Author: svtrance

Saturday, June 14, 2025 the morning started out with rain ending near 5pm. A few boat projects were completed as well as planning our next stops. We arranged to go to dinner with new friends Steven and Sarah from s/v Snow Bear who are also here in Shelburne. He is from the UK, she is from Denmark. It was a great dinner at Charlotte Lane Cafe, great company, sharing stories of our journeys.

Sunday, June 15, 2025 Happy Father’s Day! This morning we further investigate our journey for the next few weeks, looking at anchorages and marinas heading east. With a borrowed truck we went to Sobeys grocery store to provision for a few days, as we were not allowed to bring produce, meats and cheeses into Canada. We stopped at Mr. Fish for fish fry take out on the way back to the marina. After dinner there was a gathering of sailors in the bar area, till 10:30ish pm. (I also was doing our laundry at the clubhouse at the same time). Followed by Dark and Stormy’s on s/v Snow Bear. Tomorrow there will be a mass exodus from Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club as the 6 transient boats here are all departing, including us.

Monday, June 16, 2025 departed Shelburne 8:50 am along with 3 additional boats, we are traveling together to Brooklyn in Herring Cove.

Shelburne lies at the southwest corner of Nova Scotia, approximately the same latitude as Portland, Maine.

Shelburne was incorporated as a town on April 4, 1907, has a rich Loyalist history. Several descendants of the first-generation Loyalists (those loyal to the British) still live in the area today. During the American Revolution hundreds of colonists loyal to crown, left New York seeking refuge in Nova Scotia. 

Fishing is the primary industry, 9.5 million pounds of fish pass through the port annually. Other economic activities include tourism, fish farming and processing, manufacture of barrels, granite monuments, and marine supplies.

Thursday, June 12, 2025 we cleaned up the boat a bit, took showers walked into town had lunch at The Ship’s Galley Pub and Eatery. Back at the marina we met several members. There was mention of races starting around 5:45, and of course Dan was able to find a boat to crew on. Meanwhile I hung out on the upper deck at the club, met several wonderful people. Grilled hamburgers and hotdogs were on the menu for dinner.

Soon after we arrived back to TRANCE, at 10:30pm, another sailboat was arriving, Dan went out to help them. It was a a boat from France, s/v Picaso, with 4 men aboard. They invited us over for wine.

Second gentleman from the left, Jerome Picard is a Dentist, you can find him on Instagram toothcolibri. They are traveling the world by boat to heal, in remote places.

Friday, June 13, 2025 we woke up late this morning, combination of an event filled day and the one hour time difference.

Walked into town for lunch at the Emerald Light. I had a salmon bowl, very delicious!

After lunch we walked around town.

The Barrel Factory located on Dock Street, currently owned by George and Beerta Van der Meer. Many of the original tools are from the early 1900’s are still in use today. Most barrels are made from all local spruce trees. Some of his products include planters, line barrels for fishing boats, buckets even coffee cups.

After dinner at the yacht club we attended a concert at the Osprey Arts Center featuring Joe H Henry, a Canadian country musician.

Saturday, June 7, 2025 Departed Tolchester Marina at 2:39pm heading north to the C&D canal, to the Delaware Bay, then North Atlantic Ocean. Destination, the Provence of Nova Scotia, Canada. Very light winds, temp is 77F, on the Chesapeake Bay. We are currently motoring. 5:30pm, a heavy downpour of rain with gusty winds fell upon us. Thankful for our full cockpit enclosure, we are staying very dry.

We started out “night watches” a bit late. While Dan sleeps, I have 7pm -1am shift. Listened to podcasts, She WHAT? and Smartless.

Sunday, June 8, 2025 Day 1, total nautical miles traveled 144. Max speed 8.92 kn, ave speed 6.05 kn..

Gray sky’s air temp is 62F, fog, drizzling rain on the ocean, choppy seas this morning. Currently just south of Atlantic City, NJ.

6pm, approaching the ship traffic separation lanes around NYC. The wind has been steady around 23 kn, we’re motor sailing 28 degrees off the wind, waves around 6ft. It’s like bashing up the west coast of the US. The captain is feeling a bit queasy and is now sleeping. Dinner for one, Jambalaya, (we made enough for 3-4 days) eating meals out of bowls or Yeti mugs is very efficient.

Monday, June 9, 2025 Day 2, total nautical miles traveled 275, 131 miles traveled in the past 24 hours.

Another gray, cold (at what temperature do you start to see your breath), choppy seas day! Winds 18-22 kn, still cruising 30 degrees off the wind. Visibility due to fog is less than 1 mile. A 600 ft cargo ship crossed in front of us 1 mile away, sets off alarms, yet I can’t see it! Current location nearing the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound. Funny thing about weather forecasts, they are not always correct. The wind angle is coming more from the north. Our plans may change to go through the Cape Cod Canal instead of going around Nantucket.

During my watch, listened to Joe Rogans podcast interview with Kash Patel.

Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Day 3, total miles traveled 422, 147 miles traveled in the past 24 hours.

This morning starting at 6am we traversed the Cape Cod Canal. Going with the current, we reached 11.4 knots! Still gray, foggy and damp, temperature 58F, no wind right now on Cape Cod Bay. By 10:15am we should be on the North Atlantic Ocean, about a 200 mile trek to Nova Scotia. We saw whales today, looked like Humpbacks!

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Day 4, total miles traveled 555, 133 miles traveled in the past 24 hours.

Good morning sunshine! First day we’ve seen the sun since Saturday.

Sometime during the night, the boom topping lift became disconnected. The topping lift is a line fixed to the top of the mast, that connects to the end of the boom. This keeps the heavy boom up when the mainsail is rolled into the mast. I hoisted Dan part way up the mast in a boyson chair to capture and secure the topping lift line that was dangling, and interfering with the other sails. A temporary fix was to connect the spare main halyard to the boom for support. The proper reconnection will be done when we are at anchor or docked.

Thursday, June 12 Day 5, total miles traveled 653, 98 miles traveled in the past 24 hours.

Arrived at the dock in Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club in Nova Scotia at 9:12am

Completed our check in with customs and immigration via phone, we’re good to go explore!

Over the winter we joined this club NC3, Northern Chesapeake Cruising Club. It is a group of sailboaters most of who keep their boats in the Middle River area across the Chesapeake from Tolchester Marina where we keep TRANCE. The group hosts different events throughout the year.

On March 23, we attended our first event with the group. The Annual Sock Burning party. “Sock burning” is a Maryland maritime tradition that involves burning winter socks to celebrate the start of spring. The tradition originated in Annapolis, in 1978, after a very snowy winter where Bob Turner, a sailing enthusiast and boat builder, invited his friends to join him to burn their socks as a symbolic goodbye to winter.

This past week June 28 – July 5, we joined the group for seasons first week long cruise. The event began when we all gathered and anchored for the night near the public beach at Bradenton. A few of us rafted for sundowners then later separated for the night. The morning brought a dense fog that quickly dissipated.

In the morning we all departed and transited the C&D (Chesapeake and Delaware) Canal.

Upon exiting into the Delaware Bay, the wind was quite brisk going against the current.

We docked for two nights at Delaware City Marina which located on a section of the original canal.

The following day we all took a ferry 1/2 mile in Delaware Bay to Pea Patch Island and toured Fort Delaware, a Union fortress, made of granite and brick. During the civil war over 12,000 Confederate soldiers were imprisoned there. The fort surrounded by a mote, was constructed to protect the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia. Today you can tour the structure guided by actors in period costumes describing their lives there in mid 1800’s.

The return trip through the canal, we all docked at the Chesapeake City Marina, followed by a two night stay at Sailing Associates up the Sassafras River. The final night we were at Worton Creek Marina, each departing in the morning for home ports. It was great making new friends we hope to do more adventures with them!

The adventure began on Friday July 21, 2023 with a drive to Canton, NY for Dan’s 3 day high school reunion event. Actives included a cocktail party, golf outing, dinner, tour of the high school and a picnic.

Sunday July 23, we drove to Maine from Canton, to pick up s/v Alice, for delivery. The sailboat was located in Brooklin, ME, a small village on the coast. Alice is a classic H12.5 Herreshoff, built in the 50’s. She was at Eric Dow Boat Works, where they build, repair and refurbish wooden boats.

The road-trip cross country was pretty uneventful. It was a 5 day journey, spending 3 nights in hotels, and driving through the night twice. We had a great weather window the entire trip!

We stopped a few times playing tourist. The first was at the Badlands National Park, the second at Mt Rushmore, both in South Dakota. The third was at Devils Tower in Wyoming, featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I can now say I’ve been to all but 3 of the 50 US States. I’m missing Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. Dan has now been to all 50 states.

Wine tasting at Fair Winds Winery in Port Townsend. We got to sample Cabernet still in the barrel that will be bottled within a few years. We thought it was really good now!

Dan and I flew home on the red-eye out of Seattle, WA Monday night, arriving in Philadelphia, PA 6:30am Tuesday, August 1st.

Dan joined Bill Southon, on February 18, 2023, in Acapulco, Mexico to help sail Bill’s boat (s/v Epsilon) to Panama and then transit the Panama Canal.

Friday March 24, 2023, I flew to Panama City joining Dan and crew to transit the canal.

Saturday March 25, 2023, provision day for our trip, Cheryl (Bill’s wife) arrived this afternoon. We all went out to dinner the night before our transit.

Sunday March 26, 2023, canal transit day! We are doing the transit in one day, arrived at out wait point at 5:30 am. Dan and I worked the lines on the bow, Andrea (Andi) and Janusz from s/v Sidona, were in the stern. Bill at the helm, Cheryl taking pictures and feeding everyone. Arrived at Shelter Bay Marina around 5 pm, the 6 of us shared a bottle of champagne, then had dinner at the restaurant here.

Monday March 27, 2023, by 12 noon, Dan and I were off to sea aboard Epsilon, an Island Packet Motor Sailor. It has the livability of a trawler, with the ability to sail. We have Starlink on board! Kinda cool to have internet so far away from land. First destination Grand Cayman Islands.

Tuesday March 28, 2023, not gonna lie this wind and waves were very unpleasant. We both got sea sick, luckily the windows are big enough hang out of. We have a slight heal to port, seating is only on the starboard side, makes for an uncomfortable ride always being on the high side.

Wednesday March 29, 2023, still in recovery mode. Funny after 2 1/2 years sailing around the world neither of us were sea sick.

Thursday March 30, 2023, I think we’ll have lots of food left. Day 3 we both don’t feel like eating much.

It seams like the waves and wind caused us to burn excess fuel, we should have had a 1000 mile range, but the distance from Panama to Grand Cayman is about 650 miles.

Friday March 31, 2023, low on fuel the tank reads 1/16 left or about 13 gallons. There may not be enough to get into the bay on Grand Cayman Island. Dan radioed to a passing cargo ship, Condor Arrow requesting if they could provide 45 liters of diesel, and they delivered it to us, free of charge. The ship slowed to around 4 knots, I steered the boat to within 6 ft of the ship while Dan retrieved 4 jerry cans of diesel. In return, we put together a bag of snacks for them, and sent them back using the rope they sent down.

Arrived in George Town, Grand Cayman Island at 8:00pm, attached to a mooring ball.

Pasta Salad elbow pasta, corn, black beans, onion, tomatoes, cucumber with Italian dressing for dinner. Left overs tomorrow, I’ll add chorizo and Gouda cheese with a little more salad dressing. There was enough leftover for a third meal.

Saturday April 1, 2023, we spent a total of 16 hours in George Town, Grand Cayman. Checking in and out of the country, purchased duty free fuel, additional water, then departed for Florida.

Sunday April 2, 2023, Dan made fried eggs with toast and juice for breakfast. We’re finally enjoying food again.

The day has been very light winds, 1-5 knots mostly on the nose. We’re motor sailing with Genoa pulled in tight, as there are a few small rolling waves. For lunch we shared 2 oranges and an apple.

Dinner, I made rice. 3/4 c. +1.5c of water, adding a can of Kirkland canned chicken and about 2 teaspoons of a taco seasoning. Meanwhile in a bowl I added 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained, a can of chopped chilies, a tomato diced as well as a small onion diced. To this I added t tablespoon of cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of oil. When the rice/chicken was done, that was dumped into the bowl, mixing it all up. On a wheat tortilla was added thin slices of pepper jack cheese, then a scoop of the rice mix, rolled up to make a burrito. Enough for leftovers, plus we still have one meal left of the pasta salad. We decided to make the burritos today as the wind will pick up tomorrow and Tuesday, alway good to have dinner already made for higher winds and waves.

Monday April 3,

Tuesday April 4, after rounding the western point of Cuba, we headed northeast to jump on the Gulf Stream. It gave us an additional 2 knots of speed sometimes more. We were motor sailing at 9-11 knots.

Wednesday April 5, cruising past Palm Beach, we used the CPB Roam App, and were able to check back into the USA while sailing 12 miles from shore.

Thursday April 6, just after sunrise, we entered the Ponce de Leon Inlet on the ICW. Destination is Hammocks Beach Resort and Marina near Palm Coast, FL. We arrived there around 12:45pm. This the new home for Epsilon.

Marlene completed a book, “Grandpa Dan’s Dream Sailing Around the World“, a whimsical story to granddaughter Cora. Born during Covid, we didn’t meet Cora until our return. In addition to the poem, Marlene filled 90+ pages with hundreds of photos and passage description from TRANCE’s World Tour.

Sunday’s (December 25, 2022) edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer will feature TRANCE’s World Tour. See the Sports Section centerfold! Also more details in the online version, which has a $0.99 trial.

Monday September 5, We were interviewed for a podcast by Jeffry Wettig of The Escape Pods, Shooting the Breeze Sailing Podcasts. Part 2 is now available. You can listen here or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

Monday September 5, We were interviewed for a podcast by Jeffry Wettig of The Escape Pods, Shooting the Breeze Sailing Podcasts. You can listen here or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.