Kate here! We’ve just set out from Halifax after a wonderfully successful open house aboard Sea Dragon, and a fun Canada Day. We’re heading for the Canso Canal in Port Hawkesbury and through to Quebec City, unfortunately down a crew member. Rich had to leave us in Halifax due to an injury sustained on our leg from Grand Manan. Although we’re sad to see him go, we’re happy to hear that his health is improving and we’re looking forward to seeing him in Toronto when we get there, he is intent on continuing to be a useful part of the crew even from land, and we have no doubt that he will be!
We’ll miss you, your seafaring spirit and the great diversity that you added to our crew, Rich. The rest of the leg won’t be the same without you!
We were docked in a key location along the Halifax Waterfront that saw a ton of foot traffic. We were joined by our friends at CPAWS and the Sierra Club! What great and influential organizations to team up with! We’re stoked they were there and are so grateful they were able to be a part of what we do here at Pangaea. We saw at least 150 people come through the boat, filled with questions and lots of enthusiasm about our mission. And Sea Dragon sure was looking shiny! Halifax is a great city and Nova Scotians are really some of the nicest people I’ve met in my travels.
We even got to see the sun! Yes, the sun! It had been almost a week of continuous rain and fog, so the warmth and brightness were welcomed with open, and very appreciative, arms. The weather cleared just in time for some of the crew to be able to get onto land and enjoy a night of Canada Day festivities! We took a short ferry ride over to Dartmouth to see some bands play and enjoy the buzz of activity and some live music, my favorite, AND delicious poutine. The fireworks were canceled, which baffled me because last night was the best weather we’ve seen in some time, but we were happy to have had a successful day and night in the biggest Port in Atlantic Canada.
The trip to Port Hawkesbury is already seeing rain, but we’re hopeful for some clear weather in the coming days. With a forecast for calmer seas than on our way over from Newport and Grand Manan, we’re looking to do a trawl in the St. Lawrence Seaway and give Margaret a chance to take what we’ve learned, as well as the work that she and Asta have done, and create some lessons that she can use in her classroom.
This part of the leg, with one less on board, watches have changed so I wont be singing at the helm into the wee hours of the morning with Margaret anymore, but I’m looking forward to getting to know Mitch better during our watches together! We’ve also got some great meals planned on the way!
We’ll catch up with you all soon!