Grey River, Newfoundland

Grey river entrance

The Grey River entrance is the narrowest that I entered in Newfoundland. The entrance is marked by a small lighthouse and is all but invisible until you are right in front of the opening.Steering downwind in a following sea towards a rockbound coast looking for the entrance and a shoal between between the entrance and open water was a bit unnerving! Once inside, the swell disappeared  and I motored past the tiny outport of Jert's Cove and continued upriver. Grey river has several channels to explore once inside, all of them with very few places shallow enough to anchor except at the far ends. Deciding that the NW arm looked best for the forecast weather conditions,  I anchored below some cliffs where the water became shallow enough. Later, as the wind picked up to 35 knots and the boat was caught in a tug of war between the current and the wind I could see by the wind rips on the water that I should have anchored closer to the head of the arm. The cliffs on either side created an acceleration zone that I could have avoided by anchoring beyond them. It was here I experienced some of the coldest weather of my voyage north,I had noted 35F at sunrise outside, but nice inside with the heater on all night. Being reminded of the approaching winter season, I began  planning the voyage south with its various possibilities dependent on the weather.

Heading up through the narrow waterway

Steep shoreline and deep water

Junction of NE and NW arms

At anchor in the NW arm

Early morning exit from Grey River

Burgeo, Newfoundland

Burgeo

Beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park

 In need of some fresh produce other than blueberries, I sailed into Burgeo to restock and found it interesting enough to stay several days.It was a pleasant six hour sail from Grand Bruit. Dropped the sails in the lee of the islands in preparation for motoring the last few miles into Short Reach directly into the increasingly brisk wind. After checking out the end of Short Reach, I decided to land on the newer part of the fish plant wharf. A local on his motorcycle watched me come in and caught my lines. In the ensuing conversation I learned that the fish plant is mostly shut down with the part that was operational processing fish brought in by truck into fishmeal and that  fishing boats no longer came in to unload their catch at the docks. Ashore, I found a very friendly small town with newer well maintained homes and shiny new cars. There is a small grocery a short walk from the fish plant dock and a hardware/liquor/everything else store a longer walk into the center of town. Wifi was found at Joy's Cafe just beyond the coast guard dock.  In addition to the usual cafe fare there was local food on the menu as well- moose and rabbit being featured on the specials board. Fuel and propane is available from EH Scott Garage 709-886-3324. They will pick up your    

Sandbanks Provincial Park

 containers and return them to the dock full for a $10 service charge. This saved a days work as the garage is a few miles away on the outskirts of town. Burgeo is the only town between Port aux Basques and the Burin Peninsula that can be reached by a road, making it a popular destination with a campground and a nine room motel. After taking care of business I explored Burgeo and the small harbor on the other side of town. Wandering around looking lost is not always a bad thing. I met a retired couple who told me about about Sandbanks Provincial Park where there son worked for the Park Service. They offered me a ride out there and gave me a

Hiking in the park

quick tour of the town along the way. I spent the rest of the day hiking all the trails in the park and walking on the nearly deserted beaches. It was amazing to find white sand beaches reminiscent of the Caribbean in Newfoundland as the usual scenery is wind and wave blasted rocky cliffs rising to tundra covered highlands.

Inland lake

View from the highest point in the Park, Grip Head

Grand Bruit, Newfoundland

The abandoned outport , Grand Bruit

Government dock for Nomad

 Visiting Grand Bruit was a remakable, if somewhat disconcerting experience.First, a little background information to put this in perspective. Newfoundland has always been populated by fishermen, and those engaged in the near shore fisheries settled where the fishing was good so they could reach their preferred fishing areas without spending a lot of time rowing or sailing there. Whole communities grew in these areas and could only be reached by boat or extensive backcountry travel on foot. With the advent of motorized travel, the Trans Canada Highway was pushed across Newfoundland linking the larger towns, but it was not possible to put roads through to the more remote communities. Even today in the few surviving outports access is by the government run ferry service, which also brings in supplies. Children are educated locally until about high school age then sent to boarding schools in the larger towns to complete their education. The Canadian government decided long ago that it was to expensive to provide services to these remote communities and has been trying to get people to leave their villages and move into more accessible towns such as Burgeo and Port aux Basque, offering them ever increasing

Local history

buyouts to leave their homes. Apparently, it is worth removing families from their homes where they have lived for many generations to save a few dollars.

Streets for people, no cars in the outports

 Grand Bruit was the most recently abandoned outport, its residents departed in 2010. The infrastructure is still in good condition as are most of the buildings, although some of the older buildings are beginning to deteriorate. Some are still used occasionally for vacation homes. Many are locked up with the interiors looking like the residents had just left a few moments ago. Others have moved everything out . Some were unlocked and were still furnished right down to family pictures on the wall with the house beginning to fall apart.I saw a note in one house that read "take anything you want now, it's free. Please close the door in case we make it home someday." and there was a picture of an older couple on the countertop. Very sad!

I signed the guestbook in the church and read through it. Some visitors were the past residents, many were cruising people. The only way to get to Grand Bruit now is on your own boat or by a long skidoo trip in the wintertime from Burgeo. I visited the local cemetery where many of the gravestones had common family names as most have lived there for many generations. The hiking trails north of town were becoming overgrown but were still easy to follow. With no people around the

Guestbook in the church

wildlife comes right into town, there were fresh moose and caribou tracks everywhere.
The harbor provides good protection from all directions except for the southwest. It may be possible to anchor in the cove on the west side for protection from the southwest. The floating dock on the west side was in good condition, but looked a little light duty for a cruising boat. I tied to the more substantial government wharf on the east side of the harbor. With a nearly two meter tidal range, I had to position the stern beyond the end of the dock so the wind generator blades would not be at risk of damage at low tide. It was a odd experience to stand on deck and watch the sunset over an 

The road into town from the dock

Careful navigation required

apparently normal town and as it became dark there was not one light to be seen, even the communication tower back in the hills was shut down.  With the town bathed in the glow of the moonlight and all those darkened windows  looking down on the boat with no sound other than the wind it was an eerie and somewhat disturbing feeling!

Blueberries everywhere

Hiking in the hills north of Grand Bruit

Bay Lemoine, Newfoundland

 It was a great downwind sail from Isle aux Morts with 25 SW making for a fast trip.This is my first trip up a fjord in Newfoundland and it was unique. Having studied a book put out by Environment Canada about the regional weather, I was not caught unaware of the effect these fjords have upon the local wind. Sailing up Bay Lemoine, the wind increased and became aligned with the waterway. After passing the abandoned lighthouse at Rose Blanche, I took all the sails down and proceeded under power in anticipation of making the 180 degree turn upwind into Duncan Cove. As I motored into the cove the

wind accelerated to double or more its speed outside, nearly bringing Nomad to a stop several times even with full throttle. The water is hundreds of feet deep until nearly the end where it shoals up onto a little shelf where I could anchor. I explored the little cove at the end and found it to be deep enough, but decided to anchor further out in a little more wind with an anchor and a shore line to a large rock . To enjoy the protection at the end of the cove, I would have had to put four shore lines out and and warp the boat around to head out  to facilitate a hasty departure if the weather changed unexpectedly.  

More work than I wanted to do! Like Isle aux Morts, this bay was sheltered from the VHF radio signal, although the weather fax came in readable on the shortwave. Exploring ashore is best done at low tide when landing is easier, the two meter tides leaves a nice beach for walking on. Ashore there were some concrete blocks and the ribs and engine block of a wooden boat, all that remained of a long closed fish farm. Getting beyond the beach required some effort as this is wilderness and the vegetation is nearly impossible to penetrate without a machete. I finally located a way up to higher ground and

able to hike the backcountry extensively from there, frequently following caribou trails through the dense undergrowth and staying above the treeline on the rocks. The environment is sub arctic tundra with most trees at higher elevations being only a few feet tall and most of the ground covered with lichens and blueberries and other plants I had never seen before. Off the rocks, the hiking was difficult as the lichens were like walking on an ankle deep wet sponge and that is interspersed with muddy bogs. Where there was any soil, it was all peat that stained all the freshwater brown. Usually  caribou/moose trails  

provided the best route. Seeking weather reports with the handheld VHF, climbing the hills was no help, I had to climb to the highest point above the cove to get radio reception. Most of my time here was spent hiking in the rain and windy weather that is common here. The night before I sailed from here, the wind stopped and that allowed the mosquitoes to find their way out to the boat. I t does not pay to complain about the weather!This area I am exploring is true wilderness, there are no roads between Rose Blanche and Burgeo with only a few outports still occupied and accessible only by boat. It is a

sailors paradise to explore if one is  prepared for the difficult weather conditions that frequent the area and are completely self reliant.

Isle aux Morts, Newfoundland

Nomad sailed from Baddeck Nova Scotia on August 25 after careful calculations to ensure that the passage through   Bras D'Or Narrows happened near slack water.  Even at slack water, there were swirling tidal currents near the shoals  approaching the bridge.  After passing through the Narrows, I hoisted full sail in anticipation of a nice sail across Cabot Strait but as the land fell astern, the became light and Nomad motorsailed through the night to arrive at Ilse aux Morts the next afternoon. After a quick look at Mickle's tickle I decided that the lagoon inside of would be better for the forecast weather.It is a small, deep, and very well protected anchorage. I anchored in the middle, off the rock ledge in the entrance. It was the only place I could comfortably anchor without shorelines due to the depth.although I did run out one shoreline for added security when the wind forecast increased up to 45 knots NE. The anchorage is so well protected that there was no radio reception inside the lagoon. Climbing to the highest point on the island, there was excellent reception for weather forecasts via the handheld VHF and  a strong cell signal to get internet. While hiking around checking for radio reception, I noticed the island had numerous blueberries growing all over, so I returned with an empty container to harvest some  and did that nearly every day that I was here. I remained at anchor here for five days waiting for the weather to settle before sailing to Bay Le Moine. Hiked all over the uninhabited island and explored the lagoon and nearby Mickle's Tickles  with the dinghy. 

Bras dOr Lakes, Nova Scotia

Locking through to the Bras d'Or

The canal at St Peter's

 After a pleasant downwind overnight sail from Halifax, I  made my usual late night arrival and anchored about a mile from the entrance to the lock at St Peter's.  Picked up the anchor late the next afternoon and traversed the lock. With "unofficial" permission I tied to the approach wall for the night to check out the town of St Peters.

The harbor at Baddeck

 Early the next morning I made my way through scattered showers to Johnstown Harbor with only the last few miles exposed the the brisk North winds blowing across the open waters of the Lake. Laid at anchor there for several days and explored the area by dinghy as the undergrowth ashore was to thick for any hiking. With an approaching weather forecast favorable for making the trip across Cabot strait approaching, I gave up on waiting for a southerly wind and motored to Baddeck so there would be time for a bit of touring there before sailing to Newfoundland. I spent the better part of sunday visiting the Bell Museum. Alexander Bell was quite a fascinating person! Although known primarily as the inventor of the telephone, he was also involved in many other projects ranging from aviation, hydrofoils, communications for deaf people and much more.  After careful calculations to arrive at the Narrows at slack water, I set sail Monday morning for Newfoundland.
Notes: There is a tide station at Johnstown, I used it to time my arrival at the Barra Strait bridge. Arrived 1 hour past high tide and found minimal current. Wifi available at Tim Hortons in St Peter and at the yacht club in Baddeck. Being a small town, nearly everything was closed on Sunday in Baddeck, including the grocery store and gas station. Fuel is available at the marina; .30 a liter cheaper at the Esso station behind the yacht club. The inner harbor is full of moorings, but there is good anchorage out towards the lighthouse. This area has numerous remote anchorages and great sailing; one could easily spent a month sailing about in the lakes, but due to the lateness of the season I must keep moving so there is some time for Newfoundland.

Leaving the Bras d Or,Newfoundland bound

Halifax Nova Scotia

Roving fog banks in the NW Arm Anchorage

The trip from Lunenburg started off promising, clearing the harbor under full sail, the wind soon vanished. After sailing to a standstill, the motor was turned on and remained in motorsail mode all the way into Halifax, putting the anchor down at 0230. Halifax has all the attractions of any big city, the first I have been in since Florida. It is a bike friendly town with almost all shopping within walking distance of the anchorage in the Northwest arm. Nearby is a yacht chandler, Walmart, two other grocery stores, a shopping mall and a Canadian tire store. Àlso a dive shop at the rotary that will fill scuba tanks for$7.There is bus service throughout town with bike racks on the bus. I was taken in as guest of a member of the Armdale yacht club that I talked to while on their fuel dock,allowing me use of their facilities.  Their help has been invaluable in locating what I needed in town and using their address to receive mail.

Halifax harbor from museum ship Acadia

There are numerous independent coffeehouses, bars etc nearby on the Halifax waterfront. There is much to see , but two museums stand out: the Maritime museum and the museum of Natural history.
Halifax info: I anchored in the far end of the Northwest Arm in 20'. The whole arm is very crowded with moorings, but there is room to anchor carefully. Bottom is reputed tobe soft mud but I have not dragged yet in winds up to twenty knots ona 5:1 scope.  There is also space to anchor by the Dingle. Dinghy access is either at the yacht club or at the small floating dock at the park. Tidal range is about two meters. There is a bus stop near the yacht club and at the park.
The next stop will be the Bras d'or lakes, a little over a hundred miles from Halifax. Sailing out on a clear day, i enjoyed seeing all that I missed during my middle of the night arrival. Took a good look at the other yacht club, the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron on the way. Although much closer to the ocean than Armdale, it has two shortcomings:  without a Bicycle or car, no shopping is nearby and all the boats there were rolling in the swell working its way in.

Lunenburg Nova Scotia

Historic Lunenburg harbor

Classic sail 

Lunenburg is a bit of a tourist town, but that is survival. It is a thriving waterfront town when a lot of other Canadian fishing towns declined with the fishing industry. Despite being a bit tourist oriented it is  a fascinating place to visit for anyone with an interest in schooners and other classic sailing craft. It is also homeport to the famous Bluenose II, perhaps the most famous schooner of all. The original Bluenose ended her days hauling cargo in the Caribbean and was wrecked on a reef near Ile a Vache Haiti. Number 2 was launched in 1963 when the Canadian s realized they had lost a national treasure.  It is currently finishing up a 2 year refit in Lunenburg. The Atlantic Fisheries Museum is well with a day to visit, including a visit to an old trawler and a schooner docked there and seeing firsthand the evolution of the fishing industry.
Lunenburg foundry is still in business and repaired my windlass even though it they have not made windlasses in 15 years. Also still turning out wooden blocks and other traditional rigging gear is A Dauphinee  and sons, who rebuilt all the blocks for the Bluenose refit.
Everything a sailboat may need after a passage is available here and all within walking distance. However there is no fuel available on the docks, it has to be carried from the service station in jugs. The anchorage is not as crowded as it looks, there is plenty of space outside of the moored boats. The bottom is very soft mud, so a lot of chain on the bottom is required to keep from dragging.
Next stop is Halifax for resupply and mail call.

Ile a Vache Haiti to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Mid -Atlantic sunrise

Battery Point, entrance to Lunenburg harbor

 2017 miles in 24 days was a little slower and longer than planned, but that happens when voyaging under sail.  Nomad enjoyed a fast sail to Cape Tiburon with the trades blowing from astern. Once the turn north was made in the Windward Passage the wind became light in the lee of Haiti and it took nearly two days of motorsailing to get back in the wind north of the island. An interesting feature of the weather here is a steady stream of thunderstorms all night moving west off of the island.  Once clear of the traffic lanes off the east end of Cuba, the course was made for Mayaguana Passage, passing just to the west of Great Inagua. From there I sailed straight north for two days, slowly as the wind diminished rapidly north of the Bahamas, the plan being to motorsail northwest and pick up the Gulfstream....but it did not happen according to plan. The evening weather fax showed a low off of Florida tagged with the words "tropical cyclone development likely". It did develop into an early season hurricane they named Arthur.Not knowing where it was going to track, I held my north bound heading for two more days until the weather fax showed its predicted path. It followed roughly my intended route and I was nearly at the same latitude as it was. Time for plan B!  Course was set for 090 degrees, motored for twelve hours and sailed for two more days to get some sea room in case the storm turned my way unexpectedly. This put me much closer to the Azores high, an area of light and no wind known as the horse latitudes. Turned northeast at 69W  and sailed at 1-3 knots, carefully monitoring the hurricane's track to ensure that I stayed south of it. This went on for some time,lazy sailing, baking bread, reading etc. About the time Bermuda was 75 miles due east, the storm had moves east of Newfoundland and the wind began to return. After that it was smooth sailing except for a cold front that hit just after I got north of the Gulf Stream. Talked with a ship the next morning, they said it was gusting 60 knots in the squalls. There were numerous squalls embedded in that front, and each one would turn the boat up into the wind and then back south as it passed leaving an area with no wind behind it. After this happened several times, I had enough sail handling for one night and hove to and let her ride until the weather settled. The next morning was much more agreeable and sailing with the wind off the port quarter resumed, headed directly for Lunenburg. There was a major change in weather as I crossed the continental shelf; the water and air temperature dropped into the 50'sF and dense fog formed. It remained so until I turned the corner into Lunenburg harbor, the fog lifting as I approached Battery Point lighthouse.

Ile a Vache, again

Main street, Caille Coq

 After deciding to exit the Caribbean via the Windward Passage a short visit to Haiti was easily worked into the voyage plan. Topped of fuel, oil, and rum supplies and  had lobster dinner at Jean Jean's. The second time around was much easier as the local people recognized the boat when I came in to anchor. I found my crew from last time and recruited them to get supplies from Les Cayes for me and a couple more pieces of bamboo to pole out the jib for down wind sailing. Had Corby and friends clean the bottom  and I  de-barnacled the propeller and transducers for the long upcoming passage. It was an all too brief four day visit, but with hurricane season inexorably progressing, it was time to head north for the season.

Cooking lessons, how to make fried breadfruit

The table is set for dinner at Jean Jean's for dinner