Week One on STV Tuna

I was in Halifax for a whole 3 days before I started sail preps for my deployment on the STV Tuna the navy s sail training sailboat.  This is the fourth year that I have been bring the Tuna to HMCS Acadia in Digby,  NS.   We will be spending 2 weeks here taking 6 to 10 cadets out for the day for a basic introduction to keel boat sailing.

We left Halifax on Thursday July 24th and made it as far as Liverpool where we spent the night at Brooklyn Marina.   It was a small club, but it was a protected marina with hot showers and electric pluggin. 

The next day we sail along the coast up until we got off of Yarmouth around 2 am were our engine stopped.  After trying to restart it with no luck we ended up sailing the rest of into Digby where the cadet boat was waiting for us to help us come alongside the dock.  The next day we tracked down the problem to the fuel pump was not pumping fuel. So we ran up to Canadian Tire and purchased a small 12 volt fuel pump and installed it.  Now the engine works great.
We have been taking the cadets out each day from 9 am till 3 pm.  So far everything has been going well and the cadets are enjoying themselves on the boat.  The highlight on Monday was the porpoises that we're swimming around the boat.   Tuesday was the 25 knot winds the made for a fast sail.

We visited Annapolis Royal twice this week.

On Saturday we raced in a fun race to raise money for the museum in Digby.  We had 5 staff cadets with us for the race.  We were in 3rd place but had to stop racing in time to get the cadets back to base for supper.  

Canso

With heavy hearts we had to leave Get Met in Port Hawksberry.  On the way out of the Canso straights we had a problem with the rudder of the boat.  So we hailed a fishing boat to help us back to a wharf.  But wouldn't you know it......he came to help but came in to us way to fast and punched a 6X6 inch hole in the side of the boat right under the toe rail.  So now we have a hull repair and a rudder repair that needs to be done.
I was talking with a boat yard and it looks like we will have to have the boat pulled from the water to get an inspection done to see what is wrong with the rudder.  So at the same time we will get the damage to the hull repaired.
We have another two weeks off in August so we will cruise the lakes in Cape Berton and then bring the boat back to Halifax.

Canso

Yesterday we spend most of the day beating along under PEI and up to the tip to enter the Straits of Canso.  It was a wonderful sunny day.  We got to see lots of whales and seals.  But they seem to be camera shy because each time we took out the camera they dove and we didn't see them again until we put it away.   We then spend the rest of the day transiting the Straits of Canso to the lock at the causeway.   http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canso_Canal     This lock was an easy one.  You don't even need to try up just hold position in the middle of the lock while they close one end and open the other end.  Of they have to open the bridge ad well. This bridge is different from the rest of the bridges that we pasted under.  This one povites in place and don't lift up.
We spend the night at Port Hawksberry yacht club where they now have pump out and fuel.  http://straitofcansoyc.ca

We meet a nice couple that are on their way from Ontario to the Bahamas.   They will be stopping in Halifax in a few weeks.  Their boat name is Persuasion and we invited them to check out SYC during their stay in Halifax.

Back in Nova Scotia

With only two crew we made good time today.  We had a current pushing us most of the day and the only rough water was when we were going through the area where the Confederate Bridge is.  The bridge was pretty cool from the water.

We are now tied up in Skinners Cove, Nova Scotia at a government wharf.   It's a very small Cove with only 4 fishing boats and a dirty road leading away for the wharf.  But it's a very nice spot with a  very sheltered dock and a great beach. We talked to a fishermen and his wife.  He told me that they fish lobster in the spring.  Herring and Tuna in the fall.  We have been here less than an hour and we had three people come to visit us and ask us if we need a drive or need anything.  Welcome back to Nova Scotia.....feels good to be home.

Shediac, NB

We arrived this evening.  It was a long day on the water again.   With lots, I mean lots of rain to welcome our arrival in Shediac.   We are spending the night at http://sbyc.ca/.  It is a very big marina and has all the items that a person needs, besides fuel.  We were lucky that my brother Aarron meet us at the dock and help us refuel the boat.  Also he picked up RaeAnn's mother and drove her to the Moncton airport so she could fly to Winnipeg to visit her family before she returns to BC.  We had a great time with her and she will be missed. Now there are only two crew and a blind dog to complete the rest of the trip.  Hopefully we will have smooth sea's and good winds for the rest of our trip home.

I am surprized at how shallow the water has been since we have been in NB.   We have been sailing for the last two days and we could be two miles off the land and only have 18 feet of water.  Both of the ports we have been in only had 7 to 8 feet of water in the channels at high tide.  It's a little unnerving when I am so use to sailing in NS where there is lots of water normally.

Val Comeau Wharf

We acrossed over to New Brunswick today at noon or so.  It feels like I am home again, even if we still have a long way ahead of us.  We are hopefully that we will arrive in Shedic by this evening if we can push ourself that far today.  We left the wharf this morning at 7 am and making good 6.5 knots so we should be good.  
As so as we left this morning we encountered a thunderstorm.   But so far it's only rain and not high winds or seas.  But being back in the matimes the visibility is 1 nm in fog.

Anse-a-Beaufils

Yesterday we crossed over the Gaspe Bay area and arrived at a nice sheltered harbour.  It was a long day for the crew.  The swells were 1 to 2 meters and the wind was on the nose at 20 to 25 knots.  But the coastline was stunning. So far the areas that we have traveled in Quebec there have not been any good places to anchor.

The habour we stayed in last night had a brewery at the end of the wharf.  Accoss from that was a great place to eat with fresh seafood.

Departed Riviere Au Renard

After another 14 hours of motoring up the Saint Lawrence we arrived in the Port of Riviere Au Renard.   This is a small fishing community on the northern tip of Quebec.  There is a brand new marina in this port with power,  water, showers, washing and fuel by the 5 gallon cans.  Dockage for an over night stay was $42.00  which is the cheapest so far.  Lots of fishing boats and the is a Coast Guard  base here as well. 
Yesterday was a boring day pretty much.  Great cliffs, waterfalls and Windmills to look at.  The whole shore is pretty much exposed to the winds and sea so there are only places to stop that are man made ha bourse that I have seen.  Not to many boats about either.  Lots of logs in the water and on the shores.  Banged into two of them running at night with no damage.  

Sainte-Anne

Yesterday after 14 hours of dead calm waters we arrived at Saint-Anne at 11 pm.   That was almost 100 nm in that day.   There is a small yacht club here but they only offer water, 10 amp electric and fuel by the fuel can. 
We spend the night tied up and left at 7 am.  We are only a few miles from Riviere De la Grande Valle.  I think we are going to stop here for an hour or so to have a walk about.  Grey cool day today with wind on the nose from 110 @ 6 knots.

Rimuski update

Well after three days of sitting in port waiting for the Gale warning to lift and to receive a part we on our way again at 9 am this morning.

It was a nice marina with a nice but over priced restaurant for what they offered.  We had dinner there one night and only 1 out of the three of us like our meal.  The marina charged $62.00 a night to stay there and they offered water, power, laundry,  wireless, showers, bikes and fuel.  But they have removed their pump out station.

There is a very well stocked marine store right across the street.  He was able to over night the part we needed from Quebec City by bus.  He told me that the store has been there for 45 years.

Also just 5 km down the road is Pointe-au-Pierre which is where the old navy sub was made into a museum.   We walk down there yesterday afternoon and took a tour of the sub.  The navy should be very proud of the way they have her displayed.  Very well done.

Quebec to Rimouski

We left Quebec City on July 8th at noon, which was 2 hours before high tide.  This was the best time to leave we were told by a few people at the marina.   Once we left the marina we reentered the river and we were sweeped down river at 4 knots.  We took the old sailing channel north of the island.  It was a very narrow channel for most of the route.  But we did get to see some people kite boarding and we were closer to the sides of the river so we could see more.
 

Before we left I talked to a few people and did research on the internet and they both said it would be an easy run to Tadaussac.  This day turned into a 16 hour day.  We did arrive until 4 am the next day.  1 hour before we got there the weather turned nasty.  Thunder storm, high winds and large swells coming out of the mouth of the river.  But we made our approach and made it into the marina thanks to Raeann's shape eyes and look out skills.  We all got to test out our rain gear.
The marina was a small place but the staff were nice and the town was beautiful.   This marina charged by the hour to dock.  $10.00 for three hours blocks.  I think that this was because so many boat came there just to wait for the tides to change.

We left there the same day after we got some sleep and explored the town some.  We left again around noon and motored out of the habour.   Raeann's sharp eyes again spotted a group of beluga whales.   I was interesting to see them swimming along.  They are so white in the dark water.   The weather reports we got that morning changed part way to Rimouski from a strong wind warning to gale force wind warning.  This made it a very uncomfortable trip for all of us.  We encountered 25 to 35 knot winds and 2 Meter swells before we made it to Rimouski habour.  The only good thing was that we were running with the swells and wind.   By the time we got here we were all pretty much exhausted from holding on for so long.

So today we are still in Rimouski.  The gale warning is still forecasted for today and tomorrow.   So it looks like we may be delayed for a few days because of the weather.  I spend the day tuning the rigging and trouble shooting why the fridge keeps turning off as soon we unplug from the dock.  After tracking wires, cleaning connections and looking on the Internet I found out that the power regulator is cooked.  That's why since we had the boat the fridge kept turn off because once we unplugged from shore power the fridge was not getting enough power to keep it running.  I thought it was because it was so warm here but I guess not.  We are lucky that the marine store in Rimouski was able to source us one and is going to over  night it to us.  If not we would not have been able to keep going because of lack of power for the boat.  I guess it was good that we have 6 batteries on board that we were running off all this time.

The other thing I learned is the chart plotter only had the maps as far as Quebec City so we need to purchase and updated that as well.  Good thing I had a back charting system set up on my laptop.

Tadaussac

Tadaussac

Tadaussac

Top speed so far

Harley on guard duty

Water fall on Saint Lowrance

Rimouski

Quebec City

We left 3 rivers at noon today.   The winds were strong and the skies were gray.   But we headed out anyway.  We had to leave there at noon so we could follow the falling tides and to reach Quebec City at low tides. 
People told us at 3 rivers that we needed to watch out for strong currents and rip tides.  We did see some strong currents (3 to 4 knots) but nothing like o was expecting based on the comments people were saying.  I saw a lot worst in the Bay of Fundy.
We even had time to BBQ farmers sasuge, carrots and potatoes as we were sailing down the river.

When we got to Quebec City we contacted the ha bout master on channel 71 and he opened the lock for us and another boat.  The habour master assigned us a berth.  Now it's time for a beer.

Harley Mastered the stairs

After one week on board Harley has mastered the stairs on our new boat.  Which is not bad for a blind dog.  Harley has been great on the boat.  He likes to sleep in the cockpit on the sunny side.  He has also found that he can roll his food ball around the galley into the aft cabin then into the bathroom then back into the main cabin.  The only thing is doesn't like is the long walks down the docks for his walks.  But we are making lots of friends because of the walk he crawls down the docks.

So far we have had not problems at any marina having a dogs on board the boat.  Even going into the USA was not problem with having him with us.

3 Rivers

After a ever warm day we made it to 3 rivers in Quebec.   We were only going to stop for a short time but after talking to a few people here we have been told that we can only made the trip down the river to Quebec City certain time to arrive at Quebec City a low tide.   Which means we need to leave this marina six hours before low tide.  So we could leave at 2 am or 1 pm.   I think we will do the 1 pm so we can see the sites,  plus who wants to go down a strange river at night.
The staff are very friendly here and do are the other boats.  I would recommend this marina.

Arrived Montreal

Today we finished the last two locks above Montreal.   We time the first one just right, we arrived just as  whole bunch of other pleasure crafts were entering the lock.  But the second one we had to wait and hour before it was our turn.   Then this lock took for every to drop us down 25 feet.   Glad it was the last one.

After we exit the last lock we went down river for about a mile then we turn back up river to enter the old port of Montreal.   I had to run the engine at 3000 rpms to make any head way at all.  Normal at this rpm the boat would move along at 7 or more knots in the river for an hour we were only making 1 to 2 knots.  I took us over an hour to claw our way up to the marine.   The marine was very nice, clean,  new but pricy.   The cost for our boat was $ 120.00 for the night plus $20.00 for the pump out.  This is the most pricy we have run into yet.  But it docks you right in downtown in Montreal.
Tomorrow we are expecting to make 3 rivers.