July 15 - 17, 2022
Summary:
Sunrise Shore Marina to Caribou, return.
70 nautical miles
It seems like all we've done the past several months is prep the boat and plan and organize for our eventual departure. We have sailed a limited number of times this summer and all were short day sails in Tatamagouche Bay. So, when the family said they were headed to Caribou Provincial Park for a weekend camping trip, we thought it was a good opportunity to get away for a few days on Elizabeth M and make sure the boat and crew were in good working order. Aside from being one of the few protected anchorages within a day sail of our home marina, Caribou is also one of our favorite spots given it's proximity to Munroes Island and Caribou Provincial Park.
Munroes Island, Nova Scotia
"Caribou-Munroes Island Provincial Park is 11 km (7 mi) north of Pictou and close to the PEI ferry terminal. A mile-long sand beach offers some of the warmest saltwater swimming north of the Carolinas and the campground provides excellent opportunities for camping, or just appreciating nature. Hiking trails can be enjoyed along the shore to Munroes Island. Other activities include bird watching, canoeing and kayaking".
We departed our home port, Sunrise Shore Marina in Barrachois, NS at 0930 hours. We were joined by sv Thistle Dew, a Redwing 35, who was on the first leg of a solo sail to Canso, NS for the Stan Rogers Festival. Winds were light in the beginning and we were fighting a bit of current from the incoming tide. As we rounded Cape John and headed down the Strait towards Caribou the winds freshened and we poled out the jib and sailed wing on wing straight into the mouth of Caribou Harbour.
We had initially planned to anchor on the back side of Munroes Island, but were concerned with the on shore winds and uncomfortable chop, so we headed up the west side of the harbour beyond Caribou Island. We were surprised to find similar conditions, but decided to spend the night there as opposed to making the long trip back down the harbour. We dropped anchor at about 1700 hours, despite making it from Barrachois to Caribou in just over 6 hours.
We enjoyed a fantastic dinner of couscous with kale and shredded carrots and marinated grilled jumbo shrimp, with a side of toasted garlic bread. After supper we were treated to a great sunset. Not a bad start at all to the cruising season.
The next morning we moved the boat down to the anchorage behind Munroes. We dinghied over to the beach and bushwacked over the dune and made our way down the beach to Caribou Park. It was a very busy spot and sadly we forgot to bring our bathing suits, but we had a great visit with the kids / grandkids before heading back to the boat for lunch and a swim. Later in the afternoon we explored Munroes. Aside from the bald eagles, we had the place to ourselves.
Judy wading through the tide pools at Munroes Island
Phillip, our tender on the hard (good thing it was secured)
We departed the next morning at 0800 hours to head back to Barrachois. Winds were predicted to be 10-15 knots from the south, but we very quickly realized there were gusts to 25 knots from the south west. We sailed most of the way with 2 reefs in the main and reefed jib, and were making pretty good time, until just before Cape John. The winds increased and were right on the nose and the waves were very uncomfortable. We eventually made it back, but the final 2 hours were not pleasent.
The boat and crew handled things very well. All and all, it was the perfect Shakedown Cruise given it had a little bit of everything.
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