Chart – Halifax, NS to Northeast Harbor, ME
Back in Familiar Territory Ep. 11
After a welcome send off from our Halifax area friends last week, we made our way back down the Nova Scotia coast, first stopping in Lunenberg. It is much easier to arrive in a port when you already know your way around… and when you have the charts of the area! On the way into the harbor, we crossed paths with the Bluenose II.
Pay it Forward Ep. 9
This week was a little more mellow then past weeks. We spent most of our time in the Halifax area, taking in two more days of the Busker’s Festival. I think the kids would have been fine if we had stayed for the whole 10 days, seeing the same acts being repeated time and again! We moved down the harbor front away from the immediate hustle and bustle that marked the Maritime Museum wharf to a wonderful area called Bishop’s Landing. Within a short walk was a very substantial grocery store, but even better than that was a Saturday morning farmer’s market at an old brewery building. This market was like none other that we have been to, and we’ve seen a lot of farmer’s markets! It meandered through old passageways inside the basement and two upper floors of the old brewery — it was truly a labyrinth of hallways and oddly shaped rooms. Near the end of our foraging, the path opened up into a sun drenched courtyard, pictured below — looking like something out of an old European village, complete with an string quartet playing Pachelbel’s Canon!
Chart – Yarmouth to Halifax, NS
Taking the Good with the Bad Ep. 7
Having filled our brains with old shipbuilding history for one more day at Shelburne, and after I paid a visit to the local tavern that had a wi-fi hotspot, and ‘suffered’ through a pint of local brew while doing emails, we cast our lines from the government wharf early the next morning at 5am to gain the favorable current out the harbor. Getting up at that hour should have made both Karen and I morning people. The kids were still asleep, the water was glassy calm, and we each enjoyed a warm beverage as we motored slowly down the harbor and into the ocean, just in time to see the orange ball of the sun peak over the horizon — it’s an experience to behold!
Oh, Canada! Ep. 6
This has been another week of adventure! Last week’s update ended in Northeast Harbor, and we continued to stay there for 2 more days, partly because the weather was predicted to be on and off rain, and partly because there was so much to do on Mt. Desert Island. We rented bikes one day and discovered the joy of many miles of beautifully crafted carriage roads, first established here by Franklin D Roosevelt. They still have horse-drawn carriage rides available, but most of the trails are used by hikers and bikers.
We met another family with two boys of similar age to ours, the Windsors. This was quite a treat — some adult conversation time for us, and our kids seemed to relish some real kid play time. On our last day in Northeast Harbor, we took the Windsors out for a day sail to Little Cranberry Island, just across the harbor.
Chart – Rockland, ME to Yarmouth, NS
Blown Biminis, but Bountiful Blueberries Ep. 5
The last 7 days have been very action packed. In some ways too packed.
We left Burnt Island in Muscongus Bay and sailed into Rockland harbor, enjoying a nice gental breeze and our first attempt at flying the new assymetrical cruising spinnaker! We had fun watching the knotmeter continue to increase while Karen guided us up Penobscot Bay. Our arrival in Rockland was marked by a fleet of Windjammers returning from a day’s sail. It was quite a spectacle to see all of these old ships so skillfully handled in the harbor and to revel in the splendor of their beauty. Continue reading “Blown Biminis, but Bountiful Blueberries Ep. 5”
Chart – Portland to Rockland, ME
