We’re about to weigh anchor and leave Halifax harbour. The sun is shining and the forecast for our 120 mile passage to the next anchorage is for some strong winds. Which is just as well because we’ve taken on about 3 tonnes of food and provisions for the next 4 months. Novara is sitting low in the water and we’re going to need the wind to get us moving!

Sailing to Halifax from the USA has been like gradually shedding layers of protection. The further we venture from cities and population centers, the more independent we have to be. And the more vulnerable I feel. We’ve got 8,000 miles of some of the most demanding sailing in the world ahead of us. I’m going to have to get used to vulnerability.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve had the pleasure of engaging with a couple of amazing community groups. In the heart of the Penobscot Bay, Maine, we met with the folk of the Good Life Centre. They’re working to keep the spirit of Helen and Scott Nearing alive and are advocates for simple and sustainable living skills, social and economic justice, organic gardening, and the non-exploitation of animals and the environment.

On a misty morning in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, we hosted Rodrigo Manafra on board Novara. He’s the Associate Director for the local Coastal Action group. They’re doing some amazing things with their ‘living shorelines’ project. Building resilience against tidal surge and flooding using nature-based solutions along their shores. It’s a great pilot project, and others are watching carefully how it goes. At CAN$1 million for the first 80m and CAN$1.6 million for the next 100m it’s an expensive solution – at least at this stage. I’m sure there is plenty to learn and that with economies of scale they can make this an accessible and affordable solution for others.

On board Novara our daily lives are dictated by lists. There are lists of provisions (now mostly ticked off thanks to Veronica’s diligence over almost 3 months of planning), lists of spares for the engineering team, lists of locations of where everything is stored on board, lists of duties during the week (who’s on dishes, sweeping the floor, checking the bilges, cooking, etc etc), a list for our watches (who’s in control of the boat while others do chores or rest) … lists for so many things we probably need a list of the lists! Now there’s an idea.

As a team we’re starting to gell. We’re really lucky we have excellent sailors, engineers and navigators on board. But the tangible skills are just part of the challenge. The most important thing is to keep everyone working together and living together in such a small space. One of the important routines on board is what we call our ‘PMIT’. At dinner every evening we sit around the table and everyone shares something from their day: what was a Plus, Minus, Interesting and any Tweaks they’d like to make (things like ‘please screw the toothpaste lid on after use’ etc). This goes a long way to deflating any small niggles to ensure they don’t become big problems.

Last but not least, I wanted to give a shout out to the sailing community, particularly the Ocean Cruising Club. Everywhere we go, we’re helped by and hosted by OCC Port Officers – an amazing network of volunteers who help ocean cruisers like us. They help us by acting as a post box for deliveries, giving local advice and sometimes even hosting us for a meal and hot showers. Most recently, John Van S in Halifax invited us to lunch to meet some other local sailors. Thank you to John and all the other OCC Port Officers!

I can hear the anchor chain raising. Time to go and get sailing!

Our hosts in Camden: OCC Port Officers Dale and Doug Bruce

The Novara team working hard despite the fog

Meeting the Good Life crew

OCC members in Halifax

Rodrigo in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia