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July 11, 2025
Spoiler Alert for those following this log. We did not make it to Brooklyn.
Today had strong headwinds from the northeast, with fog closing in now and again throughout the day. This meant another day under power.
My idea was to at least take advantage of the passage to give the crew some practise at the helm. We practised keeping a course by compass as well as buoy spotting and the general rules of the road. My Daughter spent the most time at the helm and she seemed well suited and aimable to the task.
My Son-In-Common-Law seemed a natural as well. We practised holding Makina to the wind to simulate the raising of the sails; which we hope will be in the cards for the next day's sail.
We battled against headwinds and strong surface swell throughout the day. This worked to hamper our speed; sometimes hovering as low as 2 knots and less. Realizing that Brooklyn would mean a night arrival at these speeds, we decided to come in to Port L'Hebert.
We arrived to an elaborate government wharf with a strong breakwater containing a small inshore fishing fleet. As we came through the narrow entrance we noticed that there miraculously was a berth still available. This was likely the case as it looked to be used to unload catches from the fishing boats as evidenced by an electrical powered crane on the dock above the berth which was perched at the end of the wharf between two large trawlers.
We came through the narrow entrance.
After a few tries we were able to nudge our bow to the wharf. My Daughter, then, managed to skillfully lasso the forward line to the dock. This allowed me to take the stern line forward, climbing up to the wharf and haul in our stern. It was nice to be safely docked with no damage to any of the highly priced fishing boats as a bonus. š
With a hungry crew on my hands, a nice lentil curry and rice was prepared and well received. After our meal there was some gaming and Netflix over StarLink but it was an early night. Everyone seemed tired, not only from the passage, but the added stress of a tight fitting docking.
All signs indicate the weather may be finally turning in our favor for the final leg of the passage to Brooklyn.
A listing of my sailing posts:
@novacadian/categories-of-novacadian-s-sailing-seasons
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