[Kyle]Having come most of the way on our previous leg, we had an easy, half-day beat the rest of the way to Halifax. Halifax sits on a peninsula that separates the main shipping port from Southwest Arm (Armdale area), which is home to most of the city's pleasure boats as well as a lot of fancy houses. We made our way right to the end, where we anchored in one of the only available spots that is not filled with moorings.
The sail to Halifax was in mixed weather, and Maryanne found time to service one of the winches that had been playing-up
Fellow Offshore Cruising Club (OCC) members Judy and Andrew had invited us to their home and encouraged us to use their shower and laundry machines, as well as inviting us to dinner; we could not have had a better welcome!. We were heading over in the dinghy the next morning when Judy intercepted us from her daughter's boat. The engine had just been repaired and she was checking it out for her while Andrew followed in a skiff. "Tie-up your dinghy and hop aboard."
After returning her daughter's boat to its mooring, we all headed to the house. Judy and Andrew had just returned the week before from the Mediterranean, where their 'big' boat currently resides, after months away. With no time for a rest, they hit the ground running and are now doing major repairs and modifications to the house before rushing back to complete the season in the Med. They are the type of people who make you tired just watching them.
With errands to do, they gave us a quick lesson on the laundry machines and then left us to their house. We put a load in and immediately headed out for a walk along the path that runs along Southwest Arm's left-hand shore. We eventually ended up at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Club, where we decided we could use a sit down and a cold beverage. They looked at me with suspicion, but once Maryanne started talking, they agreed to let us right in.
We started along an easy trail to reach "The Dingle" tower
With hours still remaining before our scheduled dinner appointment, we decided to take the long way home through nearby Shaw Wilderness Park. By the time we had made it to the far corner at Colpitt Lake, we were starting to realize we would need to pick up the pace a bit if we were going to be back to the house on time. We chugged away and made it with just ten minutes remaining.
And followed with a longer loop that took us by the yacht squadron and through Shaw Wilderness Park and back via some pretty neighbourhoods
Over our delicious and well-appreciated dinner, we compared sailing stories and the various places we have all travelled. When we got to our plans in Halifax, we mentioned that we were hoping to go walking around the city over the next couple of days. That's when Judy called her sister Janet, who then graciously offered us the use of their dock on the opposite, city side of Southwest Arm for easier access. When they explained where it was, we realized it was literally the closest dock to where Begonia was anchored no more than ten boat lengths away. Well, that couldn't be more convenient!
A peaceful anchorage
In the morning, we walked up the hill to Janet's house, where we introduced ourselves and met her husband, Stephen. We immediately liked them both and were hoping we could find a way to squeeze in some time with them. Alas, Like Judy and Andrew, they had a lot going on over the next week and we couldn't make anything work.
Based on a few heat warnings in the forecast, I took a chance at going all day with just a t-shirt and shorts. It seemed a bit foolish because there was a definite chill on the boat caused by all of he cold water in which she was sitting. Once we were more than a block from the water, though, the baking sun warmed us right back up. In no time, we were glad to be under the protection of Halifax's prodigious leafy shade. Our first real day of Summer!
We had no particular goal in mind, so we walked over the peninsula to the industrial, eastern side. It is still used for heavy shipping at the edges, but the waterfront closest to downtown has been rejuvenated into a busy pedestrianized zone of shops and restaurants.
We ambled around Halifax
We stopped at the Public Gardens along the way and joined a free tour. There, we were informed several times that we were NOT in a park. Parks are generally wild areas, the Halifax Public Garden is a tended garden for the benefit of the public. They have opening hours and rules of decorum. Well, they are lovely at any rate.
One amusing bit of irony is that, in honor of Halifax's connection to the Titanic disaster, they have a floating model of the Titanic in their pond. The first model sank within a few months. The second one developed a leak, started to down by the head, broke in half and then sank. Our tour guide told us the current model was 3D printed out of solid plastic that is lighter than water so that it can't sink.
Our second day in Halifax was also a hot one. (Two in a row!) We made a more concerted effort to be organized and did tours of both the Citadel and the Immigration Museum. Halifax was Canada's main port of entry for immigrants in the years after the World Wars - equivalent to Ellis Island in New York for the U.S. It was very well done, with lots of touching personal stories of people's journies to their new home. At the end, I was welling with pride at my new home. Then I remembered I was on Tourist Status and had to be out in just over a month.
Fun at the Citadel
The Immigration museum was really well presented, and an unexpectedly moving experience; followed by a pub visit and more general ambling around the city
With the fun over, the time came to get on with jobs. Bleah! We trudged to various stores, bought a mountain of provisions, and then paid a poor cab driver to bring us back. Then we loaded the dinghy until there was only about four inches between the top of the gunwale and the water. Then we climbed on top of it all, reducing it by another two inches, and very carefully took our haul home to be squirreled away into every last one of Begonia's hidey-holes. Groan! Now we at least have a couple of months before we have to do anything other than light shopping.
A huge thank you for the generosity of the hosts we were lucky to spend time with during our visit to Halifax: Sisters Judy(left) and Janet(right) and their partners
Anchorage location >> On google maps (Outside of mooring balls and yacht race buoys)
