It would be boring to do yet another post about fog if the fog was not so exciting in this part of the world. Margot and I did some chores this morning, did a garbage run, and then before we were ready to set sail for Pearl Island and Southwest Cove yet again we came over to say hello to Jeff and Marcia on UJAM'n. They were anchored next to us when we pulled into Lunenburg the first time, and then Jeff came by to say hello when we were docked at Halifax. They told us of Beckman Island where they spent 4 nights at anchor exploring the surroundings and watching ospreys. Margot was set on Southwest Cove, so as enticing as the osprey suggestion was, we said thanks for the tip, see you next time.
And then the fog changed our plans. We left Lunenburg in a nice breeze, sunshine, excellent visibility, in other words perfect day for a sail. As we were reaching the eastern part of Lunenburg bay, I noticed that we were about to sail into fog. It was there, very clearly, a thick band of moisture that was hanging out above water with seemingly clear sky above it. We hove to about 500-800 meters before the fog and considered our options. Pearl Island was out of question: we wouldn't see anything anyway. Sailing through that fog to Southwest Cove didn't seem particularly prudent to me. Beckman Island it is. The fog was thick. Quarter-mile visibility, but the wind was there to the point where Margot said "aren't we heeling a bit too much". Shortened genoa and full main were still moving us at 7+ knots. And then we heard a distinct noise of an engine. But where was it? I blew the horn, no response. Nothing on the radar, nothing on AIS. We never figured out what it was. By the way, this was indeed a not-so-tall cloud that was floating above the water. The sun was blazing from above, so it felt quite warm.
Then the fog started to lift. Long enough to take some pictures. Then it thickened again and I saw a sailing vessel come out of the fog towards us. We passed each other maybe 200 meters. Safe enough. And the next minute there is no fog. No, it didn't lift it was just seating above the bay to the east, but we sailed out of it. Blazing sun, fresh wind. Perfect sailing weather.
The yacht that we saw turned around and clearly started chasing us. I think the saying goes that if there are two sailboats on the water there is a race. But they were totally tracking us. Hmm, our mainsail is luffing a bit, let's tighten the sheet. Ok, they are behind, not able to catch us. Salty Ginger can move, shortened sail or full.
We pulled into the cove at Beckman Island and yet again, I realized that the description of the anchorages vs mooring balls was accurate. We could anchor, but we would be dependent on the wind staying from the same direction. And all the mooring balls are free. Margot caught the loop of a mooring, and we rowed around to see what the other balls had to say. Most said private, some give phone numbers of the owner. We decide to get a bottle of water and go ashore to explore the island. Right as we are about to pull off with the dingy, we see a sailboat aiming for the cove. Margot crossed her fingers: "Let it not be the owner of the ball we're tied to." It wasn't.
The vessel dropped off a guy onto a motor boat that had been sitting on a ball right next to us. We inquired whether they knew anything about the mooring balls. "Something," the guy said. "And by the way, I know nothing about the mooring that you are on, but I am going to take off, and you are welcome to take over my ball. The chain was replaced this year, it has 2000 pounds, you will have a good night." He refused to take any compensation or monetary help towards maintaining the mooring, and said that he owns a few more balls in the area and we are welcome to tie to them if we see one that's free. Thank you, Nova Scotian sailors! Then he glanced at us again and said, "We were trying to chase you." Aha! I knew it! I complimented their ability to gain on us early on, he complimented our vessel's capabilities and acknowledged that at some point they gave up trying to catch up. So, it was, an informal race!
The island has a sign "Leave only your footsteps", which we took as a welcome sign to explore as much as we could. It's totally uninhabited and is managed by conservancy. Silly us expected to find trails. Nope, just thick of the woods and the rocks along the shore. We tried the former and settled for the latter. Until it looked like there was an opening, so why not go into the woods. A minute or two later Margot noticed a mushroom. "Dad, that looks edible." Maybe... Then a mossy rock that's covered with mushrooms. "Papa, these gotta be chanterelles." No way. They don't look quite right. I took a small bite of the mushroom, just to taste on my tongue. No bitterness, tastes ok. Still doesn't quite look like chanterelle. Until we found a different bump and Googled what chanterelles look like as a double-check. We saw a few more bumps like this, so our dinner of grilled duck thighs was unexpectedly supplemented with mushrooms. We still have some left for a couple of days.
When we came back to Salty Ginger we saw ospreys. Margot saw one catch something in the water and then fly it to the nest. And we saw a kingfisher, and terns, and a gull who was clearly waiting for us to throw it some food (it got old french fries).
Despite the fact that as a bird flies we're only a few miles from Lunenburg harbor, it feels like we are in a different, much less civilized world. First, water temperature is 19C as opposed to 15C, so swimming was good. Second, there is nobody around us. We can hear cars or trucks from a long distance away, but we can see the lights of exactly one house a couple of miles away. And while mosquitoes are there, they are so few that we have nothing to complain about. Can't say I'd want to be on this page forever, but it's a darn good page!
And then the fog changed our plans. We left Lunenburg in a nice breeze, sunshine, excellent visibility, in other words perfect day for a sail. As we were reaching the eastern part of Lunenburg bay, I noticed that we were about to sail into fog. It was there, very clearly, a thick band of moisture that was hanging out above water with seemingly clear sky above it. We hove to about 500-800 meters before the fog and considered our options. Pearl Island was out of question: we wouldn't see anything anyway. Sailing through that fog to Southwest Cove didn't seem particularly prudent to me. Beckman Island it is. The fog was thick. Quarter-mile visibility, but the wind was there to the point where Margot said "aren't we heeling a bit too much". Shortened genoa and full main were still moving us at 7+ knots. And then we heard a distinct noise of an engine. But where was it? I blew the horn, no response. Nothing on the radar, nothing on AIS. We never figured out what it was. By the way, this was indeed a not-so-tall cloud that was floating above the water. The sun was blazing from above, so it felt quite warm.
Then the fog started to lift. Long enough to take some pictures. Then it thickened again and I saw a sailing vessel come out of the fog towards us. We passed each other maybe 200 meters. Safe enough. And the next minute there is no fog. No, it didn't lift it was just seating above the bay to the east, but we sailed out of it. Blazing sun, fresh wind. Perfect sailing weather.
The yacht that we saw turned around and clearly started chasing us. I think the saying goes that if there are two sailboats on the water there is a race. But they were totally tracking us. Hmm, our mainsail is luffing a bit, let's tighten the sheet. Ok, they are behind, not able to catch us. Salty Ginger can move, shortened sail or full.
We pulled into the cove at Beckman Island and yet again, I realized that the description of the anchorages vs mooring balls was accurate. We could anchor, but we would be dependent on the wind staying from the same direction. And all the mooring balls are free. Margot caught the loop of a mooring, and we rowed around to see what the other balls had to say. Most said private, some give phone numbers of the owner. We decide to get a bottle of water and go ashore to explore the island. Right as we are about to pull off with the dingy, we see a sailboat aiming for the cove. Margot crossed her fingers: "Let it not be the owner of the ball we're tied to." It wasn't.
The vessel dropped off a guy onto a motor boat that had been sitting on a ball right next to us. We inquired whether they knew anything about the mooring balls. "Something," the guy said. "And by the way, I know nothing about the mooring that you are on, but I am going to take off, and you are welcome to take over my ball. The chain was replaced this year, it has 2000 pounds, you will have a good night." He refused to take any compensation or monetary help towards maintaining the mooring, and said that he owns a few more balls in the area and we are welcome to tie to them if we see one that's free. Thank you, Nova Scotian sailors! Then he glanced at us again and said, "We were trying to chase you." Aha! I knew it! I complimented their ability to gain on us early on, he complimented our vessel's capabilities and acknowledged that at some point they gave up trying to catch up. So, it was, an informal race!
The island has a sign "Leave only your footsteps", which we took as a welcome sign to explore as much as we could. It's totally uninhabited and is managed by conservancy. Silly us expected to find trails. Nope, just thick of the woods and the rocks along the shore. We tried the former and settled for the latter. Until it looked like there was an opening, so why not go into the woods. A minute or two later Margot noticed a mushroom. "Dad, that looks edible." Maybe... Then a mossy rock that's covered with mushrooms. "Papa, these gotta be chanterelles." No way. They don't look quite right. I took a small bite of the mushroom, just to taste on my tongue. No bitterness, tastes ok. Still doesn't quite look like chanterelle. Until we found a different bump and Googled what chanterelles look like as a double-check. We saw a few more bumps like this, so our dinner of grilled duck thighs was unexpectedly supplemented with mushrooms. We still have some left for a couple of days.
When we came back to Salty Ginger we saw ospreys. Margot saw one catch something in the water and then fly it to the nest. And we saw a kingfisher, and terns, and a gull who was clearly waiting for us to throw it some food (it got old french fries).
Despite the fact that as a bird flies we're only a few miles from Lunenburg harbor, it feels like we are in a different, much less civilized world. First, water temperature is 19C as opposed to 15C, so swimming was good. Second, there is nobody around us. We can hear cars or trucks from a long distance away, but we can see the lights of exactly one house a couple of miles away. And while mosquitoes are there, they are so few that we have nothing to complain about. Can't say I'd want to be on this page forever, but it's a darn good page!
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