Hurricane Watch in Nova Scotia ... Part 2

My friend Ken , whose family recently moved to the area from Vancouver, was interested in riding out Hurricane Earl with me, so the night before the storm was due to hit, he came aboard and Maggie went ashore to spend time with  Ken's wife (also name Margaret) and their four children.  Sophie stayed aboard because we figured that hurricane force winds buffeting the boat would be less traumatic than removing her from her favorite sleeping spots.

Earl was not expected to hit until the following midday, so the evening was pleasantly spent talking and watching movies.  I had a sound sleep but awoke early as the winds started to blow with Earl's approach.  Hubbard's Cove is tucked into a corner of St. Margaret's Bay, and H2OBO is moored near the mouth of the cove.  As the wind steadily increased we could see the waves marching across the cove entrance and breaking on the shore.  We only rolled a little as the waves fanned out from the point of land that marked the cove entrance.

Overnight, Earl had taken an eastward detour from the route he was originally expected to take.  Instead of making landfall in Yarmouth, he was travelling just off the southwestern shore, and it now looked as though he would hit near us somewhere in Lunenberg county, in which Hubbard's is situated .  We had on the local all-news radio station that seemingly had reporters posted all over Nova Scotia giving live updates of the hurricane with wind speeds, rainfall amounts, power outages, and fools getting swept into the ocean while watching the waves break on the rocks.  The seas out there were 7 to 10 meters high.

Around noon is when the action peaked.  H2OBO bucked in the wind and swung on its mooring but all remained secure.  I had one of the weather boards out so we could clearly see astern.  Every once in a while we would see the dinghy, which was tied to a stern cleat, get caught in a gust, rise up and flip over.  This happened about a dozen times,but no harm was done since the outboard engine was firmly mounted on its spot on the stern pulpit.

The eye must have passed very close by because there was a period when the winds diminished and the sky brightened followed after while by a return of the winds with equal intensity.

Apart from a few times when I mistakenly thought that we might have dragged our mooring, my only source of anxiety was the wind generator.  It is a Rutland 913, which I am very happy with in every respect.  It has a thermal switch which allows the rotor to freewheel in the event that the internal mechanism starts to overheat in high winds.
When this happened, the rotor spun so fast that I wondered how it did not break apart.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Earl, two boats in the cove broke free of their moorings and went ashore, power to over 200,000 people in the province went out, one person drowned somewhere while trying to secure their boat, many trees and branches snapped in the wind, and Sophie slept through most of it.  Maggie spent the time with her new friends enjoying their down-east hospitality, checking on Ken and me from shore, and playing games with the children by flashlight and candlelight.

H2OBO in Hurricane Earl

While at no time did I feel I was in any danger, I certainly felt alive.  And that was the end of Earl - our first named storm.

Hurricane Watch in Nova Scotia ... Part 1

I was going to talk about how we hit a rock while gunkholing in Tangier Bay on the Eastern Shore of Halifax. That resulted in a haul-out to repair the damage (I am sure the rock got the worst of it). But hurricane season on the atlantic coast has become the bigger news item, at least from our viewpoint.

If you have checked our blog, you will see us sitting in Hubbard's Cove, on a mooring ball. This is as good a spot as we could hope for in this situation. During hurricane Juan, about 4 years ago, no boats in the cove were lost. We are hoping for the same result this time.

Earl should hit sometime this weekend and we have been working to prepare for him. We have chafe gear on the mooring bridle and an extra line to the mooring anchor, stripped all the canvas off the boat, secured all the lines, lashed down the boom, removed valuable items and documents from the boat....the list goes on from there. We will be ready.

We will likely be here until the depressions off the coast of Africa cease forming at the present rate. Once we see a generous weather window, we plan to sail to Cape Cod to spend some time in that part of New England. We had been planning on going to Annapolis, but we will instead stage a trip to Bermuda from Newport, RI, and then go to the Bahamas. All this probably will not happen until October, because after Earl, there are Fiona, Gaston and the rest of the hurricanes and tropical storms lurking out there.

The weather and water temperature here have been uncharacteristically warm, as it is along the whole eastern seaboard, so this is feeding the depressions. It will take cooler, drier weather to break the chain of storms marching across the Atlantic.

For now, Maggie and I are going for a swim off one of the beautiful nearby beaches because today it is hot and sunny. Enjoy yourself while you can.

Branko

Sailing on the South Shore

Terri and Drew

Embarking on a journey by sailboat is a daunting and daring idea for many. For certain it is not for the 
faint of heart or for those in a hurry. It is special and unique to be able to experience even a part of it. You learn early on that living or staying on a 39 foot sailboat with about 200 square feet of living space is a far cry from conventional life. The adjustment is easier than you might think.

Time slows to a crawl out here on the east coast, and it’s easy to fall into the unhurried pace of life. This too is fitting, because living on a sailboat means that each task to be done, each meal to be cooked, takes a measure of time, planning and patience to complete.  Pleasure is found in the simple things like a coffee on deck, the sun shining on a beautiful bay, the people that you meet and the time spent with good friends. The joy is in the journey itself. 

H2OBO in Halifax 

Seeing Maggie and Branko for the first time since they left is an ecstatic reunion. It’s so easy to pick up where we left off, happy to be together on this leg of their adventure. 

Lunenburg

Evening in Mahone Bay

We were fortunate to make several stops along the spectacular south shore of Nova Scotia. We had excellent weather for both sailing and motoring. We motored and sailed to Chester, followed by the town of Mahone Bay, a day trip (via hitchhike and taxi) to Lunenburg and motored/sailed to Hubbard’s Cove for our last day. Lucky for us the taxi to Lunenburg showed up when it did - Branko claimed that no one would stop for us because the less pretty couple (Drew & I), were leading the thumb attempt. But, we’ll never know for sure. I must give mention to Mike the horse in Lunenburg – if you are ever there, he is tethered near the downtown wharf with his carriage attached, and stamps his hoof impatiently waiting to take his next customers for a tour of the town.

Terri

Each location has its own charm, as well as the renowned east coast hospitality. In Chester, we dined on fresh beans compliments of a local who took a shine to Maggie during a walk and a chat. We were offered the loan of several cars, by people who knew us all of a few minutes. When Maggie and I ended up at the beach in Hubbard’s Cove without any cash for the entry fee, we were graciously allowed entrance with no second thought. It’s easy to see why people fall in love with this part of the country. 
The highlight has been being able to spend our time with our best friends, sharing lots of good laughs, great food, music and just plain fun. Branko and Drew got an enormous amount of pleasure over the use of a $10 game set that included Dominoes and Backgammon. Maggie and I trounced Drew & Branko several times playing euchre, and the game of hearts has become our new challenge.
   
One of my favourite times was an early morning walk in Mahone Bay with just Maggie and I. We found the best view of the famous 3 churches, and enjoyed a beautiful calm and sunny morning, sipping on a coffee as we walked and chatted. 

Fishing floats

We had a beautiful time, and are looking forward to more!
 Thanks again Maggie and Branko!    


                                                                Terri and Drew


Note from H2obo: pictures and blog by Terri