After the storm last night the morning came in clearing up with strong west-north-west winds howling across the waters. Schooners and other yachts anchored in the harbour, the fishing vessels and the Picton Castle alongside Lunenburg’s venerable and historic wharves tugged at their moorings without straining them. The storm has passed. No real damage around the docks after the passing of Hurricane TEDDY. TEDDY landed us a glancing blow. A few degrees different its course track would have made an enormous and dangerous difference to Nova Scotia. We were lucky. But nothing wrong with a little good fortune when it comes to serious weather and you are stuck on land. Now back to work.
The next few days promise fine dry weather, quite the expected thing after a deep low passes. Looks like we will get things dried out and then get on with caulking and pitching off the foc’sle head deck. Need a few days of nice dry for that. A drying wind helps too. Then on to other things as long as we can before winter sets in. The gang has moved from living in the large midships salon into the after cabins. Cozy back there as the season gets cooler. Set the scullery up as a galley. Nice place to be as fall then winter bears down on us. The Danes call this “hyggelig.”
But we are not done with sailing our fine small craft hereabouts. Not yet, anyway. Much lovely sailing weather ahead, for a while anyway, to sail the small schooners, sloops and dories we are lucky enough to get to use. Sweaters and jackets required, that’s all. And we have inside, on deck, outside and below decks work on the ship to do. Out in the weather: tarring the rig, greasing masts, overhauling the anchor windlass, oiling the decks, get the topsides cleaned up, a few other things too. Inside and below: we will be painting up and varnishing deck boxes, overhauling blocks and lifesaving gear, varnishing t’gallant and royal yards before sending them up before sailing in the spring. We have lots of sails to look at and go through, a stich here and there. The ship’s boats all got well overhauled at Bosun School but there are always small things to do.
Into autumn we sail.