Our son David and his girls Callista and Esther joined us on the boat Friday evening with plans to visit Upper Canada Village on Saturday.What fun to step back in time and see how the wood was milled in the sawmills of that era,and how the wool mill, grist mill , the taverns , schools and farming all operated in the late 1800s. The special feature for the week was the 'riding/travelling'means of that era . All the horse and buggies and carriages were out for tourist to experience the ways one travelled in those days. We enjoyed the period clothing and were entertained by some actors and musicians. That afternoon it was back to the boat to pack up to go to Ottawa to David and Melissa's for the Sunday with their family and the Ottawa congregation. Sunday eve David and Marika brought us back to Adriana1. Thanks again for a great time together. Monday afternoon Bill and I were able to get tickets from the marina again to go back to 'The Village'.It was fun speaking with a lot of the people that work there and portray the life and work of the people who used to farm and work from the homes they moved to the village.
Tuesday, [July 30] we worked our way to the Iroquois Lock where Janet and her Aunt Shirley waved us on.We made it to the beautiful 1000 Islands and found a great anchorage. Not until we were around the islands and trees did we see the spot [that looked good to us on the charts] and did we realize how popular and protected a spot it was.Swimming in fresh water was great too.
Wednesday we arrived in Kingston about noon at one of the many marinas there. That afternoon we made plans to rent a car and go home for a weekend of family camping at Point Farms.So good to see everyone and enjoy the Lake Huron beach and waters
Tuesday morning we drove back to Adriana1. At about 10:30a.m.we were back on the waters to do the first of our 3 overnighters.- from Kingston to Port Dalhousie.We had good weather and winds and were able to sail and motorsail most of the way. We arrived at Port about 9:30 Thursday morning.We had just finished breakfast when we received a call. 'you have company. Can you open the gate?'Elissa and her boys were at the marina gate. Her husband ,Ryan ,had seen us come in since he and his dad were working on a house overlooking the marina area and called her right away. what fun! After a short visit she took my grocery list and came back around 5:30 to pick us up for supper at their home. Back to the boat[ with the groceries] in the eve. with plans to do the Welland canal and locks in the morning with Ryans help.
Thursday, Left 'Port' at 7:30 and headed for Port Weller. Making arrangements and paying when we arrived there-- we were told we would have a few hours to wait. The call came just before 1 p.m..The 8 locks we had to lock thru went smoothly. With each lock we went a bit higher on the escarpment . By the 5th and 6th lock when we were brought up- the view back was spectacular .With the long motoring between 7 and 8 lock we were contacted by Lydia and Adam that the were on their way to meet us in Port Colbourne too. We arrived around 7:15. It wasn't long and we were enjoying Pizza and salad with the 2 families and their little ones!
Friday to Monday , we rented a car again and spent time at home. Tuesday -back to do Lake Erie. Another overnigther.We left Port Colbourne at noon setting our direction for Leamington. The weather was warm but mostly overcast.As the afternoon progressed the wind and waves kept building so we sailed with reefed sails . Later during the night we took the sails down . there was not a lot of rhyme or system to the waves . They seemed to be confused as to where they wanted to roll.A good thing we have a strong motor. So for a better part of the night we motored. We were glad to see the morning light and calmer seas.We arrived in the well run and pretty port of Leamington midday.Wednesday.Later that afternoon Chris and Juanita and 3 of their children arrived. We enjoyed a nice dinner outing and after a good nights sleep said good-bye to Juanita and Ella and Nora..
it was Wiarton here we come. Chris and Michael[his 4 year old son] stayed with us.Thursday was sunny and no wind so we motored from Leamington to Detroit River on thru Lake St. Claire and river . As dark set in the lights along the St. Claire River lite up the night. About 10:30p.m. we were well on our way into Lake Huron waters. Chris took the first watch. Michael fell asleep in the cockpit area.At 3a.m. Bill took over and Chris and Michael could sleep comfortably in one of the cabin beds. Friday was a sunny calm day as we covered the big lake. About 5 p.m. we motored around exploring Tobemory. Pretty harbour with lots of small ferries and tour boats going out to the islands. We were excited to motor on to Wingfield Basin a protected bay on the north east side of the Bruce Penninsula. We had supper on the way since the waters were smooth plus Michael was promised his long awaited dingy ride when we got there. Not long after we dropped the anchor the dingy was dropped into the water and father and son were off to see the sunset and motor around the many boats in this great basin.Michael enjoyed every minute. Bill and I enjoyed a nice swim and meeting the close neighbours.
August 17th has arrived . We do our last leg---destination Wiarton. Juanita plans to meet us there around
1p.m.. We are well into Colpoys Bay when we realize we will be arriving in Wiarton near 12noon. So the decision is made to find a good spot to anchor for lunch and a swim. What clear water!!Good to be in home waters.After circling around outside the marina we noticed Juanita pull in so with cameras set on shore we made our way in.What a delight to be in our home port with familiar faces and docks. with our mission accomplished . We thank God who let us see so much of His amazing creation -the wind and waters , land and new skies all the time not forgetting the sea life.
That afternoon Malcolm , Naomi , Callum and Art[his father in law] joined us too, What a celebration!!
So ends the Adventures of Adriana1..
Until we get some help you will have to wait for us to post a series of pictures. We may receive that help on Monday
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Tadoussac to Wiarton[home port]
Three weeks ago on August 17th we arrived back in our home port, Wiarton.We crossed our wake . Ajourney started on August 15, 2011.And a great adventure it has been.As you know we took last winter off, leaving the boat in Lunnenberg, Nova Scotia.We resumed our journey the beginning of June.From there to Rimouski, Quebec took about 6 weeks. The next 4 weeks were really put on fast forward doing three overnighters [over 24 hour stints]. I will try to summerize and highlight this part.
Still working with currents on the mighty St. Lawrence. We were on a mission to arrive before the ebb tide affected us crossing the river to Tadoussac, a town at the mouth of the Saguenay River.Except for fog until the last hour we had the current in our favour.So amazing to see the fog lift and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The mouth of the Saguenay is one of the world's best places to watch whales. Because of the cold deep waters the whales spend a lot of time here feeding on krill [plentiful here].We saw Beluga[white] whales also a Fin whale and a Pilot whale, seals and porpoises. After our stay at the marina we headed for Cap L'Aigle seeing more Belugas on our way out.It was good motoring again with the current.At this marina we met Curtis who single-handed had come all the way from Duluth, Minnesota.We were able to give him some charts we didn't need any more since he was heading down river.
Quebec City here we come. With high winds and rain off and on we did deal with surprising high waves for the river. We were thankful the rain held off while we were looking for our entrance into our marina. We were excited to meet with Malcolm and Cindy and family here. They too had had a lot of wind on their drive from Ottawa. After meeting up and sharing dinner at the marina restaurant the weekend was planned.4 of the girls slept on board.Sat. we explored this romantic historical city. What fun to share this with Mal. and Cindy family. One of the highlights was touring the museum that was commemorating the 'Filles du Roi' [daughters of the King].Many can trace their heritage back to these young women arriving in New France in the 1670s to help populate the colony. Sunday was also special worshipping with the L'Eglise Reformee du Quebec in Quebec city.Monday was birthday time for Anna and I. After a lovely breakfast together we had to say our goodbyes. Since Quebec city still has a 15-19 foot tide varience a lock controls the water levels in the marina. While going thru the lock we on Adriana 1 received another send off from our family.
From Quebec City it was up the river to Port Neuf, from there thru the Richelieu rapids[nice current]to Sable Is. We anchored here in a nice little channel. With a big day ahead we had an early start. We headed for the Montreal part of the seaway and the locks there. We ended up doing 4 locks. We thought we would only be doing 3 but then the lock master let us pleasure boaters lock in behind a big freighter. This allowed us thru but made the move slower and by the time we were thru and motoring on to an anchorage it was getting late and dark. We were thankful that John, captain on a sailboat[that rafted along side of us thru the locks] told us where to find a good spot.It was good to get to this anchorage at St. Francis Lake] safe and sound after a 18 hour day. 2 more locks the next day and we were on our way to Ontario waters and Chrysler Park Marina near Iroquois and Upper Canada Village.Arriving here around 5p.m.soon to be greeted by our friend ,Janet McKay[secretary with RCR real estate since 1975]. She shares a family cottage near here. So good to see her. The next a.m. it was out for breakfast with Janet. She also took us to the grocery store and showed us her cottage on the St. Lawrence. That evening our other son from Ottawa, David and 2 of his girls arrived. Tomorrow we hope to finish the rest of the story and photos. good bye for now.
Still working with currents on the mighty St. Lawrence. We were on a mission to arrive before the ebb tide affected us crossing the river to Tadoussac, a town at the mouth of the Saguenay River.Except for fog until the last hour we had the current in our favour.So amazing to see the fog lift and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The mouth of the Saguenay is one of the world's best places to watch whales. Because of the cold deep waters the whales spend a lot of time here feeding on krill [plentiful here].We saw Beluga[white] whales also a Fin whale and a Pilot whale, seals and porpoises. After our stay at the marina we headed for Cap L'Aigle seeing more Belugas on our way out.It was good motoring again with the current.At this marina we met Curtis who single-handed had come all the way from Duluth, Minnesota.We were able to give him some charts we didn't need any more since he was heading down river.
Quebec City here we come. With high winds and rain off and on we did deal with surprising high waves for the river. We were thankful the rain held off while we were looking for our entrance into our marina. We were excited to meet with Malcolm and Cindy and family here. They too had had a lot of wind on their drive from Ottawa. After meeting up and sharing dinner at the marina restaurant the weekend was planned.4 of the girls slept on board.Sat. we explored this romantic historical city. What fun to share this with Mal. and Cindy family. One of the highlights was touring the museum that was commemorating the 'Filles du Roi' [daughters of the King].Many can trace their heritage back to these young women arriving in New France in the 1670s to help populate the colony. Sunday was also special worshipping with the L'Eglise Reformee du Quebec in Quebec city.Monday was birthday time for Anna and I. After a lovely breakfast together we had to say our goodbyes. Since Quebec city still has a 15-19 foot tide varience a lock controls the water levels in the marina. While going thru the lock we on Adriana 1 received another send off from our family.
From Quebec City it was up the river to Port Neuf, from there thru the Richelieu rapids[nice current]to Sable Is. We anchored here in a nice little channel. With a big day ahead we had an early start. We headed for the Montreal part of the seaway and the locks there. We ended up doing 4 locks. We thought we would only be doing 3 but then the lock master let us pleasure boaters lock in behind a big freighter. This allowed us thru but made the move slower and by the time we were thru and motoring on to an anchorage it was getting late and dark. We were thankful that John, captain on a sailboat[that rafted along side of us thru the locks] told us where to find a good spot.It was good to get to this anchorage at St. Francis Lake] safe and sound after a 18 hour day. 2 more locks the next day and we were on our way to Ontario waters and Chrysler Park Marina near Iroquois and Upper Canada Village.Arriving here around 5p.m.soon to be greeted by our friend ,Janet McKay[secretary with RCR real estate since 1975]. She shares a family cottage near here. So good to see her. The next a.m. it was out for breakfast with Janet. She also took us to the grocery store and showed us her cottage on the St. Lawrence. That evening our other son from Ottawa, David and 2 of his girls arrived. Tomorrow we hope to finish the rest of the story and photos. good bye for now.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Cont. Charlottetown to Gaspe
Here are some more photos on this part of our journey. mainly - on Bouctouche, Miramichi Bay[ Portage Is.] Chandler , Perce Rock and Gaspe Town.
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| View from Marina at Bouctouche |
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| Marina Club house at Bouctouche an Irving family project |
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| Elizabethan Gardens part of the Irving contribution to the people of Bouchtouce |
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| Annie the harbour master and our French teacher in Chandler Quebec |
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| Cap Blanc Lighthouse,approaching the village of Perce |
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| Famous Perce Rock, we could sail close to it |
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| Ile Bonaventure ,the island of sea birds |
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| Town of Gaspe Quebec |
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| Leaving Portage Island,Miramichi NB at 4 am |
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Charlottetown to Gaspe
We had a few blogging technical problems but glad to be up and running again.Charlottetown was great especially since we could enjoy it with Willem and Josiah still on board. We entered this port on Canada day coming from Pictou.The weather was warmer and the sun was shining. The cruise ship'Maasdam' was also docked there. This confederation town was alive with people and music celebrating Canada's 146th birthday.We enjoyed a dinner outing on the busy main street and later spectacular fireworks on the waterfront--viewed from our boat . On Wed. Bill and the boys took the dingy out for a tour of the harbour .and waterfront. This time the 'Veendam' was in port. One of the 75 cruise ships booked to visit Charlottetown this season. To finish the day we went to see the musical 'Anne of Green Gables'. . Thursday, we rented a car and toured the island , saw the beaches and visited Lucy Maud Mongomery's country.We also drove over to Summerside and saw and reserved a boat slip[dock] for the Friday.That was the first time Bill and I ever saw the marina before taking our boat there. We made our way back to Charlottetown Airport where Willem and Josiah were booked for a 6:30 flight back to T.O. and home . Fun having you share life on Adriana 1 with us Willem and Josiah!
From Charlottetown we headed to Summerside,Nova Scotia.Saturday we moved on to Bouctouche,New Bruinswick [also Acadia country]. Everyone is bilingual in this area with French being their first language.The harbour master, John, soon told us about the beautiful parklike grounds the Irving family cultivated and designed and maintain- with many species of trees and flower gardens -amazing. We sure enjoyed our walks through there.We were really impressed with the church Mrs. Irving had built on the grounds in 2004.This started off being a Scottish settlement and Scottish Presbyterian. The harbour clubhouse was also a very special design-- looked after by the Irvings too.It was hard to leave here but Monday morning it was onto Miramiche Bay and we anchored behind Portage Island. Still surprised not to see other boats on the move. Not like Georgian Bay this time of year. On Tuesday we lifted anchor at 4a.m and it was already getting light . Early start for a long day to Chandler, the start of our Gaspe Penninsula journey. We are into Quebec now and back on EStime. We were met by the Captiene de Port, Annie. Great help! She gave us french pronunciation lessons for boat terms. Lots of fun. Apparently the way we said 'sailboat' actually was the word for thief. She liked birds too. Another lesson ! From Chandler our trip took us to the town of Gaspe. Not without reporting we saw our first 2 whales in the distance.This trip also took us past Perce Rock and Ile Bon Aventure , just over from Perce. This Island is the home and nesting ground for thousands of Northren Gannets and many other sea birds--250,000 at least. The Gannets have kept us company for many days now. They fly together in such beautiful formation-like an airshow. We had one of the best sails going into the Gaspe Baie -about 15 miles of great winds and water. We needed fuel and our shaft needed attention and Gaspe turned out to be a good place to have these looked after. What a friendly town . We went shopping for a drapeau de Quebec,and the storekeeper gave it as a gift. Merci! The next day was another big day 85 miles. We experienced currents that held us back some ,making it a long day. We were so thankful to be greeted by folks on the docks to help us tie up at Riviere -La-Madeliene. A quiet little port. The Gaspe mountains and cliffs and pretty villages along the way -very scenic!. The next day we dealt with strong head winds so were glad to get into St. Anne de Monts. Monday we had strong winds again as we made our way to Matane . Here we were allowed to anchor in a commercial harbour not far from a ferry dock. We are currently in Rimouski at a dock. We had to motor today but the wind and water and current helped us really move today.The marina here is great. We are already fuelled up ready to move on to Tadoussac tomorrow, weather permitting. We get to cross the St Lawrence River. Our plan is to be in Quebec City this weekend and meet Malcolm and Cindy and family there.
From Charlottetown we headed to Summerside,Nova Scotia.Saturday we moved on to Bouctouche,New Bruinswick [also Acadia country]. Everyone is bilingual in this area with French being their first language.The harbour master, John, soon told us about the beautiful parklike grounds the Irving family cultivated and designed and maintain- with many species of trees and flower gardens -amazing. We sure enjoyed our walks through there.We were really impressed with the church Mrs. Irving had built on the grounds in 2004.This started off being a Scottish settlement and Scottish Presbyterian. The harbour clubhouse was also a very special design-- looked after by the Irvings too.It was hard to leave here but Monday morning it was onto Miramiche Bay and we anchored behind Portage Island. Still surprised not to see other boats on the move. Not like Georgian Bay this time of year. On Tuesday we lifted anchor at 4a.m and it was already getting light . Early start for a long day to Chandler, the start of our Gaspe Penninsula journey. We are into Quebec now and back on EStime. We were met by the Captiene de Port, Annie. Great help! She gave us french pronunciation lessons for boat terms. Lots of fun. Apparently the way we said 'sailboat' actually was the word for thief. She liked birds too. Another lesson ! From Chandler our trip took us to the town of Gaspe. Not without reporting we saw our first 2 whales in the distance.This trip also took us past Perce Rock and Ile Bon Aventure , just over from Perce. This Island is the home and nesting ground for thousands of Northren Gannets and many other sea birds--250,000 at least. The Gannets have kept us company for many days now. They fly together in such beautiful formation-like an airshow. We had one of the best sails going into the Gaspe Baie -about 15 miles of great winds and water. We needed fuel and our shaft needed attention and Gaspe turned out to be a good place to have these looked after. What a friendly town . We went shopping for a drapeau de Quebec,and the storekeeper gave it as a gift. Merci! The next day was another big day 85 miles. We experienced currents that held us back some ,making it a long day. We were so thankful to be greeted by folks on the docks to help us tie up at Riviere -La-Madeliene. A quiet little port. The Gaspe mountains and cliffs and pretty villages along the way -very scenic!. The next day we dealt with strong head winds so were glad to get into St. Anne de Monts. Monday we had strong winds again as we made our way to Matane . Here we were allowed to anchor in a commercial harbour not far from a ferry dock. We are currently in Rimouski at a dock. We had to motor today but the wind and water and current helped us really move today.The marina here is great. We are already fuelled up ready to move on to Tadoussac tomorrow, weather permitting. We get to cross the St Lawrence River. Our plan is to be in Quebec City this weekend and meet Malcolm and Cindy and family there.
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| Veendam Cruise Ship view from adriana 1 |
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| The three boys out for a cruise |
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| Lunch with Willem and Josiah in N.Rustico P.E.I |
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| Shawnie at Green Gables |
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| Josiah and Willem waiting at Charlottetown Airport for their flight home |
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| Confederation Bridge to P.E.I. We sailed under it on the way to Summerside P.E.I. |
More pictures from Charlottetown to Gaspe to follow.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Bras D'or Lakes to Pictou, Nova Scotia
Hello again
We are presently in a lovely marina in Summerside.Just arrived a few hours ago from Charlottetown . We have a lot to tell you about our jouney the last few weeks. We made it back to St. Peter's on June 19. Early [like 4 a.m.] we made our way to Sydney Airport for a 6:30 a.m. flight home. With grade 8 graduations , Josiah's and Marika's to name 2, Whispering Pines Nursery 20th anniversary [wow Greg and Sheri and team],a trip to Ottawa to visit family and witness Ronda's public profession of Faith- there was not a lot of down time. And on Wednesday, June 26 we received the call that Weston Jerimiah Van Berkel arrived --another son for Ryan and Elissa. What joy! and that we could meet him before going back to our boat the evening of June 27. All in the Lord's perfect time.
Thursday brought the excitment of meeting up with Willem and Josiah and heading to the plane for Sydney. Our dear friend ,Gerry was there to meet us and drive us back to our boat at a late hour..
The next morning the 4 of us were up bright and early . The boys and I went to the grocery store to get provisions while Bill prepared the boat. As soon as we arrived back we heard the bridge was up and the canal and lock was open for us.So Adriana 1 was on the move again with 2 more crew members. Decked in sweaters and rain jackets we made our way thru Lennox Passage that separates Cape Breton Island from Isle Madame. A picturesque waterway included a lift bridge and it opens up into Strait of Canso. At this entrance we saw 'Atlas' a big ocean tanker anchored in what the charts call an 'Anchor Berth.' The shipping lanes thru this strait only had pilot boats heading out to oceangoing ships that use this waterway.So we had clear passage through the lock and canal plus a bridge that handles the causeway to Cape Breton Island had to be lifted.On the way Willem and Josiah soon had the seaman's alphabet memorized .They were great at spotting buoy markers too. Remember -Red Right Returning. We had some brisk winds and waves coming out of the Strait of Canso into the Northumberland Strait which did give us an opportunity to do some sailing for a few hours. Actually the winds went up to 25+ knots the last hour . We were thankful to find the entrance into Ballantyne Cove but then had a bit of a challenge finding a place to dock our boat and no one there to direct us. It was full of Lobster boats and there were shallow areas to watch out for. After turning the boat around our Captain Bill noticed a spot to dock. It was awkward since the wind pushed us away from the dock ,plus we needed a little more time to get fenders and lines ready. We were so thankful to receive help from shore and very ready to settle in and relax after a long day. Saturday we woke up to more rain with plans to go to Pictou, N.S. . Along with rain we also dealt with fog. The new crew was introduced to radar and the radar screen on our chart plotter. We had strong S/ S/W winds-- 19 -23 knots but favourable for our course so the sails went up . We did have a incident with the jib sheets[lines] The winds tangled them into a knot,so the only thing Bill could do was cut one of them so we could furl the sail and put the boat back on course for Pictou. We arrived at Hector Quay Marina in the pretty town of Pictou around 3p.m.It was wonderful to have the dock master tell us where to dock so we could be ready .He and a helper tied us up. This marina is named after the boat that brought the first Scottish settlers to this town in 1773. A replica of this ship, Hector finds it's home in this marina. A pretty town with beautiful old but cared for church buildings. We were able to worship in one of these old Presbyterian church buildings. I'm sure it would have been filled to the rafters when family worship was still important not that many generations ago.
When we arrived in the marina we noticed a boat with Owen Sound on their boat, Modaki. The neat part of this meeting them is that they come from Owen Sound and are doing the east coast in stages. They have already made their way down the St. Lawrence ,down the Gaspe' ,New Bruinswick shores. These are all places we will soon be covering . They gave us many tips and ideas for our trip up . thank you Joe and Yvonne from Owen Sound.
The next story will tell about our visit to Charlottetown and onward.
We are presently in a lovely marina in Summerside.Just arrived a few hours ago from Charlottetown . We have a lot to tell you about our jouney the last few weeks. We made it back to St. Peter's on June 19. Early [like 4 a.m.] we made our way to Sydney Airport for a 6:30 a.m. flight home. With grade 8 graduations , Josiah's and Marika's to name 2, Whispering Pines Nursery 20th anniversary [wow Greg and Sheri and team],a trip to Ottawa to visit family and witness Ronda's public profession of Faith- there was not a lot of down time. And on Wednesday, June 26 we received the call that Weston Jerimiah Van Berkel arrived --another son for Ryan and Elissa. What joy! and that we could meet him before going back to our boat the evening of June 27. All in the Lord's perfect time.
Thursday brought the excitment of meeting up with Willem and Josiah and heading to the plane for Sydney. Our dear friend ,Gerry was there to meet us and drive us back to our boat at a late hour..
The next morning the 4 of us were up bright and early . The boys and I went to the grocery store to get provisions while Bill prepared the boat. As soon as we arrived back we heard the bridge was up and the canal and lock was open for us.So Adriana 1 was on the move again with 2 more crew members. Decked in sweaters and rain jackets we made our way thru Lennox Passage that separates Cape Breton Island from Isle Madame. A picturesque waterway included a lift bridge and it opens up into Strait of Canso. At this entrance we saw 'Atlas' a big ocean tanker anchored in what the charts call an 'Anchor Berth.' The shipping lanes thru this strait only had pilot boats heading out to oceangoing ships that use this waterway.So we had clear passage through the lock and canal plus a bridge that handles the causeway to Cape Breton Island had to be lifted.On the way Willem and Josiah soon had the seaman's alphabet memorized .They were great at spotting buoy markers too. Remember -Red Right Returning. We had some brisk winds and waves coming out of the Strait of Canso into the Northumberland Strait which did give us an opportunity to do some sailing for a few hours. Actually the winds went up to 25+ knots the last hour . We were thankful to find the entrance into Ballantyne Cove but then had a bit of a challenge finding a place to dock our boat and no one there to direct us. It was full of Lobster boats and there were shallow areas to watch out for. After turning the boat around our Captain Bill noticed a spot to dock. It was awkward since the wind pushed us away from the dock ,plus we needed a little more time to get fenders and lines ready. We were so thankful to receive help from shore and very ready to settle in and relax after a long day. Saturday we woke up to more rain with plans to go to Pictou, N.S. . Along with rain we also dealt with fog. The new crew was introduced to radar and the radar screen on our chart plotter. We had strong S/ S/W winds-- 19 -23 knots but favourable for our course so the sails went up . We did have a incident with the jib sheets[lines] The winds tangled them into a knot,so the only thing Bill could do was cut one of them so we could furl the sail and put the boat back on course for Pictou. We arrived at Hector Quay Marina in the pretty town of Pictou around 3p.m.It was wonderful to have the dock master tell us where to dock so we could be ready .He and a helper tied us up. This marina is named after the boat that brought the first Scottish settlers to this town in 1773. A replica of this ship, Hector finds it's home in this marina. A pretty town with beautiful old but cared for church buildings. We were able to worship in one of these old Presbyterian church buildings. I'm sure it would have been filled to the rafters when family worship was still important not that many generations ago.
When we arrived in the marina we noticed a boat with Owen Sound on their boat, Modaki. The neat part of this meeting them is that they come from Owen Sound and are doing the east coast in stages. They have already made their way down the St. Lawrence ,down the Gaspe' ,New Bruinswick shores. These are all places we will soon be covering . They gave us many tips and ideas for our trip up . thank you Joe and Yvonne from Owen Sound.
The next story will tell about our visit to Charlottetown and onward.
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| Lennox Passage Bridge ,Isle Madame NS |
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| Josiah and Willem |
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| "Hector" without the masts, Pictou NS |
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| Pictou NS |
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| Church at Barra Str. Bras D'or Lakes |
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Halifax to Baddeck
Our plans to leave Halifax were altered on the Thursday morning when the mechanics noticed a warn ' motor mount'. This ment ordering a new one and waiting 'til Monday to have it replaced. This was all very providential since hurricane'Andrea' did give the eastern sea board of Nova Scotia a lot of rain and some wind for a few days. It also gave us opportunity to meet boaters preparing to make crossings to Europe ,some going via Greenland and others straight across to the UK. Sunday was also very special, spending it with the Covenant ARP congregation in Halifax.
Monday morning the new mount was mounted and after saying our farewells we left the harbour around 11:30 a.m. with plans to do an overnight trip to St. Peter's Canal at the bottom end of the Bras D'or Lakes on Cape Breton Island.The day was clear with sunlight until almost 10p.m..We were able to sail for a lot of the daylight hours. But when the night and the fog crept in the radar had to go on and so did the engine to keep the equipment charged.As the night settled in we saw the 'Maasdam' cruiseship go by south of us.nicely lite up.We didn't see many boats on the radar.At one point we noticed that a coast guard boat was not far from us. They blew their fog horn a few times and Bill responded. Other times they responded to our horn.Helped keep us warm. Not really! The damp cold was the only real down side of anotherwise uneventfull trip. We started to near the Canso Strait as the early morning light was leaving the night behind but not the fog. That needed some stronger rays to be burnt off. We slowed down so a tanker we saw on the radar could make it up the shipping lane before we crossed it. As we were crossing the sun broke thru and we could also see the tanker in the distance and another sailboat 'Puffin' behind us.
We took our sails down just before we came into the marked channel to the entrance to the St. Peter's canal.About 11:30 a.m. we tied up to the wall of the canal, only to find out the canal is closed for the Tuesday and Wed. due to Park's Canada cut backs. The good part of the story is we could stay there. , sleep and not have to be concerned about finding an anchorage. After a few hours sleep we watched lobster boats come in while we ate supper. A truck was there to pick up the fresh lobster. The next morning we walked to St. Peters . in the rain. to go to Tim Horton's and to the marina to use their wifi to book our flight home for the next week[20th]. Gerry from the marina had come to our boat to invite us. The people are so friendly . We needed groceries too and since it was raining it wasn't long we were offered a ride back to the boat. We also meet Robert and Louise on 'Puffin'. also tied up at the canal and waiting. They are from Wales and a few years ago built a house at Ross Pond on the Bras D'or lake. They spend 1/2 year in Wales and the other in their Cape Breton home. They invited us to visit them with our boat. We had coffee at their home on Sat.. Anchored in Ross Pond Friday night next to 'Puffin'' .Exploring the Lakes here has been fun. Saturday afternoon we motored thru the Barras Strait-- straight into Great Bras D'or Lake on to Baddeck. [Alexander G. Bell Country]. What a pretty area!!Again people are so friendly. Sunday was great and sunny . That is a whole story in itself. Monday we made it to the A.G.Bell museum. fascinating!! Tomorrow we work our way back to St. Peters canal leaving our boat at the Lions club Marina where Gerry has offered to take us to the airport in Sydney on Thurs. so we can go home for Many wonderful reasons. not the least being to bring back Willem and Josiah (grandsons) for a sail with us thru the Canso Strait and canal[lock] to Charlottetown,PEI , the next leg of our trip.D.V. 'til then.
Monday morning the new mount was mounted and after saying our farewells we left the harbour around 11:30 a.m. with plans to do an overnight trip to St. Peter's Canal at the bottom end of the Bras D'or Lakes on Cape Breton Island.The day was clear with sunlight until almost 10p.m..We were able to sail for a lot of the daylight hours. But when the night and the fog crept in the radar had to go on and so did the engine to keep the equipment charged.As the night settled in we saw the 'Maasdam' cruiseship go by south of us.nicely lite up.We didn't see many boats on the radar.At one point we noticed that a coast guard boat was not far from us. They blew their fog horn a few times and Bill responded. Other times they responded to our horn.Helped keep us warm. Not really! The damp cold was the only real down side of anotherwise uneventfull trip. We started to near the Canso Strait as the early morning light was leaving the night behind but not the fog. That needed some stronger rays to be burnt off. We slowed down so a tanker we saw on the radar could make it up the shipping lane before we crossed it. As we were crossing the sun broke thru and we could also see the tanker in the distance and another sailboat 'Puffin' behind us.
We took our sails down just before we came into the marked channel to the entrance to the St. Peter's canal.About 11:30 a.m. we tied up to the wall of the canal, only to find out the canal is closed for the Tuesday and Wed. due to Park's Canada cut backs. The good part of the story is we could stay there. , sleep and not have to be concerned about finding an anchorage. After a few hours sleep we watched lobster boats come in while we ate supper. A truck was there to pick up the fresh lobster. The next morning we walked to St. Peters . in the rain. to go to Tim Horton's and to the marina to use their wifi to book our flight home for the next week[20th]. Gerry from the marina had come to our boat to invite us. The people are so friendly . We needed groceries too and since it was raining it wasn't long we were offered a ride back to the boat. We also meet Robert and Louise on 'Puffin'. also tied up at the canal and waiting. They are from Wales and a few years ago built a house at Ross Pond on the Bras D'or lake. They spend 1/2 year in Wales and the other in their Cape Breton home. They invited us to visit them with our boat. We had coffee at their home on Sat.. Anchored in Ross Pond Friday night next to 'Puffin'' .Exploring the Lakes here has been fun. Saturday afternoon we motored thru the Barras Strait-- straight into Great Bras D'or Lake on to Baddeck. [Alexander G. Bell Country]. What a pretty area!!Again people are so friendly. Sunday was great and sunny . That is a whole story in itself. Monday we made it to the A.G.Bell museum. fascinating!! Tomorrow we work our way back to St. Peters canal leaving our boat at the Lions club Marina where Gerry has offered to take us to the airport in Sydney on Thurs. so we can go home for Many wonderful reasons. not the least being to bring back Willem and Josiah (grandsons) for a sail with us thru the Canso Strait and canal[lock] to Charlottetown,PEI , the next leg of our trip.D.V. 'til then.
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| Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron Club House |
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| Leaving Halifax Harbour |
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| St Peter's Bras D'or Lakes |
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| Adriana 1 in St Peter's Canal |
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| Ross Pond Adriana 1 and Puffin |
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| Bridge opening for us at Barra Str. |
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| Wharf and lake view at Baddeck, Bras Do'r Lakes |
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