Voyage 2016: Chapter 2

7 Jul 2016, On to Shelburne NS, 43 17.724 N/ 067 41.364 W

We left Handy Boat at 0600 with light SW winds and moderate swell-like seas. Lobster floats pretty much disappeared once we reached 70 fathoms (420 ft.) However, they reappeared on some of the underwater 'hills' that were only 270'. Most of them were radar reflective so we could see them. Speaking of fog, it rolled in with a vengeance! And it would no go way for almost 30 hours. The Captain heard the Admiral say more than once "I don't like it!". The only two things about the fog are: we saw a fog bow and it lifted just as we rounded McNut's Island at the outer reaches of Shelburne Harbour.

The 52 hour voyage took only 35 hours due to a mostly favorable current and expert luck on our part. As we approached McNut, the fog lifted, the sun went down, and we motorsailed the 20+ nm drive up the Harbour. At 0030 ADT, we laid anchor off of Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club (SHYC) and called Canadian Customs. We were fearful that they would insist that we tie up on the dark face dock at SHYC but instead they asked for some information and simply gave us a CANPASS number. Bob dropped the Q flag and raised the Canadian courtesy flag. We are now guests of Canada!

17 Jul 2016, Shelourne and Founders Day, 43 45.498 N/ 065 19.446 W

Last Thursday, we moved to our mooring ball at SHYC. Good to be back after two years. Only problem was that the weather was wet and nasty so we decided to stay on the boat. Fewer foreign boats here this year. We and another USA boat were it, the rest were locals. On Friday, the weather improved and we ventured out on our dinghy to the Club. We saw Jason, Mary, Bruce, and a bunch of new faces including Gail, Jerrica, Claire, Megyn, and lots of others. We signed up for the Friday dinner which was lobster rolls and Caesar seafood salad. Afterwards,, Bruce and Clark had an impromptu jam session outside the bar. Good stuff.

Saturday, we walked to Sobey's for provision replenishment. It was hot and humid! The heat slowed us up as this was the first real heat we've experienced on this voyage. On Sunday, we had to skip church as the weather turned nasty again. Another day, mostly on the boat. On Monday, s/v Over Budget arrived from Gloucester MA. They picked a less than opportune weather window where moderate winds were on the nose much of the way. They still managed to get burgers at the Sea Dog and we all visited the Dory museum where we talked to the master dory builder. We learned the difference between Shelburne and Lunenburg dories.

The next several days, we wandered around Shelburne and enjoyed

the cool, clear air. Trips to the Sobey's, hardware store, Chineese restaurant, an a couple of doo-dad shops kept us busy. OB invited us over for meatloaf (a Capt. Bob favorite) and Jule reciprocated the following day with a Capt. Ann feast. Too much eating going on.

Thursday, s/v Tootl-oo and sv Calista arrived. They were special as Customs made a trip to visit them both. Jule and OB were previously checked in with a phone call only. The races were cancelled due to high winds but we later found many of boats filled with their crews and drinks everywhere. Dave of Amethyst and Herb on Ali-Cat insisted that we participated and so we did. Luckily, Bob was in OK shape to drive the dinghy back to the big boat.

Founders Day opened on Friday with with hot weather. Loyalists set up camp near the tents that will host the Farmers' market. The Aborigine village was located near the British encampment. Don't know how the soldiers could stand the heat. Don't know how Capt. Bob could stand the heat on Jule doing boat maintenance. We had a brief break on the maintenance task when Johnathon came by and gave us a doggie fix with his two yellow Labs. Nice folks!

Friday afternoon saw the first of the Founder's Day races. We watched from our bow as Sou'west, Natural High, Amyseth, Frascati, Ali-Cat, and the rest of the fleet left for the races. We told all of them that we would root for them (if they won).It was a long race with three classes competing. The race ended just before dark. That was good because the fireworks started shortly after that.

Just before dark, fog began its slow creep into the Harbour. We

thought that fog and firework displays don't mix but actually the combination gave an eerie glow to the show. The fog did not touch the water everywhere so the lower level fireworks were clear and the high flying one provided the glow. It was a long day so after the show, we headed for our berths. Lots of moving boats in and around the mooring fields with pretty thick fog encouraged us to double check our anchor light.

Saturday turned out to be the busiest of the Founders' Days. The soldiers marched, they fought battles, canons boomed, muskets fired, casualties and bad guys fell. The Loyalists marched back to camp after yet another victory against the French. Between marching and shooting, Ann went to the Farmers' market to pick up bread and a few trinkets.

Saturday's Parade of Lights saw over twenty boats participating including two from SHYC. There was no fog but the night was a bit hazy. Most of the boats were decked out lobster fishing vessels. There was one sailboat (SHYC) and one trawler (SHYC) that participated. These guys know how to do a parade! MV Brown Eye Girl, SHYC trawler won first place.

Sunday started with a SHYC blueberry pancake and sausage breakfast. Volunteers from the Club did it all. Afterwards, Bob went to St. Thomas church for Sunday Mass while Ann represented us at the Loyalist Sunday service under the tent. Day was a bit warm so we both had to take it slow and not mess up our 'dressy' clothes. Race awards with pizza were presented in the afternoon along with a picture slideshow. It was not as crowded as we expected but we did our fair share of pizza-ing and cheering. Weather has a departure date next Tuesday so Monday will be a day of preparation. Hope weather holds.