31 August 2001, Plans for the Winter
Dear Family and Friends,
We motored blind into
Port Aux Basques, our landfall in
We left Port aux
Basques and headed east along the
One morning, Ed was
cleaning the raw water filter and
For the first time we
felt FEAR. If the end of this
Safely back in Port Aux
Basques, what do you think? We
If you don't have a
schedule:
However fall is not
far away so we found ourselves trying
THE REAL NEWS IS: We
are going to spend the winter in
The weather has been
cool, 60 to 70 degrees, with
Ed wanted to spend a
winter above the Arctic Circle but
August 16 we left the Bras d'Or lakes of Cape Breton,
which we have learned to love, and sailed north past Bird
Island known for its colony of puffins. We saw seagulls,
cormoronts, little ducks, and eagles, but no puffins. They
had all left until next Spring. We sailed across Cabot
Strait over night, heading for Newfoundland. In the
morning we saw the rolling hills of the south coast. The
only trees are in gulches or on the sunny side of
protective hills.
Newfoundland in fog so thick we almost ran into a channel
marker. The Coast Guard "traffic control" was watching us
on their radar and advised us to turn and then how to get
to a dock. Between their radar and ours and the help of
people on the dock we tied up safely. The people say
Goodmorning with a smile when they meet you on the street.
Beware, there are more moose and caribou than people in
Newfoundland.
south coast where there are so many harbors that one just
goes as far as one wants and turns in. No people or
houses, just barren rocky hills with scant grass, a few
trees and eagles. Our goal was to visit St. Pierre, the
French Island.
dropped a gasket overboard; it floated! Off with the
clothes, he dove over into 63 degree water to retrieve it.
We motor sailed into our next anchorage of Cinc Cerfs
(five stags) in fog so thick that we could barely see the
rocks 50 feet away. We followed the narrow passage on the
radar into a snug little harbor that begs one to stay. The
next morning the fog thinned until the day was sunny, so we
headed east again. But suddenly the radar screen went
blank! We would be blind when the fog rolls in again (not
if, but when).
day found us in fog, we could not get inside an anchorage
for the night. Further, if we had to remain at sea, we
would not be able to "see" other boats to avoid collisions.
We turned tail and headed back to Port Aux Basque, where,
if the harbor was fog bound, the "traffic controller" could
see us on their radar and guide us in using our VHF radio.
flipped the radar switch and it worked! Maybe we weren't
meant to get to St. Pierre. Someone said we were in the
Newfoundland Triangle. When we woke up this morning, tied
to the dock, the wind was blowing a gale. Oh, well, we're
not in a hurry. We have goals but try to avoid schedules.
you don't have to hurry,
you don't have to worry,
you don't have to wait,
and you're never ever late.
to sail on a schedule -- we must get back! -- back to
where?
Canada. We like the Bras d'Or Lakes so much that we've
rented a cabin in Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, a
little town on the lakes. It's latitude and longitude are,
46.1N, 60.7W and they promise us snow. The cabin has a
picture window facing a lake which freezes over in December
and thaws in April, so we'll be here at least until May.
We'll have to pull the boat and store it on land.
sunshine every few days. We sleep under three blankets.
We've done an awful lot of motoring in calms. They say the
winds will strengthen as the leaves turn from green to so
many beautiful colors they'll tickle the backs of our
eyeballs.
this is as far north as he could get Wendy to hibernate.
Have you read "The Way North" on http://epic99.tripod.com
Have a healthy, happy winter wherever you are.