Trip Summary:
• Halifax (Armdale Yacht Club) Rogues Roost
• Trip Distance of 26 NM, Total Distance, 319.3 NM
• Departed at 0915 hours, arrived at 1500 hours
Crew Log Thursday, August 25th, 2022
The coastal wilderness area near Terence Bay and Prospect encompasses wild and dramatic rocky coastal barrens, headlands and coves, granite headlands, cliffs, rocky crags and 22 islands, along with sheltered passageways, salt marsh and a few sand beaches.
One of the most unique (and well known) features of this coastal wilderness is an almost hidden, secluded cove. It has provided shelter for refuge for seafarers and adventurers, naval ships and fishing vessels and pirates and rum-runners. More recently, it has become a favorite spot for boaters of ever type and is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful anchorages in Nova Scotia.
We loved our time in Halifax, catching up with so many family members and friends, but it was time to move on. Our original plan was to head straight to Lunenburg, but we just couldn't pass up the chance to overnight at Rogues Roost. We had been there several years before on our sea kayaks, but never on a sailboat. The weather was slightly overcast and the winds were very light as we readied the boat to leave.
We ran into the Yard Manager, Bob Crinion a couple of times during our stay at Armdale. He seemed like a very helpful, knowledgeable guy and in chatting with him, we found out he was starting to refit another boat, a Cape Dory 32. He was very familiar with Barrachois Harbour, our home port. He bought Joe Murray's, Alberg 30 several years ago and did a major refit. Bob likes big heavy boats, with a full keel and he preferred white hulled boats, altho we weren't sure why.
Things got off to a rocky start, when an engine alarm went off. Luckily we were still on the dock and quickly consulted with Dr. Google. The alarm indicated that we had a leaky saildrive. Oddly enough, we don't have a saildrive on Elizabeth M. After fiddling with some loose wires, the problem was resolved and we were on our way. We made our way out "The Arm" past some beautiful (and not so beautiful) homes. There seems to be some sort of competition for who can build the most ostentatious home. To discourage future competition, we chose instead to focus on some cool little boathouses.
The winds were light so we motored out past Pennant Point. We had a beautiful sail, once we rounded the point and headed towards Rogues Roost. We were sailing well over 7 knots at time, aided by the ocean swell. The harshness of the Nova Scotia weather was evident when surveying the barren coastline.
Entrance into the Rogues Roost anchorage is tricky and potentially dangerous given submerged rocks and the narrow passage entrance. The guide book instructions were typically Nova Scotian...Ease up to the birch tree and turn slightly to the big rock that looks like a large dice...OK, a slight exaggeration, but it was nerve racking to say the least.
We picked up a mooring ball and were joined by 2 other boats from Quebec (sv That's It and sv Magali), both headed to the Bahamas as well, and we would cross paths several more times over the next week or so. Later in the evening we also were entertained by some guy in an aluminum boat who was using a patio umbrella as a sail. He would motor up the anchorage, hoist the umbrella and "sail" down through the boats. We have no idea why, but it was entertaining to watch.
We dinghied over to Hearn Island for lunch and Judy went for a swim. This was a perfect spot to fly the drone, but unfortunately I was getting a "wet usb port" error message on my phone, which is needed to fly the drone. Sadly, several days later, with the phone in and out of a bag of rice, I am still having problems (so don't be looking for any drone shots anytime soon).
There is also minimal cell service in this area. Actually, there is minimal cell service in most areas of rural Nova Scotia in our experience. Unfortunately, both of us went over our data quota with "Ma Bell" and she decided to cut us off. Any attempts to call to restore service was a waste of time, given that as soon as the boat swung the slightest amount, we lost service.
We had a very comfortable night on anchor. It felt good to be away from the noise of the city and nothing to entertain us other than the birds...oh and the dude with the patio umbrella.
留言