Christmas Day December 25/2012

Modaki is wintering in Shediac, New Brunswick,    ....   Joe and I are celebrating Christmas in Owen Sound with our family and friends ....
In January 14, 15 and 16, 2013 .... we are presenting our summer sailing  adventure at the Toronto Boat Show.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!!!

back home for winter

Moncton Airport, a glass wall separates the arrivals and departures

Our flight was delayed for 2 hours .. Joe guarding our luggage

a small aircraft arriving

the Chocolate River, winding it's way to the Bay of Fundy

West Jet has something really cool ... you can watch your flight as it crosses Canada

heading for home

Niagara Falls

Welland Canal

One of our parcels that we mailed back home ... it was well worth mailing back our charts that we borrowed, and the ones that we don't need any more 

our last day in New Brunswick

Joe still working on cleaning and greasing the fittings of salt

with help from Dave and Mary Lou, our home for the past 3 months is all winterized and cleaned and wrapped for the winter

it was hard to tie the tarp down as we only had 5 jack stands holding her up ... not like our cradle back in Ontario .. we could tie the tarp to that

one last trip with Joe's tools to the storage unit ... we had the manager  set the unit thermostat , so they can flip the switch the middle of November so the unit will be 50 to 55 degrees in the winter ... Genevieve to the left and Modaki on right .. it is great to be able to share the unit with John and Moira Coull

pictures to do not show what it really looks like,  at low tide a small creek only with a trickle of water flowing, the rest is mud

this is interesting, in 1937 workers discovered the skeleton of an almost perfectly preserved mastodon (prehistoric elephant) near Hillsborough on the Petitcodiac River, New Brunswick.  Believed  to be over 37,000 years old.

Bay of Fundy

we bought freshly cooked lobster, and the market supplies the utensils and trays, and picnic tables , at $10/lb

finally I got my fill ... until next year that is

the tide at Alma is going out and the boats are sitting on the bottom, a 40 ft tide that day, the next day it was 45 ft

the fishing boats have crates to hold them up right

we walked the beach, but there was no sea glass and nothing too interesting to add to our collection

there sure where lots of antique cars in this part of New Brunswick

the narrow waterway to get in and out of marina, a canoe would have a problem navigating these waters at low tide

Dave and MaryLou at a covered bridge

low tide in Riverview, a small creek emptying into the Petitcodiac River, the Chocolate River.

a day off

Riverview, and the chocolate river

Joe and I out for a walk to buy cod for supper and to time it so we can witness the Tidal Bore

well here it comes, roaring up the river

you see it first and then you hear it

the river was flowing out to the sea,  but when the tidal bore passes it is flowing in land

the currant is quite strong, up to 13 knots

fast forward, we are now in Alma,NB . Bay of Fundy

lobster boats in at dock at tide going out

soon they will be sitting on the bottom, no water to be seen

a whale bone outside lobster shop

me, waiting for a lobster feast

packing up -

Friday, lift out day, George, another sailor came as promised to climb the mast and take the instruments off.  he also promised to come the the storage yard the next day for a beer, but didn't.  Sorry we missed you, George, see you next June.

George was a pro at this, he taped and tied all three instruments to a line and lowered them as he came down !!

our friends Suspended Play, waiting for their turn to have he mast taken off and lifted out

mast down and up, up and away

Suspended Play

our hydraulic trailer waiting on us .. Jacque Landry the owner ... doesn't that trailer look too big for us?  We are still circling in the marina waiting our turn and saw this beauty.  And we knew she was waiting for us !

mast down in 5 minutes and secured

not like at home, when you have 1/2 hour or more

lowering on to the trailer

Jacque took his time, but the crane was still lifting other boats so he set Modaki down and moved off to secure her

a replacement for sure .. one touch and ..

We got to stop and have the bottom pressure washed, $30.00.  I was impressed, the trailer hauling us also got a wash, of all the stuff we washed on to it.

this is not our boat .. I forgot to look it up, something nasty, that you do not want on your boat or fenders...invasive

hydraulic trailer pulling away from MODAKI, in storage yard

Jacque Landry, talking to Joe, he took 2 hours to lift us .. let us get the bottom washed, and move us 1 -2 miles to the storage yard, and made sure we were sitting on the 5 jack stands properly for $160.00 .. we already hired him for next year .. and he said he can put us directly into the water with his trailer for the same price .. avoiding the crane price...

cleaning the fittings, with kerosine and oil .. the salt water is a real big problem .. back home in fresh water, no problem ... talk to us about the head and salt water ...  or the smell of stale salt water in the lines ... something we did not know about before this trip ... we are not complaining, but it is a real eye opener ... WE HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR THE SAILORS THAT SAIL IN SALTY WATERS !!