Sailing adventures on a Hallberg Rassy 40 in higher latitudes
There is something very special about Labrador and from the moment we arrived in Red Bay, we knew we would enjoy our stay here. This area of Canada is sparsely populated and full of exciting abandoned places to explore, and the people we met were super friendly and helpful, which made it hard to depart for Greenland.
We depart the USA and are greeted in Canada with a fine on arrival. Despite the rocky start, Nova Scotia turns out to be an incredible place to sail and paddleboard. We explore stunning anchorages, navigate the shortest canal to Canada’s inland sea, and emerge into a world of lobster traps, big ships, and a giant fiddle.
Sailing to the Statue of Liberty was a fantastic experience, but also stressful due to the amount of traffic and river currents. The trip down the coast offers a lot of historic places, but cruising in the US has become very expensive. An app for booking spots at the marinas has strange terms and conditions, that don’t really fit the cruising life.
In this post we return to the boat and continue south covering around 750NM along the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. We share our tips for sailing in lobster season and would like to hear your experiences navigating around traps!
We start to feel winter and also some rough sea, while making preparations to depart from Canada before Christmas.
Our sail to Labrador, Canada, was across the notorious Labrador Sea where we encounter some stunning marine life. We share our experiences with the border control and how to shorten the trip from Greenland to Canada. We also visit the historic Battle Harbour, which is a must see!
We ended up spending a little more time in Faroe Islands tha planned as we couldn’t find the weather window to sail to Iceland. Faroe Island was amazing and we found a very special experience in Klaskvík. The strike however resulted in empty shelves, no gas or busses so we felt a little captured in the end. We also put some tips for planning your sailing trip to Faroe Islands in the post.
We arrived in Oban, Scotland on a sunny day, eager to explore. Oban proved ideal for stocking up provisions at local supermarkets. Although touristy with disappointing dining initially, we found a gem. Next, we motored to Tobermory, timed perfectly with its annual music festival. After enjoying the vibrant scene and friendly guest, our trip continued with to Canna Island, filled with historical sites and stunning natural beauty.
Our journey around the Coast of County Donegal was trouble free until our heating stopped. Fortunately we had planned a stop at Killybegs, (a vibrant Fishing Port with friendly locals) to service our life-raft giving us chance to fix the problem and indulge in local cuisine and rich Irish culture.
Sailing to Derry in Northern Ireland needed some careful planning. Swells and currents made it treacherous, but the Causeway coast’s cliffs were breathtaking. Mooring was a nightmare, akin to a Barentsburg night. Despite closed galleries, Derry’s history, food, and street art made it very memorable.
Ballycastle is clearly a popular Summer tourist destination and as soon as we arrived here, we got the Spring feeling.
Coming into the harbour can be a little dramatic as the Atlantic swells easily get quite big. To get into the harbour you have to do a sharp turn around the break water, but as soon as you have turned the corner, the inner harbour is nice and calm.