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1700 Sunday, September 10, 2023
At 0645 we had left the wharf in Lunenburg and were passing the stately outline of the knockabout schooner Theresa E. Conner. Bob had gotten on the wharf in the early light to cast off our lines and climb back aboard. As we left the harbor entrance, we passed a small cruise ship at anchor; soon the sleeping passengers would awaken and head ashore to tour historic Lunenburg.
The dawn sky turned a lovely hue of lavender; the smooth, windlass sea mirrored the color as we motored out. The only special sighting of the morning was a sea turtle that passed quickly alonside us, either a hawksbill, or possibly a young loggerhead turtle. From Lunenburg, it is about an 18-hour run down the "southwestern shore" of Nova Scotia.
The winds have been light all day. Fog came mid morning for a few hours and left. Now, it has returned with a vengeance in the late afternoon. We now have a ten knot headwind, slowing us slightly. I am on deck alone; we have started our one-man watches that we will keep for the next three days. The sea ahead of me is masked in the grey, low cloud of damp fog. The miles slowly tick by.
Around midnight, or perhaps an hour earlier, we should reach Brazil Rock off of Cape Sable and make a turn to starboard, heading us straight for Cape Ann in Massachuseets, across the Gulf of Maine. The area around Brazil Rock and the western end of Nova Scotia can be a bit tricky. Currents are very strong as the Bay of Fundy's massive tides rise and fall. The Bay has among the largest tides in the world with the water going up and down 25 feet twice each day. We will be paying extra attention to our navigation and also watching for fishing boats, working their trade in the Nova Scotia fog.
It will feel good to round Brazil Rock and turn Tazzarin a few degrees north of west for Manchester.
Bill
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