The start of
our cruise did not go exactly as planned.
We had intended to leave Tuesday (June 2nd) morning for Cape Charles,
top up our fuel tanks and then head around Cape Charles directly for
Newfoundland. The weather forecast for
offshore had been changing daily and it looked at one time as if we would have
a suitable window - not on Tuesday night.
Passage Weather was advising consistent 25 knot NE winds for the next
several days. Since our heading would be
NE we decided we could be in Cape May before the weather turned and would
therefore gain couple of days and be a
whole lot more comfortable in the process.
So we gave Gregers a mini tour of the Chesapeake: Cape Charles,
Crisfield, Solomons and Annapolis. We
went through the C & D on Saturday and departed the Cohassey River on the
New Jersey side of the Delaware Bay early Sunday morning. The Cohassey River is very interesting; One
green number 2 somewhere off to the side of the dredged entrance into a swift
flowing and deep river. No other marks
and the dredged channel is not deep, we felt our way in and anchored in a river
bend for a very peaceful night.
We rounded
Cape May about 1000 hrs on Sunday and headed for Newfoundland in a nice SE
breeze. First order of business - make
water to fill the empty port tank. Water
maker would not run - kicked out on low pressure. We decided to press on foregoing showers or
other forms of bathing until we arrived.
The conditions were fabulous, we were making 7 knots on a beam reach in
20 to 25 knots with a reefed main and the staysail and did so for two and half
days. The wind moderated substantially
after that and we decided to change our destination to Halifax, Nova Scotia
because it is directly on the way and we would have the necessary facilities to
effect repairs (also the thought of an additional three days with no bath did
not appeal to some of us).
We motor
sailed in light air from the stern and reached Halifax late afternoon on
Thursday. We tried the Hlifax Marina
right down town but decided it would Royal be an uncomfortable place to stay -
and there were no showers. So we moved
to the Royal Nova Scotian Yacht Squadron on the North West Arm. A very well run and welcoming facility (the
oldest Yacht Squadron in N. America - I have been unable to find out the
difference between a Yacht Squadron and a Yacht Club but I believe there is
one.
Halifax is a
lively city with a lot going on down town at night. This is the start of their summer season and
the weather has been gorgeous although it is raining as I write this on
Saturday morning. The water maker is
fixed, the auto pilot rudder reference arm and the hydraulic pump foundation
are fixed and the water no longer pours in at the mast partners. Life is good and we intend to depart first
thing tomorrow for St John's.
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