Single-Handing the 38’ Wooden Sailboat He Built Himself

You can still contribute to the fight against cancer at https://profile.pmc.org/bf0201 This week, we map out our passage from Shelburne to Lunenburg, NS, making sure to follow a route safely offshore enough to avoid the many shoals and exposed rocks on the south coast of Nova Scotia. After a quick read through the Nova Scotia cruising guidebook, Steve and Robin set sail around 7pm for an overnight sail. Steve keeps a watch on the sails from his bunk while Robin is on watch. It’s slow sailing, but that makes for a very comfortable sleep. The red lights we installed in the galley make operating at night a lot easier on the eyes. Having the new light wind sail—which we’ve been calling a “Code 0”—was a godsend on this passage. With winds only around 8-10 kts. (for the most part), we were able to move at a decent pace. We arrived in Lunenburg just in time to see the Bluenose II sailing through the harbor in all its glory! The Bluenose was a famous schooner for fishing and racing, but was ultimately sold and wrecked when it ran aground off the coast of Haiti in 1946. The Bluenose II, built in 1963, is a replica of the original Bluenose schooner. She has sailed the world, but mostly runs charters out of Lunenburg harbor. It was our honor to be invited out for a sail on Bluenose II. We were blown away by the magnitude of everything on board. Everything was so much bigger and grander—including the size of their crew! We strongly encourage anyone with the opportunity to sail on one of these old schooners to get out there and sail. A few other highlights from our time in Lunenburg included a long hike over to Mahone Bay, where we stumbled upon a network of Faerie Trails, as well as a visit to the local hotspot, the Knot. At this point, Robin had to head back to Massachusetts to shuttle her truck back up to Nova Scotia, and I decided to head out on my first single-handing adventure. The weather was favorable with 10-15 kt. winds off the land. A run from Lunenburg to Cub Basin felt like a palatable and low-risk first solo sail. And it was! After a few sail plan changes, I found the perfect balance for Arabella, and we had an uneventful run from Lunenburg to Cub Basin. After we safely dropped the anchor, Akiva and I enjoyed the peace and serenity of Cub Basin…and I dipped into the Nova Scotia rock climbing guidebook and set out to check out the routes on the rocky islands all around us. Now, I just have to wait (impatiently) for Robin to return with our climbing gear! -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com