. They had built her together in the UK and sailed back to the U.S. a number of years  back.  Since then they have been cruising between Rhode Island and the Bahamas every year.    Annie met Neville when she (in her mid 40's) sailed SOLO  across the Atlantic to the UK in a 28ft Shannon - when she landed this gentleman took her lines and well the rest is history.   Neville was a motorcycle enthusiast and raced all over the UK in his earlier  years.    They both sailed back to the U.S on the 28ft boat,  also named Peace,  sold it and went back  to the UK to build their Wharram together.   What a story eh?

We also met Bill. Bill does not have a boat,  but he has a truck.   We met him in the Tiki bar - and we started to chat and Bill decided he was going to drive us around  town and,  yes get more provisions and more stuff that Branko needed for the engine...and basically just help us out,  for no reason.  Thank you Bill!

Bill

We will be leaving Fort Pierce tomorrow on the building tide en route to Stuart - to await the weather window to travel across to the Bahamas -  we are looking forward to this as right now I am wearing my wool turtleneck sweater and winter coat.... what ever happened to the shorts?????

Brrrrrrr

Maggie 

South = shorts

Last heard we were relaxing in the winter cold weather anchored just outside Wrightville Beach NC – “relaxing” meant staying in our boats (Reboot and HOBOII) while the winds and cold blew around us – so cold and windy that we could only look out our pilot house windows at the once (I am assuming this) warm and inviting beach area. Although many boats sailed by us en route down the ICW to the next debacle, bridge, current and/or grounding, we however, decided to stay one more day to wait for a warmer weather window, which thankfully arrived the next day.

Beaufort, N.C.

We motored down the ICW (will we ever learn?) to Southport, where we stayed the night preparing for a two day coastal sail to Savannah. The company on the dock were mostly Canadians, from Toronto none the less, which was quite entertaining (our second sun downer party, ever.)

Next morning we set sail south with a nice breeze that eventually disappeared.. A group decision was made to make port at Charleston and motor a bit down the ICW – which turned out to be, non-eventful. We all got some much needed sleep and left again to sail along the coast to Savannah, ETA after dark.

The Savannah channel is a Class A inlet, which means that it is deep and easily navigable in the dark. Another addition to a class A inlet is that ocean vessels use it as well. Upon our arrival in the channel we first passed 3 anchored container ships, secondly, 3 vessels were departing Savannah and passed us by in the channel – now in the dark with lights everywhere it was difficult to know what was a huge vessel (and they are especially large when they suddenly appear out of no where) what lights were on land and which lights were the navigation buoys. The vessels have only a few bright lights to distinguish them and well, sometimes they look as though they are the red buoys you think you are to aim for....and they are quiet, they can easily sneak up behind or in front of you without you even knowing they are there – thank goodness for AIS and Reboot. Reboot (Roger) is very good with the radio and always broadcasts security calls to advise ships that he and his troupe of Hobo’s have arrived.

Savannah

Once past the vessels, we were blinded by a manufacturing plant that was lit up like Shanghai – it completely destroyed our night vision, and made it difficult to determine the channel. Up crept a container ship behind us, that saw our dilemma (actually the pilot saw our dilemma not the ship) and radioed us the correct coordinates and suggested he make a 'slow pass' and that we follow him into the Savannah harbor...it was quite surreal. The pilot showed us his southern hospitality, by slowing his boat down to pass, providing a lead to follow, and then having one of his colleagues (who was passing by the downtown Savannah dock) to check out if there were any empty spots for us to tie up to - his colleague was piloting a similar container vessel and took the time to have a look outside for dockage space for the HOBO troupe.

We ended up with three perfect spots right in the old town on River Road – we were however part of the tourist attractions as everyone (tourists and locals alike) promenade down River Road, to view the harbor, the ships and have a drink/dinner/or purchase souvenirs.

Savannah 

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is a beautiful city, that has an American revolutionary, civil war era feel about it and George Washington did actually sleep in a few places here, or so the plaques say. The city is easily navigable with a grid pattern of streets that are interspersed with 22 park like squares. The squares honor historical figures who supported, fought and/or contributed to the south - the trees are old and huge with the Spanish moss hanging from their branches.

Savannah city's architecture and historic buildings are well kept and interesting, likely due to the Savannah College of Art and Design who own many of them. The college also owns most of the older hotels (1960-1980) that are used as dormitories and two movie theaters used to showcase students films and art. What a great campus for a college.

Shripper in Doboy Sound - can you see Mr. Gump?

After three days we left Savannah and traveled down the ICW to Doboy Sound, preparing for an offshore sail to Daytona Beach. The ICW itself holds its own stresses without the need of crazy boaters who pass you too close, too fast and in the narrowest of channels – and of course the chart plotters that lead you one way but the buoys say something different, which to choose, which to pick? I now just practice the 'close your eyes and go trick” that I so often did while driving in Toronto...just kidding, really, just kidding.

Roger

Doboy Sound is an easy access the ocean and/or ICW depending upon your whereabouts. It was a beautiful evening and we left the shore behind as the sun went down – Reboot and HOBOII sailed to Jacksonville and we continued south to St Augustine, where we flew into the harbor with an east wind blowing up standing waves, shoals on either side and a very narrow channel – once through we breathed a little easier. And for awhile, all was peaceful on the ICW...until we grounded not once but twice in the same place. Our plotter showed us on land but our boat was in the middle of the channel, the channel had silted up in this curved part of the ICW and well, we just stopped. Thank goodness we are a sailboat and there was a wind blowing – we basically sailed ourselves over the silted area to deeper water. Happy to be over the hump, so to speak – we ended up in the Palm Coast and spent the night at the Hammock Beach Marina, which was so nice and inexpensive, we stayed an extra night. Mostly to recuperate from the night sail and the ICW, and well they had a pool and a gym and laundry....

said pool....

Yesterday we arrived in Daytona Beach and as we motored past the Memorial Bridge we got a call on the VHF from our friends Diane and Richard, who were on shore waiting for us. What a wonderful welcome! We sailed with Richard and Diane on Cap Oceane from Quebec City to the Magdalene Islands - it had been awhile since we had seen them and were looking forward to spending time with them here in Daytona. They left their boat in Quebec City and traveled down in their RV to spend part of the winter in Florida.

Will let you know about our adventures with Cap Oceane in the next blog.


P.S. currently we are wearing shorts... yeah!

Travelling the ICW

We left Morehead City a few days ago and decided to follow the ICW to Cape Fear.  We are currently anchored in Wrightsville, NC and tomorrow we will stop in Southport.  That puts us south of Cape Fear with a chance to head out to open ocean bound for Savannah, Georgia.  After two days on the ICW, I am ready for some open ocean.

Many of you already have some experience with the "ditch", so this post will not shock or dismay you, but read on if you care to read about a typical experience on this well-used and historic waterway.

Picture this: about 30 boats of various shapes and sizes setting in a 1.5 knot current towards a lift bridge that won't open for about 20 minutes.  The fleet stretches back over a mile from the bridge.  Off to river left, a sailboat is aground with 3 feet of hull showing and being held from falling over by a tow boat until the tide rises.  All the boats still afloat are each facing a different direction and either moving upstream or downstream going either forward or backward.  The channel is only about 200 feet across, probably less.  Spacing between boats is down to feet, and every head on every helmsperson is swiveling like a spastic barn owl.

By some divine intervention, with no loss of life, limb or gelcoat,  the bridge opens and a less-than-orderly procession of boats passes under the bridge.  Downstream, on the other side of the bridge there are a few boats waiting in the river to go upstream.  They are clearly unaware that it is November and the world has tilted to pour boats southward.  To make matters worse, the channel on the other side of the bridge is even narrower because there are marina docks on either side, so now you have boats crossing from one side of the channel to get to the other side.  Let me summarize - 30 boats pouring through a narrow lift bridge, running a dock gauntlet through hovering boats waiting to go upstream.

But it gets worse.  It is approaching low tide, which is why the current is running strong.  Just beyond the marina on port side, about a 100 yards from the bridge is Motts Channel which under normal circumstances takes you to a bay in front of Wrightsville where there is an anchorage.  Under THESE circumstances, however, the water is too shallow so the first sailboat that turns in runs aground and twists across the mouth of the channel.  It was a Catalina 36 from Montreal; he held up his hands at shoulder level and shrugged helplessly as REBOOT and us passed astern with inches to spare.  I had just given a two-whistle blast of my air horn (put one on your boat if you don't have one yet) to indicate to a large power boat that I was going to cut across him and that there was little he or I could do about it.

I was feeling pretty good about dodging the power boat and the shipwreck.  But the good times passed pretty quickly because I was following REBOOT too closely and he abruptly ran out of deep water and did a bat turn about one boat length past the shipwreck - we were sitting in that one boat length.  Again, another miracle occurred because neither of us collided with a) each other b) other boats transiting up and down the channel and c) the ship wreck.  We completed the 180 and followed HOBO II who wisely didn't follow us into hell and continued down the ICW.  As it turned out, about a half mile down, there was another channel that lead to the same anchorage. We took it and here we sit.

Earlier that day, we did see something pretty cool: a kite festival in Wrightsville.  Here is a picture taken from the ICW.

Flying whales and other surreal sea creatures

Branko

A Year Ago Today

I woke up this morning and asked Maggie what we were doing exactly one year ago.  We were not sure, but we figured that we were probably getting ready to or already covering the boat with shrink-wrap plastic.  We had not had any snow by that point, so it was a matter of getting ready for the big chill.  We were probably trying to get the Webasto furnace working, so that we could heat the boat and have hot water for washing the dishes.  That was a big job, and I thought I would never get it working.

One year later,  the furnace has worked without a hitch (I shouldn't have said that because I just jinxed myself), and there is no winter in sight.  In fact, I am sitting in a rocking chair at the nearby marina, having an ice cold beer that cost me $1.61, and wondering whether or not I am going to get a sunburn if I don't move into the shade.  I decided to take a chance on the sunburn as a tribute all our friends in the frigid north ... and I will have another beer.

The last couple of weeks have been a pleasant change in routine for us.  After racing south from Nova Scotia, we have moved far less and spent more time in one spot relaxing and doing some small maintenance jobs on the boat.  That will change shortly once we meet up with our boat buddies tomorrow.  Then we will continue to work our way south to the Keys, but at a leisurely pace.

Well, I did not have much to say because nothing much has happened, but November 1st seemed like an auspicious date to report.  So, I will leave you with this thought:  no matter what is going on where you are, the sun is shining - somewhere.

Branko

I'm Back.

It has been awhile since I've had the time to write, duh who am I kidding,  it's fairly hard when you have paws.   Now, I am sure you have all noticed that immediately after my  last blog my name and a blurb magically appeared - ah the power of the  pen!

First mate - serious look

We've been doing alot of sailing and making good time down the east coast.  We left Brooklyn in Nova Scotia (a lovely little town with huge walnut trees, well kept homes and big snowball bushes that have a pinkish tone; wonderfully, kind and generous people live there too) on a two day trip to Provincetown,  which turned  out to be to Yarmouth due to weather conditions.   Once leaving Brooklyn the seas were confused but comfortable,  the  evening was beautiful with a full moon and clear visibility.   We went up on deck in the early morning and found dolphins playing in our bow waves - that was special.  A little too big for me,  but generally I don't eat fish, so they were safe.

Leaving New Bedford

Yarmouth to Cape Cod was a two day and night run, that unfortunately made Maggie ill,  so she needed the seasick meds and all was fine again - fairly lumpy seas,  and generally we spent whatever time lying around, as walking or standing was a little difficult.  I enjoyed myself because now M and B were up during the night - how wonderful for me as that is my most active 10 minutes of my 24 hour day.  I learned to hop about along the dash and the pilot house stairs and assisted on the nav table by plunking myself down, so that whoever was on watch could not see the chart plotter (breathe here) and in turn must pat and pay attention to me - smart eh?

All in all a good experience because we ended up sailing  in more than our fair share of lumpy seas mainly at night.   I became a great first mate,  if I do say so myself,  and I do.  The sailing is fine with me as we are usually on a broad reach (Branko is lovely that way and tries to get the winds just right.) The thing I am not so fond of is the engine,  it takes me a little time to get used to it each time it goes on - otherwise all is well.

Reboot

We sailed down to Groton, and had semi-views of the U.S. nuclear subs - that was because they are housed in the seaway, but  behind large floating barges.   We were close enough to the U.S. base to hear maneuvers,  at first I was a little frightened with the  loudspeakers going off saying "CODE YELLOW, CODE YELLOW"  and then a volley of machine gun fire following,  but hey you get used to it.   The U.S only own nuclear subs and the cost to refill them is such that once used up,  it is more cost effective to build another sub instead.

Lounging on deck

Back to me.  I enjoy a nice romp off the boat when we are docked,  of course I am not supposed to leave so must make my escape when no one is watching.   Generally I just hang about on the dock until I am noticed missing at which time I take a flying leap back on to the boat -  thank goodness for my upper body strength as I am usually hanging from the toe rail and must pull myself up.   I don't like to look at M's face while doing this as she usually has her hands in front of her face and crying OMG, OMG....so far all has ended up OK.



For the last two weeks Branko and I have been sailing the boat together,   and personally I think we have made a good pair - he has voiced the same opinion but out of ear shot of M.  Maggie was back in TO getting a few things  done and visiting with family/friends.  She did miss a few people who are very dear to her and says thank goodness for email - whatever that is?

Oriental, NC

Today and for the last few days we have been in Oriental North Carolina.   An interesting place,  advertised as the  "sailing capital of North Carolina" - so we decided to visit.   A number of sailboats make their home here,  plus its right on the ICW route so lots of visitors come by.    B and M took a walk around town and noticed the lack of people, children and bustle generally found in towns.   A beautiful place complete with a well thought out playground for children (included tennis and badminton courts) but missing the children.   The grass and area around the playground was in perfect condition - which led M to think of  the saying "you  never seen grass in the playground" - because it is used so much.   Discovered that there are about 4-7 children who live in Oriental and the town is made up of mostly retired sailors - who are getting a little older each day.   All in all  a different kind of place.  But one  worth visiting.

B and M have spent a few days fixing things and will leave tomorrow for Beaufort NC -  hopefully meeting up with HOBOII and Reboot to continue down the coast to Florida.   Yahoo more night sailing!

Well...I Never Did Stop in Ocean City That Night

The last you heard from me, I was planning on going to Ocean City.  The problem was that we got there about an hour before sunrise, and the entrance to the harbor was very tricky: narrow and shallow.  So rather than a) risk the entry or b) hang out and wait for daylight, we pressed on.  We finally arrived in Chesapeake Bay at 3 am the next morning.  By the time we dropped anchor near Little Creek in Willoughby Bay, I was literally falling asleep standing up.

I was solo sailing since Maggie was in Toronto, so I found it very difficult getting any quality sleep since it was all so new an experience for me.  As it turned out, I probably got about 4 hours sleep in 3 days.  But when I finally hit the sack, I slept the sleep of the dead.

We had made it to a safe harbor refuge near Norfolk, where the U.S. has its major eastern naval base.  I was surprised at how close I was allowed to get to the ships.  One really feels the might of the U.S. military as you pass by the yards in Norfolk and Portsmouth. 

These are just a couple of the ships that I saw.  Damn stinkpots!

REBOOT taking a  run at a U.K. warship

U.S. fighting trimaran

One heavy bird

From this point, we had decided to follow the ICW.  We chose to take the Dismal Swamp route.  It is straight, narrow, shallow and 45 miles long.  It is long and boring and what's worse is that you can not trust your autopilot to steer you straight in the narrow channel, so you have to hand steer all the way.  For Roger and I as solo sailors, there is no relief from the helm and no where to stop and take a break, a leak or a snack.  Of course, you can try to aim the boat, lock the wheel and do a quick scramble.  It works, but just barely.

This is what the canal is like for miles

There are a couple of canals and lift bridges that must be timed correctly, which we failed to do.  So, in order to make the last bridge lift at South Mills so that we could tie up on the wall in the canal, we had to run at 7 knots (engines not far from red line) for over an hour.  H2OBO draws 5.5', loaded the way she is probably a couple inches more.  When you are gunning your engine, the stern sinks down a little more.  So now I am probably drafting 5'9", travelling at over 7 kts. with 1 to 2 feet of water showing under the keel.  Every once in a while (15 times but who is counting) I would bump something.  Later I was told they were logs and that there are no rocks to hit, but at the time I was sweating bullets recalling the damage we did to the keel when we hit the rock in Tangier Bay while only making 1.5 kts.

Right now I am swinging on the anchor in New Bern, NC.  Maggie is flying in from Toronto this weekend, and then we will head for Beaufort, NC, to stage for a offshore passage farther on down the coast.  I have been using the down time for some maintenance and repairs.  But mostly I am just taking it easy.

The days are warm, the nights are cool.  How are things where you are?

A Strange but Beautiful Life

Wow, where to begin? It is midnight and I am motoring south with REBOOT bound for Ocean City. The sun set into a red sky and the sliver of a crescent moon rose to take its place. The sky is coal black, and the stars are shining their hearts out. As we left Atlantic City astern at dusk, its pink lights made it appear as if it bloomed right out of the ocean. As I watched I noticed a large fireworks display going off somewhere near the city. Maybe it is because I am sleep deprived but it all just seems so beautiful, I have to stop and reflect on how lucky we are to be living our lives this way. And "this way" can be pretty strange. For example...
The last time I blogged we were in New Bedford. Well we left there at 7 pm and sailed for Groton in the distinguished company of REBOOT and POWMIA. Along the way we encountered heaving seas in 30 kt winds and a passage through a place called The Race. On one side of The Race is Fisher Island and rocks on the other side only a few hundred yards away (but it seems like feet), and the whole Atlantic Ocean seems to want to squeeze through it during the tidal cycle. We got there at dark, the tidal current running with us, the wind against us, and the seas standing. The engine was revving, Maggie was at the helm, and I was on the deck taming the sails. It was ... exciting. We arrived in Groton at 9 am, tied up to the dock, had several drinks with our traveling companions, then went to bed at 2pm. I woke up at 6pm with a slight hangover, watched a couple of movies with Maggie and then went to bed - again. Not a typical day - unless you cruise.

Along the East River

When we left Groton, we sailed overnight down Long Island Sound. A gentle beam reach all the way down took us to our next anchorage in Hempstead Harbor. There, Maggie disembarked for a trip back to Toronto, so now it was just Sophie and me. Meanwhile, POWMIA took off on his own because he did not want to wait. After a couple of nights at anchor, REBOOT and H2OBO departed for New York Harbor. The trip took us down the East River with Manhattan to starboard. With Roger, a native New Yorker, as my tour guide on the VHF, the trip was magical. (Sorry you missed it, Maggie.)

Obligatory shot of Lady Liberty

Once we got out into the harbor, we just kept right on going with the intention to make it to Atlantic City and to get past the New Jersey coast as soon as possible. The weather did not hold up and we were sailing close to the wind, so we cut in toward the coast and Barnegat Bay Inlet. We dropped anchor in the lee of the break wall that sticks out into the ocean at around 1:30 am and crashed.
Up at dawn after a few hours of sleep, we set off for Cape May, which forms the eastern side of the entrance to Delaware Bay. We were thinking that we would round the corner and head up the bay, through the C&D canal, which goes to the top of the Chesapeake Bay. This detour adds 150 nm. to the trip but avoids going outside in the ocean, and the weather has not really been favorable for offshore passage making. En route, the winds died, the engines came on and we changed plans, again.
We motored right past the Delaware Bay, and as I write this at 1 am, we are 5 hours away from Ocean city where we will drop anchor and get some rest - maybe. It is after all, only 70 miles further to Norfolk where we plan to stop for a few days to get some rest and take care of some stuff.
At sea, I use the short wave radio to down load weather data, email, post blogs and even have a chat with my mom via a patch to a land line provided by a kind and helpful ham radio operator. It is slower that broadband internet, so I will have to add pictures later.
I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but whatever it is I say "Bring it".

DENIED....Again!

Provincetown, Cape Cod

The fickle hand of the weather gods slammed shut the weather window on us again as we motored our way into the wind towards Groten.  The forecast changed and called for thunderstorms and gales blowing 45 knots.  Fortunately, New Bedford, the old and historic whaling town of Moby Dick fame, was conveniently near us when we decided to make for its safe harbour.

Sailing to New Bedford

Now we wait on a mooring for the wind to slacken so that we can motor over to the customs dock and check in and, finally, get off the boat.  We have not set foot on terra firma for six days because we have been flying the quarantine flag and will do so until customs checks us in.

Hurricane wall  with gate, New Bedford

We can not wait to explore New Bedford.  It is a thriving fishing port and an actual hurricane hole with a large wall across the harbour entrance and a gate that closes against a storm surge.  There is also the famous whaling museum and all kinds of sea going vessels to see.  But it will have to wait until tomorrow because the wind is blowing too hard to motor over to the customs dock.

Landfall in Cape Cod

We left the Brooklyn marina on the 23rd with the intention of sailing directly to Cape Cod. We were traveling with three other boats: REBOOT, HOBO II, and, EXCALIBER. The latter boat had been in there for about a month with engine trouble and was finally ready to join us in the move south.
Once underway, the wind had died down and on came the engines, at which point EXCALIBER found he had water in his fuel. So he left he flotilla and we have not heard from him since. And then there three.

Brooklyn, Nova Scotia

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

The supposed 3-day weather window abruptly shut when we rounded the 'corner' off Brazil Rock and we decided to seek shelter from the strong adverse winds that would blow us north. We made for Yarmouth to await favourable winds.
We had a chance to look around the town and it had the look and feel of a dying town at the edge of the world. As everywhere in Nova Scotia the people were very friendly, so our brief stay was pleasant.
The fair winds returned so our flotilla of three left port at midnight in thick fog to take advantage of the high-tide currents. This was the first time that Maggie and I did anything like that, so it was exciting. Once out we set sail westbound for Cape Cod.

Voyage across the Gulf of Maine

Cape Cod

The passage is 230 nm. long, so we were going to be out for over 48 hours. There are strong currents that flow in and out of the Gulf of Maine, to and from the Bay of Fundy, so winds and currents can create some confused seas. The northeasterly wind that was blowing us on a downwind tack was creating some impressive seas, but it was taking its toll on HOBO II's autopilot and Jim had to hand steer the entire time. Without being able to rest, Jim decided to head for Gloucester. As I write this, we have not heard of Jim's safe arrival, but our traveling companion on REBOOT has put out the word through the Maritime Mobile Net on ham frequency 14.300 mhz to keep a look out for him.
The entire crew of H20B0 was greatly relieved to pick up the mooring in Provincetown for a good night sleep. Only Sophie managed to get any shut-eye during the entire 46 hour passage. We came in with fog and woke up to sunshine. Unfortunately, Provincetown is not a customs entry point, so we cannot leave the boat. We will stay on the ball until we leave tomorrow morning bound for the Cape Cod Canal and Groten, CT.
NEWS FLASH: HOBO II has been located in Rockport, ME, and we will meet up with him later on.

Moving on from Hubbard's Cove

Well, we got Maggie's nose fixed in Bridgewater last Tuesday and it was time to leave. We needed a good short trip to shrug off the spell of bucolic Hubbard's Cove. The people that we met there were, without exception, wonderful. We could have easily stayed longer and enjoyed the hospitality of the folks there and the companionship of our friends down the road, but it is getting cold and it is time to move on if we still intend to follow the warmth.

Lunenburg from the harbour

Lunenburg was the perfect destination: far away enough to make us feel that we covered some ground and very picturesque. We had been there earlier in the summer with our friends, Terri and Drew, but we hitchhiked from the town of Mahone Bay, where we were docked. Lunenburg is so pretty that we had to stay on a wharf so that we could easily disembark and walk around.  

We figured that we would have to spend a couple of days in Lunenburg to wait for some decent weather to get us down the coast. It is getting tricky because gales are blowing in the north and hurricanes are still passing in the Atlantic.

Earlier on we had met some cruisers who had said that they remembered seeing us in Whitby, which was a mystery because we never stopped there. The confusion arose because there is another Corbin sailboat on Lake Ontario called HOBO II, and it had left this summer sailing down the St. Lawrence. Not a half hour after we docked in Lunenburg, HOBO II docked alongside us with its crew of one – Jim. He left Penatanguishine and sailed to Newfoundland for a family reunion and is making his way down to Panama bound for the Pacific Ocean. Seeing us cleared up a similar confusion his friends who were tracking his progress on ShipTrak were having. They were seeing us, H2OBO, instead of him and were insisting that his boat name was wrongly spelled. A good chuckle was had by all.  

Jim had told us that he had met another solo sailor, named Roger, on a boat called REBOOT in St. John's, NFLD. Roger pulled in the next day in his Catalina 42. We all got together and agreed that we would buddy boat down the eastern seaboard together.  So together we will be for the next few weeks.

After three nights in scenic Lunenburg, we had a chance to leave and we set out for Brooklyn, N.S. We are currently at the Brooklyn Marina and enjoying the warm hospitality of the folks here. On the western shore of the cove is the Bowater Mersey pulp mill; check out how they unload the highway tractors carrying wood fibre!

That is a highway tractor hauling two trailers!

Our little flotilla will likely be here for a couple more days as we wait for a weather window to head down the coast and then to cross the Gulf of Maine. Maggie and I are using the time to do a little maintenance and to make a few changes on the boat. Sophie also went to nearby Liverpool for a visit to the vet to get her rabies shot so that she can enter the U.S.

We just finished a supper of freshly caught mackeral that a young fellow named Brandon caught for us here in the cove. Later Maggie and I will be rocked gently to sleep as a 30 kt wind blows H2OBO at its mooring.  What bliss!

Branko

Birthday Nose Job

Every year, on my birthday I read the Globe and Mail,  and the Toronto Star's 'if today is your birthday' section of the horoscopes.
Last year,  as I moved on to the boat,  left my job and became a full time boat builder with Branko - my horoscope stated that next year at this time,   I would be surprised with where I would be.   I laughed at this,   thinking no way could I be surprised,  since I could be anywhere.

Well I was surprised.

Sunday September 12th  I was standing beside a flogging jib sheet.  it hit me in the face with a force that broke my nose in two places.  I quickly submerged my face in the freezer,  using a semi-frozen pork loin to  stop the pain - I soon moved to frozen vegetables as they were more pliable and did not leak meat juice down my face.

I thought it was just a bruise,  but when Branko looked, my nose was now S shaped.  Off to Emergency - thank goodness for Margaret, and Ken's truck - nothing could be done in emergency,  nor the next day at the clinic with the plastic surgeon -  however Tuesday September 14th, my birthday, saw me suiting up for surgery -the gown, the fasting, the cardiogram (say what??) and the requisite waiting period.

All was good though,  the plastic surgeon began our first conversation with "let me look at your sna-az"  and well,  I was hooked - he was great cause I got to put my clothes back on, got my nose frozen (hurt like heck) and then he casually "re-set" my nose back to its original straight beak.

You should see the other guy....

Voila,  I got a nose job for my birthday.  And yes, Branko is taking credit for the "job" as a birthday gift...

Maggie

Hanging around Hubbards

We left Mahone Bay at the end of August and sailed over to Hubbard's Cove (Black Harbour was filmed here) where our friends Ken and Margaret  live.   We had missed this spot on our way to Chester -  it is quite beautiful.  We took a mooring ball just off the fishing dock, and well, we are still here.

Hubbard's Cove

Drew and Terri - lobster dinner

Fishing boats (Hubbards) during the Hurricane

Before Terri and Drew left we enjoyed a huge lobster dinner at the Shore Club in Hubbards.  What a feast,  a salad bar that really was a salad bar (those who know me,  know how I love my veggie),  never ending mussels,  warm buns (yum), a delicious lobster each and to top it all off, home made desserts - in a parish hall type setting with red checkered tableclothes - just the ambiance we were looking for!  

Terri and Drew left the next day and we began our preparations for the hurricane. I begin below with my own account of the storm and my whereabouts.

For me the storm itself was a non-event,  as I was safely tucked away on shore.  My only concern was that everyone remained safe.   Fortunately, the cove and the men ensured all was well.

While Branko and Ken (the men) battled the elements to ensure H2obo was safe,    I stayed ashore and enjoyed the hospitality of Ken's family.  Margaret (the other Margaret) is Ken's wife, who is from the Hubbard's area.  After living across the country in Toronto and more recently in Vancouver decided that some time in the east coast would be good.   Ken and Margaret have four children,  Amy, Ian, Colleen and Michael -  who are loads of fun.

Margaret, Ian,Amy, colleen and Mike

and we all lived with Margaret's parents Rose and Paul who generously agreed to let me stay :-)

It was non-stop activity,   first a trip to make sure the men were OK and didn't need anything.  We found them well and happy -waiting for us to leave so they could continue whatever it was they were doing... me thinks watching movies.   Off to breakfast before the power went out,  then back to Rose and Paul's for a game of crib,  hide and go seek (the first round i was caught standing behind IT trying to figure out where to hide and how - i am much bigger then the last time i played this game)  - then we went again to visit the men,  who were now just in their shorts and again,  just waiting for us to leave :-)   

The wind and waves were apparent just outside the cove but H2obo seemed to be swinging around comfortably on the mooring - plus the men seemed non-pulsed,  so no need for me to yell over and offer my thoughts/opinions :-) yes this would be my way of helping.

So we left the men and went in search of ice cream,  which took a few hours - don't ask;  and then back home for a sandwich dinner because the power had gone out (the boat however had lights, a working stove, movies and refrigeration - we thought about swimming over to join them - but well, we were not invited.) Since there were no games or TV or movies and no lights we decided to play charades - which took a crazy turn to non-stop laughing.  Two teams, two nationalities, two accents and voila, non-stop laughter.  I had a great time.

Ian (at the Puddle) high tide

Hubbard's is a lovely area,  with great white sand beaches -  the water has been Caribbean warm and the weather the same.  We have swam  almost everyday sometimes twice - it makes us happy to know we will continue this way of life as we head south.

Maggie

Back to Baddeck Blog (courtesy of Kathy K.)

Hi  friends of Maggie & Branko,

Kathy and Maggie

This blog entry comes a little late.

 I'm Kathy from Toronto and I was with Maggie and Branko just before Bill, Gavin and Shannon.  My east coast adventure was two weeks; the first was with family, and the second week I was all alone (mostly), with just a rough itinerary, never knowing where I was going to eat or sleep, or even what day it was.  Pure bliss!!  Which is just a fraction of how Maggie and Branko must feel, with considerably more than a measly week of freedom ahead of them.

Need we say anything...:-)

Of all the adventures I experienced on my trip, by far the most fun I had was my time with the sailors, even though there was no sunshine and no sailing, and involved a museum, a knitting store, and a fiddle show.  I happily met up with the M&B at the wharf in Baddeck on a wet, dreary Wednesday morning, and I feel as though a magic spell was cast on us for the brief time we had together.  As Maggie mentioned, we had a great lunch, then on to the Alexander Graham Bell museum, which it turns out really is interesting.  We learned a lot about Bell, and my favourite part was watching the video of his daughters talking about growing up with this interesting man on their sprawling family property.

Learning to knit, pearl one and stab...

Afterwards, it was on to the knitting store for Maggie and me, while Branko went back to the boat to make dinner.  We had a blast at the knitting store.  It started when we walked in and Maggie announced to the owner, Pat, that she wants to make Branko a sweater.  Pat  was very amused to find out that Maggie had no knitting experience.  She was so amused that every time someone came in to the shop, Pat pointed to Maggie and told them about her ambitious plans.  Everyone laughed, and Maggie took the ribbing well.  She talked Maggie down to a scarf, and then maybe a blanket.  Pat and her husband of two years, Fred, were high school sweethearts, who went their separate ways and then reconnected after many decades...a very romantic story.  Fred gave Maggie some knitting lessons, and we happily left with a bagful of yarn.  (How's the scarf coming Maggie?)

The chef and captain with Sophie

Back to the boat for dinner, and just as my time with M&B was the best part of my trip, Branko's stew was the tastiest meal of my trip (and I had plenty of great food in two weeks).  I wish I could have come home with the recipe, but Branko just made it up as he went along -- and it was amazing.

Kathy with the talented fiddler

After dinner we went to the local Parish Hall for the Ceilidh, and for a couple of hours we just sat back and got lost in this wonderful Cape Breton tradition.  Well, M&B sat back until Nancy, the organizer, asked for four couples to come onstage for some dance lessons.  The first three couples quickly went up, and after a little coaxing, Branko grabbed Maggie by the hand and off they went.  So much fun!!!  Thankfully I had my camera with me, and got some great video.  If you want to see the dancers in action, please key in "h2obo Baddeck" and "h2obo in Baddeck" on Youtube.  Afterward, several people told Branko what a good dancer he was, but Maggie said it's just because he's tall and easy to see.

H2obo in Baddeck

Afterward, we went back to the boat and watched a very strange but excellent movie ( I can't remember the name), then off to bed.  I slept like a baby in my cozy little bed.  If you didn't have a chance to see the boat before M&B left, let me tell you -- it is gorgeous!  They did such a fantastic job building the interior from scratch.  I remember seeing it when it was just a hollow shell, and I never imagined the end result to be so impressive...so beautiful, comfortable, and efficient.  Every square inch of the interior is functional, and still esthetic.  I can see why Sophie is so happy and content!

 The next morning Maggie's cousin and his kids arrived just as I was leaving to continue my road trip.  You could see they were happy and excited to begin their adventure.

I want to thank you guys for your hospitality and the great memories!

Maybe I'll see you in the Bahamas or Croatia!

Note from H2obo -  Blog entry and pictures courtesy of Kathy :-)