David Butcher

Set sail from Halifax in rough seas. Heading southwest toward the US coast in case Hurricane Melissa causes us any problems. Some motoring but a lot of good sailing. A few days out we turned west toward New York as Melissa is getting nasty. Sailed into Lower Bay, passing by Manhattan and Verrazzano Bridge, arriving at Great Kills Yacht Club just after dark. The crew enjoyed a much deserved beer at the bar and great service from Trish, the bartender.

Set sail from Rimouski with fair winds but not for long. We motored around the Gaspé Peninsula and sailed south to Percé Rock. Very light winds so we motored to the Northumberland Strait and under the Confederation Bridge at 4 am. Fair winds out of the strait and into the Canso Strait. Passed through the lock at 4 am. Winds picked up coming out of the strait. Following winds at 20-25 knots and 1-3 metre waves ended the trip with some great sailing.

Motored under the Pont de Québec at 3:30 am with full crew on deck. Sails up with 20-25 knots of following wind. Broad reach with a preventer making 10 knots. Sailed through the night arriving in Rimouski in the morning for fuel, provisions, shower and sail repairs.

Beautiful day! Underway at 4 am, 4 degrees outside. Motored for a bit but sails up before daylight. Good winds and currents most of the day, top speed of 11.5 knots through Richelieu Rapids. Beautiful sunshine all day. Cheerful crew settling into the tasks.

Very little wind < 3kts. Practiced docking, anchoring, Mediterranean Mooring, springing on/off

Very little wind today. Motored from Christian Island to Thornbury. Did some manoeuvring under power skills in Sandy Bay and wrote our ASS 104 test while motoring. Practiced docking at Thornbury harbour. Thanks Daniel for a great course and weekend.

Light winds today. Practiced navigation skills, reefed the sails and dropped anchor in beautiful Sandy Bay.

Good winds today. Practiced points of sail, tacking, jibing, heave-to. Practiced figure 8 COB (Crew-Over-Board) drills.