Crossing to Maine

39 days in Canada was enough

USA here we come!

Our first night sail (motor)

Well, Hurricane Irene became a “non-event” in Nova Scotia and we are very thankful for that. After waiting it out and reassembling the boat we finally left Bridgewater and the LaHave River Yacht Club on Tuesday morning just after sunrise. The distance between Canada and USA is just a few hundred miles now. Our goal was to reach Maine before Labor Day weekend. The delay for weather may have made that impossible now. After an uneventful day of motor-sailing we stopped for the night in Lockeport NS. This quiet little harbor sits just east of the Sable Islands and the start of “The Bay of Fundy”. As we've read in our cruising guides and other navigational resources, the Bay of Fundy has very strong currents and can be difficult and/or impossible to cross if your timing is off. It can take anywhere from one long day to as long as a week to find your way over to the northeast shores of Maine. We find ourselves in very unfamiliar circumstances once again. Some local knowledge would really be nice right now.

During the afternoon and evening in Lockeport we met and talked with two other cruising couples. FARING was heading back home to Bath, ME. after having spending several weeks in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. ISLAND PURSUIT was heading south for the winter, leaving their home in Newfoundland behind. Both captains offered a wealth of knowledge and experience in terms of where to go next and how to get there. Ken and Heather (FARING) were planning a straight through crossing the following day with Bar Harbor as their destination. It was approximately 150 miles, but this would eliminate Fundy as well as several more days in Nova Scotia before crossing over. Jake and Blanche (ISLAND PURSUIT) were still considering a few directions and had their eyes on a similar track. Maybe they would sail due south and head straight for Cape Cod. Both yachts were talking about a trip that would require sailing through the night. We both knew this day was coming, we just didn't know it would be today.

So there it was. A solution to our troubles. An offer for a guide across the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy. We're so excited (fear and panic are often confused with excitement) we can't sleep. We agreed that this was what we needed to do, and accepted the offers for help throughout the night to get us there. On Wednesday the three ships left together at noon. The air was still very cool (COLD) and the winds were light. The plan was to arrive in the vicinity of the Sable Islands just after the tide and current switch to a favorable direction for our course across. We took turns at the helm, and helped one another stand watch. After sunset was when the panic really set in. Not having experienced navigation after dark made it a little scary at first. The on board instruments have back lighting so that was not a problem. But we have no headlights like a car, and the lights from shore as well as the many fishing boats made things a little confusing for a while. Eventually those were all but gone too. The only lights left were those coming from the thousand and thousands of beautiful stars. What a site. FARING made radio contact with each of us every hour to share information and weather updates, and to make sure we (Y-Knot 3) were still OK. Just before sunrise FARING saw a freighter on their radar that appeared to be on a collision course with our tandem of yachts. Ken made contact with the captain to be sure that they see the three of us. The freighter made a slight course adjustment and we were saved. How cool is that?

Having survived the night was an incredible feeling. We each had 3 or 4 hours of sleep (an hour at a time), but it was time to start a new day. We raised the sails, changed to a new heading, and bid our fellow yachtsmen farewell. We were headed for the coast of Maine with hopes of reaching somewhere further south than Bar Harbor. We had a good day and finally tied up in Rockland ME sometime after 7p. 31 hours and 195 miles later, we slept.

We're back in the USA and we're looking forward to the east coast adventures. We did take a short break from the cruising world to spend the Labor Day weekend with our family in DC. We attending our niece Ashlee and Mark's wedding in Alexandria, while also catching up with Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, and few cousins. It was a great side trip and we're so happy that we were able to get there.

We're back on board and ready to start again.  Talk to you again soon.