Sigh.

We are back where we started a couple of days ago. Although I have become comfortable with the decision to abort I am not happy with myself for even thinking of going under the conditions we found ourselves in with the boat essentially untested.

We left West Head at 05h00 and motored out through the maelstrom in pitch dark relying totally on the GPS to keep me on course. That’s the one flaw with my idea of staging fromCape Sable Island for the jump south. You have to go through an area where conflicting tidal currents push and pull the water into surprising turbulence. On the chart they are shown as little dreadlocks. In real life they are an erratic hydro roller coaster. Not dangerous as there is ample water beneath them, they just put the helmsman or autopilot to work. Once we cleared them and rounded to a more nor-easterly course things settled down and we were able to sail along at nearly 8 knots assisted by the ebb current from the Gulf of Maine. We spent the morning listening to the local fishermen chatting on VHF channel 13:

“Hey, Louis. Ya out there?”

“Yah….yah….yah yah yah. I gotcha.”

“How many lines ya got down? Have ya run any from 90 to 95?”

“Yah….yah….yah. I got….lemme see…. One….two…..three…oh I guess I got four tubs in one line startin’ at 92 and runnin’ long the bump there…”

And much more of conversation like that. These were the captains chatting while their crew were below asleep. Interesting to follow their conversation and hear and learn their culture.

The whole morning went on very much like that. Us eavesdropping on the fishermen while running along under jib alone with Yoki working her little best to get us home. Soon we were going by the fairway buoy just off Cape Negro whose groaning sound is so much a part of the Maritimes that the provincial government should pass legislation to make it the provincial sound. I’m sure you would all recognize it – vaguely reminiscent of a sound one make when kneeling before the porcelain telephone trying to make a call to Ralph or Huey.

Then at 11h30 we were home again and tied up at the Town Dock with the kind assistance of the crew of Grace. The numbers of storm bound boats in the harbour has increased since we left besides us there are two Austrian boats, the Belgian, Grace from the UK, and a small 30’ sloop from Quebec.

As for us, we spent the afternoon de-provisioning the boat while we are at a dock and we can reach things across to the hard more easily than lowering them down from the deck when the whole boat is up on jacks. Although we are home and could come ashore we will spend tonight and Friday night aboard. Indeed, tomorrow AM we will move to boat over behind Josie’s Island again for the blow that is supposed to come up on Friday. Ken thinks there won’t be a problem but in my mind there is some doubt as to whether we will be able to be hauled on Saturday unless the wind decreases. But that is something that we will have to play that by ear.