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.

View from Marina at Bouctouche

Marina Club house at Bouctouche  an Irving family project

Elizabethan Gardens part of the Irving  contribution to the people of Bouchtouce

Annie the harbour master and our French teacher in Chandler Quebec

Cap Blanc Lighthouse,approaching the village of Perce

Famous Perce Rock, we could sail close to it

Ile Bonaventure ,the island of sea birds

Town of Gaspe Quebec

Leaving Portage Island,Miramichi NB at 4 am

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.

Veendam Cruise Ship  view from adriana 1

The three boys out for a cruise

Lunch with Willem and Josiah in N.Rustico P.E.I

Shawnie at Green Gables

Josiah and Willem waiting at Charlottetown Airport for their flight home

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.

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.

Lennox Passage Bridge ,Isle Madame NS

Josiah and Willem

"Hector" without the masts, Pictou NS

Pictou NS

Church at Barra Str. Bras D'or Lakes

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.
 

Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron Club House

Leaving Halifax Harbour

St Peter's Bras D'or Lakes

Adriana 1 in St Peter's Canal

Ross Pond  Adriana 1 and Puffin

Bridge opening for us at Barra Str.

Wharf and lake view at Baddeck, Bras Do'r Lakes

The following pictures are related to the previous posting of Adriana 1 :

Preparing Adriana 1 for the trip home

Goodbye to Lunenberg NS

Hello Chester ,we were  tied to a CYC mooring ball

Shawnie at the Halifax Wharf

Famous Pier 21

The adventure continues-- May 2013

We are back on the waters on Adriana 1.Ready to restart the adventure!
   Last Sept.we left our boat in a shipyard in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia where the Bluenose 3 also wintered.After spending the last 8 months at home in Markdale we arrived back in Lunenburg on Tuesday, May 28th.The boat was launched on the Thursday the same day we picked up Mark and Brenda from the airport in Halifax. The 4 of us watched it slip into the waters. Bill and Mark motored it over to the wharf while Brenda and I drove the truck over to where Adriana 1 would be prepared for the last leg of the circuit we started on August 15 of 2011.That afternoon  the dingy went up and an extra anchor sided up to the other one. Sails went up , engines were checked, some cleaning and provisioning was looked after. We shared a couple of great days with Mark and Brenda.After farewells, Adriana1 took us to Chester. From Chester to Halifax.This trip tested the sea worthiness of our ship. All systems worked well in the fog , wind and waves. Again we were thankful for radar, chartplotters and a sturdy ship.We were very excited when the fog cleared as we entered the waters carrying us into the Halifax port. It was 65 years ago and 63 years ago that our parents[families] came into this harbour docking at Pier 21, to start a whole new life in this country as did so many immigrant families in those years.We did get a taste of this experience when we received a great tour at Pier 21.  George ,our guide,let us see it thru his eyes and the film portrayed so many more experiences, feelings and emotions .This was a 'dream come true' for both of us to sail into this harbour .Looking back we can give thanks for the courage our parents had to go thru with this big change and for all our God has given us , his children, on this part of our family's pilgrimage.
 We are enjoying beautiful weather here in Halifax at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. Today we were delighted to have the company of Greg and Sally LeBlanc from Ottawa/Carp and his sister Jan of Halifax. Thanks to Greg and Jan's father Pier 21 became the beautiful centre it is today.It was his vision and much fund raising that saw this come to fruition.
 Tomorrow we plan to start heading towards the Bras D'or Lakes, Cape Breton Island .Pictures to follow.

Freeport,Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

 A little more on our adventure.We are presently enjoying Yarmouth. N.S. and waiting to see what course hurricane 'Leslie takes. We are safe and sound at the town wharf (as they call the docks) here. We are now on the last leg of our jouney for this year.
  Maine waters are beautiful and except for lobsterpods everywhere we sure appreciated the waters and coastlines  in this part of our trip.  Camden, a lovely port in Penobscot Bay on the Maine coastline came highly recommended as a must see place. We are glad we stopped to enjoy this anchorage and town.. We stopped at 2 places on Mt. Desert Is.[also  the Acadia National Park], Bass Harbour on the southwest shore and Bar Harbour on the East shore. After one more anchorage we made it into our Canadian waters. On wed. Aug. 29  we were given a 2012 clearance number and welcomed back by the customs officer after making a phone call  from Head Harbour marina. This harbour is found on the top end of Campobello Island, N.B. Coming here we did deal with strong currents since this is where the Atlantic ocean, Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy converge.

Camden MN

Adriana 1dwarfed by a small cruise ship Bar Harbor

Main st Bar Harbor

Lighthouse at Head Harbour Campobello Island NB

Bill picking up Klaas and Margaret from the wharf at St Andrew-by- the-sea

Klaas and Margaret whale whatching Bay of  Fundy

Fin whale Bay of Fundy

Tourist centre Yarmouth NS

Adriana 1 at the wharf in Yarmouth NS

   The next morning, August 30 we were enjoying a nice motor- sail heading to St. Andrews, N.B. when our engine overheated. With the engine off and sails up  Bill was able to clean out the through- haul and after a while the  coolant registered favourable temps. Now we were able to motor through a channel  with currents  and eddies into Passamoquoddy Bay to St. Andrews on the Sea. It was exciting to come to this port by water. We'd seen it by land a few times.This is the only time we've had the dock hand help us tie up to a mooring ball.  That was great. Now we were able to prepare for  the arrival of our sister and brother-in-law, Klaas and Marg.   Friday eve. at 7 after a few text messages, Bill was on the wharf ready to meet them and bring them to the boat by dingy . So good to see them!! We were given beautiful weather the whole time they were with us.We toured Ross Museum , an amazing flower garden.Enjoyed  hikes to a lookouts that offered amazing views of St Croix River etc. And to top it all we sure enjoyed the fin whales on the Monday and Tuesday we took the boat out to Campobello Island . Besides fin whales we saw one Humpback whale, seals, and lots of porpoises. Thanks to Klaas we were able to identify more sea gulls and terns by name. All in all God's creation amazes us ever day again-also in the sunsets. Wednesday a.m. was farewell again. Wednesday was also rain and fog. But we were thankful it cleared enough to make  anchoring possible . This was the first time we had to anchor without the engine since it over heated again. This time it was the 'belt' and an O ring on the strainer. This set us back one day. But the next day we had a good sail to anchorage on  east side of Grand Manan Island.From here we sailed to our current port, Yarmouth. We did have 2 -3 hours of fog but it cleared just as we turned into the channel. Praise God.