The Fundy surely is not an area for the faint-hearted. You go below deck to have a coffee and all of a sudden the water is gone. At Burntcoat Head the tides are over 53ft. That is something scary even for someone who grew up in the North Sea, who lived with large tides from an early age.

Among our stops was the lovely town of Shelburne, Nova Scotia known for its boat building history. Shelburne is one of those places that has to be approached with great caution. No navigational hazards; rather it is one of those velcro townships—-a welcoming yacht club and a picturesque historic seafront with lots of places to visit.

One of Shelburne’s highlights is the dory shop that dates from the 1800’s. In this very spot, thousands of dories have been built to supply the Grand Bank’s schooners. These were the workhorses of fishing fleets. Today, the same techniques are being used to build a couple vessels per month that are supplied to museums and private collectors.

The negative side effects of our society crossed our bow many, many times as we cruised from Florida to the Martimes—all shapes and sizes of garbage. In the case of these balloons, they will deflate over time and are likely to be eaten by some ocean critter.

Going through sailor’s websites, you would think cruising is all sunshine and mixed drinks enjoyed at sunset on the aft deck. Unfortunately, it isn’t! This is one of the reasons why Thor is built enormously strong with oversized deck hardware and anchoring gear. We rode out on anchor, this 60 knot remnant of a hurricane. We dragged the anchor a good 50 yds, but that is where we sat for the entire duration of the storm. The morning showed a different picture for many other boats that were now on the shore.

The greatest thing of sailing adventures is wherever you drop your pick, you meet new friends and interesting boats. Because the seafaring nomads all share the same joys and challenges, there is always common ground. And it doesn’t matter the size or age of the vessel, there is always something to chat about. Here we are in Nantucket alongside the Lynx. The original Lynx was a privateer built in 1812.