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It would be a couple more days before conditions abated enough to haul the boat in the travel lift. Meanwhile, another low formed off Newfoundland that would bring 40 knots of wind to the area.
The other bit of business I was dealing with was my boat insurance. I had extended coverage this summer to include the waters of Newfoundland and Labrador. My initial plan was to have the boat back in Massachusetts this fall. But, with the extended downtime due to the major engine repairs, I had opted to keep the boat in Newfoundland for the winter and do the rest of my planned sailings next summer. Suddenly the insurance company had other ideas. The underwriter notified my agent that they wanted me to sail Tazzarin back to Massachusetts instead. Only after I pointed out that Hurricane Earl had just passed through my route home and that Hurricane Fiona now had a projected track that would bring a major category 4 hurricane in a few days did they reconsider. It clearly was no time to be sailing home.
Next, the underwriter insisted that I could store the boat in Newfoundland; but, I must launch on April 1st and sail the boat home by no later than April 15. I pointed out that the water of Conception Bay where Tazzarin is stored are typically iced in with pack ice on April 1st. Eventually they agreed to a second season of sailing in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Around this time Bob and I began getting nervous about getting the boat hauled and stored in time to make the ferry reservation for our drive back to Massachusetts. Both Hurricane Earl and the next storm ended up being so bad that the 650-foot ferries out of Newfoundland to Nova Scotia were having multiple crossings cancelled. It takes a fair amount of winds and seas to cancel these boats, and that is what happened. This caused huge backups in obtaining tickets. I had reservations for Bob and I and the car. However, if we could not haul the boat and make the nine-hour drive to the ferry, it would be at least another week before we could get another reservation, every slot was full due to cancellations. And, Hurricane Fiona would surely cause more cancellations.
In the nick of time, we got a weather window and got Tazzarin in the travel lift. She was moved to the upper yard where we positioned jack stands and settled her for the winter. Whew! Jesse, my mechanic friend, offered to do the final winterization tasks and Bob and I hopped in the car and headed up and around Newfoundland towards Chanel Port-Aux-Basque, driving into the night. Thankfully we made the noon ferry. On the seven-hour crossing the winds and seas built; passengers took ill and more than a little crockery in the galley was heard smashing on the floor. The 650-foot vessel labored on, arriving in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The later ferries that day and next were canceled and Fiona was setting her sights on Newfoundland, due to arrive as a major hurricane. Thankfully, the frame in the photo below should be finished by then and a winter cover over the boat.
We spread our driving over the next two days, including a stop in mid coast Maine for a few hours to celebrate my dad's 90th birthday with him, which had occurred a couple days earlier. It felt wonderful to see my parents! I will go back in a couple weeks to spend a little more time with them. They both had enjoyed following my emails throughout the summer.
So, I am finally back home. Over the next few days I will be getting back in the swing of things here. I look forward to seeing many of you in the days ahead. I do hope to post some photo galleries from the summer; I will send a note out when I have them ready for viewing.
Bill
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