Month: September 2023

The first night after Tropical Storm Lee made landfall in Nova Scotia was filled with a sense of apprehension, expecting the worst. Fortunately, we made the wise decision to leave the dock and seek refuge at the mooring buoy. The wind shifted from SE to SW as the boat began to sway with the wind and jostle on the waves. Strong gusts of wind rattled and groaned through the rigging.

The remaining impact of the storm was manageable; nothing was seriously damaged, just a few bolts had come loose, and our bimini’s clear film was slightly torn. I took care of tightening the bolts, while Iryna skillfully repaired the torn screen. Both of us emerged from this storm with a mild sense of trepidation, but ultimately unharmed. 🙂

We spent the rest of our day in Baddeck, strolling around the town and visiting the theatre, located in a former Masonic lodge. The play was called “The Hydrofoil Mystery,” and it revolved around (you guessed it!) Alexander Graham Bell and his attempt to conquer the high seas with a hydrofoil hydroplane during the First World War. The production was so good that even the seagulls took a break from their squawking to watch. We highly recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of Canadiana with a splash of drama.

The night turned into a hilarious game of bumper boats as we predictably bumped into the dock repeatedly. It was like a nautical version of a ping-pong! In the morning, we decided it was time to give the dock a break and moved our sailboat to the opposite side of the dock, where it was sheltered from the wind. I also performed a CTD-cast, which is basically a deep-sea dance move, and we finally treated ourselves to a much-needed shower (trust me, our fellow sailors appreciated it) and washed our clothes. Who knew that laundry could be an adventure at sea?

After a hearty lunch, the weather forecast delivered the news that standing at the dock would be about as wise as trying to juggle jellyfish. So, with a sense of adventure and a touch of panic, we decided to set sail and move across the harbour to a mooring buoy near the lighthouse, where we’d be protected from the southern winds. Arriving in the evening, we prepared dinner and celebrated the second month of our journey. It’s amazing how long two months can feel when you’re navigating the high seas, but every day brings new surprises – like discovering that we’re actually quite talented at unintentional dock ping-pong!

After passing a swelling ocean, we finally reached the entrance to the Great Bras d’Or Channel, where calmer weather awaited us. We spent the first night just after the entrance in Kelly Cove, in a run-down public wharf whose only advantage was free docking. Having taken CTD cast in the morning, we set off on our further journey, raising the sails. Before reaching the Seal Bridge, we realized that our speed under sail was not enough to overcome the oncoming current. When I turned on the engine, we noticed that its power was barely enough to move at a speed of 2 knots. Ultimately, after passing a narrow Channel, we came to a North shore with white gypsum cliffs – here were the famous plaster mines, which supplied high-quality plaster for finishing houses in New York. Soon after passing the white rocks, the Red Head opened up, which is located on BEINN BHREAGH (in Gaelic “beautiful mountain“), the famous estate of Alexander Graham Bell. After this cape, a lighthouse appeared, marking the entrance to the port of our destination Baddeck, where we would wait out Hurricane Lee.