What changes a day later can bring.

The lightening sky in the east slowly awakes the world around Oriane and beckons awareness by the crew. Not a cloud in the sky. Yesterday’s cold blasting rain has been relegated to a slight memory. The overnight coastal air left a coat of dew on everything. A swipe of a squeegee and some dry boat cushions insulates us from the residual dampness. Coffee in the cockpit listening to the world awakening in Perry Creek is one of life’s true gifts. We take stock on how privileged we are to be here.

Now the dampness is gone the sun warms the boat and a breath of air provides the impetus to press on.

Plans change, life moves on

 Back in the saddle with summer plans somewhat changed.

It’s June 9 and Polar Sun has sailed toward the Labrador Sea and the arctic without me. Emergency back surgery took precedent. A once in a lifetime opportunity passed by. But as I recover I have shifted my sights to the possible and now 12 days out of the hospital I am again sitting in the cabin of our Oriane and enjoying the peace and quiet of Perry Creek - one of the truly spectacular anchorages on the coast of Maine.

Perry Creek looking west.

Kathy took charge of bringing Oriane to Rockland’s dock with Rockland Mayor Ed Glaser acting as deckhand. Once on the dock our friends/mechanics Billy and Mikey came aboard and wrestled the alternator problem to the mat. The motor is finally charging the batteries. Turns out it was a hard to get to blown fuse that was blocking the field charge.

Taking it easy on my body, we motored across the bay this morning early in light winds and minimal seas and got in ahead of the predicted pouring rain. Hunkered down for the balance of the morning as cold rain and wind assaulted Oriane, naps and cleaning out the navigation desk were the order of the day. How many rolls of tape are required on a boat? We’re going to offload a dozen rolls back to New Hampshire leaving plenty for future boat tasks.

We still plan on heading up to New Brunswick Canada in August after the Pacific Seacraft GAM July 23/24. Before that we’re going to just putter around the coast.

Now on to a dinner of shrimp, mashies and broccoli. Tonight - dishes and games.

Today's adventure - nav issues from ME to NS and clearing into Greenland

 Today's navigation question was departure times from Saco, ME and resulting arrival time in Lunenburg, NS.

Here's my thoughts:

	Saco FWB to Cape Sable Island	Cape Sable Is To Lunenburg
Distance NM -->	208	95
Speed kts	Leg Hours	Leg Hours	Total Hours
5	41.6	19.0	60.6
5.5	37.8	17.3	55.1
6	34.7	15.8	50.5
7	29.7	13.6	43.3
	Departure time*	Lunenburg arrival
	June 1	June 3
5	11:00	23:00
5.5	11:00	18:00
6	11:00	13:00
7	11:00	6:00
* add 1 hr. to transit from dock to FWB

Then questions about how to clear into Greenland. After researching, it appears pretty laid back. Passport and full Covid shots proof. 

Todays ice chart shows Strait of Belle Isle is clear for navigation. Hopefully the ice coming down the west coast of Labrador doesn't close up the strait again. The iceburgs are on the move southward.

 

It's gonna get cold!

Meanwhile we're getting Oriane ready for sailing summer 2022

 Over the course of two weekends, we have prepared Oriane for launching next week 5/19/22

Here's a list of major tasks completed:

• The winter cover removed
• Bottom paint touch up
• Engine commissioned
• Zincs replaced
• Dodger & bimini repaired & installed
• Solar panel reinstalled
• Batteries charged
• Water systems flushed and filled
• Forward watertank inspection port replaced
• Bilge cleaned and pump maintained
• Lazy jacks reinstalled
• Stay rollers reinstalled
• Anchor chain inspected, measured and paint markers every 25' - red/white/blue/yellow
• Anchor swivel installed
• Interior teak cleaned
• Thru hulls greased and exercised
• Free seized pumpout deck fitting - Thanks Wayne Cronin for making a superb tool.
• Speed transducer cleaned and lubed
• General cleaning

  

  Our friend Lafe Low - Thanks for the help!

  
  

  

  Cheryl Allen and Lafe Low - helping hands. Thanks so much!

  
  
  

Still some tasks to complete but easy and they can be accomplished before or after launching. Kathy will be using Oriane while I'm sailing to Greenland.  

Let the fun begin!

Navigation Calculations for Greenland Trip First Leg

Polar Sun uses 1.25 GPH at 5 kts through the water. Given that info as backup to our making maximum use of the wind, I have been doing arrival times for our first stop - Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

Waypoint south of Cape Sable

Cape Sable at the southwest corner of Nova Scotia is a notorious area to transit. It can be full of fog and there are big currents and tide rips near Sable Island to which one has pay attention. It's 206 nm to Cape Sable from the fair water buoy off our starting point of Saco, Maine. At 5 kts avg speed that's 41 hours. By standing off 7.5 - 8 nm the current and rips become a minor factor and adds no significant time or distance towards Lunenburg our first stop another 19 hours further along. 

Leaving at 6 a.m. on June 1 from the dock in Saco our arrival time in Lunenburg is:

@ 5 knots avg = June 3 at 5 p.m. ADT
@ 5.5 knots avg = June 3 at 2 p.m. ADT
@ 6 knots avg = June 3 at 10 a.m. ADT

We're hoping for a good southwest breeze to help us along and increase our SOG (speed over ground). Overnight the wind will likely die off going across the Gulf of Maine. Our intention is to maintain 5 knots minimum average speed even if that means motoring if the wind dies. As always, as prudent mariners we will have radar and AIS and eyes on watch looking out for other traffic.

It's gonna get cold. 

   

Safety Gear for Greenland Trip

Open offshore sailing in high latitudes demands good gear for safety and crew comfort while in a potentially hostile environment. 

First chosen is Gill’s top-end foul weather gear. Waterproof, breathable and with a good base and mid layer beneath - warm. These jackets and bib trousers are built for this. If necessary, one can literally sit in water in the cockpit and still stay dry and warm. Fortunately, sv Polar Sun has a full cockpit enclosure to help keep us out of the weather as much as possible. 

Next is the best inflatable PDF we can find - a Spinlock Vito. Designed specifically for the Volvo Round The World Ocean Race, these life jackets are hydrostatically auto-inflated and have a harness that attaches to the boat by a shock absorbing tether to help prevent a man overboard situation. Should the worst happen, an Ocean Signal AIS MOB1 beacon attached to the lifejacket automatically deploys and initiates a loud distress signal on the boat. The GPS navigation computer display shows exactly where the MOB is located allowing the crew to return to and retrieve the MOB.

Spinlock PDF

Tether

AIS Beacon

Crew MOB training will take place.

A double-floor life raft is fitted on the boat with the crew donning drysuits should the ultimate disaster occur. An EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon) would be deployed in the raft to alert rescue authorities via satellite link.

Drysuit

EPIRB

Ultimately, the best safety considerations are a good, well found boat, an experienced crew, careful lookouts, weather routing services, good gear and careful planning.

By the way, the maximum water temperature in the Labrador Sea near Nuuk in June is 35f.

It’s gonna get cold.

Greenland Trip Route Planning - Ice

When planning a trip to Greenland from Maine, one has to deal with ice and icebergs.

Our route starting June 1 takes us from Portland, Maine across the Gulf of Maine, passing Cape Sable, Nova Scotia and clearing into Canada in Lunenburg, NS. From there we will transit to the Bra d'Or lake and stop in Baddeck, NS. Leaving the lake, our next planned provisioning stop is Saint Anthony, Newfoundland. To get there we have to cross the Cabot Straight then sail up the west side of Newfoundland through the Strait of Belle Isle. 

The SBI is notorious for ice this time of year. I've been watching the Canadian Ice Service charts which have the daily ice reports in many forms. Here are two Ice Charts showing the changes from April 17 to April 30.

Then there are icebergs. Canada has charts for iceberg observation with the number of bergs for each Lat/Lon grid square. Here is the May 1, 2022 chart:

Once we depart Saint Anthony, the route skirts the southern extent of the pack ice carried south by the Labrador Current then we cross the Labrador Sea to catch the northbound Greenland Current to help us  up the west coast of Greenland to Nuuk.

Labrador Sea Current Chart

In the Labrador Sea one finds icebergs. Navigating near icebergs requires diligence as the downwind side of a berg has truck sized bergy bits, smaller growlers and brash ice that could ruin your day. 

Bergybits and Growlers shed from iceberg

The planning continues.