Trip Summary:
Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club to Port LaTour
Trip Distance of 21.8 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 478.3 NM
Departed at 0800 hours and arrived at 1230 hours
Crew Log for September 3rd, 2022
Generally, boats transiting to the US, stage in either Port LaTour or Cape Negro. The tidal currents around Cape Sable Island are incredibly strong and so the passage around the southwest tip of Nova Scotia has to be planned carefully. I have been accused of being a planner, altho the accusation I believe has always been in a positive context.
Throughout this trip, we felt we have been generally pretty "lucky" with the way things have been going. We of course, know from experience, that the situation can change quickly. However, we also believe that our "luck" or good fortune, has also been partially due to the obsessive amount of planning and research we do looking at routes, weather and conditions. It also helps to have access to the knowledge and expertise of other "obsessive planners". The old salts would say, this is just good seamanship.
The trip to Port LaTour was uneventful. The winds were very light, but the sea was extremely rolly with a side on swell. Not unbearable, but certainly not the most comfortable of days we've had. We made good time however, getting to Port LaTour just around lunch time. sv ADANCA was already there and we were joined by one other boat from the US, I am guessing an Alberg, a little later in the day.
After a bite to eat, we dinghied over to ADANACO where they informed us that, not only were they not going to Yarmouth to cross as planned, but they were going to do a straight shot from Port LaTour to Northeast Harbor on Mt. Desert Island, Maine in the morning. Both Judy and I got very quiet. We thought we had a couple of days to mentally prepare to cross the Bay of Fundy and we both were anxiously nervous about the passage.
However, I am beginning to understand that the difference between "good seamanship" and offering up an opinion. The former is based on an appropriate amount of research and analysis of all the options and considers all the relevant factors, the later, is "just an opinion". Admittedly, when we went back to our boat, in my mind, I was still unsure of which was the best option.
After another review of the weather data and a comforting message from our trip mentors, we had a sense of confidence that indeed, the best option, was to do the crossing tomorrow. The 138 nautical mile trip would take us between 26 - 30 hours and it would not only be our first overnight sail (I did 2 overnights on motor when we delivered the boat from Chester), but it would also mean we would be in a different country when we arrived.
There were a whole range of emotions: excitement, nervousness, fear. However, we were going to the US in the morning and so we each set about to prepare in our own way. I checked and rechecked all the boat systems and Judy set about preparing passage meals and cinnamon buns for the morning.
The self inflicted adventure was about to kick into high gear!
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