SUMMER OF 2005 SHAKEDOWN..….
Pat has not sailed single handed watches before, therefore, summer of 2005 was the practice time. We planned to sail straight through, from Halifax to New York, back to Boston then home. Mid July one would not have thought you’d need so many layers of warm clothing to cross the Gulf of Maine. Now...that’s one cold body of water! In fact, I don’t believe I have enough clothing in my wardrobe.
It was an interesting shakedown…..we were doinig 3 hour watches. My first watch Ted slept in the cock pit...just incase, plus reassurance. Second watch I insisted that he sleep down below. However, it didn’t take long for me to have a comfort zone of doing my single hand watches. The auto helm and radar were comforting, especially having the radar as a third eye. This kid has night blindness, so I was not comfortable with night sailing at the best of times. During the entire trip, Ted and I were challenged in in every sense of the word. We utilized every aspect of sailing knowledge and skills. Every little trick and judgement. The only challenge, we didn’t have, was dodging the lobster traps in Maine…but we were prepared to do so. Engine problems, along with no wind, fighting the tide of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine. After being becalmed for the fourth night, we decided to turn around and head into Yarmouth, NS. At least there was wind in that direction. We knew Canada would honour the warranty on the engine and weren’t too sure about the Americans. Not wanting a shock to our wallet, we decided it best to be in Canadian territory. At least then Ted can work on the engine himself. While in American marina's you are restricted from doing your own work while tied to their marinas.
By now, we came to terms and knew New York and Boston were no longer in the picture. Both of us had to return to our place of employment within eight days. The winds were fair until we entered the mouth of Yarmouth at 6 p.m. or 1800 hours. Not planning to travel the coastal waters of Nova Scotia, charts were on board even though cruising books were not. I then radioed Fundy Traffic, to request info of where we’d tie up for the night. Once again the wind died. The engine was not reliable, did I tell you this was a new engine not enven 100 hours of running time. It would heat up then quit. We wanted to save it until the worst part of the channel. Yarmouth Harbour, is not a friendly harbour to come into at night. The city lights reflecting off the water was more hinder and the unlit channel markers. Often, if it weren’t for the flash light shining on reflection tape (to identify the solid concrete channel markers) we could have some nasty bumps in the hull. Fundy traffic contacted us twice in the nine hours. Puzzled as to why we haven't reported into them for a while...0300 hours we finally come along side. Found a finger to tie up to, the tide was high and we could see the restaurant and other buildings. It didn’t take long, for Ted and I, to tuck ourselves into bed and go off into the dream world. We woke up about ten hours later to low tide. The railway track, that the marina system is on, for the tide levels, is ideal. Meant you don’t have to man the lines regularly, but made for a very noisy visit. However, twenty-eight feet tide, meant a long climb up with a weeks worth of laundry.
To make a very long story short…the next morning we made a call to the engines dealer. After Ted describes what the engine is doing, we were informed that it sounded like we had taken on gas rather than diesel. Sure enough…after sniffing the three remaining jerry jugs…gas it was. Now we had to find some method of emptying the tanks and disposing the contaminated gas/diesel. Our search is on. Lucky the owner of the Ultramar Gas Station, a few blocks up the road was very accommodating. Two days later we got provisions and ice to head back to Halifax via anchoring every night along the coast. Discovering new anchorages that we’d not anchored before from Yarmouth to Liverpool.
To my disappointment we didn’t view as much wild life as I had hoped to see. There where lots of seals, many sunfish, along with one huge leather back turtle. In fact, he was so wide, we figured he was too large to fit in our cockpit area that is six feet wide and eight long. Its head alone was the width of channel spar. As we grabbed for the camera he dove…so we never did get a picture. Lots of pilot whales, at the mouth of Liverpool harbour…but we didn’t get close enough to see the big whales breach. Only blow and break the surface with their humps and tails. All in good time I guess.
This trip was hard on a couple of our instruments…mind you they owed us nothing. We did the math and realized they served us for a number of years. Both the auto helm and GPS gave out. So needless to say, by the end of the summer, both had been replaced. However, not thrown out, I’m sure we can get a couple of more ventures from them, if we ever need them in emergency.
Shake down cruises are very beneficial from the Skipper down to the last Crew member. If you don’t test your emergency plan. How will you know if it works? Five hundred miles out to sea and a broken fuel pump in a gale, then blow out your main sail. This should not be an emergency. UN planned and UN comfortable (Not an Emergency). Our plan for a situation like this will be told in another BLOG entry to follow.
