Sailing Nut Case Summer 2013

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Nut Case Sailing Adventures Summer 2013

Sad that this has defined our season to date

June 15 2013

A late launch for 2013. Bad weather has pushed out our club meeting, first race and launch to June 15. We decided to do everything in one day. We left Halifax at 7:14 AM and arrived at Barrachois approx 9:45. The most interesting part of the drive was watching the fuel consumption gauge on the truck.

The best part of trailering - looking at fuel consumption gauge

Arriving at marina we prepped and stepped the mast and then launched the boat. While still in the slings the motor started and then immediately died. No amount of coaxing could get it to run more than 30 or 40 seconds as fuel kept coming out top of carburetor. Little did we know that this would define our season! Our fabulous marina owners Don and Herb came to the rescue - within moments of launching they had the carb off and cleaned and motor running. All that was left was a frantic rig tune and rigging of boat and bending on sails and we were off to the start line for our first sail and first race of the season. Was a pursuit race with just Heather and Mike aboard so no spinnaker (it was still in truck and not rigged anyway) and we had barely put the boat together and ready as we were approaching start line. Another first was our placing that day - the boat was working well. As we motored back to our finger pier in the marina the motor stalled at low idle - we had a slightly fast but otherwise OK motorless docking.

Nut Case day sailing in light wind June 22

June 22 2013

Motor had been taken home, low throttle tinkered with and motor purring beautifully. June 22 we had moon low tides in mid afternoon so for our second sail of the season we went up the night before put the motor back on the boat and ran it for over three hours low idle at dock. Ran beautifully - problems solved. A Friday evening with friends at the marina around a campfire was a great reminder why we sail in Brule which is 140km from home. The next morning we had a beautiful light wind sail and continued rigging the boat. The next weekend was our race across Northumberland Strait to Charlottetown PEI so we wanted to know everything was ready. Boat worked very well and moved well in 5-7 knots of breeze, Our friends Alan and Judy on their Redwing 30 Exploits were also out for a morning sail which was great for us as it would turn out. On our way back in the channel against a rapidly falling tide with time against us our motor died again! It would not restart. We were in a narrow channel with a current flowing out and a wind pushing in and would run out of water in 30 minutes! Exploits came along and towed us in. Once at dock the motor would not start and when it did would only run for 30 seconds and not well. Motor came off boat again and was going to the shop for warranty work.

Sailing nicely in under 10 knots of wind

June 29 - July 1, 2013 - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Chelsea and Jimmy as we motor into Charlottetown Harbour

With our motor back from shop with rebuilt carburetor we set off to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in a 30NM race. We were really looking forward to this weekend because not only do we have great friends from Charlottetown and Pictou come to our marina for this race but this year our daughter Chelsea and her boyfriend Jimmy were joining us. Chelsea used to do this trip as a 10 year old but had not sailed with us on this boat yet in the Northumberland Strait. It had been close to 10 years since she did this trip and Jimmy is from New Zealand and was really looking forward to a new adventure.

The forecast was not good. Rain Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Strong winds not only for the trip to Charlottetown (25 knots gusting 35) but also on the way back. The trip over would be manageable as it was downwind but the trip back across open water in a low freeboard boat like the J/27 is just not fun.

Waking up Saturday there were four boats who showed up for the race. Two from Charlottetown (Endeavour J/30 and Intuition Beneteau 337) and one from Pictou (Oh Chute Kirby 25). Enough for a race but we knew that Oh Chute would be heading back to Pictou rather than face the race back the next day into 20 - 25 knots upwind. Initially the wind was howling but as we motored to the start it had diminished a bit from the 27 knot gusts in our protected marina to 15-20 at the start (also protected). We opted to do the race but in a non competitive manner as Chelsea had not really ever crewed and Jimmy had never sailed. We expected large waves and gusty conditions so initially just used the main. The wind continued to die and in the end never went over 15 knots again but we were in cruise mode so did not really care. The rain lasted only an hour or two and then it became warm and we even saw the sun for a bit. The race the next day was cancelled and we enjoyed a day with friends in Charlottetown while Jimmy and Chelsea discovered some interesting places and bands. Our trip home against 15-20 knots on the nose ended up being 0-10 knots with a lot of zero. 90 minutes and 9 miles into the crossing under motor our trusty 2012 Tohatsu died again ... yup with fuel coming out top of carb again. Up went the sails and down went the wind. Eventually after bobbing around for 40 minutes Mike threatened the motor and it started running again - no one knows why really. We eventually did get home and the motor came off again. The next week had lots of calls to the dealer and to Tohatsu North America and the motor was still in the shop two weeks later. All in all was a great weekend despite the G#$^$^$#%^!!!! motor.

July 12 2013 - 50th anniversary Shediac, NB to Charlottetown, PEI night race

Our plan was to do the 72 NM delivery on Thursday, race Friday/Saturday (65 NM) and return Sunday (30NM). Crew was Heather, Mike, Ben Rubarth, Natalie Vincent and Sarah Walker. Unfortunately the ongoing motor woes and some battery issues cancelled our participation in this race.

July 20 2013 - Saturday race at BHYC

Our friend Jan joined us for the day

Our friend Jan had been planning to sail with us for some time and joined us for the day. Weather was sunny and warm and wind was light. We had borrowed a 2.5 hp motor from Ben and Marc on the J24 Dark Star for the day as ours was in the shop. Unfortunately the wind died completely by the windward mark and the race was called. The good news is that it was a gorgeous day on the water.

July 27 - Robbie Robertson Pursuit Race

Robbie's daughter Meredith and family presenting awards

The annual fundraiser and race was the opposite wind as the week before. We now had our motor back from the shop and were giving it the first test on Nut Case. The wind was up and a bit more than desired for the fleet. By the second mark it was gusting 25-30 and the fleet was unanimous in the opinion that a bash upwind was not desired for a fun race. Course was altered to a close reach back to UD4 and the finish. A shortened course in a Pursuit Race does not favour the fastest boat in the fleet but who really cared? The good news is that the motor finally worked. We had a great sail with Marc and Allison who would be racing with us in Baddeck - unfortunately we lost a Movado watch overboard as well as our windex during the day.

Baddeck Race Week - August 1 thru 11 2013

This was to be our big event for 2013. A delivery of over 142 NM followed by a couple of weeks sailing in the beautiful Bras d'Ors Lakes wrapped around the 6 day Baddeck Race Week.

Barrachois to Baddeck in three legs

Our first order of business was to have Nut Case hauled for a scrub. We left work for the day, drove to Barrachois, had Don haul the boat so that Mike and Don could scrub, then relaunched, provisioned and spent the night with our friends Steve and Patty of Ever After. A long day but a good one.

Deliver Day 1 - Barrachois to Ballantynes Cove - 62 NM

Leaving Barrachois Harbour at 6:14AM. Heather looks far too happy for this time of day

We were up at 5:30 and Steve and Patty made coffee and then saw Heather and me off as we departed the dock at 6:14AM. It was a beautiful morning but of course there was no wind. The course was basically East for 60 miles past Pictou and Antigonish to Ballantynes Cove. It turned out to be a pleasant but long day and a good workout for our newly fixed motor as well as a test for the tiller pilot who like everyone else we had named "Otto". Ballantynes was relaxing and we met up with our friend Wellington Gay and crew on the J30 "Midnite" from Charlottetown. They would also be in Baddeck by Sunday night and were planning to race one day in Baddeck before heading to Sydney. If you ever happen to be in Ballantynes Cove there is a wonderful Fish and Chips shack right on the dock and also lots of hiking trails. This was starting to feel like a vacation!

Day 2 - Ballantynes to St Peters

Met this boat and couple in Ballantynes and saw them again in St Peters and Baddeck. My next sailboat will be one of these

I am really sorry to say that I did not have my camera on hand for this portion of the trip. Although it was windier than the previous day the crossing of St Georges Bay was downwind and that was the only real open water we had to navigate. What did make it special were the whales. There were many of them and they were very playful!

We started our day by making coffee on the dock at 5:30 AM, unfortunately in the rain. That done it was time to ready our departure and this is when we discovered that all instruments were non functional. This was not a good omen but we did have on hand a handheld, VHF and GPS as well as a bulkhead mount compass. Unfortunately we could not find our paper chart as I think I loaned it a couple years ago to someone else. Wellington was our savior as he loaned us the needed charts and we were underway by 6:30 AM. Twenty minutes later the culprit was found to be corrosion on a terminal on the fuse panel and all of our instruments were back on line - including the chart plotter!

This was pretty much our most interesting day as shortly after the whales we transited the locks at Canso Causeway where we crossed the Trans Canada Highway and stopped all traffic before entering the approaches to Chedabucto Bay. Following this there was a short crossing of some open water in Chedabucto Bay where the winds were up to close to 20 knots on the beam and then we were in Lennox Passage. This was where we were really happy to have the chart plotter functioning again as we navigated shallows and islands until we came to another bridge and then eventually the bridge and locks at St Peters. It was once again a long 60+ NM day and we were happy to be in St Peters Marina where we met Gerry who was to be our favourite person in the near future. In the end we motored or motor sailed all but one hour. We were beginning to trust our motor again!

Day 3 - St Peters to Baddeck.

Lots of fuel on board for our trip. No smoking please!

Another day and our first departure after 8AM. Only 6 hours or so today! Once again there was no wind. We motored out of St Peters marina and through the beautiful passage to Big Bras d'ors Lake. There was still no wind once we reached the lake so we motored all the way to the Iona bridge and once there decided we were an hour out of Baddeck so why start sailing now?

After two nights and three days on the boat we decided to stay in the Yellow Cello in downtown Baddeck. The room included use of a huge common room below and our friends Dave and Jennifer were in the room beside us. Dave is the skipper/owner of Koobalibra the C&C115 that heather and I race on. Also attached to the room is a huge private sun deck and laundry facilities. This was great and we were both pretty excited in a way you can only be after spending three days on a J/27. I walked out on the deck and heard someone calling for Mike. Since there was a 6 foot high privacy wall on one side and open to the lake on the other I had no idea who was calling or who they were calling until I heard the call again - but this time "Mike Hoyt". It turned out that thirty feet away on the other side of the privacy wall were our friends Kim and Andy Shand of the C&C 99 "Prospector" in the house they had rented for the week. Kim had seen the top two inches of my head and somehow recognized me!

That was a glorious night with fireworks that we watched from our deck and time spent with Kim, Andy and crew as well as Dave and Jen and their friend Mike.

Mike standing on a chair of deck at Yellow Cello taken from Prospector crew house "The Manse"

Baddeck Race Week - Day 1 - August 5

"Boat House". The cottage we rented for the week

Baddeck Race week is a 6 day 7 race event. In the past there had been a single class with boats ranging from 24 to 41 feet and PHRF 57 thru 250 some with spinnakers and some not. That was all that has been bad about this race week but the good far outweighed this and for 2013 the classes were split to spin and non spin. The good was first of all the location. It is a restful town on a beautiful shore with many interesting yachts passing thru. Other good features unique to this race week is the single long race per day format (except Thursday) with a start at a civilized time a short trip from the dock. Also the fact that most of the boats were docked in a central location centered around government wharf and Baddeck Marine.

For the week we had Marc and Allison and their son Ben for the first three days and Marc for the remainder of the week (except Saturday). Ben had skippered his own J24 in the J24 North Americans and had been sailing since a young child. Marc has raced for years on a Melges 24, occasionally on their J24 and on a Beneteau 473 among other boats. Allison had sailed as a young lady in the same Junior Sailing program as Heather at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. However our main tie is that we all ski together at Ski Wentworth.

Our first race was started with very little wind. We had Ben on the helm for the starts and doing foredeck/spin trim, Marc on main, Mike on Jib and helm downwind, Heather on jib/course/spinnaker, Allison in the pit. The race started out with a slight bias on the right side of the course upwind and a huge bias to that same side downwind. At the windward mark we were held off by the Frers 33 Equinox as it delayed spin hoist and headed for the left side of the course. This delayed our spinnaker hoist by nearly a minute until we cleared of Equinox, hoisted and then headed for the other side of the course that we thought favoured. Our decision paid off in a big way as approx one third of the fleet chose our side and the rest went with Equinox to the other side. The race was over for those that went there and we were looking great! However the time lost getting clear of Equinox was to be a big difference maker in the end. We soon discovered that the Kirby 30 "Sniper" was our nemesis for the day. We chased Sniper all over the course and in the end they finished 27 seconds ahead of us and we found out were the same handicap! We were 5th of 17 on the day and 32 seconds out of third ... that problem with Equinox had cost us third place!

After racing was over we checked into our rented cottage - "the Boat House" which was really cute inside and beautiful outside. We all loved it.

Race Day 2

View from the deck of The Boat House. Marc and Allison on the dock

Tuesday was Heather's birthday. We all said Happy Birthday but were concentrated on beating Sniper which we thought a fitting birthday gift for Heather. The winds turned out to be stronger than the previous day and very shifty. On our first upwind leg we had our #1 and our friends on the C&C 99 Prospector had the #3. We had the right choice and we showed that on first upwind leg. On the downwind we concentrated on caching Sniper and we passed them for the first time that day at the leeward mark. The second upwind leg turned out to be as shifty as the first one but the wind was up and we were very overpowered with our #1 while Prospector had the right sail up with their #3. Sniper had a modified keel with an extra 200 lbs of lead at the bottom and it paid off as they could carry their #1 in this wind. Of course Sniper passed us on this upwind. Next downwind we encountered a shoal and changed to #3 headsail. The shoal was noted when depth sounder showed 4.6 feet under keel so we altered course drastically while we figured that out. Of course as it turned out we could have sailed right over it but 7.5 knots over rocks is a bit nerve wracking! Somewhere along this point we passed Sniper again and then they passed us upwind as we were horribly underpowered with the #3 since the wind had dropped. We chased Sniper on the last downwind but they were still ahead ad the leeward mark. Here we had a short upwind to the clubhouse and finish line and were back to the #1. Some great helming by Ben had us pass Sniper for the final time halfway thru this leg but unfortunately the shifty winds killed us tacking to the finish and Sniper passed us and finished ahead. We ended up 5th and Sniper 4th but the classes had been further split so we were not as good as the previous day. Not a great birthday for Heather but life on the water at the cottage was good.

Race Day 3

Wednesday was our last day with Allison and Ben. Ben was leaving on the following weekend with Natalie to move to Calgary, Alberta to join the Calgary Police Force. Our third day we had one clear goal - beat Sniper. Our start was not all that we hoped and shortly into the race we were behind Sniper and would not catch them again. However a new nemesis had appeared. Stampede is a Tartan 10 also with the same 126 handicap as Nut Case. On the first two days they were well behind us and Sniper but by day 3 they were on their game and as we fell back they became faster. For the entire day three we were exchanging leads with Stampede and in one memorable crossing with us on Stbd we did not even see them until we almost collided with Stampede on Port. I suspect if we had been aware they were likely clear ahead but in the end we had a bit of a drastic course alteration to avoid a collision. lesson learned - be a bit sharper on lookout even when winds are 15 - 20 knots. Day three ended up our worst outing so far with us slipping to 7th. This was also our last day we were expecting to be competitive as we were losing Ben and Allison and there was just heather, Marc and me for Thursday and Friday - although we hoped to pick up some help. That evening Heather Marc and I had a great evening at the Boat House and we spent much of it speaking with our landlord Bill of the Yellow Cello and his wife Patty and grand daughter Zion who was sailing her opti in Race Week as well. She had come third that day.

Race Day 4

Marc was planning to race Thursday and Friday and leave directly after the race. Mike had come up with a plan to sail shorthanded with only three. Line up the three spinnakers in the cabin in order of best to worst and use a separate one each leg. A good plan in my mind for sure! At the dock Heather walked over to see Dave on Koobalibra and came back with Steve taking us up to 4. Steve had grown up sailing and was our new planned addition for foredeck and to run the spin and sheet. This was the day with two races and we certainly hoped they would be shorter than the previous days.

Race 1 started in approx 15 knots of wind. We had been hoping for lighter as that would give Nut Case an advantage over its competition but no joy there. Our expectations were diminished and our new goal was to ignore Sniper and beat Stampede. Expectations are over rated!

At the start Mike was on helm, Marc on main, Heather on Jib/pit, Steve on foredeck. We were underweight right from the start and over heeled as a result. Nevertheless things went reasonably well after a disastrous start that was entirely Mike's fault and the first upwind leg was OK. Approaching the windward mark Steve realized that he was not familiar with rigging on a keelboat foredeck so wisely stated this to the crew. Mike ended up shifting to foredeck, Heather to helm and Steve to jib/pit. Mike is really not built to do foredeck work and only does it when there is not a qualified elephant or someone lighter to do the work. Fortunately Mike does know which lines go where and the spinnaker did go up - the blue one - our best one. The rest of the race things went reasonably well and the crew fell into a groove. It was windier than we wished for a short crew but the boat ran well. There was no time to pack the blue spinnaker so on second downwind we hoisted the black one which is only a year older anyway. During the downwind leg Mike packed the blue one - a new tactic for sure. I do not think anyone was fooled by the changed spinnaker colour because everyone watched Koobalibra hoist their spinnaker sideways. A huge white spinnaker with a sideways skull and cross bones is a different sight for sure! This was our worst result of the week as we slipped to 8th one position behind Stampede and ahead only of our fellow club boat Prospector and our other race boat Koobalibra.

As the first race was finishing and other boats were getting ready for race 2 on the day in building winds stock was taken. This was day 7 on Nut Case for Mike and Heather, we were short crewed and everyone but Steve was tired. A decision was made with no dissenting opinions that we would not race in the second race but would relax at the dock. I think that Steve was the only one disappointed with this choice. The forecast for the next two days was rainy and windy with more on Saturday than Friday. It was decided that Nut Case was done for the week and that Marc was going home to see Ben and Natalie and Mike and Heather would sail on Prospector for the rest of the week and Steve back to Koobalibra. Rationale was to keep Nut Case dry and undamaged. That plan would not really work out as we would see on Sunday.

Race Day 5. Prospector in the rain

Prospector leading Stampede

After seven straight days on Nut Case we were looking forward to doing nothing but being rail meat on someone else's boat. Forecast was 15 - 25 or thereabouts and intermittent showers ending near noon. Within ten minutes of the start it had been raining steadily for 30 minutes and was getting heavier rather than lighter. Mike was now on main of Prospector and Kim had relinquished this in favour of the dry cabin prior to the race. The rain was coming in sheets!

The race was fun and relaxing and Prospector performed well with its crew of Andy, Kim, Kelly, Jon, Matt, Bill, Spencer, Heather and Mike. This was the sort of wind that prospector loves despite the wet conditions. It was a one race day with the usual three upwind, three downwind legs and the one reach/beat to the finish in swirly shifty air. We lost quite a bit ion that last leg and ended up in Nut Case's usual #7 spot beating our newest nemesis Stampede. Afterward was a great supper in "The Manse" which was the name of the house Kim and Andy rented followed by our daughter Sarah and friend Olivia driving up to visit with us for the night at the Boat House. They had planned to sail Saturday but the weather forecast was not looking good. A bonfire on the beach with Sarah, Olivia, Zion, Bill, Patty, Mike and Heather topped off the evening.

The best thing about this day was how relaxing and fun it was to sail with friends and not worry about your own boat! There were many other great things as well but this was one of them.

Race Day 6 - cancelled due to wind

Frame from Boat House dock laying crumpled 100 feet from where dock used to be

Saturday had been calling for snotty conditions and did not disappoint! Mike woke Saturday morning at dawn and the dock in front of the Boat House was gone! In our protected spot the wind was still 20 knots on shore after having diminished from a reported high of 74 knots over night in Baddeck. Shortly after this Bill, Patty and Zion came out to retrieve the remains of the dock and Mike helped wrestle it up on shore and to safety. By this time Kim had called to say that Prospector, Nut Case and Koobalibra were all safe and that the races were cancelled. With the diminishing wind we saw Stampede and two other boats sail downwind from Baddeck to their protected anchorages rather than stay rafted together on the bouncing docks at Baddeck.

A relaxing day of doing nothing while hanging out with the crew of Prospector in the Manse was followed by a relaxing evening at the Boat House with Bill and Patty and later our friends Woody and Karen. The most amazing thing that evening was arriving home to find the dock back in place as though nothing had happened!

We would have an early morning the next day as we had planned a 6AM departure with Nut Case headed for Dundee.

Day 10 - Baddeck to Dundee, A big bunch of Oops.

Broken motor mount and missing outboard

The forecast all week was for snot on Saturday and relatively light winds Sunday for our 30 some mile delivery from Baddeck to Dundee. As of Saturday night it was calling for West 15-20 in the afternoon and we were headed west to Dundee. All week long (except for the Friday storm) the winds were very light in the morning and only started to build at 11AM reaching their daytime normal by 12:30 or 1PM. With this in mind we had Bill drive us to the boat just after 5:30AM and Nut Case departed Baddeck at our now normal 6:14AM. At this point in the story it is important to note how well our motor had been working. Since we had switched to the new dealer at Sheltered Cove Marine for service the motor had run flawlessly taking us 142 NM to Baddeck and in and out from races all week long. We left the dock in flat waters and no wind at 6:14AM under tiller pilot and heather napping in the cabin. By 7 AM the wind was 12.5 apparent on the nose while we motored at 6.5 knots. Not enough wind for anything. By 8AM we were thru Iona bridge with wind 7.5 knots 30 degrees off bow. 15 minutes later it started to get nasty ...

Once we altered to West Bay some 15 NM distant we encountered waves directly on our nose. These are not gentle waves these are wave that you can only get in the Bras d'Ors Lakes when it gets snotty. Very close very sharp waves that make a J/27 slam on every 2nd wave. We motored on and the wind built. By 9:30 it was getting a bit nasty with 15 knot winds and much larger waves than we expected. We were both thinking that we should probably alter course or something when suddenly the fuel tank seemed to leap up in the cockpit and when we looked behind our motor was in the water 6 feet behind us and sinking! We were a bit shocked to say the least and then noticed that the top half of the motor mount had sheared off. We were now 3NM from West Bay and side on to the wind and waves with the winds at 20 knots. We decided to hoist a reefed main but since we were beam on it did not go well with the luff tape separating for a five foot section and then the entire bolt rope coming out of the mast track and the main flying like a spinnaker from the top of the mast! Yuck!

OK - so the next step was to blow the halyard and get the sail off the mast. This was done and it was ugly. However once the main was lying flat in the water to the leeward of Nut Case everything settled down. The main was hauled aboard and now the interior was wet and full of sail. We next very carefully hoisted our smallest, flattest #3 and altered course 30 degrees or so to our revised destination of St Peters. With the altered course the 20 knot winds and large waves became almost a non issue. We sailed under #3 jib alone at speeds up to 7 knots and then began tacking up the St Peters inlet channels before contacting Coast Guard for a tow to the marina when we were 2 miles away.

Far too much excitement for us but the day was not yet over. Our friends Kim, Andy, Bill, Spencer and Kelly were two hours behind us also en route to Dundee under reefed main and rolled in #2. They were sailing now in sustained winds of 29 knots with gusts to 35 (forecast was 15 - 20) and were having a great sail until their forestay let go. One shredded headsail and some anxious moments later they had everything under control and the mast seemingly intact as they motored the rest of the way to Dundee. Two BHYC boats in Baddeck and two very beat up boats eventually made port.

Still not to be done there were other BHYC boats on their way back from the Bras d'Ors Lakes that were getting beat up by the day's inconsistent forecasting. Abigale, Fly By Wire and Exploits had left St Peters that morning to head to Ballantynes Cove and had a very very long day of bashing across St Georges Bay before arriving shortly before 11PM in Ballantynes. Fortunately nothing on these boats was damaged and no one hurt. The day was finally over for BHYC!

August 14 - 17. Chester Race Week on Koobalibra

Hotel Hoyt in Chester for Race Week on Koobalibra

With Baddeck behind us we contacted our insurance company and then immediately headed to Chester, NS for Race Week on Koobalibra. We had rented a tent trailer to park at the house Dave had rented for some extra beds and we had a fantastic week racing in Distance Class. The week was made even better as we were racing against Rodney Johnstone on a J35 in our class and we not only beat him but won our class as well.

August 24-25 - St Peters to Dundee

The week following Chester was spent on phone with Insurance Company and with vendors for sail repair, boat repair and outboard sales. North had our main repaired and back to us by the beginning of the week for a very nominal cost. Meanwhile Gerry at St Peters took care of our boat for two weeks and also took care of repairing our motor mount so that everything would be ready when we arrived on Saturday August 24. We had opted to go with Sheltered Cove Marine for our new motor which was again a 6 hp 20 in long shaft Tohatsu with internal/external tanks, alternator and hi thrust prop. This time rather than upgrading from a 4hp we started with the 6hp and did not have to replace the carburetor. Throughout all of this the insurance company Fairway Insurance brokers were kept in the loop and everything was covered including our two week dock fees in St Peters. I cannot say enough about how good it is to deal with people such as Gerry in St Peters Marina or the people at North Sails Atlantic who had our sail back to us by the time we returned from Chester or Dave and Wayne at Sheltered Cove Marine. My only fear from all of this is that we may have strained our relationship with the excellent people at Fairway Insurance after replacing two motors in two years - but hey, everyone should buy the same motor three years in a row!

On Friday evening Heather and I headed up to visit Kim and Andy in Dundee. Prospector was repaired with new furling system and headstay and the mast inspection showed no damage. Our plan was for the four of us to sail Nut Case back to Dundee Saturday and sail on Prospector Sunday. Our new motor had not yet arrived but Dave from Koobalibra had loaned us a Mercury 9.8 for the duration so along with our repaired main and mount we were set to go. After a great evening in Dundee with Andy, Kim, Steve and Michelle we set sail with just Kim, Andy, Heather and Mike into North winds from St Peters. This meant a six mile or so beat into the Big Bras d'Ors Lake into 15-20 knots and then a fetch down West Bay. We sailed right from St Peters under main only and then reefed before entering Big Bras d'Ors Lake. The waves were back but as we were under sail not directly on the nose and Mike managed to steer well enough to eliminate most of the bashing and thankfully the keel did not fall off and neither did the motor (although was tied on this time). The trip down West Bay made up for the upwind crap in Big Bras d'Ors Lake and we sailed right into our new slip in Dundee - directly behind Prospector.

Our short voyage was followed by a wonderful meal at Steve and Michelle Casey's house and a bonfire on the beach at Kim and Andy's. Sunday was a light wind day since Nut Case was not being delivered so we motored on prospector to the Cayman Islands where we moored and went for a short swim.

September 7-8 Dundee to West Bay, haulout and back to Halifax

Nut Case in Dundee with 2013 Tohatsu 6hp motor installed. Looks familiar

Our summer in the Bras d'Ors Lakes was coming to an end and it was time to take the boat to Halifax for some wonderful Fall sailing. The best news was that our motor finally arrived on Sept 6 and we would be finally all back together from our August 11 episode. Heather and I arrived in Dundee to a roaring bonfire and had a great evening with Kim and Andy.

Saturday was forecast to be sunny and of course 20 knots but in the right direction and Sunday raining and miserable so we decided to sail Nut Case to Sauer's Boatbuilding Saturday afternoon and then sail on Prospector. We decided to tow Prospector's dingy "Nugget" behind Nut Case for the one hour voyage and take both prospector and Nut Case so we could sail in the afternoon on Prospector. A relaxing downwind sail over under main alone on both boats turned into a sort of Drag Race as Nut Case tried to redeem herself and our confidence and we were reminded how wonderful the Bras d'Ors Lakes really are. We docked the boat beside the historic ketch "Elsie" that Alexander Graham Bell purchased for his daughter and then motored on Nugget back to Prospector for a nice afternoon that was supposed to include swimming and a sail. Alas the wind was up and on our nose for return trip so we motored back to Dundee for another great evening and another bonfire on the beach.

Sept 9 - 14. Quick refit and relaunch

Nut Case at new dock on NW Arm Sept 14

With the boat home there was a bit of scrubbing of the hull and then it was time to launch again. A post tropical storm was coming up the coast so we decided to wait til Saturday to launch. Nut Case was relaunched at Bedford Basin Yacht Club using the club crane Saturday morning and then motored back to the NW Arm in the early afternoon ... in the fog. Thanks to Marc for all his help yet again to launch boat and step the mast and thanks to BBYC for allowing use of their crane.

Arriving home was different this year. Rather than towing a dingy and paddling to shore I slid right up to the brand new dock. This was a real treat as it has been over twenty years since we had a dock in place. Very nice for the rigging and mast tuning the following day as well. In the above picture Nut Case is seen at the dock with her mooring in the background.

Beancrock Race - Sept 21 2013

Last day of summer. Passing RNSYS while ferrying boat to DYC from NW Arm

The Fall races that Nut Case has participated in for the past three seasons are all end of season fun races for four Halifax clubs. The first of these is the Beancrock Race out of Dartmouth Yacht Club. During these Fall races there is much ferrying of the boat between the NW Arm and the Bedford Basin which is typically 1.5 to 2 hours. In September these solo ferry trips can be quite nice with warm temperatures and sunny skies. However by mid to late October it gets chilly and wet. The first race is at DYC which was a 1.5 hour ferry from NW Arm on Friday Sept 20. the trip was uneventful but quite pleasant.

The Beancrock race at DYC is typically run from the start off DYC in Wrights Cove in the Bedford Basin then out Halifax Harbour beneath two bridges, past Georges Island and into the Harbour Approaches off McNabs Island before returning to DYC for the finish. typically a 15 mile race with a 4 or 5 hour time limit. Following the race there is a steak BBQ, live band and then a big end of season party at DYC. It really is a great time and we have always enjoyed it - even when raced in fog with no wind or in rain.

This year we had five of Koobalibra crew on board. Heather on helm, Nabil trying his hand at main trim (he is foredeck/mast on Koobalibra), Andrew on tactics/jib trim/spin trim (and coaching Nabil on main), Sarah in pit/spinnaker and Mike foredeck. Well at least that was the plan. The race had three classes with wide handicap spreads. A class had a 1D35 at PHRF 33, Farr 30 (51), Beneteau 473 (57), Beneteau 367 (75),Frerrs 33 (114), Nut Case at 126. Kirby 30 (132), C&C 33 (150). B class was spinnaker boats 151+ and there was cruise class as well. A class would start first at 12:05 followed by B then cruise at five minute intervals.

At the start the wind was just under 15 knots from the South. It was warm enough for shorts and tee shirts for this last day of Summer. We opted for full main and #1 although we were approaching the top of the range for #1. Mike was at the helm for the start and we had a decent start - not great but then no one else had a great start so ended up being OK. Shortly after the start Heather took the helm for the upwind leg. She really loves driving upwind and is pretty good at it also. There was a lot of tacking and wind gusts up to 15 knots which Nut Case handled beautifully. We were just behind the Beneteau 367 and stayed ahead of the Frers 33 for the first three miles. After we had left Halifax Harbour and as we approached McNabs Island the wind eased and the Frers took off. That was the last time we were ahead of them and with a masthead spinnaker on the Frers we expected them to increase their lead, which they did. A change of plans had Mike on helm, Nabil on foredeck, Heather in pit downwind with Sarah and Andrew working the spinnaker. It was a relaxing downwind ride as we sailed thru the boats in B class that had a shorter route. Our one bit of bad luck came as we passed the floating Dry Dock at a time when the wind was shifting forward and going light. We lost considerable time there.

It was a great day on the water followed by an even better time at home as the crew and other friends came over for a pulled pork supper and camp fire. We discovered that we were fourth behind the Frers, 1D35 and Farr 30. We ended up 3:20 out of first and 5:01 out of fifth. Not a bad day for Nut Case.

Location of the four clubs for our Fall races and Beancrock course

Danginn, BBYC October 19 - no street signs?

This year we have no pictures of Nut Case being presented the Danginn Cup. Nut Case participated but a directionally challenged skipper does not make for a winning boat! For the Danginn race the weather was sunny and cool but not frigid like 2012, breezy but not 25-30 knots like 2012. On board we had Marc, Andrew, Sarah, Heather and Mike. The "plan" was to have Heather on helm, Marc on main, Andrew on jib/spin, Sarah in pit and Mike on the foredeck. Well we know what they say about "the best laid plans ...". Wonder what they say about haphazardly made plans?

As usual Mike took the boat out from the dock and was on the helm as the sails were hoisted etc. Somehow Mike did not relinquish the helm at the start and forgot to give it to Heather on the first leg. Well that was the race. Bye bye any hope of a great finish! The start was quite good and Nut Case was sailing well to weather in 20 knots. The first mark was a club mark which turned out to look exactly like a mooring ball and was placed among a pod of mooring balls. Oops. Mike wanted to get away from a Niagara that was beside us and decided to duck it rather than getting trapped. Might have worked had Mike actually been sailing toward the correct mark. This resulted in a lot of pinching to make the first mark once we finally had Heather on the helm and were going the right direction. Unfortunately we gave up three or four places during this misdirection.

The second and third marks were a very unusual "dogleg". OK - maybe not a dogleg but lets just pretend. In an effort to figure out a course after finding that the neighbouring club had pulled their shared race marks the Race Committee had the fleet rounding marks that common sense would have had honoured. Basically was a right angle to the port for a short distance and then a stbd rounding back to our original course. This was where we made our second major blunder. A longer than necessary spinnaker hoist had us sailing now downwind in 20+ knots in the wrong direction! A crash gybe helped some but was still in the wrong direction. We ended up dousing the spinnaker and sailing hard on the wind to the second mark - so much for a spinnaker run! This was mainly due to more course confusion and our new helmsperson also not knowing where our mark was. Another three or four positions lost!

So now we decided the race was done and lets have fun. No more spinnaker and just relax and enjoy an October sail. As fate would have it Andrew read the water and wind very well and by the fourth leg we were on the right side of the course and making up time on the entire fleet. We were actually back in the race but not all of our minds were. The final downwind leg in 20+ knots we opted not to fly the spinnaker and essentially gave up on being competitive. Oh well. It still was a beautiful sail in October.

We sailed the rest of the race with no more mishaps and in generally the right direction. The rest of the fleet learned from our upwind leg and went right as the winds increased to 25 knots. No more easy gains but the boat was sailing very well. We ended mid pack or slightly worse but did have a fun sail. The lesson was that courses are often not logical and make even less sense on the water sometimes!

Die Hard Race - Armdale Yacht Club

Some of the Die Hard crew. Jan, Mike, Heather and Heather

It seems hard to believe that the season is ending. Motor issues, ripped sails and a trip to the Bras d'Ors Lakes are all behind us. This is it. The Die Hard race at Armdale Yacht Club. The absolute end of the season. For the die hards who refuse to admit winter is coming. Also it seems for people who have never sailed before and wished to try it.

The forecast was for clear skies and cold. 8 degrees and 15 - 20 knots. A very brisk Fall sail. The course starts at AYC and sails out the Norwest Arm with its swirly winds, well into the Harbour Approaches to Herring Cove and then back. The race is usually won or lost in the NW Arm with its tricky winds. On board we had Nabil on foredeck, Sarah on jib and spinnaker trim, Mike on helm and main and Heather running the pit and assisting with jib. Nabil had brought his friend who had never before sailed and a couple of ladies (Heather FS and Jan) decided it would be a good time to try sailboat racing. Three persons who had pretty much zero sailing experience on a blustery Fall day - this would be interesting! With 7 crew and three new sailors the boat was cramped but we managed to position people in a manner where we could theoretically still run the boat.

The start was a spinnaker run. We decided to take our time and keep things simple. The wind decided to not be simple. We managed to start and hoist the spinnaker but the wind was oscillating from astern to abeam and varying in strength making for challenging conditions. A very interesting first sail for our new sailors! As we were approaching the Dingle (Flemming Park) the wind shifted 90 degrees and increased at least ten knots at the same time. Nut Case responded with our first ever broach and our first ever knockdown on this boat! Jan was on the port cockpit seat up to her waist in water, Nabil was at the mast grinning like a fiend, his friend was a bit nervous (or maybe terrified) but somehow stayed dry and on board. Meanwhile Sarah had been on the sheet on port side as was now thigh deep in water. Unfortunately all that was not in the water was from her thighs down to her feet and most of her body was under water outside the boat! We managed to get Sarah back in the boat and at least half of us were not wet while two were wet from knees down, one from waist down and one from thighs up! The wind had by now died after causing broaches on four boats and we decided the spinnaker was done for the day. There was no argument from the crew. It was cold, the crew was wet and the 2 hour race was ten minutes old. Miraculously our new sailors were game to continue the race ...

With no spinnaker Nut Case made its way out of the NW Arm and around the course and back. Tacking up the Arm on the way back we had a duel with Eek n Awk a Kirby 30 that also decided not to use their spinnaker. With Heather at the helm and Sarah in dry clothes we made a great trip up the Arm and changed lead a couple of times with Eek n Awk. We managed to bury the coaming at least one more time to ensure no one stayed dry and then finished our last race of the season without any more issues. It was quite a first sail for some crew and certainly showed that sailing is not boring!

We then all went to the house and had our annual crew party with a fabulous meal of Pulled Pork cooked on the Big Green Egg.