Change of Plans

The weather didn't cooperate so, we changed plans and turned in to Ingonish on Cape Breton Island. It's a beautiful diversion though it was very scary coming in at 10PM through a 30 foot wide entry channel. More on this when we have more time online. Still hoping to get to Newfoundland in the coming days.

On our way to Newfoundland

We did not succumb to the temptations of the Bras D'or Lakes. The weather was warm, the sky was sunny, no fog and no waves. Not to mention that the scenery is gorgeous. It's a boater's paradise. But we feel like we're on a mission so, we're currently on our way to Newfoundland having left Baddeck around 12:30. There is supposed to be 15-20 knots of wind out of the southwest but there's nothing right now so we're motoring. We will try to update this when we arrive tomorrow.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Lunenberg to White Head Harbour

After a fun-filled five days with Molly and Tim cruising from Lunenberg to Halifax with various stops in Mahone Bay, we set out on Sunday, July 19, for our trip up the coast to the Bras D'or Lakes. Despite the forecast of dissipating fog, we had pea soup just about all the way to Owl's Head Bay. We were rewarded the next day with clear skies and wind out of the southwest. After a great sail we arrived at Spanish Ship Bay near Liscomb late in the afternoon and were struck by the strong smell of pine coming off the land. There are just an incredible amount of pine trees on the shoreline. This area is much more remote than the coast below Halifax. Even though Spanish Ship Bay is deep, large, and offers great protection from all directions, we were the only ones in the anchorage. We were thinking that if this were Maine, it would be full of mooring bouys. We were lucky to be there, too, as the next two days brought very heavy rains and more thick fog. We left Spanish Ship on Thursday and had to deal with 15 knot headwinds. Since this was no fun, we cut the day short and went into Webb Cove in Isaacs Harbour. Friday brought more of the same wind so we just motored a short way up the coast to White Head. This update is sent via SSB so we are limiting it to just the facts--we'll elaborate more when we have Internet access. There are not many towns on the coast between Halifax and Canso, so we anticipate that St. Peter's on Cape Breton Island will be our next encounter with city life.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Shelburne to Lunenberg, NS

Shelburne was very quiet compared to our previous visits. The friendliest yacht club on the coast was still friendly, just empty. We spent one night then headed out. The wind was on the nose so we had a very lively sail up to Lockport Harbour. Dozens of sailboats zoomed passed us in the Marblehead to Halifax race. In Lockport, we were the only boat in the peaceful anchorage. Amy's saxophone playing roused the loons into mating calls.The next morning as we did the routine oil check, we noticed oil leaking from the plate behind the newly installed raw water pump. New worries ensued. We tightened up the nuts and hoped for the best. The wind was still out of the northeast but we had a better angle to work with and had a gorgeous sail to Port Mouton. This anchorage was more crowded (three boats) and we had to hunt for our perfect spot.

We headed out for Lunenberg the next morning with the best wind of the week. Although it was out of the east, our angle was even better than the day before so it was just a one tack day. Later on in the afternoon, the wind was behind us so we were able to deploy our whisker pole and enjoy a wing and wing sail all the way to Lunenberg Harbour. It ranked as one of our best sailing days ever. And good thing, too, since we still had this new oil leak to worry us.

Lunenberg is a little picture book village with brightly colored houses perched on a hillside. It used to be a major fishing port and is now home to one of the best maritime museums anywhere. It is also home to Bluenose II, a replica of the famous Bluenose fishing schooner, which won many a race. The people of Lunenberg are a friendly bunch. Everyone says hello on the street and you can sit in a cyber cafe 'til the cows come home and never be chased out no matter how crowded it gets.

In Lunenberg, we poured through the engine manuals and at first, thought the problem might be bad oil. We were about to change it but after reading the label on the oil jug, we figured that wasn't the issue. Then we noticed that the coolant was low. We checked the dipstick several times and could not get a reading. We had heard from the mechanic in Cape May that if you check the stick and don't get a reading, it could mean that the coolant has leaked into the oil which means a seal has given out. We began suspecting the worst. We asked some folks working on a nearby boat if they could recommend a local mechanic. Without hestitation, they said, Kenny Knickle, prounced Kanickel.

We gave him a call and he came out that evening at 5:30. Kenny it turns out, is in very high demand. He said all the other local mechanics had moved out to Alberta to work in the oil fields. He diagnosed our problems very quickly. The coolant was leaking out from a hose connection which had nothing to do with the oil leak. We had replaced many hoses before the trip and some just needed re-tightening due to normal settling in. The oil leak from the pump was similar. The nuts just needed more tightening than we had given them. The right size tools did the trick. He then gave us this advice: "Go tie up securely to a dock and put the boat in forward and give it full throttle for one hour. Then add some Lucas oil stabilizer." For all his time and advice, he charged us nearly nothing.

We went to a nearby dock on Saturday and did the exercise Kenny had recommended. Black smoke billowed for an hour and coated the transom in soot. Kenny Kurlychek then had to do a thorough cleaning and in the process, saw some rope around the prop. A

number of attemps with the boat hook only proved that the material was indeed rope and not seaweed. We tried taping a knife to the boat hook in order to cut it away but this did not work. So, Kenny Kurlychek had to don his wet suit and go for a swim. Luckily, the rope came off quickly and Kenny Kurlychek did not get too cold. Anyway, when we checked for leaks in the motor, we were pleased to see that the one we were most concerned about, was virtually gone. Whether it goes away completely or not, we are relieved to know that the problem is not the major catastrophe we feared. Hurray.

(Begin Amy)

Right now there is a street fest and craft fest underway. There is live music in the square from 10a.m until 4 p.m. and all the merchants have their goods out on the street at half price. The craft fair is full of homemade baubles that might go well in your great aunt's house. There were some ladies selling hemp oil, which is apparently a cure for everything. I asked them some questions about it, and they inquired as to what might be ailing me.

"Club foot," I responded.

You should've seen the look on their faces.

I burst out laughing much to their relief.

Molly and Tim, Amy's sister and brother-in-law from Massachusetts will be joining us on Mary T today. The welcoming ceremony will include a shot of Captain Morgan's Private Stock rum followed by the handing out of rags and clorox to each new crew member whereupon they are told to clear a spot for themselves amongst the mold.

They will be aboard Mary T for 5 days during which time we will make our way up to Halifax. We've made arrangements for them to leave their car at a restaurant called the Knot Pub, which is off the beaten path and undiscovered by most tourists. It is the best pub in the whole world. The food is good, the ambiance cozy, and the staff efficient and friendly, so it is busy every day all of the time.

Anyway, I think it's time to finally get out of this lovely coffee shop before our butts become permanently affixed to these seats.

Sheepscot River, ME to Shelburne, NS

We left the Townsend's dock on Saturday, July 4th and motored down the Sheepscot River headed for Nova Scotai. About an hour into the trip, Corning called to say we left our binoculars at his house. We arranged to meet him back at a marina in Ebencook Harbor. The side-trip took us only an extra half hour. We thank you again, Corning, for taking the trouble to endure holiday traffic in the town of Boothbay Harbor to deliver us our binos.

Later, about 20-25 miles off the coast of Maine, we heard reports of severe thunderstorms heading our way. We were still in range of our Verizon broadband so, we went to a weather web site and saw one tracking right towards us. We took our sails down, turned off all the electronics and went below for safety. After about 15-20 minutes and a lot of rain, we realized that the worst of it was on either side of us. We did not get a direct hit. We got underway again and had no weather issues after that although we saw lightening far off in the distance.

The wind was directly behind us for our trip across so we tacked downwind for a more comfortable ride. It was the best long-distance sailing we had in all our recent passages. On Sunday morning we were treated to the sight of the silhouette of whales, breaching in the path of the morning sun.

We didn't try to time our arrival at Cape Sable Island to catch a favorable tide but we lucked out and had it with us. We were doing 9.1 knots at one point. And, although there were many large commercial fishing boats in the area, none posed a real navigational problem for us. They all seemed to be working in a predictable fashion that allowed us to drive between them without getting in their way.

We arrived in Shelburne Harbour around 7AM safe and sound. We took a mooring at the local yacht club, checked in with Canadian customs and then went to sleep.

It's Tuesday evening and we are now anchored in Lockport Harbour, just up the coast from Shelburne. Just us and the loons.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

The Rain in Maine is Certainly a Pain

(Note: the position reports are working again. The explanation for the inaccurate placement is that Pangolin's positions are saved only to the nearest minute of latitude and longitude so as to conserve data base space.)

So, we’re shopping in a grocery store in Boothbay and this one ancient Mainer asks an even older man if he can recall experiencing a month wetter than June of 2009. The second man doesn’t hesitate for a second and says, “Sure, November, 1944.” We figured he must have been referring to the infamous rains that hampered the Allied forces during the Battle of the Bulge. A small history lesson given right there in the cereal aisle put it all in perspective for us.

After leaving the Robinhood Marine Center and going to Love Cove, we did nothing but wait for decent weather. It was either raining heavily with fog or the wind was straight out of the direction we wanted to go. Or, it was all three—fog, rain, and east/southeast wind. So, we waited, and waited and then took up Corning and Tita’s offer to come to their house up in the far reaches of the Sheepscot River.

We put the boat on a mooring in a nearby marina rather than staying on the free mooring we had in Love Cove. Not knowing whose mooring it was nor its ability to hold our boat in a strong blow, would not allow us to rest easy while away. We would have motored up the river to their house, but the fog made pea soup look like chicken broth.

The Townsends live on Davis Island and have a stunning view of the Sheepscot and Back Rivers. They generously put us up in their guest room and treated us royally. Their house is in the final stages of renovations yet still looks great.

Tita is a very talented artist working in various mediums and Corning is a naval architect extraordinaire. They are both possessed with great senses of humor so the evenings were non-stop laugh fests. We celebrated Amy’s birthday with a superb home-cooked meal and enjoyed a long jam session with many different instruments. And, although everyone seems to be somewhat musically inclined, no one seems to have mastered any one instrument. This did not deter us in the least, much to the neighbors’ chagrin.

On Saturday, June 27, the Townsends loaned us their car and gave directions to a very nice hiking trail in a nearby state reserve. As the day worn on it actually got hot! We hadn’t sweated in weeks. So, in order to cool off, we went to Boothbay Harbor for lunch where the temperature was about 15 degrees cooler. We also visited the towns of Damariscotta and Wiscasset.

After breakfast on Sunday, we contemplated our next move. The Townsends invited us to stay longer but we were thinking we might have an opportunity to head eastward to Nova Scotia on Monday so we went back to the boat. Corning came out to the Mary T with us to play his concertina for Amy who needed some music for her upcoming production tentatively entitled, “The Great Sailing Adventure” which is about our 2007-2008 cruise. Monday broke foggy and rainy but we figured we should move just to keep the barnacles from growing on the boat’s bottom. We got out on the Sheepscot heading southeast and realized we wouldn’t enjoy going very far. So, we settled on Christmas Cove just up the Damariscotta River. The fog and rain never let up until we were entering the cove. According to our calculations, we had about 800 feet of visibility. With the forecast for more of the same for the entire week, we decided to take up the Townsends on their original offer.

While sitting at our mooring Monday, our condo tenant called us to say that it had been a very tough June. The kitchen faucet needed repair, the AC was on the blink and the refrigerator was toast. But worst of all, the place had been broken into. The thief, or thieves, pried the door off from its hinges and stole John’s two laptops before apparently being scared by something and taking off. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The door can be replaced but sadly, what lingers is the feeling of vulnerability.

After digesting all that bad news, we considered the bright side—nothing had gone wrong with the condo in all the years we (and John) have lived there and we feel very fortunate to have such a responsible tenant keeping on top of things.

On Tuesday, we went back to the Sheepscot and travelled all the way upriver to the Townsend’s dock. We’ve resigned ourselves to sit here until we get some dryer, clearer, and more favorable weather. Or maybe, we’ll just move in for good. Townsend Manor is very comfortable, offers amazing views, and the company couldn’t be better.

The weather and subsequent shipboard mold, the expensive condo and boat repairs are testing our patience. Yet the spirit of the crew of the Mary T is not easily dampened. Each obstacle is a lesson from which we learn and grow.

Ahhh... such beautiful fog.