Author: Jeff

I just dropped anchor in Gold River.  It’s 5 am and below freezing.  Slippery on deck, but comfy inside.

I did a driving tour of the yards I was thinking of for hauling Escapade.  Gold River Marina was the clear favourite.  I’ve never been there. 

They have a hard stop date of the end of November, so I started to look for a weather window to get down there from Bedford.  Thursday and Friday looked fine.  I booked the haul for Monday.

My furnace has been losing fluid for a while.  I fixed one known leak in August, and thought I was done.  But the leak has accelerated as I’ve been using the furnace.  I’ve been through all the obvious possibilities, and have been feeding it with fresh water regularly.  My plan is to remove it for detailed inspection and service when I haul.

Wednesday afternoon I headed in to Armdale with the intent of meeting a friend.  I ran out of water at anchor, and couldn’t feed the furnace so slept in the cold. 

Thursday I filled up with water at RNSYS, tried unsuccessfully to get the furnace to restart, and retreated to downtown Halifax for a meal out and some pondering.  By evening I had the furnace running by bypassing the low water alarm switch.

Feeling like maybe I’m on borrowed time with heat, I high tailed it here.  Maybe I’ll get hauled today.

I did get a call from Alderney Marina in Dartmouth on Wednesday.  I had identified that place as pretty much what I was looking for originally and called a while ago.  I might have considered it with more time to prepare.  Maybe next year.

Nothing in the photo album, and dark outside.  I will take some photos of the boat yard and haul out. It’s a delightful place.  They use a marine railroad with adjustable straps.  Quite ingenious.

I realize that it’s been a month since my last post.  I  didn’t mean for it to be that long, but not much has changed.

Escapade hasn’t moved much.  I raced on Narwhal for the Danginn Cup.  Lots of excitement, with a most enjoyable rum-fueled afterparty.  Tradition has the winner filling the trophy with rum and sharing amongst the competitors.  There was some initial confusion over the winner. Not us. In any case the trophy was topped up numerous times.

I put the boat on a mooring and took off for Ontario for a couple of weeks.  I’m back now pretty much where I left off, with winter coming.

So, winter plans?  I have a couple of weeks booked in March to tour the Norwegian coast.  December with family in Ontario.  January and February are open.

I gave some thought to actively cruising over the winter, but the only nearby place I’m excited to go is Newfoundland, and that’s in the wrong direction in January. 

So far the default is to haul and store Escapade in a few weeks and go ashore for a few months.  Sensible, but a little painful.  I’m putting it off.

Recent pics. I’m surprised RoRo vessels don’t capsize more often.   The last pic is of five cruise ships in Halifax.  I think some of them were there for storm avoidance.

The headline photo is my friend Andrew stopping by to say hello on his way back from the office.  He and I worked together here as tender operators almost 50 years ago.  Time flies.  He’s got a fully restored 20′ Boston Whaler.  A classic.

I arrived in Bedford yesterday.  Spent a few days in Lunenburg and Mahone Bay then came around in more brilliant weather.

I had made tentative plans to keep Escapade at AYC for the winter, but popped in and was told they have very few live aboard slips, and none are available.  So much for that plan.  I’d like to keep the boat safe afloat and operational, and come and go over the winter, staying aboard when here.  That may be harder than I thought it would be.

In the meantime, I have few immediate plans.  Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, getting my car from Saint John, and racing here next weekend.  That’s enough for now.

It’s hard to believe it’s October.  I’m a few miles offshore, beelining down the coast with a following breeze and current.  Sunny and warm.  It doesn’t get much better.

I’ve covered this shoreline pretty thoroughly during other trips.  Today I’ll get into the LaHave Islands, or maybe go on to Lunenburg.

Yesterday I left Yarmouth in sunny calm and had favourable currents out to Cape Sable, then rounded at slack tide.  I stopped in Port Latour for the night, and came out about 1000 today to catch the tide change.  Smooth sailing.

I’m anchored in Yarmouth.  It’s been something like five weeks since I was last here.  That was a fun and memorable loop.

Yesterday I got ashore for lunch in St Andrews, then meandered around Campobello and Deer Islands.  Very picturesque.  I anchored here last night just after dusk,

I seem to have a fair weather bubble around me. Today’s trip here from Grand Manan Island was pleasant and uneventful.  That’s the best it gets when traversing Fundy. 

I thought I was doing a radio piece until the crew arrived.  Should have hauled the fender in.  Nonetheless, I like it.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/ontario-boater-us-trip-maritimes-1.7649635

I should add a brief welcome to the many folks arriving here as a result of this fame.  This is my travelogue, and goes back a long time.  Enjoy, and if you want to keep up please subscribe.

Jeff

Beautiful day, calm and sunny.  I made it out of the river without incident, and had a pleasant run down here with a following current all the way.  Tomorrow looks a bit rough to cross over to NS, but I’ll explore the Canadian Islands between here and there tomorrow and head over on the weekend.

I forgot to mention fuel yesterday.  560 litres since Yarmouth.  902 miles/124 hours.  That’s very good for me.  I was travelling slow, and using the tides to advantage. 

Tomorrow I get back to salt water.  Slack current at the Reversing Falls is mid morning, and the current in the Bay of Fundy should be favourable to run west.  Next major destination is St. Andrews.  From there I’ll make my way to Nova Scotia and on to Halifax.  I’m planning to do the last sailing race of the year in Bedford on Oct 18.

It’s been great getting reacquainted with the area.  My paternal grandfather was born here in 1884, and it was nice to reconnect with local friends and relatives.  I won’t need a big reason to return.

Photos from a delightful local sightseeing cruise with Scott and Connell yesterday. 

I’m back at RKYC, where I departed eleven days ago.  I’ve traveled about 350 miles on the river system. Nice relaxed pace.

I’d highly recommend this trip, especially at this time of year.  The scenery is varied, navigation is easy, and there are a few decent provisioning spots.  I always like marshlands and small rivers and channels, and there’s some of that too.  I enjoyed it more than I was expecting.

Yesterday I went up the Kennebecasis River as far as I could, which was near Hampton.  Spent the night there, went ashore for lunch, and came back down here today.

My plan is to hang here for a couple of days, load up with fuel and groceries, and head out and along the coast towards the US border.  All new territory.

I’m enjoying this.  Fall colours are on full display.

Yesterday I made my way up the Canaan River, and stopped here for the night to sit out some rain and breeze.  This is as far up as I’ll go. Today I’ll head back down, and around towards Hatfield Point.