The Adventures of JOINT VENTURE – Chapter III
(1975 Alberg 37 Yawl,
Ken and Anita Tillotson
August
17 -
Ste
Anne des Monts, Quebec
It has been a long, but
productive time here. Ste Anne des Monts is a lovely little town that is being
landscaped and generally painted and refurbished this year. There are wood
sculptures made from driftwood in the
Alain Pratt, with the aid
of his jovial brother, Richard, helper Jean Guy, and shy carpenter Claude, have
accomplished a huge amount of work on Joint Venture. Alain is a tall slender
man with a quiet confidence and a gentle, wry sense of humour.
Ken, Alain and Jean Going Over New Volvo Engine Specs
His past maritime
experiences are varied and he has been all over the world. He figures that he
has built about 150 boats over the years. As he worked, he explained what he
was doing every step of the way; Ken asked if he did not know.
In total, we spent 30 days
at Ste Anne des Monts; much of the time spent there was waiting for the new
engine or a part for it ....delayed because of hurricane Katrina.
Here is the work that was
done: Removal of the old engine and the tear down to reveal our specific
problem(s), moved and installed plumbing for galley sink, created new counter
to replace where the sink was, fibre glassed delaminated areas of the engine
room sole, installed aluminum engine mounts, inventoried and sorted out all
wires and hoses leaving a very neat engine room indeed!
New Engine Mounting Brackets
New Galley Sink Location
Our new Volvo D2 40 HP
engine was installed, aligned and tested. In addition, at our request the
following work was done: an aluminum double bow-roller was created and
installed: the rollers themselves are made of stainless steel as is the 1 inch
pin carrying the rollers, with a grease nipple at either end.
Claude Putting Finishing Touches on the
Double Bow Roller
We had a heater (29000
BTU) installed neatly in the salon; the bow chocks were reinforced properly
with backing plates; a chain pipe for handling our anchor chain was installed
in the anchor locker; the forward hatch had two more clasps added, to help
ensure water tight integrity. A diesel
transfer pump was installed to the extra collapsible diesel tank; all the
wiring on the boat was checked out and some problems fixed. During the process
of removing the original engine, Alain pointed out a number of other deficiencies
related to the Durham Marine heat exchanger installation. The large nut holding
the flywheel was undone by hand....that is, it was never tightened up at all! The
hoses from the heat exchanger were supposed to be connected to the hot water
tank.....they were not, and were left loose and hanging. Alain generally could
not believe how poorly the Durham Marine mechanical workmanship was performed
and at such a ridiculous cost. Alain took out the original engine, tore it
apart, and installed the new engine for less $ than Durham Marine charged to
install the heat exchanger. How do you spell lawsuit in French? Oh well, it
doesn't really matter; Alain is bilingual.
Clearly the highlight
here, for us, is having our new Volvo D2 40 hp engine installed. With a dry
weight of just 392 lbs. it replaces a 30 year old 550+ lb. 25 hp engine.
Technology changes. The base engine was developed for industrial applications
for heavy and medium duty and marinized for the highest marine demands.
New Engine Being Installed
The D2-40 is fitted with freshwater
cooling as standard. This 4 cylinder diesel is very smooth running with
re-designed combustion chambers and lower engine speed -2800-3200 rpm- together
with the new inlet air silencer reduce engine noise by 3-4 dBA. The engine's
high torque provides excellent operating characteristics to aid maneuvering, especially
in confined spaces. The engine comes equipped with a 115 A alternator that has
an electronic sensor for optimal charging capability. At idle the alternator
provides 40-50 amps, and at cruising rpm about 100 amps. It is environmentally friendlier,
with an advanced combustion system to increase fuel burning efficiency and
minimize noxious exhaust emissions. Recommended oil changes for this engine are
every 500 hours or once every season!
Now as you might imagine,
I was getting fed up with having my home be a construction site, but in the
end, it was all worth it. In his spare time, Alain introduced us to friends of
his who invited us for a delicious dinner.
Their house sits facing the river and has a wonderful view. They said that
they particularly liked watching the thunderstorms on the river, with their
nearly panoramic view. Very hospitable folks. Alain has artwork in the little
park right beside their house. The adjoining land was purchased by them, made
into a park with the attendant artwork and landscaping, and subsequently given
back to the town. While in the park Alain showed us where to find edible
mushrooms. Very tasty! Most of the topsoil transported to the park contained
edible mushroom spores.
Alain, Ken and of course, the Mushrooms!
Being able to access the
internet was great. It became an almost daily routine to take the 20 minute
walk to the Maison des Culture (the library). We finally overcame various problems getting
the previous two chapters on the web by being in daily contact with Tom
Assenmacher by e-mail. We were able to check our bank balances and deal with
financial matters online. The Caisse Populaire bank was nearby as needed...it
was needed! We feel comfortable in the knowledge that Joint Venture is now much
more ready to cross the
We met some great cruisers
during our stay. Lorraine & Jean from
Two large sailboats came
in together. They were both in the 40 foot range. Michelle & Jurgen Reinhardt have a young
black miniature schnauzer, and very hyper. We visited with them the evening of their
arrival and heard their hair raising story. Heading down the St Lawrence, half
way between
The cost of hauling and
wintering a boat is quite low if you pay a membership fee of less than $100. The
facilities described in the information from the internet are everything we would
want. They gave us an application form and we filled it out and mailed it and a
cheque to the club. We will likely meet these folks again, if not this year,
then next. They like the idea of several boats going together for protection. Ken's
not crazy about the idea and I can remember past experiences traveling with
other boats which makes me reluctant as well. We feel that we need to be ready
to handle our own problems and not worry about fitting into someone else's
itinerary. We will see. Anyway, great folks. We can all picture meeting each
other in the
Ste
Anne des Monts, Quebec
It's a bright sunny
morning as we prepare to leave. We are finally on our way at
There was about 7 ft of
water beside the dock at low tide. Cap de Madeleine is a small village with
some houses painted a pale pink. All
the colorful little cottages and motor homes are on different levels because
there simply isn't much flat land.
On the high forested
ridge, that looks down on the village,
is a statue of St. Madeleine that is illuminated at night. The wind howled
during the night, as the forecasted gale made the boat shudder. It was difficult
to stay asleep, and we both were awake off and on all night. 40 -45 knots of
wind and the Genco dodger, bimini and surround stood the test with no apparent
harm.
Cap
de Madelaine, Quebec
The next morning the wind
had mostly blown itself out. When Ken tried to start the engine, there appeared
to be no power and the circuit would go dead. Switching to both batteries
allowed us to start without any problem. Hmmm. Also, Ken noted that the engine compartment
light and the starboard salon light were both burnt out.
We headed for Rivere au
Renard about 40 miles distant. On the way, we saw quite a few seals peering at
us with rather disapproving looks. It prompted Ken to wave and say hi. The
seals were not impressed and dived. The wind was behind us as we motor sailed along.
The sun was shining but we could see clouds behind us. The wind stayed moderate
and only started to build later in the day as we closed in on our destination.
A good 30 knots to finish out the day.
It was hard to find the
entrance to Riviere au Renard; the chart plotter didn't have it for some
reason. Once we were close though, the entrance could be seen. We quietly
motored past large fishing boats to the small pleasure craft docks at the
bottom of the harbour.
As we approached the dock,
I realized that it was very short, so I positioned myself outside the life
line, forward in order to jump off and keep the boat from hitting the adjacent dock.
The distance was just a little too far as I prepared to jump. Suddenly my feet
slipped out from under me; so there I am hanging from the lifelines by my left
armpit. As I try to get my feet on the dock just out of reach, I get one toe of
one foot on, and then the other, and in desperation I push myself towards the
dock and land safely. That was the closest I have ever come to landing in the drink!
By this time the boat is nearly stopped, as Ken has leaped to the dock with the
stern line. Ken was to remind me later that with this new engine, he has the
torque to curtail forward momentum pretty quickly. I was still thinking of
landing with the old engine. Oh well, just another few bruises. Since we hadn't
slept much the night before, we both were glad to sleep for a few hours in the
afternoon and go to bed early.
Riviere
au
The forecast is good and
we leave early to round the
Magnificent Tip of the
We were making such good
time in the mild weather, and with the season so short, that we decided rather
than go into
By
We noticed, as we often
have, how clean and pretty these small towns are. Houses are well maintained
and painted pretty colours. Ken phoned Alain about the electrical problem we
have been having. He will meet us in
Bonaventure which is located in Bay des Chalmers. We will call him when we
arrive there. Steak for supper. Our barbequer does a superb job. Tomorrow we
leave to visit the
We didn't leave until
As I started to ask him
what he saw, he glanced back and shouted urgently, "The dinghy, get the
dinghy!" Sure enough, the waves had managed to move the dinghy. I ran in
bare feet down the beach watching as each wave moved the dinghy further into
the water. Finally, the dinghy was in the water but the line was still ashore
and I pounced on it. There had been nothing to tie the dinghy line to; we
thought that it was safe enough mostly out of the water. We dinghied out into the bay and down to the
houses at the bottom, perhaps a mile distant. This time we pulled the dinghy
completely out of the water because there was nothing to tie to again. I
lounged in a wooden recliner chair in the warm sunshine and kept an eye on the
dinghy while Ken jogged down a highway to a gas station to call Alain and tell
him that we won't be in Bonaventure until tomorrow.
Back at the boat, we found
the anchorage was rolly. We enjoyed a leisurely supper and called it a day.
Port
We were up early , pulled anchor, and were on our way to Bonaventure. The
waves got smaller and the seas calmer as we progressed further into the Bay. Small villages line the shoreline. As we
motored into Bonaventure, there were about 30 boats on two long docks, mostly
sailboats. We went to a long visitor’s dock, where a fellow boater indicated
was for visitors. He also let us know the combination for the dock gates.
There was electricity but
only at 15 amps so we had to be careful to keep our current draw within that. The first thing we did was trip the circuit. Later that evening, the marina manager showed
Ken where the breaker box was located. We hoped to make some phone calls but
the only phone was in the locked office. The marina is also a very large park
with many outbuildings, electrical outlets and sites for trailers and tents. This
was a favourite walking area for Chelsey and I.
Several sailors stopped to admire the boat and
ask us how long we were staying. They are having a race on Saturday and we are
invited to participate. Ken's eyes lit up, but I feel strongly against racing
our boat, because it is also our home. Although we are assured repeatedly
"it's just a friendly little race", I know my captain - there is no
such thing as a little friendly race...he goes all out. Ken respects my wishes
and indicates we will not take part. We had finished supper and had concluded
that Alain wasn't coming.
We were relaxing with some
wine, when we heard a knock on the boat...Alain and his girlfriend France, were
there. The gate was locked, so Alain had climbed over. While Alain looked into
our electrical problem, with Ken in his typical pose, bending over his shoulder
to watch carefully. The problem was identified quickly and Alain set to work to
fix it. I poured some wine for France, who is a young beautiful girl with long
blonde hair. She is from
I have a headache
(hangover) and lay around most of the day when I'm not taking Chelsey for her
walkies. We listen to the forecasts of storm force winds and storm surge which
might hit southern
There are a lot of sailors
sitting around the picnic area in front of their yacht club building. They are
all very friendly, but almost no one speaks English. Alain is coming back
Saturday night for a visit, so we are staying here at least until Sunday. The
wind is blowing strongly from the wrong direction, so we are content to enjoy
the relative calm where we are. Later
that evening, it rains and we get some wind but nothing compared to what was
forecast.
Bonaventure is a good size
town with a major highway running through it. The next day we walked into town and did some
grocery shopping. We were somewhat foot sore by the time we got back. As the
day progressed, the sailors gathered. Although the wind outside the bay was
still very strong, down where we are, there is just a nice wind for the racers.
We are invited for a beer and a hotdog that evening between 5 and
The day is overcast and
rainy. The forecast is still for strong winds on the nose; so we stay. The wind should be in our favour tomorrow and
we want to leave early so I prepare a note for the marina manager giving our address
and asking him to send us a bill for our stay. Chelsey and I take the
opportunity to go for walks between rain showers. I enjoy a nice long read of a
novel while Ken peruses some sailing books while the rain gently patters on the
boat and surround. A very relaxing day.
Anita and Chelsey
We are on our way early
after taking Chelsey ashore and leaving our note for the manager. The wind is
light and behind us so we make very good time motoring out of the bay. The wind builds up from the northwest and
pushes us along nicely under genoa alone. As we approach
The wind is behind us off
the starboard quarter which pushes us along but with a rolling motion which I find
sickening. The weather will deteriorate as we get later into the fall, so we
decide to do the overnighter. Our Autohelm has problems holding the course in
the strengthening wind, so we hand steer taking turns. The rolling bothers me
so we take one and a half hour watches. Then I bury my head in a pillow and
drop off to sleep quickly.
We worry about Chelsey's needs
and try to encourage her to do her business in the cockpit. She finally does
after waiting as long as she could. We praise her and clean up the little mess
without comment. Her health has been very good since we increased her insulin a
month or so ago.
As I came up to take my
watch in the middle of the night, I saw a huge cruise ship totally lit up
behind us and overtaking us on the starboard side at least half a mile away.
Later that night Ken notices the same ship in the distance heading south. Throughout
most of the night the wind is from behind at 20-22 knots.
As daylight breaks, the
waves continue to make the boat roll and we still have a few hours to go. Finally,
we see the buoys to follow into
We top up the diesel and
take a long end dock. Chelsey seems to say "about time" as we race
down the dock....she doesn't quite make it, and looks at me with accusing eyes.
Another gale is in the forecast. We are happy to be in port until the wind is
favorable for us. As we register at the marina, we meet a very friendly older
fellow. He tells us that the nearby restaurant is closing at the end of
business today. They are selling all the menu items for $5.00 and all alcoholic
drinks for $3.00 starting at lunch. After taking Chelsey back to the boat, we
decide to go there right away, as it is just before lunch and there is sure to
be a big crowd during the
The marina staff guys are
very friendly and willing to chat. Peter, one of the boaters there, volunteers
to drive us to town if we want to do some shopping. We do and he drives us all
over town telling us the history of the town. The population swells from 15,000
to 75,000 in the summer. Peter did some grocery shopping at the same time as we
did, and waited for us after taking us to the hardware store. Peter drives us
back, taking the scenic route once again. At one point we drop into the
The wind howls outside the
marina, but we are safe and comfortably at dock. Gale force winds of 35 knots
are forecast for tomorrow so we will stay where we are.
In the morning it is windy
and raining. Later in the day it clears up and I bundle up my laundry to do a
couple of loads. While waiting, I visit with several of the local guys who tell
about past storms and adventures they have had. Although the bay is shallow,
local knowledge makes it possible to sail to a small island nearby where the
fishing is good.
After so much time with French
people, it is fun to listen to English spoken with a distinct
Chelsey and I take regular
walks up that long long dock to shore. She seems to have to go more often....I
suspect just because she loves all the great grass to explore.
The wind blows hard again
tonight, but the forecast is for better weather tomorrow. We go to bed early
with plans to leave the next day.
We are on our way at
Another hour sees us
pulling into Port Borden for some shelter. It is a little too shallow for us to
tie up to the wharf at the end of the bay. We could do this with our Tanzer 26,
but not with our Alberg 37. We anchor in the middle, in fairly calm water.
The first order of
business is to take Chelsey to shore, so I use the mizzen halyard to hoist the
dinghy motor off the back rail, and lower it as Ken guides it onto Clipper. Chelsey is getting quite impatient wondering
why Dad is taking so long. Finally, she is handed down into the dinghy and
assumes her usual stance with front paws over the bow and ears flapping as Ken
speeds away. Ken and our little pet
enjoy a romp on the beach, and a much relaxed puppy comes back aboard looking
for her standard treat.
As we are lowering the outboard,
a fishing boat comes by and suggests that as the wind will be even stronger
tonight, we might be better to anchor closer to the shore where there are docks
for the big fishing operation that stretches along this side of the bay. It
does seem like it might be better, so tiredly, we use the electric windlass to
pull up the anchor, and move the boat closer to that windward shore. After
dropping the anchor again, we both notice that it is much more rolly here. Oh
well, darkness is falling and we are very weary. This was a tough day!
Port
We awaken to an overcast
sky and rocky seas outside the bay. We are up early so that Chelsey can be
taken to shore. We do the routine of transferring the outboard motor to the
dinghy. Chelsey is dressed in her houndstooth jacket, made for her by her aunt
Diane. Then over that, is her bright yellow life jacket. She is anxious to be
off. I hand her down into the dinghy and Ken motors away with a delighted
Chelsey. Her paws are up on one of the pontoons and eyes are firmly on the
approaching shore. When they get back, I have a nice hot coffee for Ken and a
treat for Chelsey. This is typical of the way we begin our day. Chelsey's needs
first, then ours. She brings a lot of joy and warm feelings to our little
family, so we don't grumble...too much. We read, play with the computer, and
sleep most of the day between trips to shore for Chelsey. The wind is still
strong from the SW, but is forecast to shift to the NW...a much more favorable
direction. If so, we will leave
tomorrow.
Port
The wind has veered from
SW to NW overnight, with the forecast projecting 25-30 knots. Chelsey is taken
to the pier for her last pee. Ken returns with Chelsey and said that a bunch of
fisherman were on the pier in their vehicles. One of them opened their window
and asked if Chelsey would bite him if he got out! Ken laughed and said
"Oh, so that's why you guys are hiding in your trucks", and everybody
laughed.
We motor out once again
into the
The wind builds as I watch
the following seas get bigger and bigger until most of them are 3 metres high
(9ft) with some higher yet. The tidal current is very much against us now; a
good 2 knots. It is gusting over 30 knots, the wind whining in the rigging and
we have to reef repeatedly until we have less than half of the genoa out. We
now have gale force winds of 35 knots. The waves pick up the dinghy and throw
her towards us. Continuously, she is
slewed sideways and comes roaring at us at about the height of the stern pulpit
rail. The waves form a wall of water behind us, sweeping us along with constant
surges. At one point the dinghy made heavy impact sustaining a couple of cuts;
one in the starboard bow area and the other on the starboard tail.
We have pushed the towing
of the dinghy to the limits of reasonableness, and only continue to do so, in
order to make it convenient to take Chelsey to shore when we anchor. The
navigator suggests that we could find shelter before nightfall at the east end
of
The dinghy has sustained
some damage that has to be repaired before taking Chelsey to shore. Ken quickly
calls for the dinghy repair kit and in short order he has put patches on the
two obvious holes. We pumped up Clipper, transferred the motor and with Chelsey aboard,
Ken is off again to the beach. The little wind that was there, fades away and
we enjoy a quiet night. Much more
comfortable than our first night's anchorage at Port Borden. The forecast has
the wind dropping overnight and changing back to SW.
The wind is has moderated
and we pull anchor and are on our way early, making for Port Hawkesbury, our
first landfall in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The wind blows at about 15 knots from the
southwest. The seas are not big . Hawkesbury
is at the bottom of a large bay at the entrance to the
We relax with a beer and
enjoy meeting Jim & Carol Anne Organ who have recently returned from a 16
month long sailing trip to the
With lots of opportunity
for walks, Chelsey was very chipper. I must say it felt nice to be off the big
water. We are pleased by the fact that tomorrow, we will traverse the
Port
Hawkesbury,
We left Port Hawkesbury at
The water is shallow as we
approach the
This marina, where we
visited two years ago, has all the amenities such as colour cable TV,
comfortable leather chesterfields, lots of showers and laundry facilities, computer
with printer and access to the internet, kitchen, fridge, etc. I was delighted
to find a nice selection of pocket books which I traded for all the books on
board I had already read. In the evening, we watched a program about the
devastation from the recent hurricanes (Katrina & Rita ) in
Today it rained off and on
all day. Ken was up early and went for a shower while I slept. He watched some
TV, mostly to do with the hurricanes in
In between rain sessions,
I walked into town with Chelsey and later walked uptown again with Ken to do
some grocery shopping. The Foodland store kindly gave us a ride back to the
boat. We mostly bought fresh meat and vegetables and not too many canned goods.
Any food left over after we've wintered the boat, will have to be given away or
thrown out.
Chelsey and I had a shower
and watched Oprah as we dried off. Watching
TV was a treat, even though I really don't miss it when on the boat. Late in
the day, we pulled away from the dock. The wind was picking up so we anchored
not too far away, where we were better protected and not rubbing against a
pier. Enjoyed wine and cheese, salad, and some pasta for supper. Ken ran the
engine for a while to heat up the cabin, charge the batteries and to provide
some hot water for the dishes. What a luxury to be able to do that at anchor.
JOINT VENTURE at Anchor
Nice dry heat gets the
cabin toasty in no time. He usually
likes to run the engine at around 1600 rpm, where the drag on the engine with half depleted batteries starts out
at 90 plus amps. In less than 45 mins., the drag is down to the mid 50's; time
to shut down, as diesels are happiest when sufficient load is present. A quiet night.
St
Peters Inlet, Bras D'Or Lakes,
We left the anchorage on a
beautiful sunny day with a brisk
Chelsey Going Ashore!
We were delighted to hear
a loon echo through the silence. It seems like a long time since we have heard
the distinctive call of this beautiful bird. Ken called back ... it seemed to
be answered. But the loon decided that we were suspicious characters; dived and
was gone.
Ken decided to have some
fun with the dinghy and did a speed test using the GPS. He attained a top speed
of 13 knots and came back with a big smile on his face. Not bad for an 11 foot
dinghy with a 6 hp Yamaha. After a leisurely lunch we decided to move along to
another location which will provide better protection in the forecasted gales
starting tonight or tomorrow from the south.
We motor through lovely
scenery for an hour and enter St Georges Bay.
We Always had Great Scenery
We are almost to the end
of the bay when Ken spots what appears to be a small bay of water separated
from the larger bay by a low grassy bank on the west shore. It is protected on
the east, north and west by land and on the south by the low bank. Looks like a
good place to be in a gale. As we motor closer, we are incredulous to see a
sturdy dock with even a bench to sit on. There is a large weathered sailboat up
on a wooden cradle sitting on shore close to the dock. Is the water deep
enough? It was too good to be true...as
we cautiously drifted into the dock we had about two feet of water below our
keel. This was fine as there is little tide in this part of the Bras D'or
lakes.
JOINT VENTURE at the Lonely Dock
We tie up, pleased to have
found such a protected place when we needed one. Chelsey is on the dock and ashore
in short order. We are also delighted to walk ashore, sit on the bench and just
enjoy the view. We take a bunch of pictures. The boat sits quietly at dock. As
night falls, the temperature plummets to 8 degrees, so Ken starts the engine to
warm up the boat. An early night.
St
It is very cold this
morning and the motor goes on to quickly warm us up. The ceiling in the forepeak has a lot of
condensation that dripped down onto the V berth. Ken chose to sleep in the main
cabin and didn't have to contend with that problem. The sun is shining, but the
forecast is for strong winds today and gale force winds overnight. We will
certainly stay where we are. The wind builds and by
Ken spends part of the
morning editing this journal, as usual. The computer gets handed back and
forth, as each of us add bits and pieces before it's a print. After lunch,
Chelsey and I go for a walk up a rugged road nearby and I see some deer tracks.
The road ends at a wooden gate where the road ends at a road running across it.
We follow this to a
cluster of pretty cottages complete with flower beds and lawns. They sit on a
high bluff looking out over the wind blown water. White foam crests the small
navy blue waves as the wind whips up the water. Back at the boat, I spend the afternoon
working on this journal. Later, Ken also takes Chelsey for the same walk. The
wind continues to blow about 16 knots, but the gusts are up to 26 knots. The
weather forecast continues to talk about gale force winds and in some
areas...storm force...45-55 knots. We can't find a forecast for the inland
waters of the Bras D'Ors but expect the wind to possibly get up to 40 knots in
here. We are tied securely and should be OK. The surround continues to be
steady and strong in the gusts.
Ken has lit the diesel Force
10 cabin heater which has been pretty finicky. After supper, Ken plays some of
our favourite CD's which largely drown out the whining wind and the wind
generators' resulting roar. We sing along and I am up dancing to some of the
fast pieces. We make up the bed in the salon to be warm. Ken falls asleep as I let the music continue
to drown out the noisy night. Eventually
he asks me to turn it off and I do. But now the strong gusts of wind can be
heard and felt as the boat shudders.
I worry that the two hefty
lines holding the dock to the shore may be weakened by the elements and might
let go. I lay there tense and unable to go to sleep. I head back to the V berth
and read. By
St
We awaken this morning to
calm waters and clearing skies. After taking Chelsey ashore for her usual
We took Chelsey to shore, to
a low sandy spit with a small pool of water in the middle. Ken and Chelsey
enjoyed a run down the beach, while I searched for shells. As we relaxed on the
beach, Ken decided that he would build a fire. Soon we were scavenging for
small twigs and kindling. I sacrificed the piece of birch bark I had picked up
to add to my store of natural items I've been picking up as keepsakes. The wind
kept blowing the little flames out. We made wind barriers using large wood and
Ken persevered, and after many tries, had the fire going. He slowly built up
the size of the wood until we had a good blaze that nicely offset the rather
chilly wind. There is something so peaceful about watching the flames and
smelling the wood smoke. But after a
while, the sun is going down and we must leave, so we ensure that the fire is
out.
Back at the boat, we enjoy
a quiet evening as the wind dies down.
We are both very aware
that we are now into the month of October. The last month of our trip. After a
leisurely morning, we move on at
We enter large
Having given up on the
marina idea, we hug the north shore, proceeding out of west bay. Ken is looking
for good protected potential anchorage sites. We round
We had met people with a
boat named Puffin two years earlier in
We couldn't see anyone on
board and there was a dinghy tied up to shore. We decided to continue on to
find an anchorage for ourselves which we did just around the next headland. After
dropping the anchor, we had lunch. We just had to check out Puffin, so we all
climbed into 'Clipper' and motored back and noting that their dinghy was now
back at the boat. As we came closer, Ken noticed the pictures of puffins on
either bow and as we came around the stern, I saw that the boat was from
Up came Louisa and Ken
promptly said, "We came to return your mug", handing it up to her. She
was, of course, surprised to see us, and asked if we were the ones with the
yawl. We talked about what had been happening to each of us. Apparently, Louisa
and Rob have been spending their summers in
As we headed back to Joint
Venture, Ken decided to dinghy into the very end of this bay called Ross Pond,
where we could see cottages and power boats moored. We tied up to a dock there
and took Chelsey to shore. There was a 40 foot fishing trawler with a
Ross
Pond, Bras D'Or Lakes,
We awaken to another sunny
day. Ken goes ashore to take some pictures of the rail setup for launching
keelboats; Johnny is there, and after a little chat, he invites Ken into his
place to show him some good spots for anchoring on the paper charts that he
has. I am wondering where he got to, when I see him with Johnny and his wife
coming to the boat. We have a nice chat but they have to leave as company is
coming to their house to celebrate Johnny's mother's 93rd birthday. Shortly
after, we leave; with friendly waves from Johnny wishing us good sailing.
We motor sail up
The building is a large
log cabin with a porch running the full length of the front. I go in and talk
to the hostess who has a German or Bavarian accent. They are open until
Little
Harbour, Bras D'Or Lakes,
The day is sunny and we
are on our way to Baddeck where we visited two years ago. The wind is light, as
we motor through sparkling water. After a couple of hours, we pull onto the end
of the big pier at Baddeck. Friendly folks say hello and take our lines. Ken is
looking for a fuel dock. This is not where it is but it doesn't matter as we
have enough. As it turns out, the marina just ran out of diesel. Ken just likes
to top up at every opportunity. The marina office is closed so we won't have to
pay for dockage. There is a 65 ft schooner docked near the end of the dock and
an advertisement for sailing tours that is operated by a nice lady who turns out
to be the wife of the owner of the schooner. There is also a large motor launch
that is moored at a dock beside the main pier. This too, is a tour boat and the
fellow manning that advertisement suggests that it would be a good place for us
to dock as the inside area has the dock on one side and the pier on the other
with more than enough room for us.
We immediately take this
suggestion to heart and motor around and tie up, protected on all sides from
any kind of weather. Of course there is no weather to worry about but I like
feeling secure anyway. It is certainly more convenient than the pier where one
has to climb up onto a network of 4 by 4's and then step across a 2 ft opening
onto the pier. My fear of heights makes this difficult for me. We ask where the
nearest grocery store is located and where we might find some Medi-Cal dog
biscuits for Chelsey. We are running out and have been reduced to giving her
half biscuits to make the last few go as far as possible. We have barely enough
to cover the bottom of the cookie jar. The fellow manning the motor launch used
his cell phone to call the local kennel and was told that the vet had the
appropriate biscuits available. We were told that it was not within walking
distance. Hmm..taxi maybe? Whereupon, the lady volunteers to loan us her car
and give us directions on how to get to both the grocery store and the vet. Wonderful!
Leaving Chelsey on
board...with a few of the last bits of her cookies, we head out. My poor directions and Ken's speedy driving
results in us getting onto the wrong road, but Ken's work training helps him
figure it out and we find the Vet clinic in short order. I buy two big bags of
dog biscuits and spend some time admiring a large, truly beautiful, black and
white tom cat. Off we go to the grocery store and buy our usual steak and
chocolate etc. Back at the marina, we enjoy talking to people on the dock.
The schooner was just leaving
with about 10 passengers. She raises her many sails and is a beautiful sight. We
are told that the owners (one of which was the lady who loaned us her car) are
taking the ship south to the
While Ken worked on
editing the journal, Chelsey and I walked over to the nearby marine store. Outside
was an Alberg 37 painted a bright yellow and named 'Sunny'. It sure looked
smaller than 37 ft with the bright yellow colour. A fellow there told me that a
couple had taken this boat to the