Halifax

We left Canso for an overnight sail to Halifax. I could have gone east around Andrew Island, but decided we’d take the shorter and more scenic Andrew pass to the Ocean. I’m glad I did.

It was a narrow but well marked channel. Sue spent most of her time trying to get pictures of the seals that were playing along the islands. But, they’re very difficult to photograph. I given up on trying to get pictures of the wildlife.

Once we cleared Andrews pass, I set sail towards Halifax. Everything was perfect… too perfect. We were going too fast and the computer showed our ETA to be 3AM. I do my calculations based on a speed of 6 knots. Between the currents and perfect sailing conditions, we were going 8 knots. I actually reduced sails so we wouldn’t arrive too early.

Once we got to town, we met up with our friends on Oz. They didn’t reduce sail and they got to Halifax at 3AM. They were staying at a different and it was easier for them to come in at night.

We chose to stay smack dab in the middle of downtown Halifax. We’re tied up to the Maritime Museums dock. At times I feel like we’re also part of the exhibit. At lot of local sailors came by to chat. I’m starting to think I’m the only one who hasn’t sailed the Caribbean. My favorite advice I got was to leave the boat in Florida. Fly down in November, sail, then bring the boat back to Florida in May, haul it out, and fly home.

I needed boat parts so as soon as we docked, we got the bikes out headed to the Binnacle. The Canadian version of West Marine. It was a 3 mile ride, but took much longer than I had planned. Halifax is a beautiful city, but it’s not bike friendly. We got spoiled by Montreal, Quebec City, and all the little towns we’ve been in along the way. But we made it and I was able to get the parts I needed. Next time, I’m taking Uber.

Today, we meeting up with the Oz crew and we’re going to explore the city some more.