Maine to Halifax, Nova Scotia

Justin and I left Kittery Point, Maine at 6:00 pm on Sunday, June 11th. We motored out, dodging lobster pots. Once we got out of the channel, we unfurled the jib. I took a nap from 7:00 pm until 10:00 pm. After a couple of hours out to sea, Justin raised the main sail. We had 16 to 26 knots of wind. The boat was moving at 5 to 7 knots on a broad reach, and we had a knot of current going with us. I did a later shift to allow Justin a chance to sleep since he went to bed later to allow me to nap.

The lighthouse by Pepperrell Cove

Myself as we leave Maine, excited to be heading towards my home province

Justin as he pulls up the sails

Sunset in Maine

The next day was a sunny, lazy day, which we spent crossing the Gulf of Maine. We had 0 to 15 knots of wind. Thus, we spent the day going back and forth between sailing and motoring.
The boat was traveling at 1 to 5 knots, and we had an additional knot of speed due to the current. We had horse flies on the boat and they were driving us nuts. We watched episodes of "Bones" to pass the time. I cut Justin's hair. We saw a fin in the water, but we had no idea what it was. I read and did a workout on my night shift. Justin finished his book on his night shift. We had 16 to 26 knots during the night and we were traveling at 6 to 7 knots. We forgot to turn on the navigational lights for night shift, and Justin had a close call with a container ship.

Sunrise in the Gulf of Maine

A good sign that we're close to home

Justin enjoying the sun while we have a snack

On Tuesday, June 13th, Justin and I played crib and rummy to pass the time. The wind was blowing at 8 to 15 knots. We putted along at 4 to 5 knots on a run. Justin and I spent most of the day in the cockpit, chatting and enjoying the sun. Although we had to bundle up at night with sweaters, hats, and blankets, we spend the hottest part of the day in shorts and tee-shirts. We spent the day sailing within 12 to 20 nautical miles away from Nova Scotia; however, we couldn't see land. During the night, we had 12 to 20 knots of wind. We made excellent time, moving at 5 to 7 knots.

Another pretty sunrise

Myself adjusting to the cool weather

It started warming up in the late morning

Justin enjoying the heat while it's available

Clear skies at night

I woke up the next morning at 10:30 am and joined Justin in the cockpit. We were coming up on the entrance to Halifax Harbour. We dropped the sails at 11:00 am. We saw a huge, Italian square rigger coming out of Halifax Harbour as we were coming in. We docked at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron by 1:00 pm.