We arrived at Fortune to find that the local Dory boat race was underway – the greatest boat race in the world! Locals team up in couples and it doesn’t matter if you’ve never rowed a boat in your life, as we found out from the first couple. You row around 2 markers twice then across the canal to fill a barrel with water using paint buckets and water from the canal, then row around the 2 markers twice again and back to the ramp where you run up saw a log in half with a two man saw. There were 8 couples competing and whomever gets the best time wins. Bloody terrific!
…. and there goes lunch
In 2 months we have sailed from Massachusetts up the east coast of Nova Scotia and almost circumnavigated Newfoundland – we’re currently about to do the south coast. This is a lot to do with a 4,3, and now 5 month old. Exhaustion seems to be a word flung out there a lot lately. When you think of sailing, images of kicking back in the cockpit with a beer often comes to mind, cheese and crackers at sunset or maybe stringing up the hammock and reading a book on the deck. This is not the reality for us. When sailing there is always someone on deck dealing with navigation or sails and the other is in the cabin cooking, cleaning and dealing with kids. You think hey that’s not that hard. Well toss in a 65’ boat. Carl has a good handle on sailing solo but its rather lonely up there by yourself, we definitely miss that nice companionship that most couples get to enjoy. We often change it up, I go outside and Carl inside. To add to our difficulties it’s a little on the chilly side up here so whenever someone goes on deck they have to suit up with layers and fowl weather gear, that wind really cuts through you. We’ve been trying to do 8-10 hour runs during the day and entering a port just before dinner time. This leaves us time to take the kids for a quick walk around town before settling back in on the boat. During this time the boat pretty much gets trashed. It’s hard to keep up with 2 very active girls while the boat is heeled over and bouncing up and down.
I’ve been doing ok with the sailing so far. Like most I get a bit on the queasy side when the swell picks up. You know that horrible rolling motion that tosses you from side to side and you realize that you really didn’t stow the boat as good as you thought. Drinks get knocked over, toys run from port to starboard – starboard to port then under my feet and I go flying.
I met Carl on a boat and I was always the stew that didn’t get sick in the large seas, I just motored on through. Heading down to the Bahamas being pregnant was MISERABLE but I knew that I would get sick because of being pregnant, just didn’t think I’d be that deathly sick. Once the baby was born I thought all that seasickness was behind me and now we could get down and dirty into some longer passages. I don’t know whether it’s because I’m breastfeeding, that my hormones aren’t back to normal or that I’m taking Fenugreek for milk supply but I’m extremely susceptible to seasickness again. Has pregnancy changed my body forever? How will we do crossings? We just finished a run from Trepassey to Saint Pierre in just under 20 hours, it should have been longer but we made really good time sailing between 8-10 knots. We had a side swell that we making us roll around, my favorite motion! It took about 2 hours before I was feeling the effects. Headaches, fatigue and then the nausea. Nothing like trying to take care of 3 kids below deck when all you want to do is lay in bed and die. Oh then chuck in a baby that needs to breastfeed because he refuses to take bottle. Mmmm buddy you’re about to get a double lunch, mummas milk AND mummas honey and peanut butter sambo (on your head!) So people its not all puffins and whales these days. We’re not too sure what to do when it’ll come time for us to make our way to the Caribbean, we were planning on inviting some friends to help but if I go down then Carl has to deal with the kids and the boat all at once. There’s no way that I can fly and meet the boat wherever it’s at, that’s not part of the budget. For now I’m going to try and get our little man to take a bottle, stop the Fenugreek and see if that improves my sensitive belly. If one crew member goes down everyone suffers.
If anyone has any recommendations out there I’m all ears.
Zofran – fail
Ginger capsules – fail
Ginger Snaps – fail
Dramamine – don’t feel that great about taking them while nursing
Ear plug in dominant ear – fail
Freezing in the cockpit with fresh air – fail
Lying in the fetal position on the couch – fail
Run blindly into the hills at the next port – it’s a good possibility
These days I’m cursing my body, sailing….. and not having a washing machine.
Fermeuse yard time
We would like to thank all the guys at Fermeuse Marine Limited especially Francis and Noel for making our yard time a joy. Our girls were given candy, chips, coveralls and even a scooter! I’m sure we made them all nervous letting our girls run riot around their yard. The didn’t get in too much trouble they just like a good chat, well Pri does while Wags looms in the shadows. We’ve been out of the water for 4 days, most of those being rainy. Carl pressure washed the bottom, welded some patches and painted her up. We chose from the fisherman’s color palette and Pri picked blue. We were a little worried that it was very much Cinderella blue but once it dried it darkened a little and we’re ok with it now. Can’t miss us. Instead of saying “we’re the big boat over there” we can say “we’re the blue boat over there”. Nice.
Francis loaned us his truck to go to the corner store for some food on the first day. Noel drove us to (the only) restaurant up the road for dinner another day. Super nice people.
We highly recommend this boat yard to anyone travelling through the St. Johns area. We’ve never seen a cleaner yard and it allowed self service.
We finally got our moose shot. Noel (boat yard foreman) came and got me when he spied this lovely lady moose. Wonderful.
Big thanks to Don who lent us his truck for the day so we could do laundry, groceries and pic up Geo in St. Johns (1.5 hour drive from Fermeuse). It was a tight squeeze but we did it! The drive home wasn’t much fun. I was that crazed lady driving up close to the windscreen determined not to hit a moose. Who drives 1.5 hours in Newfoundland in the evening in dense fog while its raining? Oh yeah that would be us!
Thanks also to Jason for helping us paint our boat and giving us a bucket load of movies.
I wonder why we got lost in St. Johns??! Thanks for the shit directions little man!
4 days later and we’re going back in the water. Thanks Francis and the team at Fermeuse Marine Ltd, A+ boat yard/ daycare center. They all made us feel like family.
I always amazes me how the fog rolls into this place.
The sea monster stuck to our anchor. Ewww!
She’s big, blue and BEAUTIFUL.
my obsession with puffins
Beware, many puffin pictures!!! We motored passed Whitless Bay today (no wind). This is where the largest colony of Puffin birds can be found.. Brought me back to the days that I had a budgie in a cage. The whole island smelt like that cage. Way too many birds for the real estate.
We have not see so much wildlife in our life. There were also whales swimming amongst the puffins but I already did my whale post.
Do your kids know how to point out a puffin? Mine do! Except for Wags she thinks they’re all whales.
St. Johns
We arrived at St. Johns yesterday afternoon and what a beautiful entrance! High cliffs and colorful houses.
This is a really pretty city, it’s small, clean and friendly people. We actually haven’t seen this many people since leaving the States over a month ago. We have constant looks at the boat and are glad we have side curtains. I was asked by a woman yesterday if I could heat up her coffee yesterday evening, strange people.
Today we caught the bus to the GEO center where we learnt about the earth, the titanic and growing plants. I think the girls really enjoyed themselves and maybe soaked up about 11% of the information.
We are here during Newfoundland’s heat wave. It has been about a week of 30+ degree weather and none of the stores have air-conditioning. The boat is stinking hot and I’m ready to jump in the water….. maybe not, I think it needs to get a little hotter.
Pri is upset that we didn’t get her a dress at the store. This picture goes out to my sister Heidi who wants a Newfoundland dog. Heid they’re as big as a pony!!! Wish I could have taken a picture of a real one for you, we’ve only seen one and I didn’t have my camera.
Pri still upset that we didn’t get her a dress at the store
The houses here are super cute and all different colors
Bus ride to the GEO center.
ey-by
“ey-by, wareyat?”
“Dis-issit”
English translation:
“Hey there, what have you been up to”
“Pretty much what you see here”
I understand, really I do….. I understand that you DON’T understand because it’s TOTALLY NOT English. Probably closer to Irish but I think the Irish would have a hard time understanding these bys (boys).
We met Sharon and Craig off SV View Finder that have been teaching us and the girls a bit of Newfie lingo. I think as long as you say a word as fast as you can and miss every second vowel you’ll be good to go. Oh yeah and call everyone a boy (by). I would love to tape some of the conversations we have with the locals, especially the fisherman. We just nod, agree and hope not to offend anybody. We might as well be in China with this language barrier. It’s not really that bad.
We will be in St. Johns for a day or so and hopefully I’ll get to meet up with a friend I made in Japan. It’s a big world but really it’s only as big as you make it.
The kids are growing up in leaps and bounds. Pri is learning to help out more by helping with lines and washing dishes. Wags seems to be getting shyer with strangers but is giving her imagination a good work out these days. Our little man is rolling over, yes it is possible with all that fat. He’s such a happy baby, all smiles and rarely cries even when the girls stick their fingers in his eyes – what are sisters for.
Above: Catalina, NL
Who doesn’t love a good princess puzzle?
having a whale of a time
ok if you squint your eyes and stand on one foot you can see a puffin
Today we have never see so many birds or whales. At one time we were surrounded by at least 20 whales. One was hanging out under our boat for a bit than came up right next to us. AMAZING!
Oh yeah, did I mention that they were bigger than our boat!