Full Circle

It surprises even me. Makina is docked in Halifax! The adventure has come full circle.

It's not that there was ever a doubt in Makina, herself, to be able to make the voyage. It is just that there have been doubts about the feasibility of the project along the way. These doubts have focused mostly about my abilities.

There was a reluctance on my part to consider solo sailing. Surprisingly, one area of concern was docking.

Without crew there was always the fear of causing damage to Makina or worse boats in her general vicinity. This put me in pause mode a number of times along the passage when crew were not available to me. The stop overs in Saint Jean Port Joli and Gaspe come to mind.

Although once an active sailor it has been some 54 years since putting that activity aside. It should also be mentioned that during my active period it was under the mentorship of my Father whose boat; a 32' Acadian Yawl; had my participation as a crewmember. This passage and all it has encompassed has taught me that being the Skipper is a very different thing.

Memories have grown dim and experiences romanticized of my sailing experience. What was expected, when starting out from Halifax in July, has turned out to be a very different thing when cleansed with a scrubbing of reality.

There have been a number of people involved to make this all happen. Some have contributed in practical ways, like Jose the Mechanic and his wonderful job of putting a heart back into Makina. The wonderful Beta Marine engine served me well, particularly in the later part of the passage when sailing solo.

There have been others that have helped me personally. Those like Jason, my sailing instructor, that adjusted his Deep Keel Sailing Course to meet my needs with the skills that would be needed on such a passage.

There are others, like Pierre, my dear companion on 3 weeks of the passage, who instilled confidence in me. He had me consider that lack of confidence on his last night on board Makina in Gaspe. For that he shall forever have my gratitude.

And others like Anne Bonny who was always concerned about my well being and always ready to share that concern through phone calls and texts.

Of course there is Makina, herself, who showed me when out in the Gulf of St. Lawrence under an Environment Canada wind alert warning, that she would take me anywhere on this planet safely that my mind had the inkling to go; provided one were ready to ride out the choppy swell, currents, winds and other bad weather.

The last leg of the passage from Port Hawkesbury was planned to be a gentle one. A number of days were spent waiting for a good weather window. For the week prior to my departure the winds had been nasty with gusts as high as 65kms/hr.. My Bimini took the brunt of such fierce winds and recanvassing is now no longer an option.

Experienced sailors please cover your ears or don't if you want a chuckle.

One of my greatest accomplishments on the passage happened on the morning of leaving the Strait of Canso Yacht Club. My plan was to leave at 8:00, just as the winds were forecasted to settle down. Of course at that hour the Yacht Club was barren of sailors, except for me, and there was no one around to commandeer to help me cast off. Should precious time be waisted waiting for a volunteer? Hell no! The time had come to show myself that Makina could be managed by me solo.

And so she was. With a looped line set up on the stern, so that the line could be brought aboard by pulling on one end, the fore and mid lines were cast off and then stepping aboard the stern line was brought in and just as she was beginning to nudge away from the dock the Beta engine was put in gear and we were underway on our own steam and our own ability. A small step for man and but a giant leap forward for Skipper Dan. 😎👍

Things looked very promising when still in the Strait of Canso.

The calculations for making the run to Halifax were for a little less that 24 hours, mostly because the winds had fallen to a modest level. What had not been calculated was that the swell stirred up by the previous days of fierce winds had not yet subsided in the northern end of Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. With the swell coming from the south it meant having to fight my way through the chop half way down the coast. This seriously curtailed my speed with it sometimes being reduced to as little as two knots.

About half way down the coast the swell became more manageable and the wind started coming from the north west which actually helped my speed so that 5 knots and higher were eventually seen. However this was after being put behind schedule to the point that diesel supply was in question of being adequate for the entire passage.

Almost 36 hours later Makina was finally docked at the Armdale Yacht Club in Halifax, down to my last 20L of diesel. That is what is called cutting it too close. Yeah what about the third going, third returning and a third extra rule for fuel? Sometimes rules are broken even if you don't have to nor want to. There was always the vision of coming in under sail in the back of my mind. My Plan B was very OG. 😜

So here we are at our destination. With a real bed awaiting me at what will be home until at least Nov. 15th, there is a reluctance for me to leave what has become my new home. After the grueling 30+ hour voyage, once Makina was tied up it was directly off to the bunk for a wonderous 12 hour sleep.

Up at 7-ish for the customary shower, then afterwards logging online to announce the news to my Daughter and Son-In-Common-Law. They are on the night shift and my Daughter was still sleeping. My Son-In-Common-Law and myself had a nice chat online though.

It seems they may have a replacement home in mind. It is nicely under budget at their asking price of $629k, so the boat kitty should be getting a nice boost with the house sale without having to dip into any crypto.

Finding a yard that will take Makina on the hard has been surprisingly difficult. One club has placed me on a 60 person waiting list! AYC has gone the extra mile. Not sure if it was my email recounting my junior membership in AYC in the late 60s and the CYA sailing course taken there, but they offered me what is called a Wet Berth. That means keeping your vessel in the water for the winter in their back harbour which has underwater pipes feeding air into its waters so that ice will not form. So living on Makina will not only be possible but encouraged. With the purchase of a nice diesel boat heater this will not only be possible but comfortable as well. This adventure seems to have been blessed from its conception. From selling at ETH's all time high to finance the adventure to the unbelievable good weather and winds which blessed me to as far as Gaspe. AYC's solution is beyond my wildest dream.

They let me dock at the gas dock for the weekend and asked me to drop round the office on Monday afternoon after they have finished with the staffs' payroll to work out the details.

Its not the Caribbean, just yet, though it will give me time to see my Daughter and Son-In-Common-Law settled in to their new place, allow me the opportunity to take a navigation course this winter at the Club, , and feeding some gaming addiction with the release of Alpha Testing on Ashes of Creation (an MMO we have been waiting for for a few years now for release) the day before my birthday and a general satisfaction of what has been accomplished this summer - namely the purchase of a sailing vessel and the 1200NM passage to bring her home.

It's hard to imagine a more perfect outcome or a greater feeling of satisfaction.

May the wind be at your back!