Author: BobS

Woke up to …. surprise! Fog. Well not dense fog more of a shroudie fog that had mostly cleared by the time we departed at 8am. However, once we were back out in the Atlantic it was as thick as ever. Occasionally it would lighten so we could see each other at 1/4 a mile away but that was rare. Finnish Line 2.0 has radar so Ramble On was in charge of navigation while Finnish Line 2.0 rode radar shotgun. Kept Ramble On abreast on port side and did see two boats appear near them. The first I suggested they slow and alter course. The second was just a heads up as a boat was coming their way but along a parallel course. Some time later I saw a pink dot on the radar off my starboard bow 1/2 mile away. It seemed erratic and heading my way. I slowed and radioed Ramble On that I was altering course to cross their stern. Shortly after got a call on the radio for Finnish Line (thank you AIS) asking me if I could see him. I replied that I could see him on radar and he said he was behind me. I looked around and there was a mid-sized fishing boat 50th off my stern! Yikes! After that I figured out how to attach movement vectors to radar targets!

Left Shelter Cove about 11 in more fog than when we came in. It’s supposed to be a very pretty anchorage but we’ll never know. Today’s motor was much like yesterday without the big swells. However, when we reached the mouth of the Jeddore River it slowly began to clear. We did not like the anchorage as recommended in Active Captain so we continued up river and found a very nice and, yes, pretty anchorage. However, just after we anchored we could see the fog rolling up the river at us. Hopefully it dissipates and we can have dinner in the cockpit.

btw, we do not know if the name of this river is Jeddore. No name on charts nor google maps so we named it after the town.

 

 

 

 

 

Foggy, foggy day. We could not see the island behind us 1/10 of a mile away so decided to wait for it to clear. This occurred about 11:30 so by noon we were off in wonderful sunshine. Except it didn’t last. The fog returned and was very thick. Although the two boats maintained a position of about 400’ of separation they often could not see each other. Most of the 22nm route was wending our way around small islands and shoals. Thank goodness for radar and AIS!! Worst part was having to wipe the mist off my glasses every 45-60 seconds to be able to see the chart plotter …. most annoying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grey day with fog appearing later. Did a bit of kayaking but it wasn’t the best weather for it. Both boats mostly puttered and read and spent a great deal of time chasing cell service. ?

A sunny and much calmer day. It was a few miles longer than yesterday but we made much better time with few swells. Unfortunately it was all motor sailing but que sera sera. About an hour after departing I had a call from Ramble On to say look out for wildlife. Minutes later I felt the boat take a bump and looking behind I had a quick view of a fin. A fin of what we don’t know but I seriously believe it was Moby Dick (and I’m stickin’ to that!).

Thanks to GPS and our plotters were were able to stick closer to shore and weave and bob through the small shoals and rocks. As there were no white caps it was very easy to see the shoals!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caught the first lock through the St Peters Canal. As I’m solo I had to manage the boat with only a single line amidships. Luckily almost no wind so it was a pretty timid affair. Lovely sunny day and it felt good to be underway on our voyage again. BUT the swells were creating a washing machine effect and the winds were right on our nose. Partway across Chedabucto Bay (between Madame Isle and Canso) Ramble On had some engine problems and had to stop. After some inspection they were able to carry on but did so for awhile at lower rpms just to be sure. After rounding Canso we were able to motor sail and even sail w/o the engine for awhile. Lots of rolling creates tired sailors so we were happy to pull into Tor Bay just before 6pm and be protected from both the SW winds and swells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A nondescript motor back to St Peters while Tarja drove Ben to the Sydney airport for his flight home. In St Peters got fuelled up and water tanks filled for our jaunt down the south coast of Nova Scotia to Halifax. Final dinner with Tarja (she returns to Kingston tomorrow) at the Bras d’Or Lakes Inn. Usually one hears of Cape Breton folks moving out west. Our waitress from BC has settled on Cape Breton. From one beauty spot to another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a warm and sunny day for our visit to Louisbourg. We got there shortly after 10 and left around 4:30. It was well worth the visit. We did tours that gave a lot of background on the reconstruction of the fort. We were surprised to find out that much of construction work was done by retrained coal miners who lost their jobs when the mines closed. In fact, one of the reasons for federal funding of the reconstruction was to provide those jobs. Ben signed up to fire a cannon and we had lunch 1700s style, pewter dishes and a spoon was the only cutlery we could use. We finished the day with dinner on the water in Sydney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After breakfast on the balcony facing the water that we shared, we started the drive back to Baddeck. Two more stops at craft shops. Bob and

Tarja picked up a gorgeous glass bowl that turned out to be made by a Finnish artist who had moved to the Cape three years ago. She was doing a glass blowing demo on site so Tarja got to practice her Finnish, the artist told her Cape Breton had captured her heart. At the leather shop Peter and Ze got the leather bucket, yes leather bucket, that Peter had been eyeing for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The forecast for today was not great but mostly it was very light rain on and off which didn’t deter us at all. Ze took us to several lovely little fishing villages on the east side of the Cape, which we would not have known about if we had been touring on our own. We also stopped at several craft shops, Bob and Tarja were able to resist the $1,000 quilt. Our final tour stop was a hike that started at the Keltic Lodge and went along a narrowing piece of wooded land ending at a point. It was an up and down hike in very pretty woods with lots of wet tree roots from last night and today’s rain. Luckily by the time we started the hike, the rain had stopped. After dinner at a nearby restaurant recommended by the owner of the Driftwood where we stayed that night, we drove to the Keltic Lodge and stayed for about an hour to hear a wonderful local singer and fiddler.