From Maine to Nova Scotia

Boothbay Maine

Now that we've made our short trip to Boston by car, the four of us are back on board for the next fourteen days.

Sundeck - Aegir...

Following a good warm-up for our new crew on board, we first sail along the coast to Boothbay - in a lobster-pot slalom, of course - and go to a mooring buoy. Here we come across a pretty little village decorated for Memorial Day. Stonington is our next stop. A very attractive village too, even if there is still not much going on. We learn that the vacation guests from Canada, who are usually here at this time of year, are unfortunately not here. With the dinghy, we explore the island world in glorious weather. The day is rounded off with a hike and freshwater bath on Green Island.

Here we say goodbye to the USA and sail in 33 hours to Shelburne, Canada. Weather and wind are at their best. Moderate half winds are ideal for our Parasailer and our crew. And the sea is very calm. Before it darkens, a lobster buoy unfortunately gets caught on our water stay and the baskets hanging from it slow us down to 2 knots. Once we have recovered the sails, the pull decreases and we can free the line with the boat hook. The rest of the way, fortunately, nothing more happened. As the lobster season draws to a close (31.5), there is still a lot going on along the Canadian coast and even in deeper waters.

Arriving in Shelburne, Canada, we can only moor at the fuel jetty for the first night as the harbor has no room for us at the moment. Clearing in Canada requires us to be moored at the jetty, so anchoring or mooring buoys are not an option. After calling the authorities, we are told that we will receive a call back and a visit on board. Due to the late hour, we don't expect any more authorities for the day and make ourselves comfortable on board. At 10 p.m. there is a knock on deck and two officers come on board. They are very busy and don't stay with us for long. The customs process is completed after 30 minutes.

Arrived in Canada

We have another German sailing ship moored alongside for the clearance process and overnight. Early in the morning, we are rudely awakened by the harbour master. The second boat has to leave immediately as the jetty is not stable enough for a “package”. Later on, we move to the jetty when a space becomes available. Because of the forecast wind, we stay here for three days. 

Shelburn Heritage Site

In 1783, Shelburne briefly (until 1790) presented itself as the fourth largest town in North America and today has a picturesque historic town center. In the evening sun, we take part in the start of the sailing season at the yacht club with a local beer. In the fog and rain, cheese fondue is on the menu, with a visit to the German sailing ship “Lea”. For the first time, we have a baby visit on board.

Carters Bay - Nova Scotia

A strong wind zone passes by and then we continue our journey with a room wind course. A picture-book beach awaits us in Carters Bay near Port Mouton. We drop anchor and enjoy a walk along the beach. Here we also test our Ridingsail, which we had made in Lunenburg. It works, we are calmer at anchor than usual. With light winds and a parasailer, we continue on to Lunenburg. For us it is a nice homecoming. There wasn't much going on here last winter. Now there are already a few sailors moored at the mooring buoys and the bars and restaurants in the town are also busy.

Lunenburg Harbour

The summer weather is fantastic as we walk through the UNESCO World Heritage town and enjoy the bar terraces. In pleasant evening temperatures, we can barbecue on board and even eat outside. We reach Halifax on June 5 and celebrate the wonderful trip with our family crew. After an eventful vacation, our visit disembarks and we start shopping for the next few months. We also clarify the possibility of a winter berth and get ready for our onward journey towards BrasD'Or Lake. 

Halifax Citadel