Baddeck

We’re in a place not only with decent cell signal, but also with WiFi, so I can finally upload the pictures from my phone and have something other than text in the blog entry! I will also go back to the previous post and add some pictures. Eventually.

The spin project

I started Monday morning by thinking about how I can secure the tack line for the spinnaker so that it won’t rub against metal and yet won’t fall off the roller. The setup with the block was great on the starboard tack, but when Salty Ginger was on the port tack, the line started to chafe. We just didn’t run the spinnaker in strong winds and not for long, so it hasn’t completely chafed through, but it was clearly damaged and therefore with the help of a knife became a bit shorter yet again.

Mark and I brainstormed solutions that could be done with the materials aboard. It was clear that the block has to be low. Even tying a tight loop over the roller to secure the block created chafe points. I saw a stainless tube and proposed to cut it to the right length and make an opening in the middle for the shackle which would hold the block. Cutting stainless takes time, so we didn’t rush into that project. And then Mark proposed to cut the plastic roller instead. If it is not useful (the boatyard couldn’t find a roller of the right length), then at least we can repurpose it. That worked beautifully, so I hoped that we could try it out later in the day.

Swinging and swimming

A few years ago we set up a swing rope with the spinnaker pole. It was fun, but initially the configuration was a bit dangerous. This time I ran the lines a bit differently and used that stainless pipe that we didn’t cut earlier to create a more comfortable handhold than just the line. That worked great! Sasha was busy with work, but the rest of us were busy jumping into the water for quite some time.

Katya stayed on the inflatable pillow. As of the day before, she wanted to take a ride in quieter protected waters. Her brother joined her and although she was close to pushing him off a few times, the two of them rode until the exit from the harbour. Then Katya came aboard and Pasha stayed to try to catch the waves in the open water. But the winds were much lighter and there were no waves, so he got bored pretty quickly.

Pringle Island

The cruising guide describes the island as having abundant blueberries, so there was a good reason to go there, besides just wandering around, which in itself is a good reason to go to a

shore. When we were getting close the wind picked up to 15 knots, but the place we chose for anchorage provided excellent protection from the waves and to large degree from the wind. For lunch we finished the leftovers. Course 1: mackerel soup. Course 2: clam chowder (that Anton bought for Leo in Trader Joe’s). Course 3: potatoes and котлеты (meat balls).

I packed my T-shirt, camera, sunglasses and shoes into the dinghy, wished everyone a good ride ashore and started swimming to the island. It turned out to be rather helpful. The lake bottom was rocky and shallowed a few meters from shore to the point where the propeller would have caught the boulders. The engine was raised and I pushed the dinghy with its passengers towards the beach.

Blueberries were nowhere to be seen, so we split: Sasha and I went one way, the rest of the crew in the other direction. I noticed some bushes that looked like gooseberry, but they had no berries. There were also bushes that looked potentially like blueberry plants, but again no berries, not even the green ones. Then I saw two gooseberries on a bush. And a moment later Sasha, who walked anhead, exclaimed “oh-ho, that’s like in grandmother’s garden!” Indeed there were 4 or 5 gooseberry bushes that were covered in berries. Most of them were ripe, but some could have used a few more days to come to perfection. We overcame the problem of not having a container by putting them into the bottom of my T-shirt and then went along the beach aiming to go around the perimeter of the small island.

Going into the forest was not attractive. The first time we did it, we didn’t find anything interesting. And the second time I went in, I got 5 mosquito bites in 3 seconds and hurried out onto the beach with 5 more mosquitoes sitting on my legs. Grr.

On the windward side of the island (the winds are predominantly southwest here) we found a bunch of smaller mussels attached to rocks and then we saw Mark. He showed us a plant with green berries that might become ripe blueberries eventually, but their blueberry search also resulted in finding a different berry: raspberry. Not only that, they saw a deer who was feeding in the raspberry patch. Since they went into the forest for much longer than we did, they were a bit scratched up.

Dead run (everyone’s alive)

Away from the shelter of the island we found 18-20 knot winds blowing exactly in the direction where we wanted to go. We opted to go under the main and genoa instead of flying the spinnaker, so we haven’t exercised the new setup yet. We flew the sails wing-and-wing and Salty Ginger sped towards the Barra Strait at over 7 knots. Driving was fun, not too hard given that the waves behind us were lake waves and not ocean waves. Here is a short video to show what it was like.

When we were closer to the draw bridge, the angle to the wind did not allow us to fly both sails: the jib was fully blanketed by the main and was flapping helplessly. In any case we would have to take them down before motoring through the draw bridge, so the genoa was rolled in and the mainsail moved us forward at just over 5 knots.

The waves get kind of focused by the narrows, so it became choppy, which is what we expected having read the description before. And then Salty Ginger accelerated to 6.5 knots. We now had 23 knots of wind behind us. Much better than in our face. We saw a sailboat go in the other direction under motor and it did not look pleasant.

The bridge operator was waiting for us, so as soon as we pointed the bow into the wind and rolled the main in, he started the bridge opening sequence.

As soon as we passed the bridge, the nasty chop stopped and we were in practically flat water. The genoa brought us quickly into Maskell’s harbour, a pretty and well-sheltered cove.

Eagles don’t need cell coverage

Before we even dropped the anchor, Katya and Pasha noticed an eagle sitting in the trees. There were two other boats at anchor. The hills blocked all the wind and it was very quiet. The phone reception was pretty much nonexistent. Sometimes messages would go through, but placing calls was not possible.

Pasha flew the drone to take some more aerial pictures. In the meantime we observed the eagles and an osprey.

After dinner (Mark marinated chicken thighs and Sasha cooked quinoa) when it got dark, Mark noticed a bunch of fish attracted by the lights of the cabin, so the 3 of them went fishing. Sasha and I stayed in the cabin and sang songs. First in Russian and then in English when Mark joined us. The siblings tried to fall asleep earlier since we agreed to get up to see the sunrise.

Rich colors

According to the almanac the sunrise was scheduled for 5:43, so we set alarms for 5:30. When I opened my eyes I saw clouds above the cabin, but still decided to peek outside to see what was happening. Indeed, there were clouds above us, but off in the distance was a clearing and the sun started to illuminate the edges of the clouds that were reflecting in perfectly still water. Getting out of bed early was definitely worth it!

Crepes under spinny

Almost everyone went to bed after watching the sunrise. At the very least, Katya, Pasha and I. Sasha was working when I got out of bed at 7:15. Over coffee I was taking notes and around 9 we started the engine, picked up the anchor and motored out of the cove. Outside there was a gentle breeze, again southwesterly, so it was finally time to try out the new setup for the spinnaker. On the starboard tack it flew beautifully! No chafe!

I went below to start the breakfast and Sasha asked me if I were making crepes. Oh! Yeah! That sounds much better than whatever I was planning. Mark was steering. In a few minutes we had the batter ready. Halfway through, I had to stop the heat to help jibe the spinnaker. The last crepe came off the pan when we dropped the anchor at Baddeck.

On the hill to starboard we saw quite a mansion on the hill. Who could possibly live there?..

The unbelievably well-known person

The main reason why we pulled in early into the harbour was the fact that Sasha had to work. We left him on the boat and took Satly Ginger ashore. Not quite on the first try we found the dinghy dock of Baddeck Marine and went exploring. It is a village, not a town, so we didn’t need that much time to figure out what was where. Compared to St Peter’s it definitely has a charm, though. There are boutiques, a few cafes & restaurants. Now, on the one hand I now have 3 passwords to 3 different WiFi points, but neither of them seems to work reliably… Sometimes my phone creates a more reliable hotspot.

Of course, we knew that Alexander Graham Bell’s museum was in Baddeck, but what we did not know was that the mansion that we saw used to be his estate! The museum is quite lovely and we learned that not only did he work to teach deaf kids to speak (research inherited from his father). His wife was his student, who lost hearing at the age of 5. But after the invention of the phone he improved on the sound recording device from Edison, laying the path to the gramophone. He thought about how desalinated water could be made in quantity to improve remote island life. He worked with the Wright brothers on developing a flying machine and in collaboration with … established a world record of a foiling watercraft at over 100 km/h. What a remarkable person!

At 3:30, Pasha and Katya were sure that we should pluck Sasha out of the boat and get him to enjoy the museum as well. I let them explore the shops in the village and went to get their father.

The Malykhin family is leaving tomorrow. Mark and I will continue to explore the lakes, and perhaps beyond. The internet is not stable, so I can’t upload more pictures. Go figure. Even my camera doesn’t want to talk to my phone to get the photos peeled out of that storage. I guess it’s time to go back aboard and enjoy WiFi-free time…