Cruising Nova Scotia

[Evergreen]

We were planning to go back to Nova Scotia for June and July.

Then we were reading in the "Cruising Guide To The Canadian Maritimes" by Cheryl Barr that June and the first part of July are not good for going because of persistent fog and rain.

What are your thoughts on this matter??? Have you ever been there in June? If so, how was it? We don't mind dealing with fog and rain as long as it isn't constant. Some wind helps a lot.

Your insights would be appreciated.

[mike ritenour]

We will also be in NS during that time.
LaVida will use this topic as a log in to let folks know where we are and possible potential rendevous with other CDSOA folks.
Sea u there!
Rit

[mike ritenour]

We are currently in the Thousand Islands, headed downstream to Quebec City!
Sail or should I say motor on!
Rit

[Evergreen]

Evergreen has been splashed ---- apparently everything is running late this year due to bad weather.
We are at Robinhood getting some last minute repairs done. Of course everything takes longer than expected but the prospect of being underway soon gives us hope.

[mike ritenour]

We arrived in Tadoussac, QE and have explored the Saguney River Fjord and its simply awesome.
We will be posting pics on our website: michaelritenour.com
Moving onto the South Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence as soon as the weather clears!
Rit

[Evergreen]

After spending nearly two weeks dockside, having last minute repairs done, we were unexpectedly suddenly ready to go. So we are took advantage of a short weather window and cruised over to Shelburne, Nova Scotia where we are enjoying their wonderful hospitality. Sunday the winds will shift and most likely we will be off, up the coast.

We have had the pleasure to see Cape Dorys both here in Shelburne ("Duet") and also in Lockport ("Blue Chip").

Although we are just getting started, one can follow our travels via photos on our Blog (the link is below the signature). Each page has a single posting. The link at the bottom right of the blog page will take you to earlier postings.

[mike ritenour]

Phil and Sharon,
Great to hear your underway.
We are weather bound here in Tadoussac, QE but expect to get out tomorrow when the winds change.
Looking forward to those sundowners (sometimes foggy sundowners) when we hook up.
sea u,
rit

[The Patriot]

... we ... cruised over to Shelburne, Nova Scotia where we are enjoying their wonderful hospitality ...

Glad to see that you had a quick passage to Canso. Be sure to take advantage of the Stan Rogers Music Festival (1 - 3 July), as Judy Collins, Paul Simon, and J P Cormier will be performing. We saw J P last summer in Louisbourg on Cape Breton. Just tremendous.

[mike ritenour]

Unfortunately we have had some mechanical problems that will cancel our trip to NS.
We have turned around at Mont Louis, Quebec and are very saddened about our turn of events.
Perhaps next season!
Fair Winds

[Evergreen]

"Evergreen" is in Canso, Nova Scotia for "Stanfest". Three days & nights of folk music.

Yes Armond, you are absolutely right. The festival just started. Went to a jam session in the wee hours of the morning --- it was great --- a lot of great talent all in one place sharing time together.

Mike: Soooo sorry you had problems!! What a disappointment. Perhaps if you get an early start next summer you can go around the Rock with us. We would love to share such a fantastic experience with another boat.

We have made multiple blog updates. The link to the blog is below our signature. One posting per page. You can access earlier posts via the link at the bottom right of the blog page.

[Evergreen]

Today we start the slow trek back towards Maine where we will spend the rest of the summer/fall sailing season. No hurry - no worry. Hope to see you out there.

Best wishes to everyone.

[chase]

Hi guys, glad to hear from you. Just out of curiosity, hows the wind this time of year? Having never been there, my memory says it's on the nose for ya'll heading home.

Anne Freeman has a new owner, and now s/v Cheoah is ready for some adventure . Looks like south first, and not sure from there. I've been collecting all the prices for different marinas and yards in ME so we'll see if we can do it. All I know is I need to get farther N in the summertime and I am seriously looking forward to spending lots of time up there.

Will be in touch, have a great time getting home. Hope you can stop in the farm this fall-

Chase

[Evergreen]

Chase:

Glad to hear that you found a new owner for your Cape Dory. Hopefully it will be someone who will actually use her. Some many boats sit idle and neglected.

Regarding Nova Scotia winds and weather ---- we are still learning and adapting to this new and totally differently environment.

Everyone talks about how unpredictable the weather is. But, we believe that it is not all that unpredictable. However, weather systems pass through much more rapidly, and therefore the current conditions never last long and changes occur much faster. When listening to forecasts one must not only listen to the forecast in your area but also to areas to the west and south of your location in order to have an idea of what is coming at you. Up here you learn to live with fog and drizzle, and you just carry on, and then you appreciate the sunny days all the more.

Yes, the prevailing winds are from the southwest. We find that this time of year they are nearly always SW with occasional changes to NW. Only rarely and for only short periods will it change to the eastern sector of the compass. The Nova Scotia coast essentially runs east and west (slightly NE and SW) so the return to the States is always much longer. The guide books say to double you time returning, however we would say to triple your time because you spend about a third of your time in harbour waiting for a weather window (as we are today). We find that if the rare easterly comes along we need to jump on it (despite the fog that it brings in) because they never last long. If we really need to make progress and the weather is being contrary we also motor starting around midnight and into the morning when there usually is limited, if any wind.

Lessons that we learned this year: Our original plan was to make a rapid trip "down east" and then slowly work our way back while taking more time to explore. However, we have found that this was a poor plan. We are finding that our return trip is largely governed by the weather conditions and that we need to take good advantage of every favorable opportunity to make progress. This limits our exploring. What we will do in the future, is to take more time going east --- when we can have short and easy sailing days with the prevailing wind. That way, the weather will not be dictating our actions to such a great extent and we will have more time to explore and spend at places that we like. It is all part of the learning curve. Hope this gives those that are interested some insight into Nova Scotia weather. One can also access our blog via the link below our signature and on the blog there is a link to the Canadian Maritime Weather Forecasts.

If you want to be able to do the most and best sailing in the summer I strongly suggest Maine. The months of August and September are the best but June, July, and October are also very good. It seems that further south it is always too hot and often there is limited wind. I left my marina research information at home, but I have realized that Robinhood seems to allow folks to work on their own boats (which is rare these days). They are only 35 minutes from the Portland airport and Hamilton (in Portland) is an excellent supply store.

We will make every effort to visit your farm this fall. We really enjoy the photos (of your rural lifestyle) that you post on Facebook.

Best wishes to everyone, and we hope to see you out there on the water this summer.

[Evergreen]

‎7/21/2011 - Blog is up to date with many photos. We are in Shelburne, Nova Scotia (where is that) awaiting a weather window to cross the Gulf of Maine back to the States. While we wait we will be enjoying Shelburne's Founders Day Celebrations (folks in period costume; mock battles; fireworks; music; regattas; too much food; and all kinds of competitions - including texting competition believe it or not).

[Evergreen]

Evergreen reporting in: We are back in Maine so that we may attend a class at the Wooden Boat School. This year's trip to Nova Scotia was short but well worth it! The people of the province spoiled us rotten and remain the primary reason for our return visits each year. In one month we managed to attend two, four day festivals (Stan Rogers Folk Festival & Shelburne Founders' Days) which really added to the fun.

Our blog has been updated with multiple postings that include many photos so that everyone back home can get an idea of what we experienced.

We hope to see you Maine sailors in the near future.

Best wishes,