We're staying in Halifax for a week and that's great. We are in a nice Marina with very nice people, a nice restaurant and lots of activity. Sailing races right in front of us, boats that enter the water again after the winter and are rigged and sailing lessons are regularly given in small boats. The Dutch is also here with Sebastian, Rhiannon, Emma and Macsen. We know them from our previous round of Atlantic, when we spent two weeks together along the east coast of America. Coincidentally, 8 years later we are both travelling by boat again and meet each other again. Very cozy!

 

The first half of the week the weather is fine to sail on, but we would like to stay here for a couple of days (also to watch Formula 1 on Sunday at the request of Marinthe 😉). Moreover, we are in no hurry to sail north because the ice is not gone yet around Newfoundland. During the last half of the week, two low pressure areas will pass over there that we want to wait and see. And before you know it, a week will have passed. 

 

In general, the weather is quite nice. Regular sunshine, one 'very' warm day (25 degrees) and a day later one very cold day (8 degrees with a lot of wind). Toine usually walks around in shorts, but occasionally gets really cold 😅. The girls and I always in long pants and usually with a sweater. We are very happy with the heating in the boat. It keeps it warm inside. 

Toine's doing a lot of chores. He works step by step through a whole list with the following points:

• Electrical power supply of the network adjusted with the hope that this solved the occasional 'track jump' on the E120 (is not so we know by now). 
• Teak deck with boracol. 
• Preventively lubricate swivels in the top of genoa and cutter (so that they do not get stuck when genoa and cutter are rolled in). 
• In this preventive action the big genoa winch bends (when hoisting the genoa) and that almost costs us a new genoa winch 😢. 
• Provisoric repair of the genoa winch. Fortunately it goes well, because a new one is expensive and not available on time. 
• Wooden blocks between anchor and anchor roller so that the anchor is really secure while sailing. 
• New display of the Kabola heater mounted on switch panel so we can always see the status of the Kabola heater. 

 

Eline is very active and will run once and swim three times for over 1.5 hours in the 50-meter pool in the city. On Saturday she goes sailing in the small dingy sailing boat of the Dutch together with Emma and Macsen. We rent a car so we can easily go into town and do some shopping. When Eline swims, I walk around town. Marinthe has a lot of fun with ipad and wifi. In the boat, but also regularly in the sitting room in the hall of the restaurant because there the wifi is better 😊. Eline and I take a nice walk along the coast with nice weather. The girls regularly spend an hour together to repeat physics VWO 5. I use the washer and dryer of the marina for washing bed linen and towels.

 

We regularly hang out with the Dutch, especially in the evenings. We have dinner together twice, once with the Dutch on board and once with us. On Sunday afternoon we watch Formula 1 together. The race itself isn't very spectacular, but it's fun to see live in company. We have a lot to tell each other about sailing, longer trips and (temporarily) living abroad. Pleasant moments with shared experiences and the way we deal with them.

Last year the Dutch sailed from NL via the Caribbean to Halifax with the plan to live here for a few years. Rhiannon is Canadian and her parents live nearby. The first evening we saw each other they have just been told that their bid on a beautiful house has been accepted. We can see the house from the marina. They have quit their jobs in NL and so far only arranged a house and a school for the children. The next two months they want to take their boat further north on holiday before the schools in Halifax start mid August. And after that they will see further. What a beautiful and tough adventure!

 

We will also go karting for an afternoon (tip from the Dutch). We drive three heats and are all getting faster and faster. Toine, Eline and Marinthe have each driven one fastest lap in a heat. I was always last, but every heat I went faster and faster 😅. 

The day that in the Netherlands for all final exam candidates is announced whether they have passed, Eline has it a bit more difficult. She is of course very happy for the successful candidates but she realizes all the more that she has to wait another year. Luckily, she also realizes that she has had a lot of other great experiences instead. 

Yesterday morning we left Halifax for a trip of 140 nm in 24 hours to the anchor bay of Arichat further north-east on Nova Scotia. About half sailing and half on motorbikes with a blue sky, warm sun and in the night a clear starry sky. The sea temperature is only 3.5 degrees. The spaces in the hatches under the floor are therefore extra refrigerators for drinks and vegetables 😉.

 

We are anchored in a beautiful bay with beautiful nature, wonderfully sheltered and no one around us at all. Behind a small island where we just saw a deer walking on the shore. The Dutch left a day later. Who knows, we might still see them in this area. 

Tomorrow we could go on but on Monday we have to be sheltered because a deep layer of stormy wind will pass by. Chances are we'll stay here until then. From Tuesday it looks like we will have a nice weather window for more than a week to sail from here to the Azores. There is still too much ice east and north-east of Newfoundland to go to Iceland. This weather window seems quite unique and very attractive to use. We will see in the coming days!