Following a very busy 2 days getting Dagny prepared for the arrival of hurricane Lee it was time to head home. Our friends Jos and Jean, from Hudson, kindly invited us over for an early supper then dropped us at the airport for our evening flight. Although we were confident we had done all that needed to be done to protect Dagny it was still a little unsettling to leave her at the mercy of Lee. Once we arrived home we closely monitored Lee's progress and were relieved to see that the storm weakened as it moved north and by the time it made landfall it was reduced to a tropical storm. The southeast coast of Nova Scotia took quite a hit and we were happy to receive a FB posting from East River Marina advising that everything was fine.

We have both visited the maritimes several times by car for short holidays but this was our first time sailing in this beautiful part of the country. The original plan had been to sail here in 2020 but we all know how Covid turned the world upside down but we were determined to get here someday. Following a 3 year delay our persistence was rewarded as we fell in love with this amazing cruising ground. We were fortunate to spend the summer with Peter and Cathy, our friends on their Saga 43 "Whitebird". This was their fourth trip and it was great to have them as tour guides as we visited some of their favorite anchorages as well as exploring new areas. Although we were disappointed that we didn't make it to Newfoundland this trip we were spoiled by the beauty of Cape Breton and Nova Scotia's eastern shore. The countless beautiful secluded anchorages, stunning scenery and abundant wildlife left us with a ton of cherished memories.

By the time we hauled Dagny last week she had been on the move 10 out of the last 12 months and as usual performed well. Our newly installed radar certainly got lots of use as we found ourselves enveloped in pea soup a few times. It certainly is unnerving to be travelling at over 6 knots in zero visibility, the only good thing about the fog is it makes it easy to find spiderwebs. Our new inner forestay and staysail performed well as did our upgraded navigation system. Actually the only equipment failure we had was our anchor wash down pump. Although this may seem trivial the thick black smelly mud that clings to anchor chains makes one a necessity. Constant exposure to the marine environment is tough on a boat both inside and out. Before we launch next year we need to refinish the wood on the heavy interiors traffic areas as well as the usual exterior maintenance.

So what do our plans look like for next year? Well as we know things
frequently never go as planned but for now the plan is to launch in mid July and prepare for a trip south. The thought is we would take 5 weeks or so to get to Chesapeake Bay by Labour Day Weekend. We would dock Dagny somewhere, come home until late October then return and sail to the Bahamas for the winter again.

Until then thanks for following the blog.

Today's picture is of Dagny in McIver Cove, Cape Breton.