The end of another great season

Monday September 5th

Time to pack up for the season and fly back to Ottawa. Noah starts senior kindergarten tomorrow. 

We have had a great season. We got to enjoy a bit more of PEI in the early season and have visited a lot of great ports and sites in Nova Scotia. We have had a lot of fun with family and friends who were able to visit us.

Another great summer of Making Memories aboard the Knotica 3. 

Next summer we plan to travel the eastern seaboard of the United States to bring her back to Ottawa. 

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures next July. 

Hubbard's Cove

Sunday September 4th

Everyone enjoyed a lazy morning chilling out on deck. Noah and I did our collages to document our time in Nova Scotia. 

We hauled up the anchor around 11 am for a slow 7 knots cruise over to Peggy's Cove. I travelled out on the bow. I enjoyed the serenity of hearing the waves lap against the boat and a light breeze. It was warm in the sun and the view was incredible. 

After Peggy's Cove we headed back to Shut In Island where we dropped anchor again for a bbq lunch. A few post lunch naps were had and we headed back to Shining Waters late afternoon. 

Another scrubbing for Knotica. She is a lot of boat to love and even more to wash. 

Cocktails on the stern before dinner and we enjoyed one last evening for the season. It was great to have Wallace and Linda aboard for our last weekend of summer. 

Back to Shining Waters for a crew change

Saturday September 3rd

We left Mahone Bay around 9am and had a nice cruise back to Shining Waters. We cruised at 17 knots and arrived about 1040 am. 

All hands on deck. Knotica needs a good scrubbing. After a week on the go, she was covered with salt. The crew gave her a good scrubbing and had her all ship shape for the arrival of our guests. 

Wallace and Linda drove over to spend weekend with us. 

After lunch we headed out for a slow 7 knot cruise over to Hubbard's Cove. We found a nice anchorage and settled in for a relaxing afternoon and evening.

Mahone Bay

Friday September 2nd

I did an early morning run around the Lunenberg harbour. Running is a great way to explore a town. I ran up a very steep hill and had an awesome view of the harbour and the town. 

We walked the town and explored the shops. Noah got a replica of the Bluenose II. Very exciting. 

We left Zwicker wharf around 1130 am to head to Mahone  Bay. 

We started off cruising at 15 knots then the conditions were pretty windy a across the bay and we slowed to 8 knots. We arrived in Mahone Bay to gusting 30 km winds. The slip on the floating dock that we called about was taken and we had to tie up on the end of the public wharf. It was a bit of a challenge in the wind at low tide. I had to go over the rail and get on to a ladder and climb up to tie the boat. It was a challenge and not one of our finer dockings. There was a fair amount of yelling involved. I must have hit something on the wharf as I ended up with rope burn and a bruise on my arm. Good times. 

With the high wharf, the strong winds and rising tide it took us a bit our lines settled and secured to the wharf. We even had to get out the trusty fender board. 

We went for a walk to check out the town. -- what a disappointment. No cute shops and only one nice restaurant (which was quite pricey).   We got provisions at the grocery store for our weekend guests and headed back to the boat.

The wind had died out and we were not keen to stay on the wharf all night so we decided to go out to a mooring bouy. 

An evening on the bouy was much more relaxing and we had a great view of the harbour. 

Lunenburg

Thursday September 1st

Early rise. We ran over to the Bluenose ticket office for 720 am to wait in line to get on the stand by list for the morning sail on the schooner. We were second in line and unfortunately we didn't get on. Oh well,  off for a morning at the museum. 

We enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the Salty Sailor. Then we spent the morning exploring the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. We touched starfish, scallops and mussels in the touch tank, learned about the Bluenose and saw the trophies she won, learned fish facts, saw lots of fishing gear and a pretend stage. Mommy even got to help launch a schooner. The highlight for Noah was exploring the 2 fishing vessels on the wharf- a fishing schooner and a long liner from the 1980s. He loved exploring all the cabins, the bridge, the galley and the engine room of the 2 vessels. 

Awesome fish and scallops at the Fish Shack (thanks Alannah for the recommendations). We have enjoyed some great food in Lunenberg. 

The town is Unesco Heritage town. It is very well kept up. The houses are freshly painted in very bright colours. It is a very nice town. 

Noah and Sterling explored the harbour front a bit more and took a horse carriage tour of the town while I chaired a conference call for work. 

Late afternoon and time to get some groceries. 

We also discovered a local distillery called Ironworks. It is located in an old blacksmith shop. The gin is very smooth. 

There was a map at the museum that depicts the area we have been boating this summer.

Oak Island to Lunenburg

Wednesday August 31st

We started the morning with a peddle boat ride in the bay. Then I headed to the spa for a pedicure while Sterling and Noah enjoyed the indoor pool and hot tub. 

Another sunny and warm day. After enjoying lunch on the patio we headed out for Lunenberg.  Before we left Noah tried his hand at some photography.

We headed across Mahone Bay towards Lunenberg Bay. The winds picked up and we took a lot of spray across the bow. We had to slow down to 7 knots due to the wind lop. 

We arrived in Lunenberg around 330 pm and tied up to a floating dock at Zwicker wharf. Noah was very excited to head off to find the Bluenose II. He learned about the original Bluenose in school and was excited to see a Schooner. 

We explored the decks of the Bluenose. She is a beautiful boat. She is 161 feet long and her mast is 125 feet high. Quite a spectacular site. 

We had a delicious meal at the Salt Shaker and then we got yummy homemade ice cream at the Sweet Shop. We explored the town while enjoying our cones. Another lovely evening. 

Sleepover night in mom and dad's cabin. Noah's favourite night. 

To Oak Island in search of Treasure

Tuesday August 30

After filling up the fuel tanks we headed out in to St. Margaret's Bay to make way for Mahone Bay. The conditions were great and we cruised around 16 knots. The southern shore of Nova Scotia is a rocky picturesque coast. This area is filled with lots of little islands so there are lots of shoals to watch out for. After a two hour cruise we arrived at the Oak Island resort. It is a very nice resort with a fantastic view of Mahone Bay. We were excited to spend a few days here. 

The resort is located near Oak Island where legend has it that Captain Kidd buried his treasure. The island is private and people have spent millions digging for the "money pit". There are currently 2 large cranes out on the island digging. 

The resort was fantastic and we enjoyed all it had to offer:  outdoor pool, mini putt, play structure, treasure hunt and museum about Oak Island. What a day!  We had a delicious meal in the Vista dining room. The view was spectacular and the food amazing. 

After dinner we enjoyed a bonfire and s'mores. Noah was very excited to be able to have a fire. The resort staff do a bonfire every night for guests. 

It was a lovely evening.

Hanging out at Shining Waters

Monday August 29

An overcast day and a bit of light rain. We woke up to the Marina hauling out a fishing boat. It was interesting to see it in the sling. 

Family races around the property. Noah is getting to be such a fast runner. I proceeded to head for a 7 km run. A nice way to start the morning. 

The rest of the day we just relaxed at the marina. We found a play structure and skipped some rocks. 

Tomorrow we will head over to Oak Island in search of treasure. 

Peggy's Cove

Sunday August 28th

After a hearty pancake breakfast we pulled up the anchor and headed for Peggy's Cove. 
We were underway less than 5 minutes when we saw some seals. For the next 30 minutes we saw several whales diving (they looked like Minke size) and over a dozen harbour porpoises. The boys were thrilled.



It was nice to have a day without fog and be able to see Peggy's Cove and St. Margaret's Bay. 

We anchored off Strawberry island for lunch and spent the afternoon chilling on the deck. 

It was late afternoon and time to head back to shore. We were a little sad to see the cousins go home after such an awesome weekend. 

Bugden/Bown weekend adventure

August 27th

We headed to Shining Waters Marina to start our last week of summer vacation on the boat. Heather, James, Quintin and Ben joined us for the trip. After getting our provisions and feeding the band of hungry pirates (before a mutiny occurred) we  slipped the lines and headed out into St. Margaret's Bay. 

All the pirates got a turn at the wheel. 

It was a very hot day and no wind so the conditions were great for cruising. We anchored in Hubbard's Cove and one brave pirate (QB) jumped off the stern for a swim in the chilly water.   We relaxed at anchor and we were having such a nice time that we decided to anchor for the night. 

It was a very warm evening and the night sky was full of stars. 

Movie time and sleepover in the aft cabin for the boys. Relaxing on the stern under the stars for the parents.