Thanks for taking the trouble to send us these details, which are a delight to read for all frustrated landbound lubbers.
Yes, good trip sailor Farmerman, and as I wished before, may the spirit of Slocum guide your keel and keep safe the barky.
All the very best, farmerman, and ... bis schpeeder!
Thanks. I had to tear myself from the evolution threads but since theyve gotten a bit personal, I dont feel like Im missing anything.
We are planning to leave early , maybe tomorrow AM because of the storm in NAwlins. As the hurricane sweeps NE itll normally speed up and we may be in for an ofashore blow if we dont get far enough EAst to the SAble BAnk . That would give us a quick run back to Chedabucto Bay and some nice cover if it blows badly. One day can mean the difference between a nice enjoyable trip and "The Hespurus"
Iapetus will remain moored cause this storm is sucking in some cold steering winds and the storm has essentially begun a fast trek into the MAritmes .We were to leave this PM but weve gotten some advisories against any tripe to the Sable Iswland Banks for another few days. We will now leave Thrusday AM and try to keep a scheduleof slow progress to Grand Manaan, where we will spend a night, then to the BAnks and Sable Island . I feel safer on a downing sea than with an oncoming storm. Weve had a bit of rain thats unassociated with Katrinia.
A lot of the vessels and barges on the Gulf coast have been washed inland. Unprecedented.
On our TV last night, opinion that the severity of tropical storms is related to sea surface temperature- which is rising.
well, we made it to St MArgarets BAy and spent the weekend in a Small nautical gathering of other boaters who, after hearing about the seas farther out, decided to picnic near Lunenburg. We met a lot of neat people and we are in the opening stages of a discussion among us about our planned trip to LAns Aux MEadows that will be rescheduled for 2006. There were a number of trwaler folks who, while having a fairly large space on board (60 to 80 ft or more) and very beamy , like to travel in "convoys" So, as the one s who came up with the idea, we are going to talk up the expedition among this group of Users, Canadians, and even one family from Costa Rica (transplants ).
The seas on return were quite choppy and, although we were perfectly safe, we did take a bit of water spray over the side fromsome 15 footers. Whals abounded. It seems that they were schooling up in preparation fro the great migration south.
Iapetus is now berthed and today we clean er up and winterize the galley and non engine parts. Tomorrow , we will take er to winter quarters and up the railroad for engine winterizing, any structural inspection and we will clean and polish her hull. Its always sad , shes been a constant companion , wed take evening rides, fishing trips, island hops, and , except for the skeg problem this year, shes a little lady.
I must say one thing. Diesel was outrageous in Canada, we were averaging about 3.75 (Merkin) for marine diesel Some of the trawlers , because of the beamyness and their general "plotz" in the water, use about 3 gallons for 2 miles, and when they fill up, its about 3 grand a pop. My deep "V" lobsterboat configuration does about 2 gal per hour at crueise, So I get about 10 mi per gallon. Course Im only half the size of the 80 footers but thats home to them and they spend their kids inheritances on diesel.
Glad to see you made it home safely, FMan.
OXYCLEAN really did a nice job on the hull. We worked long this AM and now after the testing and engine winterizing, we watch em shrink wrap our little boat like a hunk of beefsteak.
Sleep well Iapetus, we will see you next year.
NOW Im ready to brave the fall and winter winds. I always find that I get my biggest life changing plans in the AUtumn , not the winter solstice. I think theres a certain melancholy that, born of the end of summer and its fun, makes me take out a pad and paper and plan things for the months and year ahead.
Ive gotta get home and replace a cellar window that got knocked out by a lawn dart. The shutters need painting, Ill have to chop a tree down for some wood.
Pastures need mowing and animals must be brought back to their paddocks nearer the barn.
Then theres always Christmas, my worst time of year.
Well, we drove home starting yesterday, early afternoon. (Sat 9/10) and, by driving almost straight through, made it home by 7AM this morning. (Almost 800 miles). Now Im still wound up and havent been able to get to sleep. My wife drove in 2 hour breaks during which Id catch a nap in back and we averaged almost 55 mph. Traffic was just great and at 3 AM it was just us and the long haulers.
Summer is officially over for us .
That's the trouble with America. Everywhere is so doggone far from everywhere else.
Well, Iapetus is awake and running beautifully. We had er out for a coupla jaunts to Grand Manaan and the Gulf. This PM we set sail for Nova Scotia again, weve put our Lanse Aux Meadows trip aside until my son decides about his life turns. (We need to be flexible with kids at their various stages).
So, were gonna make a few days to Digby or Lunenburg (havent decieded on the destination yet). The seas have been great and lotsa whales this year, very active Bay and Gulf., its as if the whales and porpoises have heard about the bay of Fundy .
MAybe we will do some tuna fishing on the way (if we get some word that theyre schooling nearby)
Souds very good. I'd love to catch a tuna.
We sailed round the N of Scotland and through between the islands there (the Hebrides). We saw some orca but no other whales or propoises.
Have a great time, fm.
Don't forget to take your ganny hook.
I should begin a blog somewhere . I could write a tale or two of the whales and puffins and the weather wed seen in these last few days.
We ran into a bit of a blow rounding Grand Manan Channel and into the Open Ocean. We were going to rounf Nova SCotia and come in to Digby from the Ocean but we were blown a bit and the seas were getting rough for our boat and in the middle of a night-time Thundersquall we turned into ST Margagret s Bay. Wonderful ides and we were able to rent a car on Sunday to drive up to Halifax to see some friends. Scotian like their ale. On the way back (we left about 6 Mari-Time and landed about 1 EDT) The Customs took a bit longer this time because we were given some fresh vegetables and I had to get them inspected. (This is no ****-we buy corn from New Brunswick farms and they sell it in Maine, but try to sneak a coupla tomatoes and red beet greens--I think I looked kinda Al Qaida).
Lots n lotsa whales also porpoises and seals. We slept on board on Sat and thes eals were all over us in the AM, I think the XCanadian fishermen throw em the heads and scraps, and our boat looks like a lobster trawler.
We woke up to a Sunday morning chorus of 'oook ook ook". The Canadian customs reminded us about the "passport" bullshit they are going to be starting next year.
I heard the Canadians are getting concerned, because of melting icecap, that the Americans should not assume they have a right to sail to the north of Canada (not international waters). I believe an atom sub did it once without clearance (beneath the ice) and it caused a bit of an incident.
But quite possibly this is of no concern to the Nova Scotian customs.
Do start a blog! I want more detail. What kinds of whales did you see?
lotsa minke whales and finbacks. We saw a few of the humpnacks , but the whale watching boats were as much a concern to me as are whalers. Im thinking that, if we aint killing them with harpoons, were killing them with attention. I try to stay far away from humpbacks. We did not see the resident pod of Orcas,unless this killer whale of the Bay of Fundy story is but another tourist story, like the Micmac Monster .
We did run into a Canadian research team and I talked with a "Rent a rocker" from Woods Hole who was doing the geoscience on the boat. Apparently they were doing some outer shelf work off Sable Island. We didnt want to go out there, although we did pass with the Wolves to Port. I miss the old Loran l system. It was so much more dead -on instantaneous accurate than GPS, but , it was more maintenance intensive.
Fog was always stalking us no matter where wed be, and we steered by rarad and GPS more than Id like so the top average speed we did going out was like 15 knots.
McTag, I dont think Ill be doing a "northwest passage" route unless it was on a Russian Icebreaker. Besides, theres plenty of international room around Greenlands Eastern SHores. I worked on Baffin Island and Ive no intention of ever returning.
I've never asked you if you take photos, farmerman (though maybe I did and forget). I am guessing you're not into that, but just in case you do, and could be cajoled to post a few, we'd be interested.
Can I put some here? We were afloat this summer.
(I like this thread, when it's going. Maybe we should start a thread for nautical interests.)
