Reminiscing

Where I am now is a rather awful place to think back about the trip. I’m in a soleless Quality Inn close to Halifax International airport. I had a late lunch which is edible, but not really enjoyable (should I skip dinner?). There is a tiny pool outside from where one can hear the highway 102, there is AC noise, and most importantly, there is no good way to get out of here except by car or with the hotel shuttle to the airport. Quite a contrast to my life since the end of June (Katya was spot on when she was booking a hotel!).

I did go to the nearby aviation museum. It’s small, but has a lot of airplanes. And there I did see the mention of Alexander Graham Bell and Baddeck. Of course, how could he be omitted! There is also a replica of his aerodrome (airplane) that he helped design and a model of his HD-4 hydrofoiling watercraft. The museum in Baddeck is more interesting, because it tells a story as opposed to displaying a bunch of artefacts and adding a few disconnected stories about some of them.

I don’t have the energy to take the bus to the city and then back, having already spent 3.5 hours on the bus getting here. So, I will stop complaining about the surroundings and simply look back on the experiences of this summer.

Leaving a clean boat

We spent a huge part of the day yesterday cleaning up. Alina and Andres helped to wash the deck, we got so much grime removed from all over! Then I realized that it is quite possible I will not be using the anchor, and it has seen a lot of muddy bottom, so we put it all into the water, washed out the compartment, Andres went in to remove rocks, sticks and whatever other debris, and then put the anchor back into the locker. We started with a couple of centimeters of mud on the bottom and ended up with a pretty much pristine anchor locker.

While all of that was going on, Julia and Anya were doing laundry. Diego went to refill the propane tanks. Before we left the dock to go back to the mooring, the kids helped me fold the foresail to reduce any potential windage, since a hurricane is forecast to brush by St Peter’s on Monday, and it is quite possible that more will come in the next month.

At the mooring we got to cleaning up the inside, pickling the desalinator so that it can survive the next month, and finally cooking dinner. Andres was so tired that he needed a nap before dinner.

The morning started with the final clean up touches. Fold down the Bimini and the dodger. Unfortunately a 10 minute rain interfered with drying of the two after the overnight rain. The fridges were wiped. All clothing packed, so I took the kids and the dog to the dog, came back, packed the motor and then rowed ashore with Julia and Diego.

We thought we were almost running late, but the bus doesn’t have the Swiss punctuality, so we ended up chatting for at least quarter hour on a gas station on the outskirts of Port Hawkesbury. I definitely don’t get the public transport in Nova Scotia.

Why go north?

I discussed this question with a few people: why not a warmer climate? Truth be told, especially in Bras d’Or Lake it was plenty warm, and the water was a lot warmer than I expected. But there is something special and appealing about the northern nature. Maybe it’s calling me because I grew up on the 55th parallel. I enjoy the long summer days, I like the forests, I love the fact that I don’t need to run the AC and can sleep comfortably.

This year’s adventures were very special and unforgettable. Every crew on Salty Ginger got different surprises from the nature of Nova Scotia. Fog, sun, marine life, fishing.  Despite the difficulty of getting here (and back) I can’t think of a better place I could have cruised for a month and a half. Thank you, Nova Scotia!

Do I want to come back? I’m not sure. It’s not that I did an exhaustive coverage of every single cove on the coast, but I have definitely seen enough and on some level I am ready for adventures in a different place. Whatever that place may be.