Vicki
2012/06/27, Port aux Basques

Sigh, and bigger sigh. We were hoping to be out of here on Tuesday. But the wind and weather says no. Maybe Thursday, but more likely on Friday. Tuesday evening the wind and waves got so big, and the front of our boat is just sticking out from the wharf a little bit too much, that we had to go out and check all the dock lines. We put rubber hoses everywhere we could to prevent chafe. And we put out FOUR docklines off the bow. We have back-ups for our back-ups for the back-ups. And, of course, the boaty was rocking and rolling, kind of jerky. I had to put cushions on the floor and sleep there so as to not get sea-sick.

And today it is raining a steady drizzle, which is good for them because they haven't had rain for a month. But not so good for us. I got soaked walking up to Pizza Delight so I could have wi-fi.

We are trying to not waste time while here and are busy working (when not sleeping!) trying to get the boat ready for our Atlantic crossing. The picture is of me putting 110 little cones on a 200 foot line to make a drogue. We hang a 15 pound mushroom anchor on the end and then send it off the end of the boat. Each little cone helps to slow down the boat and altogether they work really well. We will use this if we have bad weather. It protects the boat from going head over heels in a big wave, slows us down so it is more comfortable and so the storm can go on by faster. I am curious to see how well it works, but not so curious for that storm.

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Vicki
2012/06/26, Port aux Basques

Still here, decided to go for a walk out to the shore to take a look at the wind and waves. Yes, indeed, the wind is coming strong, right on the nose and we can'.t head out yet.

We walked up to the Port aux Basques traffic control. They keep track of all the boats coming into the harbor, plus all the big boat going through the shipping channel for a 15 mile radius. I had to share the picture of the emblem they have on the door. I thought it was kind of cute.

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Vick
2012/06/25, Newfoundland

We have spent the last several days tearing the boat apart to clean up all the wet spots and did many, many loads of laundry. Paul is also making changes to the anchor arrangement so we don't get so much water in, and we re-bedded a cleat. Plus, we are catching up on our sleep, this last trip took a lot out of both of us. Still have a couple of projects and then we can head off.
Port aux Basques is a nice place. It is the port where the ferry comes in and brings all the food and other goods for all of Newfoundland. The people here are friendly and helpful. People in the grocery store stop and talk and know we are from the yacht on the wharf. We try to spend some time every day getting out and about. Right now the wind is blowing hard, so we are glad to be where we are secure. The scenery is rocky and green, but few trees. It reminds me a lot of Ireland, but without the sheep. Tentative plan is to leave Tuesday morning for Ha Ha Bay. Sounds like a good time.

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Vicki
2012/06/20, Port aux Basques, Newfoundland

We left Anse de la Riviere-Au-Renard Monday at noon and tied up to the wharf in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland at 9:00 a.m. Thursday. The wharf is solid, but it sure felt rocky under our feet. A retired gentleman came down to greet us and help us with our dock lines. We talked with him a bit and after he left, another gentleman came down, and then another. They are the welcoming committee. Seems they entertain themselves by greeting all the newcomers. We talked and settled up with the Harbor Master and then crashed. We heard later that while we were napping the fisherman across the wharf from us was busted by the fisheries and the conservation people for illegal salmon and they took his nice, new boat. We missed the whole thing! After a nice dinner out and listening to a Newfie band play outdoors, we crashed again and slept the night away. Now, on to washing clothes, drying out and cleaning the boat!

Also - thank you Sue for sending the memorial for Uncle Pat. Give my love to seestor Lori, hope she is good after all the flooding!

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2012/06/20, off Codroy, Newfoundland

I am not going to lie, this has been a hard passage. We keep inching closer to Newfoundland, but aren't there yet. The waves are big and the wind is hard. My new best friend is Bonine, a sea-sickness medicine, been popping them like candy. When I lay down to sleep, my stomach sloshes around like a two-year old on a water bed. I place my 7-pound leg weight across my belly and it keeps it steady so I can sleep. We had water come in through the anchor chain openings and now my clothes are all wet. But we are safe.

Our boat was heading for an anchorage at Codroy, Newfoundland, I wanted a good night sleep so bad! But it was making Paul more and more nervous, coming up to a rocky shore and the waves and wind were building. So he called for "The Rule" and we didn't go in. We ended up heaving-to for the third time. He lit a fire, we ate, did dishes, relaxed, read and danced around each others' ego so we would not leave any lasting bruises. After three hours we went up to tack the boat and heave-to the other way so we would drift away from shore instead of to it. The plan was to take turns sleeping in two hour stretches. But the waves were smaller, the wind was down, and best of all, from a direction that was good for us. So off we went to our destination.

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Vicki
2012/06/18, Gulf of the St. Lawrence

Life is strange. When on land we ride in a car being driven by other people and rely on their paying attention and knowing what they are doing. Our lives could change in an instant of inattention. But we are so used to cars, and couldn't live with that level of daily stress, so we forget and relax. On the sailboat, especially during an overnight passage, our lives depend on our partner. Are they paying attention for other boats, are they watching the weather, are they aware of the boat? All you can do is get over it, rollover, and go to sleep.

We left the northeast of Gaspe Peninsula hoping to make Madeleine Islands the following day. All was going well, if a little fast. The winds were nothing like they were forecasted, different direction and much stronger. It became clear by morning that it would be easier, and just as fast, to head straight for Newfoundland and skip the islands, drat, we had been looking forward to that stop. By mid-afternoon the winds had changed again, strong and right on our nose! The only comfortable way to go was back to Gaspe, but we were not interested in doing that. So we are now hove-to, for you non-sailors, you can think of it as a floating anchor in 1,300 feet of water. The sails and rudder are arranged such that we are barely moving, and not drifting with the wind. The motion of the boat is much kinder for cooking, eating and sleeping. We still have to keep watch, we are about 10 nautical miles out of the shipping channel.

I cooked up some kielbasa with cabbage and potatoes, and with Paul's homemade bread it was a fine meal. So we aren't going forward but we are comfortable. The only crisis is that I have eaten the last of the chocolate.

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