We spent a few more relaxing days in the bosom of ‘our’ Ottawa home, then said our goodbyes to Mom and Sis, and then headed off towards Newfoundland. As usual, it was sad to leave, but we’ll always be back. It’s all part of the ebb & flow of this somewhat odd life of ours.
In this case, the tide took us, not directly to Newfoundland, but over a bit further into Nova Scotia to visit our good friend Chet. After calling Mexico home for most of the past many years, he is now transitioning back to becoming a Maritimer. So we had to go see his newly renovated place, and generally reconnect with he and his friend/partner Margie. But mostly we wanted to meet his new cat: Riley. So cute…
After a few wonderful days visiting both Margie and Chet’s new homes, we pointed the bow north towards North Sydney to catch the overnight ferry to The Rock. With plenty of time to kill we did a little touring, and ventured a short distance up the Cabot Trail. We then ate dinner in N. Sydney at the same place we’ve stopped every time before boarding the ferry for the overnight passage.
The passage was uneventful, and we both managed to get a few hours sleep in. We landed and immediately headed out along the TCH — Trans Canada Highway. The weather was kinda stormy and foggy during the drive to Corner Brook, which made the hazards on the road even more scary. And no, I’m not talking about the infamous highway-roaming moose. I’m talking their potholes!
The province’s highways are in a sad state of disrepair. You can’t take your eyes off the road, especially with our little car. There are many holes that would rip our axles right off! Regardless of the weather and roads, we managed to make it to Corner Brook, where we took a short detour down to our old yacht club. It really hasn’t changed from when we left. Most of the boats looked familiar, and the wind was still howling, as it often did.
We carried on and were soon in the Lewisporte area. Wisely, Ann had booked us a BnB for the first few days, and since it was already late in the day, we headed straight for our temporary little home. What a lovely place; a modest sized camp/cottage right on a pond (lake), complete with wood stove, a great kitchen, and a very comfy living room and bedrooms. It was perfect — so perfect that we stayed an extra two nights.
The next day we did venture over to the marina to finally see our Pachina Mia. She was in a bit of a sorry state, with the cover completely destroyed, and nothing but the frame left. Going on board, we found that while there was no major damage, there certainly was a lot of minor stuff. At least our little treasures were still all there; still on guard.
It was a little demoralizing, but not unexpected. The weather that first week didn’t help either. It was cold, and constantly raining/drizzly. But regardless, we started the long process of bringing Pachina back to life. And after a couple of weeks, we managed to get everything sorted enough so we could go in the water.
Life is always so much better when floating. A boat just feels so wrong when sitting on the hard.
By this time our friend from Ottawa and fellow Lewisporte boater, Mark, had arrived. He helped us launch, and assisted us with the thousand other tasks that we’ve been doing. We even managed to help him a bit, but you know those solo sailors — they like to do it all themselves! Happily, we’ve been spending most evenings together, preparing suppers at the clubhouse while both our boats get back to full likeability.
Unhappily, the morning after our launch, our little red car was broken into. We found out the next morning when Brian, the marina manager, came over to me and asked if I’d left our car unlocked. He then took out a wallet that looked disturbingly familiar. The thief had smashed our front side windows, rifled through the glove compartment and found my wallet. I had just decided to start keeping it in the car, thinking I only need it there, and it might be safer than risk it falling into the water while working around the boat. So much for that idea…
Luckily, due to the quick thinking of another fellow boater who was onboard over night, they caught the thief red-handed, and recovered my wallet. The wallet was the only thing taken from our car, even though it was full of expensive items like computers, cameras and the like. Pretty stupid thief!
We didn’t lose anything, but this did create a major headache as the car was basically undrivable. Luckily, Cathie and Joe had gifted us a boom tent years ago which we used to cover the windows so we could keep the rain and dust out. But it took a couple of weeks for the local garage to source and install new windows, although part of that delay was because we went through insurance, which slowed the whole thing down (and we still ended up paying the lion’s share ourselves since our deductible is so high).
Thanks to Mark though, we were only minorly inconvenienced. Mark gave us his spare keys and let us drive his car anytime we needed. Well, to be accurate, he let Ann drive his car. Me… not so much 😉. To be fair, I hate driving cars (as you all know).
The days moved on. Getting the boat ready to live on, and then to sail, takes a lot of effort. And the tasks are twice as hard due to all the little damage we suffered from the long Covid hiatus. One of the more dramatic tasks is climbing the mast. Ann usually does this in the Spring because she remains in good shape over winter, while I…, not so much. I do it in the Fall.
So work progresses. But as usual, we’re going slow, and taking a lot of time to relax and enjoy. For example, there’s a fish market and outdoor restaurant nearby known as the big lobster. Mark treated us to dinner there, so while we ordered, the kids had to go play on the lobster. Kids will be kids 🤣:
Life on board is slowly getting back to normal. Most of our systems are working well, or well enough. Ann’s been provisioning, and we’re pretty much ready to go. Our only hold up right now is trying to source a new winter cover for our boat. We really have to do something to limit the leaks. Happily, we’ve found a cover maker. Unfortunately, he’s in Kingston, ON. But he says he can do it if we can get him the necessary measurements. The saga continues…
Regardless, it’s still great being back on board, and floating at the dock. Life is good.
