Shelburne Redux: 20 - 22 Aug - Where Did Nova Scotia Go?

We arrived at Shelburne Harbor Yacht Club this morning at 0800, Sunday, direct from Canso (Shelburne waterfront at left). The trip began 1000 last Friday and required two nights at sea. There isn't much one can say about the trip itself. When we saw a "weather window" that allowed us to make miles west, we jumped on it. Our reward was the last night at sea. Though windless, the night was a beautiful combination of calm winds and seas, a full moon, and time to reflect on this wonderful cruise and the many people who made it so.

When eastbound to Newfoundland this past July, we sailed direct to Canso from Shelburne. Canso is at the eastern end of Nova Scotia, and Shelburne is at the western end, so this means we bypassed all the harbors along the Nova Scotia coast to gain time for Newfoundland. Having visited Newfoundland (albeit all too briefly) we returned west to Shelburne direct from Canso, again bypassing the attractions of this beautiful province (Kurika westbound to Shelburne at right). In effect, although we've visited Nova Scotia this summer, at the same time we ignored most of Nova Scotia. This contradiction is a natural result of the "voyaging" mentality needed to accomplish cruising objectives with a small yacht, and this discipline is the basic ingredient for "making miles."

Now we are preparing to return to the US. It's about 260 NM from Shelburne to Provincetown MA, and departure will depend entirely on the availability of another weather window with favorable winds and conditions. As I write this entry, the weather picture is a bit uncertain. A deep low pressure system is making its way up the US East Coast over the next few days and the ocean will remain unsettled until at least Friday or Saturday. The North Atlantic under such conditions is no place for a small yacht. Stay tuned and we will keep you posted.