Sea Sickness, Engine trouble and then sheer beauty. Dartmouth to Shelbourne

August 22 Mile 2100 by sea 2200 by land. Weather variable

There is such a difference between sightseeing by road and by boat. The first thing you may notice is the speed. 60+mph by car and 5 mph at sea. Which means that when you are sailing along you can say. ‘Oh look at this Pat Go down and get the camera’ and you both gaze for a while as you pass it whereas in a car it goes ‘Stop stop Pat! and before you know it you’ve passed it’. On the other hand the car is reliable and you can stop!

Some of you may have seen these images on FB but before these were taken it was the journey form hell. I woke up with a foreboding feeling as we set out and sure enough the sea was really lumpy with 10Ft swells and we were heading straight into the wind. The next thing the engine stalled and we decided we could still sail and just tack our way down but the motion of the sea was really making me sick. We were going well ish at 4 knots only and then the wind started picking up and we were at 6 knots and the wind continued to pick up and we reefed the main. And then the wind died but the engine had started again however I was feeling terribly sea sick. And the engine died and the wind picked up and we shook out the reef but the wind only about 8 knots. I notified a ferry that was heading our way that our engine was dodgy and that we may not be able to alter course and he was fine about that. Very soon after the coast guard called to see if we were in distress. It was a nice cosy feeling that they were looking out for us. Then the wind picked up to 35 knots agin and we had to reef again. The solar panel got dislodged and was hanging off the side. We had to fix that. We were exhausted. I was going to give up for the day but Pat persuaded me to carry on and I’m really glad we did. I called our mechanic to discuss what was happening to the engine and he made a few suggestions and what really impressed me was, he said that he was at a family party at the weekend and if he didn’t answer he would check his phone every now and then. … and he did !

When I was checking the engine through hull I noticed a lot of water. Not enough to make it sink but a lot nevertheless. Devon (mechanic ) said that that was unlikely cause and sure enough when I checked it. It was not salt water. How did I check? Ah the glamour of sailing. With a stomach of iron you’d wonder why I get sea sick!

We then made it into the most beautiful anchorage with no one else around, a seal to watch us and the gentle sound of the sea. It was just at sunset, so we dropped the anchor and relaxed and had a delicious meal of corn and chicken. The next day we trouble shooted, changed impeller, racor filter and cleaned out some other water filters. I think the cause is a small through hull and the fact that the lumpy sea was preventing the boat from pulling in more water.

The following day was glorious. Flat calm seas and sun shinning. We made our way into another beautiful anchorage at sunset and were greeted by a fisherman who wanted to give us some mackerel he had caught that day. He refused to take any money for it and even gutted them for us. I remember when I was talking to the taxi man some time previously he said that when he first came he was so surprised about the friendliness of the people that he was expecting someone to mug him or something when people were helping him. ( He had immigrated from a rough place.) Even when the border control came up on us. I asked if I could take a photo and the driver said hold on and they drove off. It was to fix something on his uniform. When they asked if we had checked in, the guy then said and ‘I don’t suppose you have the customs number handy’. So much nicer way of asking don’t you think!

There was so much more about the Bay of Fundy and the 38ft tides and the various stories of fishing and lighthouse tragedies that I haven’t written about but sure what would we talk about when we meet. The addiction of sailing is that you forget the horrible days and just remember the beauty. It reminds me of the last verse in Wordsworth’s poem The Daffodils.

“For oft when on my couch I lie, In vacant or in pensive mood They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills And dances with the daffodils

Some of the before and after pics of the Bay of Fundy and strange mannequins they had on one of the islands.