Day 6 Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2359hrs (AST, GMT-4) 27 Jul 2018

Dear All,

From one o'clock this morning we had our first taste of the thick fog for which this part of the world is famous. The visibility dropped rapidly to around 50 metres and stayed that way for the rest of the night.

The best visibility we got all day

Even when the sun got up, the best we had was 150 metre visibility.  As the sun got lower it dropped again to 50 metres and I suspect it will stay that way until morning and probably throughout tomorrow as well.  Entering Shelburne will be  fun game in minimum visibility!

As well as the reduced visibility, the wind also dropped off; more so than we had expected from the forecast. As a result we spent the morning from about 0400 making little more than 5 knots.  The slow speed helped in that we weren't rushing along blindy, but it did mean that there was less pressure on the sails and so we tended roll a bit with the sails slatting noisily as the waves went under us.  Not great for getting quality sleep off watch.

Additionally, the slow speed meant that the DuoGen wasn't generating enough power to run the radar full time. Large ships are relatively easy to deal with because of their AIS transmissions, which are compulsory for vessels over 300grt; these show up on our chart plotter all the time and we generally pick hem up at >20 miles.  However, to see smaller craft which don't have AIS, and the particular risk is fishing vessels out here, we have been running a few sweeps of our radar every 10 minutes [Nicky did have to run a more detailed radar plot on one 18kt vessel during her day watch].  By night that meant that we were slowly discharging the batteries but when the sun came up, even though it didn't burn off the fog, there was enough light for the solar panels to add power to the system and so top up the batteries ready for the next foggy night.  [We also charge the batteries when we run the generator to make fresh and hot water]. Happily, now that we are in deeper water, albeit only about 150m deep, the lobster pot markers are few and far between but doubtless the numbers will pick up as we close the coast of Nova Scotia, which could make for an interesting game of blind slalom.

We are fortunate with our timing for this passage.  Right now the moon is full and the nights are very light as a consequence.  Also, at the moment, the moon rises at or before sunset and then sets again just before sunrise moonset, so there is no time when we don't have a decent amount of natural light, whether sunlight or moonlight. It's not exactly in the league of the land of the midnight sun but it still makes life so much easier than sailing through a pitch black night.  It also means that we can see the dolphins which are periodically visiting to play in our bow wave.

Whilst it's not the fastest passage we've ever made, the miles are ticking down and so, if all goes well, we should get our fist sighting of Canada tomorrow, or perhaps we'll just continue to see the inside of a fog bank!

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky 

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 27 Jul: N42 34 W68 23
Position at 2359 27 Jul: N42 57 W66 52
Midday to midday distance: n/a nautical miles
Midnight to midnight distance: 144 nautical miles
Total miles covered:  623 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go: 92 nautical miles to Shelburne

End of Day 6  Chesapeake to Nova Scotia