Sorbet houses on a hill

Listening to "The Next Time Around" by Little Joy

It has been three months to the day since we undid the dock lines and pushed off from North Carolina.  Today I sit in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia finishing up some laundry and mourning our impending departure.  Tomorrow we leave for St. Johns, Newfoundland where we will do one last provision before waiting for a window to sail the longest leg of the trip (over 1,100 nautical miles) to Nuuk, Greenland.  

The view of Lunenburg from Paragon

It's an exciting prospect, yet I wish, WISH, that we had more time to spend in this lovely town.  The first day we sailed into this harbour it was grey skies with a steady drizzle falling, but all was sunny and colourful on land.  The houses of Lunenburg are painted like so many flavours of sorbet...LAVENDER! RED! BLUE! ORANGE!  On a grey day it brightens your mood, but on a sunny day it is spectacular beyond measure.  Added to this eye candy is a luminous green hill that rises behind Paragon which my eyes gobble up after the flat blue and grey monotones that make up a crossing.  

The view of Paragon from Lunenburg

The first day, though exhausted after four long days, we explored the local area with the help of a woman visiting from Toronto.  She showed us where the local liquor store was located, and also directed us to a pub Drake wanted to visit for dinner.  When he was last here he visited The Knot Pub with his friend Kevin and wanted to share this slightly off the beaten path establishment with us.  Sitting down to a cider and a plate of fish and chips I couldn't help but release a sigh and think "It's good to be home".  

Now, I am not from Nova Scotia, but I did spend a great deal of time in Montreal as a child and one of the things that I miss is whilte vinegar with french fries.  Ask for vinegar in The States and you'll most likely receive a puzzled look, a shake of the head, or perhaps a slightly dusty bottle of malt vinegar that hasn't seen the light of day, well, ever.  As soon as the waitress set down my plate she asked if I wanted vinegar with my fries which made me want to hug her.  I know.  I'm a cheeseball, but it's the little things that I miss about Canada.  Vinegar with fries, smarties, milk in a bag (you read that correctly) as well as my many friends and family.  So again...it's good to be home. 

The next day the boys decided they wanted to fly the new quad-copter (from this point on referred to as Harry) while I wanted to explore the town and perhaps take some photographs.  They went left while I went right and, I have to say, I think I got the better end of the stick.  Walking down Montague St. I stumbled upon the Ironworks Distillery located on the corner of Montague St. and Kempt St.  

The Ironworks Distillery

What a delight!  It's in a picturesque building that used to house a marine blacksmith's shop, but now produces spirits ranging from rum to flavoured vodka to fruit liquors.  When I walked in I was greeted by a lovely woman (and her dog, Phoebe!) who gave me a bit of the history of the place and guided me through a tasting.  I ended up with a bottle of the Rhubarb Esprit Liquor with which I'll make a celebratory cocktail when we reach Greenland.  Or perhaps Iceland.  Or Ireland.  Maybe all three...?

After leaving the distillery I wandered up the next street to get a proper look at some of the colourful houses and the gardens surrounding them.  Many have nameplates attached giving a brief glance into their age and original owners and, now that the weather is a bit warmer, the flowers everywhere are bursting into bloom.  I also felt such a sense of the areas history of shipbuilding and it's bond with the sea.  Every nook seemed to have something to do with the ocean from the anchor door knockers to a dory I found leaning on its side in an alley to a local sailmaker.  The whole area has such a salty feel that's intoxicating.

The afternoon was winding down and I headed back into town to meet up with Drake and Eanna at the restaurant near the museum.  Just in time for happy hour (hey, I'm happy!) I ordered a rum cocktail with local blueberry juice and, to my delight, some fresh mussels which are my absolute favourite!  Apparently they were someone else's favourite as well because not long after the mussels hit the table this little beggar appeared.  He came from one of the boats on the dock, but I think the smell of fresh seafood  was too much for him to ignore.  

The fresh mussels were to die for!

"You will bend to my will", he seemed to say.  Unfortunately he left disappointed.

Leaning back, I couldn't help but think I had found my mantra for this trip.  

"I wish I could stay longer…"

A sunset view of Lunenburg from the dinghy dock

Need some rain? Wash the boat!

Listening to WBUR Boston's NPR News Station

Nothing ever works on a sailboat.  NOTHING!  Okay, this is an exaggeration, but that is how it feels sometimes.  You go to flush the head, the head that you just soaked with vinegar and thoroughly cleaned, and nothing happens.  You go to check the radar, the very radar that was working mere moments ago, and *poof* it's suddenly gone.  You sit at the dinette under the dorade vent tapping away on your computer when suddenly a drop of water plops down.  Never mind that the vent was just resealed.  Never mind that after it was resealed you sat with a hose and sprayed it with everything that little spigot could handle.  No.  This is a boat and everything on it has a shelf life and, despite your expectations, some expire faster than others.  

We have had a trying day.  Days.  Time is passing faster than ever, and every thing that does not get done or suddenly stops working is a mini disaster.  Now, when a replacement part needs to be ordered, we are actually looking at a calendar to make sure that it will arrive before we leave.  Notice has been given, a departure date has been set, several friends have agreed to crew, and we are feeling the heat.  

I'm certain this is my inexperience talking, but there is a part of me that feels it will all be okay.  I almost feel that we could take off tomorrow and, with what we have, be more than okay to start our travels.  Sure, there are things that need tending, but isn't that what cruisers do… travel the world and go to beautiful places to work on their boats?  Of course, unlike Drake, I am not in charge of the safety and well being of everyone on board and tomorrow comes faster and faster.  

It's not all despair and ringing hands.  Today Drake made wonderful progress cleaning off the deck and cockpit and I've learned something.  Much like a car, washing the boat seems to be a sure fire way to bring about some serious rain.  The last three times I have washed the deck rain followed within several hours, and as I sit here the rain is pattering away on those lovely clean decks.  *shrug*  Perhaps we'll be like the rain god mafia and people will pay us to stay away from their outdoor events.  Pay up or it's grey skies for everyone!

I have also been working on several things.  My avoidance of laundry has left me riffling through the back confines of the clothes locker where I discovered we had a serious moisture and mold problem.  (Do I sound like a broken record?  mold mold mold!)  This is interesting since the very next locker is fine, but this one is quite obviously NOT fine after I discovered one of my favourite jackets spotted with mold.  Blah!  After removing the shelves I scrubbed the whole area with a bleach mixture and will lay down a few more layers of insulation as soon as the surface is dry...hopefully that will take care of the problem.  

Before scrubbing

After scrubbing

Since everything that was in the locker is currently piled high on our bed in the aft cabin, Drake and I are bunking in the salon.  This has its perks.  Tonight we will lay on the settee, watch an action film that has nothing to do with sailing (I'm thinking The Bourne Identity), and recharge our batteries.  All I can think is...tomorrow will be a better day.

P.S.  I promise not to talk about mold for a while, maybe, and I've also included this sunset to remind me of the beauty that I am surrounded by every day.  

Sunset on Whittaker Creek