I’m bumping an old thread I started to fill you in on what occurred and also to talk about some new ideas.
Back in 2012 I left WilmingtonDE and sailed straight through to Shelburne, NS. I found some
fuel issues and attempted to polish my
fuel. On the way further North I had more fuel problems and
lost a considerable bit of time getting a
fuel pump rebuilt and adding a day tank and additional filtration. I first saw icebergs (June 20) in the Bell Isle straits and stopped at Battle Harbor to rest. Going up the Lab coast was freaking COLD! There were a lot of grounded bergs shedding ice in big patches. It was real hard to see. What I then realized was I really needed a second watch stander to both allow you to warm up and to keep a more constant ice watch.
I had a great
weather window tonSW
Greenland, which was considerably warmer than Labrador, and the
route was ice free, not a problem. But coming back along the Baffin and Lab coast could possibly be very difficult later in the season and it could potentially have much more ice than I had considered. I really needed a second watch stander. So I put discretion over valor and settled for a
circumnavigation of
Newfoundland.
So that was that.
Now this year a new opportunity arises. We have our 33’
steel cutter in Lewisporte, NL, less than 200 miles from Battle Harbor and 800 miles from SW
Greenland. I can make the
passage up pretty easily, IF ice and
weather permit. My Wife flies up and we
cruise the SW coast.
Then the wrinkle, we leave the
boat in Greenland over the
winter and next summer fly back, go North to Ilulissat, then
head back South, cross to Baffin, and
cruise the Lab coast. By breaking it up into 2 trips it makes it much more leisurely and we can take advantage of the best of the summer weather, less worry about the shoulder season, especially returning to Lewisporte. The Wife won’t do the long 600 mile “up” leg but is considering the “down” leg where the longest
passage is about 250 miles.
It’s not yet a “plan” yet, it’s a dream or a scheme. It’s doable, provided the elements cooperate. And of course the
boat needs to have survived the
winter pretty well.
We shall see.