Crew wanted for Fall Sail from Buffalo to Nova Scotia

[Halberdier]

See Canada as few have.

Looking for one or two persons to join me in a fall sail from Buffalo, N.Y. to Nova Scotia via the Welland Canal, Lake Ontario, Kingston, the St. Lawrence River, Montreal, Quebec City, Saguenay, the North Shore of Quebec and Southern Labrador or Gaspe, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island and then Nova Scotia.
Join for all or part of the cruise.
Sailing experience appreciated, but not necessary. Your involvement in the actual sailing depends upon your interest and abilities. Getting along and adaptability is necessary.

The Plan:
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- Sail or motor with good weather. Rain is good weather, strong winds are not. The cockpit (the part of the boat where we sit when sailing) has a permanent cover that keeps us pretty warm and dry.
- Sail by day, anchor (most of the time) or marinas at night.
- Stopovers, sightseeing and side trips to be decided as a group.
- Breakfast and supper at anchor, lunch while underway, restaurants on occasion.

The Captain:
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Semi-retired male, sailed a lot in his twenties, Canadian Power Squadron courses, Canadian Red Cross Wilderness Remote First Aid course, in 2006 purchased a 59 foot sailboat in Boston, fixed it up and motored to Nova Scotia.

The boat:
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1967 36 foot fiberglass ketch, classified as a motorsailer. Sleeps 5 in a three cabin layout (forward, main and aft).
The previous owner started a major rebuild of the galley and dining area. I have built temporary dining and cooking areas with a large sink, a table, seating, lots of drawers and work spaces. It’s functional and comfortable. Cooking will be on a camp stove and heat is supplied by a Sigmar diesel fueled heater/stove. Only running cold water in kitchen sink. I will be installing more amenities as we go.
Lots of safety equipment; radios, cellphone, lifejackets, dingy, pumps, generator, tools, etc.


What do you need?
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- A sunny disposition
- Dress for success: warm clothes, raingear (we have some extras), sneakers, boots.
- Will send a detailed list; just like going to camp as a kid.

The Rules:
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There are only two rules:
- Number Two: have as much fun as possible at all times, except that:
- Number One: safety is always the first priority
As we share the fun, we share the sailing, cooking, cleaning, etc. to your abilities and skills. We decide, as a group, the itinerary, how much sailing or motoring we do, the meals, the entertainment, etc. As the captain has some legal responsibility of your safety, changes due to weather or mechanical breakdown, may be necessary.

The Cost:
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We equally share the costs of food, fuel and marina fees. Fuel is $0, if we sail all day, or $24 if we motored all day ($8 each if three of us). Marinas charge from $10 to $75 per night. The boat and any repairs, unless you do something you were told not to do and break a part, are paid for by the captain

[JohnRPollard]

I like the way you were upfront about sharing expenses.

One detail missing is the schedule -- you mention "fall" in the title. I was led to believe that the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cabot Straight can be a very nasty patch of water once the autumn gales begin. Have the weather patterns changed so much that the old advice to be south of those waters by September no longer holds?

I'm not trying to be critical - - I'm genuinely curious. We hope to sail those waters some day.

Have you consulted the pilot books?

[AZBlueDevil83]

Paramedic, firefighter and sailor and my girlfriend would love to join your trip. I'm a 48 y/o retired attorney, with references and skills. When are your sailing dates? Sounds like an awesome trip.

[RIYachtBroker]

Interesting proposition. Always interested in something I've never done. You didn't mention when, how long etc etc.
I'm a yacht broker in Rhode Island. My daughter is in school in upstate NY (Geneva), so I could probably talk my wife into driving me up there, and picking me up on the return.
My experience: Spent 4 years on private yachts in Europe, crossed the Atlantic, sailed from Maine to Miami, did a jaunt from CT to Nova Scotia in '79, have been an avid sailor forever, qualified OUPV Captain. Sailed on boats from a Sunfish to an 88'Ketch and many in between. Was actually a cook/chef in my previous years aboard.
Email me directly at larryrutter@mac.com or call 401-338-3554.

[Halberdier]

Hope to leave Sept 28 from Buffalo. Schedule depends upon the weather and crew.

"I was led to believe that the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cabot Straight can be a very nasty patch of water once the autumn gales begin"
If you watch the adventure shows on TV, every place on earth is the most dangerous. That's the hype. and it is true if you pick the day.

Fall in the maritimes is usually the best weather. Little rain, sunny but cooler. We'll watch the weather forecasts and proceed accordingly. Plus we will be sailing daylight hours port to port or anchorage.

Would hav eprefered the Erie Canal, Hudson Rive, and up New England, but the insurance compaies thing the Gulf of St. Lawrence is safer!

Have not looked at pilot books, but have checked the monthly Atlantic summaries. Will rely on weather forecasts. my rule of thumb is if every forecast area has a different forecast, the forecast is unreliable, while if the same forwcast is widespread, it likely true.

Go to yourtube.com and search on
newfoundland ferry storm
Must have been a wild ride! Not my idea of fun.

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by Halberdier

Hope to leave Sept 28 from Buffalo. Schedule depends upon the weather and crew.....

If you watch the adventure shows on TV, every place on earth is the most dangerous. That's the hype. and it is true if you pick the day....

Fall in the maritimes is usually the best weather. Little rain, sunny but cooler. We'll watch the weather forecasts and proceed accordingly. Plus we will be sailing daylight hours port to port or anchorage....

I don't watch much tv. But I've spent some time studying that route.

The route you propose is probably on the order of 1100-1200 nautical miles along the rhumb line (without detouring to Labrador). Factoring the reported frequency of equinoctial gales, and the reduced amount of daylight after the autumn equinox, you should probably anticipate slow progress if you plan to complete it in a series of day-hops.

Also, there are some remote areas (along the Gaspe, in particular) where it might be a stretch to make it from port-to-port in reduced daylight hours. In researching that route, I concluded that mid-late summer would be the favored season to transit (although, not necessarily best for good sailing winds).

I hope Halberdier or whomever joins him will report back after the trip. It would be great to see photos and hear suggestions about route planning. While I would have preferred to learn that you were getting an earlier start, it sounds like an awesome trip. Best of luck.

[timangiel]

I sail in Buffalo, and that is exactly the trip I have always wanted to take. Realistically though, I would not be able to go, but I am extremely jealous. I would love to see pictures and hear about the trip if you are willing to share. Stop by and say hello before you shove off, best of luck.

[Halberdier]

Update

- 2009 sailed Buffalo to Rimouski, Quebec
- 2010 sailed Rimouski, Quebec to north of Nain, Labrador and then down to Port Saunders, Newfoundland.
- 2011 sailed from Port Saunders, Newfoundland clockwise around Newfoundland and then over to Nova Scotia
- 2012 sailed from Nova Scotia to Iles de la Madeleine and sold the evenSong

See KrazySailing for logs and pictures

[WanderingStar]

Thanks for the update. So many prospective voyages are posted here without any follow up.