TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

After a reasonable night’s sleep we released ourselves from our multiple lines and motored out of Louisbourg on Sunday (August 31st) morning heading (into the wind) towards Halifax. Our plan was to sail all night and arrive at Purcells Cove on Monday evening, by which time winds of 30 knots were forecast. We made fairly good time on Sunday despite the choppy, bumpy conditions but were progressively slowed overnight by the increasing size and frequency of the waves. The radio was also starting to broadcast gale warnings so just after dawn on Monday we decided that we were no longer likely to make Halifax before dark, and certainly not before 30-35 knot winds were predicted. So we turned towards shore to seek shelter in one of the many coves between us and Halifax. Just as we turned almost broadside to the waves, for some as yet unexplained reason, the engine stopped and would not immediately restart. Suddenly the gale warning become all the more alarming and the rocky, island-studded shoreline less attractive. But it is a sailboat, so we pulled out a small amount of jib and in the strengthening winds were soon flying out to sea. Without the engine our choices were to stay away from shore (not appealing as the seas would get rougher) or to head for a wide-mouthed cove that we could sail into downwind (i.e., heading away from Halifax). Luckily, after a few minutes the motor did restart, although the risk of another stoppage was ever present. This allowed us to aim for Liscomb Cove, a bit of back-tracking, but not too bad. Randall gallantly motor-sailed us down the well-marked, but rocky approaches and finally we were relived of the waves and found a good anchorage in a well protected cove. And here we sit, protected from waves but swinging in the strong winds around the anchor awaiting calmer conditions. We hoped to leave for Halifax on Wednesday, but it may be Thursday before the sea conditions are calm enough for us to make sufficient headway to reach Halifax in a long day.

We may feel a bit trapped by the gale in this sparsely inhabited cove (not quite recognized by Googlemaps), frustrated that we will be further delayed in reaching Halifax and then getting to Maine. But Tregoning is much happier on the anchor than being pounded on a wharf and with Wendy whizzing away generating power and the solar panels making the most of the sunny intervals we are doing just fine. Catching up on the blog, fixing some things, and watching movies we are lucky to have enough food and water to be able to stay here for a while if we have to!