We had a few really busy days in New Bern decommissioning the boat. Sails came off, so did the boom, all canvas, solar panels, life raft, outboard engines and anything else that was movable that could cause a problem if there was a tropical storm or hurricane. Inside I was obsessive about bugs so we cleaned and cleaned. Every crumb was cleaned and everything was bleached. The oven was cleaned, the fridge and freezer was cleaned and we even went through a pack of Q-tips🤣🤣. We were obsessive as I don't like to share anything with bugs!!! We even set out ant bait, cockroach containers and flying bug ribbons.

We then had the task of taking the boat to the boatyard where she would be taken out of the water and set on stands and plywood "on the hard". This could only be done with particular winds and tides as it affected depth of water and we needed 6 feet. Mike (boatyard owner) had called in the morning to say he did not see it happening today as conditions were not favourable. Lucky for us conditions changed and he called back to say "come now"!

This excursion across the river was a little eventful (seems to be our norm🤣🤣) as we had mistakenly put the outboard motor over the compass affecting our charts. So we got out in the river and the charts were not lining up with what we were seeing🧐🧐🧐. Thankfully the boatyard people could see us and called to say if you continue that way you will soon be aground😩. We had that experience once... we did not want it again. So they guided us in to the boatyard for her to be taken out of the water and set up for a few months..After she was set on the ground we finished preparing her to keep her as safe as possible, including plugging in a dehumidifier, getting the dinghy underneath, etc.

One last evening laughing with Cathy and Brent and we were on our way back home. We were so thankful to Cathy, Brent and Princess Lola for being so kind and giving. Some people are amazing ❤️❤️❤️

We knew that Duke could not fly because of flying restrictions for dogs in the heat so we rented a car to drive back to Bangor, Maine. Andrea came to pick us up there. Mark will pick us up at Andreas.

Our plan is to go back to New Bern in October and resume our trek to Florida. Then we will wait for favourable conditions to cross to Bahamas for the winter. To us this seems surreal. We had planned this for so long but because of my health we did not know if we would ever make this happen. With lots of food, a continuous monitor, lots of alarms and a perceptive husband we are making this happen🎶🎶🎶⚓️⚓️⚓️.

Thanks for those who have followed and your comments on this site and privately. I was torn whether to do this or not as family and friends wanted a way to see what the heck we were up to and what this lifestyle was all about!!! I am glad I shared it. Once we get to Bahamas, there should be more under water experiences for Byron and those who visit (This water phobic person better get use to it too lol). 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

We arrived into the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. It was FANCY. Members can invite guests and you have to wear suit and tie for supper. Duke loved it. Unfortunately there were no laundry facilities and it had been to warm for me to do it. The security man Harvey brought us to a beautiful laundromat with about 40 washers and dryers.... what a place it was. Harvey picked us up and refused any money. He was a sweet retired army man. We left in the morning for the inter coastal waterway (ICW).

The ICW is an interesting spot that has dredged channels for you to navigate through and even though there may be lots of water outside the channel it is too shallow for most boats. It requires constant attention from the Captain and our best friend on the boat, auto (short for autopilot), who steers really well.

We stopped at Coinjock Marina the first night. As we approached there were lots of people eating outside and there was live entertainment. It felt like a welcoming party similar to our friends Mike and Ann’s going away party a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful spot!!

Then we get to the Alligator River Bridge..... it is a Swing bridge and the Second Last bridge needing opening in the intercoastal waterway before New Bern. Byron radioed the Bridge Master about 2 miles out to ask for an opening. For all other bridges we were radioed back to tell us to speed up because we had slowed down waiting for the bridge to open. This time Byron maintained his speed in anticipation of another fast opening. This did not happen. As we approached the bridge at a nice pace nothing was happening- no traffic was stopping or bridge opening was occurring. We got too close! Byron was bewildered 🤣. I hauled the dingy up tight so that we would not run over the lines and foul our propellor or wrap them around the rudder. Byron let the sail fly to decrease the speed and hard reversed the engine so the boat would go backwards. You can imagine flapping sails, a sailboat trying to come to a stop and go backwards, a swing bridge swinging toward you and a husband who said huh... I kept my speed!!! A shit show it was. Note to new sailors... if you are told to speed up and assume another will expect the same...DON’T.... we all know what assume spells. Oh well another experience for us. As long as we continue to learn we are still functioning I guess 🤪🤪🤪.

We anchor in Belhaven that night. It was a bit bumpy but air conditioning worked so it was great 🤣.

Our last day sailing was the best for winds and more like waves we are use to beating into as we go out to Woods Island. It was s great sail when we turned downwind. EXCEPT we (I 😩) hit bottom. I was sitting in my stern sit looking out over the beautiful countryside with not a care in the world when I look over to my port side and see that I am on the wrong side of the red marker. I jump up to check my chart ... and we hit!!! The bow actually bowed down and I was like “what happened”!! I had enough wits to turn the engine to idle. Thankfully a wave came and moved us off. Byron came up from down below and I had to confess 😩😩😩. It was 100% my error. While Auto is my best friend he does not adjust for tide, wind and waves and even though my course was set the waves and wind and tide had moved us to the right... on the wrong side of the marker. God love Byron he did not say a word... unlike me yesterday with the bridge. So I guess we better check the keel when she comes out of the water too🤪🤪.

The rest of the sail was beautiful and we arrived in New Bern to have our wonderful 2 friends (Cathy and Brent) there to meet us. Cathy was videotaping this wonderful success for us and Brent was waving us over to our slip. What a glorious night we had❤️❤️❤️. They had a champagne celebration for us with all the fixins lol. Again we are so fortunate to have such wonderful people that are in our life.

Now the dismantling begins 😩😩

We had a beautiful sail down the coast from Atlantic City, New Jersey to Cape May, New Jersey. The coastline is amazing. It is very flat with beaches almost the whole way with people laying on the beaches, people paragliding, planes with banners behind them going up and down the beaches and tour boats and individuals fishing. We certainly notice that everyone is “fly fishing” crazed. They are everywhere in boats as far as the eye can see. They also seem to be going “100 km/hr” causing big wakes which we did not relish too much 😡🤣🤣. I guess being from Newfoundland I have enjoyed my share of fishing and maybe we don’t see so many people at it and on our waters because we do not have so many people and we do have a lot of water!!

Cape May was all that our good friend John Dunne said it was. We are so happy that he had given us so much information on places to see!! Cape May is certainly the epitome of people playing on the water. As we entered the channel there was not only a dredger there but also about 20 sea doos and motor boats of all shapes and sizes. People were frolicking and having fun. We had a great night anchored there watching the activity.

Very early the next morning we were still undecided if we would continue offshore down the Delaware coast or if we would go up Delaware Bay, through C&D canal and come down Chesapeake Bay. We took option two and we had ourselves timed with the tides so that we should have the tide behind us as we sped up the bay ( speeding is 7-9 knots lol). Thank god we chose this option because there were numerous marine warnings down the Delaware coast with thunderstorms and hail!!! We had a great sail up the bay and through the canal. We planned to stop in Chesapeake City but it was too crowded so we continued on to anchor in the scenic Sassafras River.

We left the next morning on our way to Annapolis, Maryland .... sailboat capital of USA and also where we came to buy C Whisper (then named Lady Catherine) in 2012. We spent three hot days on a mooring ball right across from Bert Jabin’s Boatyard where we got our baby 7 years previously. We tried to relax there to recharge our own batteries (change oil, get generator working again, laundry, groceries, ......) but it was so hot. For anyone who knows me I am always cold and usually wear an inside shirt winter and summer. I always complained about being cold and hated the cold but it has been stifling hot. We had 35.1 c one day and it did not include humidity AND we had generator problems AGAIN so my air conditioner was not working. We spent one day in Uber’s finding parts and the second day we rented a car to find more parts and have air conditioning for me and Duke! I am not so sure about the heat now?? Luckily we did find the restaurant we loved when we were here previously (Double T Diner) and there has been a thunderstorm and the temperature cooled so Duke could safely sit in the car while we ate! It was yummy. There is always a positive side to everything...especially when I have good food.

We left Annapolis, Maryland early as we had over 130nm to get to Norfolk, Virginia. Sailing was beautiful but we had one scare... We both thought there was a severe storm as the thunder was the loudest we had heard. We looked at the sky and saw no thunder clouds. Hmmm. We both thought we must be crazy (really we are!). It was fighter jets. This area is a busy military area and ships and jets are seen frequently. The jets were in the sky all day. We also saw a military Hover Craft doing maneuvers and 4 identical military sailboats. It was entertaining for sure.

We did 78nm in 12 hr. We were tired by the time we meandered in less than 10 ft of water to a picturesque anchorage called Mill Creek. It was a combination of Woods Island with people in boats (although not our beautiful dories) waving to us and Bras D’or Lakes. There was suppose to be high winds overnight so I diligently put out 110 feet of chain with my oversized Rocna anchor in 10 ft of water (11 at high tide). I can hear my buddies say now “you don’t need that much... that’s overkill”. I know!!! God help me in tight anchorages.. I guess I have lots to learn🤪🤪.

Shallow water takes some getting use to!! In our bay home it takes 5 minutes to leave our slip and be in 500 ft (or more) of water. In Chesapeake Bay you may have to be 3nm from shore to be able to sail in water over 6 feet. Thank god we bought Towboat US in case we go aground😃🤪.

We experienced Hampton Roads Inlet at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay prior to getting to Norfolk. This is one of the busiest shipping inlets in the east coast as well as a Navy Base. Lucky for us it was relatively quiet but we did see a warship leave the harbour, aircraft carriers, and the biggest ship container site I had ever seen.

This leg of the journey will soon be over. Off we go again; Cathy and Brent we are getting close😘😘😘😘. It is amazing that we left Canada July 17 and we are almost done.

FYI I have been delayed posting and I have been uploading less pictures and have not labeled them as I have used 10 gigs of data in 3 weeks.... hubby is not happy 😘😘😘😘🤣🤣🤣.

I am not sure what tops my excitement this time. Traversing wildly through the middle of New York City or seeing Duke have friends come visit!!!

We stayed in Port Washington for a night waiting to go through the East River and the notorious Hell's Gate. We had to time the tide and current right or we were going to have problems...

While in Port Washington we had the most frightening thunder and lightning storm we ever experienced and it continued for 3-4 hours. We were huddled up like sitting ducks on the boat waiting for the next lightening bolt. It was an experience I could have gladly done without.

So the next morning we got ready to go for water and diesel when what should be approaching our boat was mamma swan and 4 of her babies. Honest to god with hundreds of boats in the anchorage it was Dukes boat she wanted to visit. Maybe she received a message from his previous friend!!!! You can imagine Dukes crazy excitement. He was barking while mama was hissing and the babies just looked around oblivious to everything. It was hilarious 🤣🤣.

Anyway off we go to Hell's Gate and the East River. There were not only boats going everywhere but our boat was sliding, bucking and speeding. We got up to 10.4 knots. From our standards we were flying!!! Just say it was an experience of a lifetime. We went through almost all of the Burroughs of New York City, saw hundreds of planes landing, went under numerous bridges and my favourite was when we sailed right next to Lady Liberty. I was speechless!! It was amazing.

Unfortunately we were expecting bad weather and we had to keep moving so we stayed in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. We got up 3:30 am to start our journey down the coast of New Jersey and spent Friday night at The Golden Nugget Atlantic City watching all the high rollers gamble away their money. It was entertaining 🤪🤪. Off we go again.

We had a beautiful day sailing in Long Island Sound. There were lots of boats everywhere. The first night we picked up a mooring ball in New London, Conn. This was an industrial city with lots of boat traffic. We got up early the next morning to make our way further south in the sound.

We fought a lot of current much of the way with the boat going through the water at 6.0 knots but the actual headway speed was 2.8 knots. There was 3.2 knots of current pushing us back. This made for a long day. The tides did not help us until 6:00 pm and by then we were tired and it gets dark by 8:00pm. So we decided to stay in Port Jefferson, NY on Long Island. It is a beautiful town with very friendly people. Duke was even allowed to eat in a nice restaurant with us.

Lucky or unlucky for us we discovered another engine leak while in this beautiful port. This time it was a water leak. My Mr Handyman had a rebuild kit so we thought we could be out of there and on our way in no time. Unfortunately it was not so easy and we had to get a part in from Massachusetts. The part was supposed to be here 10:30am the next day but did not get here until 1:00 pm. While Byron was working on it we had a massive thunderstorm that rocked us quite a lot on the mooring. Luckily we were still in Port Jefferson!!! If the part had been on time we would probably be out in the sound where there was over 100 km/hr winds and hail. Everything works out!!! Plus I got Byron to take me out for supper later lol. We had 3 beautiful days at the Port Jefferson Yacht Club.

While Byron was stressing about the engine Duke was stressing about the swan! Duke is a very high strung and high energy dog and I am sure he has dementia. This damn swan kept coming around the boat teasing him and then hissing at him. It surely was a sight to behold. She would get him all riled up and then put her head in the air and swim away. It really was hilarious. Then a few hours later there would be a repeat of the same performance and poor old Duke would fall for it again. God love him but he is “some stunned”.

It is amazing how you meet people along the way!!
There was a wonderful man we met there (Alan) who also has a Catalina 400 Hull # 130. He was a great help to us.

So tomorrow we are off to City Island to stage ourselves for the right tide and current to go through Hells Gate and the East River into New York, New York🤪🤪🤪🤪.

Block Island, RI.... what can I say!!!! To be 20 years younger 😘😘😘😘. We got there around 2:30 pm and the radio was alive with boaters requesting a mooring ball for the night. The balls can not be booked in advance so you really take a chance on being able to get one. The field consists of town balls and private balls that are owned by someone that the harbourmaster can rent out for 1 night only. You have to be off the private ball by 10:00 am and if the owner decides not to come the next night that ball goes into the general requests for balls the next day at 2:00 pm. So we get there and there is a long line of boats circling waiting to be assigned a ball. The harbourmaster berates some boaters for demonstrating poor etiquette. Once all of the town moorings are gone we are feeling like we are not going to get anything and anchoring is not what we want to do there as everyone is anchored way to close; probably 2:1 scope! So we wait. Once we call into the harbourmaster requesting a mooring he tells us it is our turn and we will get a private mooring for the night. We are elated so I go up on deck to get my lines ready when some a..hole zooms past us almost knocking me off the boat with his wake. Anyway we are not sure what the harbourmaster saw but we got the ball!

So we get situated and look at the 1000 or more boats there. The docks are full with huge powerboats. The mooring field is full of boats of all kinds and many are rafted together on one mooring ball. And the procession of boats continue!!! They keep coming and coming. Only now the harbourmaster master is not assigning anyone and people are rafting up themselves. It is absolutely crazy and exciting. There are even small cruise ships coming for the day!

Poor Duke wants to go to shore so we go in to see what is on the go. Well everything is on the go😘😘😘. People are everywhere. They are in the water, on their boats, at the restaurants, in the walkways, on top of each other, EVERYWHERE!!! It is so much fun but too much for this old lady so we go back to the boat.

The sunset was absolutely beautiful there but apparently there is a ritual that at sunset everyone has fireworks, and blows conch horns and god knows what else. At sunrise there is also a ritual of people calling out in the morning. What a place to experience.

We had planned on staying another night but we needed to be off the ball by 10:00am and then wait until 2:00 pm to see if we would get a ball for that night. So off we go!!

I use to always say that "I have arrived" when the butter melts. When Andrea was visiting the temperature in Southwest Harbour was in the 30's. I was in my glee as the butter had melted! We had a great visit with Andrea, Odin and Zeus and once they left we were making tracks agin. The tracks were slow; 2 of us were needed to do continuous watch for the buoys again. They were definitely like smarties. To make matters worse we could not initially find an anchorage. After sailing up 3 coves dodging buoys we found a cute anchorage for 1 boat (Duck Harbour on Isle Au Haut). It was tight but we were not expecting much wind so we felt safe. Unfortunately we were novices not realizing that when tide and swell enter one way and the wind is perpendicular to it sleep will not happen. Oh well it is all a learning experience 🤣🤣.

Poor Byron was eaten alive again. His friends were everywhere. Whereas I did not get a bite!!! He is not impressed!

When we left the anchorage we had problems with our windlass as it jammed and the anchor was not all the way up, the electric hand controls of the windlass would not work AND the engine was leaking antifreeze again. OMG sooo many problems 😡😡. They say that this is normal when owning a boat. I say "I don't know if me nerves could handle it". Thank god Byron can fix everything. As I was dodging buoys he was on deck fixing the windlass and bringing the anchor up the last few feet. He then fixed the controls and when we anchored for the night he found other sources of the antifreeze leak.

We had a long sail to Harpswell, Maine. Not only were we dodging buoys but we were also killing flies!!! They were trying to get me back for making fun and these stout similar beasts loved me too. We spent about 4-6 hours killing them while dodging buoys. We are not sure where they came from but it was a painful experience. We decided to stay in a marina here because it was raining out. We were even assisted in getting a mooring ball. They also provided free laundry and delivered muffins and coffee for breakfast. Unfortunately we were late leaving because laundry was in the washer and dryer and the power was off for a number of hours!!! From here we sailed to Stage Island. We thought we hit the jackpot as there was not another boat around and we thought finally we won't be woken by Lobster Boats at 3:30 AM going to check their pots. The joke was on us. Stage Island had a bad swell all night long and therefore we were still awake and eager for daylight to see pots so we could get out of there and OUT of MAINE.

Yahoo we finally made it out of Maine!!!! But not lobster pots😡😡😡. Even though they were not so frequent you still needed to be watching constantly and altering your course. We had a long sail to Plymouth, Mass. on our way we passed by Boston in the background. Plymouth is by far the most scenic and spirited community I have seen thus far. Their mooring field was huge with mostly power boats. There is an 8 year wait list to get a mooring there. We did not even have to take the dinghy and engine off C Whisper as they offered shuttle service. It was beautiful!

Then we headed to Cape Cod Canal. We had read, and heard, nightmares about this canal because of the tides and currents. You can only transit at particular stages of the tide cycle. We asked a number of old timers for assistance on a safe time for us to transit and they looked at the tide tables and currents and told us a 4:30 pm (2 hours before high tide at Sandwich, Mass). So we went to Sandwich and paid $15/ hr to wait for the tides.

When we entered the canal there were many boats entering the same time. We all had the help of the current to push us through. We did not notice any areas with whirlpools or being sucked over toward the wall of the canal. Things went really well. We even had the opportunity to see the lift bridge close for the train as we were the last to get through.

We exited the canal and made way to Marion, Mass to grab a mooring for the night. There were sailboats out around everywhere racing and the mooring field had at least 1000 sailboats!!! Off to Rhode Island next 😁😁😁

We find that there are limited areas to anchor as all of the anchorages are filled with mooring balls. This was surprising to me and for those who sail with me know I hate taking a mooring ball because we have dragged them before and even broke one in Baddeck. I like to anchor because I know what I have under me. Hopefully we will find more anchorages soon.

Thanks everyone for your support. Thus far this has been interesting. I have added pictures in the gallery and under favourites you can see our tracks😁😁. FYI water temperature in Buzzards Bay on the way to Rhode Island is 26 celsius🤣🤣

I was really nervous about the passage from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to Bar Harbour, Maine as it was 99 nm with no where to stop in between and the current and tides are known to be strong. We had the perfect weather window as winds were suppose to be northerly and then turn easterly. We calculated that it should take 15-20 hours depending on the winds. We left at 1:00 PM Thursday and we wanted to be close to Bar Harbour around 7:00AM eastern time. We left Yarmouth on high tide hoping that the current would give us extra speed. Once we got out of the channel the winds were light but excellent for sailing. We used both sails for a couple of hours with a 15 degree lean and we were speeding (6 knots). The sea was so calm it looked oily. I prayed this would continue. And it did. The winds died after awhile so we left up the main sail only to provide stability and started the engine. It was calm enough for us to enjoy a few games of cards. It really was beautiful.

We could see a couple of boats on AIS and as they got closer we could actually see them behind us; one on its way to Saint John, NB and one just left. Technology is a wonderful thing!

Timing of snacks and meals can be a challenge on a boat but Byron is fabulous at feeding me so frequently and identifying when my blood sugar is low. He knows if I am not making sense or quiet I must be low! We spend a lot of time eating and for anyone who knows me this has become my favourite hobby🤣🤣🤣.

As it got dark we realized we were going too fast so we slowed down a little to ensure we got in after daylight before we entered a new harbour. Unfortunately what you can't see at night is buoys!!! They are literally everywhere. About half way across the Bay of Fundy we experienced snagging the first one around our keel. Luckily we had the boat in neutral and we were just drifting to slow ourselves down so there was no damage done to the boat. Byron had to go up on deck and cut the rope between the 2 buoys. We then became very diligent about the buoys by using our radar and flashlights to see them and navigate around them.

Byron had been talking to Steve from sailing vessel Ocean Cowbuoy a few days earlier and Steve warned us about the buoys that are used to mark lobster pot locations. He said it looks like packs of smarties were opened and sprinkled randomly on the water. Steve did not exaggerate! As we got closer to Maine we were looking forward to getting in the shipping channel as we thought we could get away from the buoys. However, unfortunately they are everywhere. The ones out to sea were only preparing us for what was to come! They were even in the mooring field in Southwest Harbour.

Customs and Immigration went really well. We had gone to Halifax in April to be interviewed for our Nexus cards. We believe this was really beneficial. As we got within 3 miles of Maine I used the ROAM app to check in to the USA. We then had a videoconference with a border security agent and answered some questions and showed her around the boat. The process went very well and the agent was very helpful. We then proceeded to our mooring field to rest and wait for Andrea and the dogs! It was a great crossing😁😁😁.

Our sail to Mahone Bay was uneventful. Seas were beautiful and wind was light. Byron talked to a few other sailors over VHF as they went in the other direction. When we entered the bay our friends, Anna and Igor, were out in their sailboat to guide us in. It was so nice to see!!! We really needed that as for some reason we had a waypoint entered that would not take us into Mahone Bay!!! God help us as we go into busy harbours in the United States as one will never know where we will end up.. Once we got close to the mooring field we were very excited. Sailing in Mahone Bay with our own boat was definitely a bucket list experience. We had sailed here last year with Anna and Igor and never dreamed that we would be doing this so soon!

As soon as we were moored and stowed away we were whisked to our friends house for a gourmet meal (compliments of the greatest cook I know ANNA) and a great game of cards. Being with good friends is wonderful.

This hospitality continued as we stayed in Mahone Bay for a few days due to weather warnings. We were even treated to a fabulous meal at their sons restaurant "Mateus Bistro". This place certainly lives up to its reputation and I know that Matthew has perfected the art of food combinations and spices by learning so much from his mama!!! Anyway about 10 lbs heavier each we regrettably had to move on. We are so thankful for the good people in our life.

Unfortunately when we left Mahone Bay the weather was still not cooperating and we faced big seas, fog and winds so after a couple of hours and only 8 miles we decided to take refuge in Lahave. Setting the anchor was easy in the high winds and we spent the day just relaxing.

The next morning we were finally on the move again with a 12 hour sail to Ingomar. The sail was beautiful and there were lots of boats that we could see sailing and others that we could not see that were on AIS.

Yarmouth is the last stop in Canada. Getting there was another 11 hr day. Even though the winds were light and the sea was calm we were fighting tide and current and made slow progress even under motor. There were many areas with rip tides that looked like the water was boiling. Very interesting phenomena that we had never seen before. .........

So now we wait for the weather window to cross the Bay of Fundy. This should be a 20-24 hour sail. We are planning on leaving tomorrow around an hour after high tide so we get a fast run out of here. Our destination is Bar Harbour, Maine. Andrea and the dogs will join us for the weekend.

What we have seen is that the seal population is obviously doing very well as we see their heads popping above the water everywhere. I mistook them for buoys one day and had to swerve around them only to laugh at myself as the black buoys were seals that were playing in the water. There is also quite a few pilot whales swimming around too. And then there are Byron's best friends everywhere!! Wherever we stop for the night Duke is always excited as it means he will get off the boat for awhile to run on a beach. So after we get the dinghy off the bow and the motor put on off they go to the shore. Unfortunately Byron's friends ,the flies, love him and they come out in hoards to greet him. He comes back to the boat scratching and a little lighter in colour as he may be down a pint of blood. We are then an hour or so killing flies because not only do they love to eat him they follow him back to the boat for a snack for later. It is so funny. I think Byron would like to break up with them😂😂😂 as he is not amused at all.

Our communications will change once we leave Canada and I can be reached through Facebook, Messenger, FaceTime and What's App. I won't receive texts on my phone.

I have posted some pictures in the gallery and you can follow our track under the favourites link.

We entered and left Ingonish skirting lobster pots. We should have put a line cutter on our prop !!! We will in Maine...We had tide and current with us as we entered the entrance to the lakes and we were flying at 10.4 knots (19.3 km/hr). Our fastest speed ever!!!

Entering the lakes is always exciting when you sail under Seal Island Bridge. This is the first of many bridges.

Bras d’Or Lakes is one of those secret gems that not many really know about. It is an inland sea with brackish water with little tidal influence. The water is shallow and the lakes heat up well for swimming. The bottom is mud and it makes anchoring easy. There are so many coves to hide away in and often you are the only one there. It is absolutely paradise. We stayed a night at my favourite anchorage. In Maskells Harbour you have great protection and it is so peaceful.

In the morning we radioed the Bridge Operator for permission to enter Barra Strait Bridge. This bridge opens vertical after traffic is stopped. We went through the bridge on our way to our favourite town with the most friendly people; St Peter’s. This was our 4th time there. Gerry from the marina was there to welcome us and provide fuel and water. There were activities on the go and the ladies had free hotdogs ready for us. With laundry done and a great supper at MacBouch Restaurant we were ready to go through the canal in the morning.

St Peter’s have such warm and caring people. Anytime they see a stranger in town they stop to ask if you need a ride or even if you need a lend of their car. They are amazing.

Early the next morning we exit St Peter’s Canal. Unfortunately the current was strong and we now are in need for a fibreglass and gelcoat fix!!! Oh well... no one was hurt. Once we got through we realized the winds were now blowing 30 knots and we decided to take refuge until they settled in D’Escousse for a few hours. Once we left we had a lively sail to Port Howe. This was not such a great spot to drop the hook as it had real deep water with kelp on the bottom. The next morning we continued on with winds in our face to Liscombe. We had a shorter day that day as we were
tired and needed time to recharge. It was a beautiful secluded spot.

We decided to leave early the next morning to make our way to Sambro. This was the hardest day yet. We fought big waves and again those headwinds in our face most of the way until the last couple of hours. Then we ran into mechanical problems. The engine was leaking antifreeze!!!!! As we navigated our way into the anchorage the alarm began chirping. Byron turned off the engine and I begin to freak out. Once I came to my senses I realized I better drop the anchor or we would be on the shore. So my pride and joy anchor (Rocna)was released with 150 feet of chain to try to keep us in place until we could set the anchor. We quickly got the dinghy off the boat and put the small outboard engine on it so Byron could pull C Whisper back to try and set the anchor. I was not happy as I was not sure it was set. So we waited for the engine to cool and topped up the antifreeze so we could turn it on long enough to set the anchor properly. Then we called our good friend Robyn to see if she would go get supplies for us in the morning. Thank god for friends!!

And we are off to Mahone Bay for a few days to visit our good friends Anna and Igor❤️❤️❤️

Please look at the link favourites to follow our track and our gallary for pictures

Codroy is a beautiful safe harbour with electricity. It is a great place to wait. So We waited and waited and all we could see was weather warning after weather warning for Cabot Strait.


This crossing was mentally challenging for me even though I had crossed a number of times before. It is around 90 nm from Codroy to Ingonish south with nowhere to go if things get worse. So Thursday morning we woke to check at 5am again to see if there was still a warning. Luckily the warning was lifted!!! So we decided to go for it. We were concerned about the swell from the northwest wind but we knew if we did not leave then we would be stuck in Codroy even longer (Byron refers to Codroy as Velcro lol).

We headed off and the pea soup fog engulfed us until a few miles from Ingonish. It was a tad cold too.



We saw many ships ahead and behind us on radar and AIS and heard fog horns but we could not see anything. Numerous times it seemed like the fog was lifting.... but maybe we were imagining it.


Thank god the fog lifted when it did because now it was obvious that the waterways were filled with lobster pots that we now had to maneuver around.

It did begin to warm up and we were so thankful for that. We safely tucked into South Ingonish harbour with many fishing and sailing boats. Overall the crossing was fantastic.

See favorites for our track and our photo gallery

We left Woods Island around 1130 June 29, 2019 after we were sure the engine was not leaking anymore. The sail to Codroy was absolutely beautiful. There were pods of pilot whales everywhere and lots of suicide boomers (gannets) fishing. Even crossing Bay St. George was quiet. Last year it took us 17 hours to sail to Degras and 9 hours back home.... it was very lumpy. This year the water was calm and looked like oil. We were even able to play games during the sail. We arrived in Codroy 15 hours after we left Woods Island. Amazing time at 6-8 knots. We saw one American sailboat by Red Island heading north. Byron had a couple of naps along the way and Duke slept the whole way. Cabot Strait had a weather warning so we decided to stay in Codroy until it settled.

We may be here for a few days to relax. We had a wonderful visitor (Mark) that drove us around to see the sights on Canada Day and then we treated him to Pizza Delight from Port Aux Basque.

Please have a look at our gallery for pictures and at the end of our blog look at the favourites link to see our location.

We had some engine problems with a major diesel leak. Byron repaired the problem after taking apart the injector lines numerous times and we planned on going to Woods Island to see if the problem was actually fixed. However before we went our neighbours visited for a farewell Bon Voyage doo!!! Then in the morning with another go at the engine we are off to Woods Island. Not sure if we continue on from there or return back to our home port for a better fix of the engine

Final preparations are underway to have a safe passage. The cupboards are full. Canning is done so we will have homemade nutritious food underway. C Whisper is packed with clothes, spare parts, hundreds of extra feet of ropes, extra sails, diesel, gas and water. Now it is just to take her for a cruise aroundm the bay with sails up so the rigging can be adjusted. See gallery for more pictures. To view our current position look for favourites/ links.

C Whisper is in the water and the mast is in. From there the sails go on, the generator goes back in (Byron wanted to keep it out as it takes up a lot of space. I said "no way !! No generator then no Paula!!" I like air conditioning!!! He is putting it back in so he must want me to go too lol). We will load up with groceries and then we wait. WAIT and WAIT until a weather window opens.

Since my last posting it has taken three years of illness and major life adjustments living with a disability to be strong enough to now live our dream. We are currently in the process of getting C Whisper ready for her voyage to North Carolina. This should take us 6-8 weeks (weather dependent). To expedite us making that decision Mark has decided to come back to Corner Brook to begin the takeover process for Byron's business enabling Byron to slowly retire. We are ecstatic with this decision!!! So yes it is true!!! We are leaving soon!!!

We are really having difficulty in deciding whether we take our beautiful but very energetic 4 year old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel called Duke with us on this journey. While he is an excellent sailing dog he is not the best listener and gets easily distracted and jumps off the boat when at the dock... We will have to decide...

We are preparing to set sail to Bahamas in September 2016 (we hope if I can be relieved at work). We are getting things ready for the boat in the meantime. The boat is now Transport Canada registered and able to set sail!!!! Thus far we have updated with new sails, bought 25Kg Rocna and Fortress FX 37, all new running rigging, AIS, EPIRB, PLB’s, SPOT….
So many things left to do:
• Get the water maker working,
• Buy and install solar panels (will let you know if we go with flexible or rigid in future post),
• Buy portable freezer (recommendations welcome)
• Possibly buy a drogue (mixed reviews on their value)
• Buy a whisker pole (should it be stored on the deck or mast??)
• …

C Whisper I is presently nestled under her grey winter cover in Corner Brook, Nl (her home port) with many feet of snow around her. We are eagerly waiting for the snow to disappear and for the bay to be ice-free for her to get back into the water so we can enjoy the peaceful and harmonious love of our life; sailing.