After a good night sleep I awoke, well rested and still quite satisfied with the single-hand sleigh-ride from Halifax. I sailed into Mahone Bay town and hooked up with Rick and Shirley aboard Tide-N-Knots. They had come down a couple days earlier, while I was home. We enjoyed an excellent lunch at the Mug & Anchor, which is always a good feed spot. Dee came down late in the day and we spent the night on a town mooring for $15.
The photo at right shows a beautiful sunset, viewed from the town mooring. You can see the "Three Churches" ahead and the town on the left. That's Tide-N-Knots alongside the town marina for the night. The Mug & Anchor pub is the dark red building, third from the left. Check out our new ProFurl C350 furler that Dee bought Kiskadee. This is the nicest little town with a very friendly and welcoming personality and great shopping.
We spent the next two weeks with Dee running back and forth to work in Halifax and friends coming and going.
Marge and Chuck came during two of the foggiest days on the bay. We sailed from town and visability was often up to several miles... Enough to give us confidence to head back to Cross Island. Half way there it really closed down with less than 100 yards vis and
light winds. Chuck
went for a nap as we motored on. Half way in the channel to the Cross Island mooring , at 4.2 knots, I found the first hard grounding since we bought Kiskadee. I slip 1.5 inches skyward on a table-top rock and the currets held her from turning to motor off. I paddled out a kedge anchor but it fouled just as the bow was coming around. Our saviour, Wayne, came out in his 16 ' open aluminum boat and towed us off using a halyard. I fiollowed him in and the deep channel was along the southern side of the channel, almost against the rocks. When I showed Wayne the pilot guide that said to stay in the centre he said, "No wonder I haul at least one boat off those rocks every week." Chuck woke well rested as we tied to the mooring ball, wondering what we were talking about... What grounding? I the picture Marge is getting her camera ready in the main saloon.
Peta came for a day sail on Sep 2nd. We went to Lunenburg Yacht Club for fuel, ice and fast showers. A stop at BAckman's Island let Dee paddle Peta ashore for a quick tour before we went up to Chester and back. In the picture we're heading west towards Round Island Nubble.
We did lunch with Rick & Shirley (Tide-N-Knots) at LYC. Our daughter Terri drove down and picked Dee up to return to work in Halifax. I spent the night at Backman's Island, peaceful but lonely. I enjoy my solitude but I also enjoy Dee's company... Ah, life's quandrys.
Pat came while Dee was at work and we spent the day exploring the bay and then raced across from Chester to Deep Cove in a 20 knot stern breeze. We entered the cove at 7.2 knots on half of a jib. Deep Cove was beautiful as always and
we enjoyed a hearty feed and much rum. We shared the cove with S/V Galatea V, another Hughes 38 that was custom built between 1979 and 1982. Her dark hull was very attractive... But Kiskadee shall remain white.
The right hand picture was taken by Pat and shows how close our stern was to the rocks while moored. There was still 5' under the rudder at low tide. This is a great spot.
We left Deep Cove and went to explore Backman Island. The left hand picture shows Pat on the Island and Kiskadee in the background. It was sunny but cool.
On Sep 6thDee came back as Pat left. We spent a night alone at Backman's and enjoyed private baths in the warm waters... Enough said. On the 8th we took a day off and rested at Backman's. It was a great recharge and we really enjoyed the break.
Graham and Lynda joined us on Sep 8th. After a quick detour to LYC for fuel we headed for Chester. We enjoyed an excellent meal with beverages at the Rope Loft restaurant. We docked right alongside at the restaurant's marina. What a great spot.
After lunch we headed over to Deep Cove for the night. The next day Graham took over the helm and piloting. I got to relax as he took us across the bay and back to Mahone Bay town. He took Kiskadee alongside like he'd been doing it all of his life. Once a seaman always a seaman. Graham and Lynda left for home and unfortunately so did Dee. Back to work to pay for this life.
I spent the night at Backman's Island and changed the impellor, trying to cure the overheating problem. The next morning, Sep 10th, I slipped at 0756 to head for home. The winds were fine at fiorst but came around to the 10 degrees off of the rhum line, so I motored most of the way. This single-handed trip wasn't half the fun, but it was very relaxing none the less. A whale came up for air a coujple timesright off the stern then headed out to sea... Lucky whale.
After rounding Chebucto Head I saw Dee on the shore waving. She'd driven out to watch me come in. With my spirits raised I brought up the revs and motored towards Halifax at 6 knots. Just after passing Maughers Beach the over-temp alarm went off. I shut off the engine and unfurled the job, to run in with a light stern breeze. While avoiding several outbound sailboats (heading upwind) I swapped around cooling lines and switched her over to raw water cooling in minutes. She started and immediately ran cool... Grrr.
S/V Acushla, withBob and George aboard, met me as I approached SYC. Dee was waiting on the dock and it was good to be home. A couple days later I finally took the ends off of the heat exchanger and found it half full of eel grass... A left-over from last summer's overheating. Once flushed clear iit ran strong and hasn't run hot at all. A reliable engine at last!
With the engine not being ready until mid-summer we had long decided to call the trip south off for this year. We spent the rest of the season harbour sailing and enjoying club races. All too soon it was all over and Kiskadee was once more left cold and dry in her cradle.
In November we travelled to the west coast to visit Dee's relatives. Here we are in Gibson's Landing. This trip was a sign of big things to come, but we had no idea when we posed for the picture.
This is a panoramic composite picture of the cove at Backman's Island, a favoured spot. 
