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September 23rd, 2009 – At Sea, 44 32N, 063 31W
By Herb McCormick
Last evening, as yet another sensational Indian Summer night descended over the warm, inviting Nova Scotia city of Halifax, I launched my Little Wing kayak for a quick sunset paddle. There was hardly a breath of air, and before long I overtook a lovely blue sailboat drifting down the waterfront on a leisurely harbor cruise. As it happened, the boat was a J/120 racer called Philharmonic; I’ve actually owned a couple of J/Boats over the years and am quite familiar with the brand. I pulled up alongside for a chat with the couple sailing her – like most everyone we met in Halifax, they’d heard of Ocean Watch and were eager to learn more about our adventures.
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| Ocean Watch Captain Mark Schrader. |
I continued on my way, did a turn around a piling beneath one of the towering harbor bridges, and started paddling back to our dock at Bishop’s Wharf. Philharmonic hadn’t traveled far – honestly, there was no wind whatsoever at this point, so I had a speed advantage – and as I passed nearby a second time the couple waved me back over. They wanted to know if they could throw me a line so I could come aboard for a beverage. Unfortunately, I had a conflicting engagement and had to keep on moving, but the moment sort of crystallized our entire visit to Halifax. At every turn, the friendliest, coolest, most laid-back people imaginable embraced us. Halifax had us at hello.
Today, with more than a little reluctance, Ocean Watch continued onward toward Boston, Massachusetts, with an ETA for sometime Friday afternoon or evening. The forecast called for rather staunch southwesterly winds in advance of a frontal system, followed by a dip in the temperatures and a northerly breeze. In Beantown, Ocean Watch will be berthed at Rowe’s Wharf along the downtown waterfront, and an Open House is scheduled there for Saturday, September 26th from 1 to 4 p.m. The Boston layover will continue until Tuesday, September 29th, at which time Ocean Watch will sail for Newport, Rhode Island. Continue to watch this space for updates on schedules and public events as the East Coast leg of our journeys continue.
In Halifax, the crew enjoyed a couple of events that we’ll remember for quite some time. The first was a slide show and presentation at the fascinating Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, where a capacity crowd showed us yet another humbling welcome. Then, skipper Mark Schrader and onboard educator Zeta Strickland visited two sixth-grade classes at the Sir Charles Tupper School, and then the next day, teachers Fran Schram and Bev White brought the kids on a field trip to Ocean Watch. The youngsters seemed to have a pretty good time, but perhaps not quite as good as the sailors on OW.
Halifax proved to be fantastic place to wind down after a long voyage, with a bustling waterfront, scores of good
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| The most memorable part of Halifax was the people themselves. |
restaurants and numerous lovely parks to stretch the legs. But the most memorable part of Halifax was the people themselves. The other day, I quoted author Alvah Simon, who on his first visit to the place was moved to write, “Canada is captivating, in no small part due to Canadians.”
Man, are they ever.
In fact, it seemed that nearly everyone we met was vitally concerned about our wellbeing, and most curious to know whether we were receiving a nice reception.
Man, were we ever.
On top of everything, the weather was delightful, and the sunset on my final Halifax paddle was as gorgeous and colorful as any we’ve seen since leaving Seattle. It will remain one of my favorite souvenirs. In fact, the entire crew left with a stack of them, with signed copies of a brand-new book whose subject is near and dear to my heart – Page Fright: Foibles and Fetishes of Famous Writers – personally inscribed to each of us by the great Halifax writer and Ocean Watch supporter, Harry Bruce, being right at the top of the list.
Our final Halifax chore was taking on fuel and we did so at a most appropriate spot: the docks of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, the oldest established yacht club in North America and the second oldest (behind the one in Cowes, England) of only seven Royal Squadrons in the world.
Like everywhere else in Halifax, a couple of club members came by to talk about our voyage and make sure everything was okay, which it continued to be. Just across the way was the good ship Philharmonic, looking as tidy as the day before. Finally, one salty dog insisted on walking us over to the clubhouse, where we retired briefly to the bar to raise a toast of thanks to the city of Halifax and Canadians in general. What great people. What a great place.
Then, too soon, we untied the dock lines; had one last, long look; and set sail for the shores of the USA.
- Herb McCormick with photographs by David Thoreson
This crew log submitted by Iridium OpenPort and Stratos
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