Isola Naida

Category: Our Story

  • Sunny Weekends Are For Sailing

    Sunny Weekends Are For Sailing

    This past week the MC4 connectors for the solar panels arrived, D’Arcy taught sailing to new Canadians, and we took Isola Naida out for a day sail around Mahone Bay!

    Solar Panel Back Online

    The MC4 connectors for the solar panels arrived from Amazon on Thursday. On Friday evening, D’Arcy was onboard repairing the connection to the starboard bimini solar panel. It took some coaxing to get enough slack on the wire to make the repair – there was plenty of wire in the aft compartment, but with so many zip-ties securing bundles through the cockpit lockers and about the pushpit rails, freeing enough to work with it took some effort.

    Disconnecting the old connectors showed just how corroded the wires had become. A full re-wire will likely be necessary in the future. After stripping the wires back and inch, crimping on the MC4 inner connector and enclosing it in the outer housing was straightforward in theory, but finicky in practice – especially when working over the stern of the boat.

    Once everything was reassembled, seeing the MPPT change from “Off” to “Float” was a huge relief. We had connectivity again! By then, the sun was too low for the system to register wattage, so we’d have to wait until Sunday to see how the panel performed.

    Broader Reach

    The Armdale Yacht Club Sailing School offers a program called Broader Reach in partnership with the YMCA Halifax & Dartmouth and the Centre for Immigrant Programs. It’s designed to introduce recent immigrants to Canada to the sport of sailing and the community that surrounds it. Many graduates stick around and crew in Wednesday and Thursday evening races.

    This weekend, the head of the sailing school reached out to the club’s race-crewing chat seeking an extra instructor. D’Arcy volunteered.

    The day started at 10:00 with a quick classroom session on tacking, followed by rigging Solings. Three students joined an instructor in each boat, while the rest rotated through a RHIB on the water.

    For a few hours, we ran laps in front of the club, giving students a chance to practice tacking, pointing, and getting a feel for how the Soling handles. At 13:00, we returned for lunch, followed by another classroom session covering points of sail, gybing, and reading the wind. Some students asked advanced questions, so we took a detour into sailing physics — how sail shape affects speed, how the jib and main work together, and how the keel factors in.

    Back on the water, we practiced gybing. Toward the end, the students with the advanced questions joined my boat. They were handling the Soling well, so I showed them how to trim sails for more speed. Soon, we caught a good breeze across the mooring field and had the Soling heeling over, giving them their first taste of hiking out over the side.

    By 15:30, we were back at the dock, de-rigging for the day. The students asked if I’d be back next weekend — sadly, I wouldn’t — but I suspect I may have encouraged a few future Wednesday night race crew members.

    Day Sail

    On Sunday, we finally made it out for a long-awaited day sail aboard Isola Naida. Having missed the chance last weekend, this time we came aboard with one mission: sail.

    We departed the marina with the winds blowing out of the south – perfect for hoisting sails without needing to alter course. The main went up slowly but smoothly. Once set, we shut off the engine and watched as we recorded 1.6 kts in 6 kts of wind. With the jib unfurled and mizzen hoisted, we passed 4 kts as the breeze picked up to the 8 kts. A pod of harbour porpoises joined us briefly, clearly enjoying a rich hunting ground.

    As we approached Frog Island, our speed climbed over 5 kts. We decided to drop the main and try a jib-and-jigger setup. as we rounded the island the winds strengthened and with this configuration we comfortably sailed at 6.5 kts in 13 – 16kts of wind. We sailed across Mahone Bay for a while before tacking around to make our way back toward the marina.

    The downwind leg toward the marina was leisurely. Noelle read in the cockpit while D’Arcy monitored the autohelm and passing traffic. As we approached the marina, we dropped the mizzen, furled the jib, and started the engine.

    Our mooring is on the northern edge of the mooring field, close to the shore. In a southerly wind, making the approach to the mooring ball can be tricky – the shallow water and nearby moored boats leave little room to manoeuvre. Instead of threading between them and the shoreline, we looped through the mooring field, made a sharp turn to starboard onto the ball, and gave a quick burst in reverse to avoid overshooting the bridles. This route worked out well and we came to a stop with the bow of the boat nearly directly over the mooring ball.

    This Is Why We Do This

    This weekend was one that reminded us why we love sailing – a satisfying boat repair, the joy of introducing new sailors to the sport, and a day on the water that gave us both speed and serenity. Isola Naida sailed beautifully, the solar panel is charging again, and we met some great people along the way.

    We’ve shared a few video highlights from the sail, but there’s always more happening behind the scenes. If you enjoyed this little window into our weekend, follow along on Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook for more sailing adventures, boat projects, and life afloat. Fair winds until next time!

  • Solar Woes and Shaking Out the Sails

    Solar Woes and Shaking Out the Sails

    The goal this week was to get Isola Naida off her mooring ball and get a feel for how she handles under power and sail. We invited our friends Charles and Roxy aboard to join us on the inaugural adventure.

    Solar vs Refrigerator

    When we arrived on Isola Naida Friday evening we decided to power on the refrigerator system to monitor the energy consumption throughout the weekend. Neither of us are very familiar with solar panel setups, so we are getting a feel for how much energy our 600 watt solar setup can recover, and on the other side of the equation, get a feeling for how much energy devices onboard use when operating.

    On Saturday morning, as the sun rose high enough to start feeding the solar panels, D’Arcy watched the system begin to generate power; but noticed one of our larger charge controllers connected to a 200W panel was show a status of “Off”. At first, we put this down to shade coverage on the panel, but as the sun climbed higher, the issue persisted.

    Our Starboard Bimini Victron SmartSolar Charge Controller MPPT 100 | 30 appears to be the issue.

    D’Arcy checked the connections from the panel to the MPPT charge controller, and from the MPPT to the bus bar. Everything looked fine, except one wire connecting the panel to the MPPT was slightly oversized for the connection port which, combined with some weathering on the contact, made it difficult for the wire to fit snugly into the connection port. We suspect this may be the culprit, but he wasn’t able to seat it any better, and couldn’t get the device to start charging again. Since we have 400W of panels working across three other charge controllers, we decided to put this off until later in the week when I’d have more time to troubleshoot the issue.

    Guests Arrive

    Our friends, Charles and Roxy, arrived at the marina around 11:45. Charles and D’Arcy sailed and deployed together in the Navy and have been close ever since. They work well together, and we knew that if we needed a hand with anything, they could easily communicate what needed to be done; a huge positive when things get busy aboard. Noelle made halloumi cheese tacos with pineapple – a tasty, light meal perfect before casting off. After our meal we decided it was as good a time as any to start up the motor and get off the mooring ball.

    D’Arcy ran through the checklist, double checked that all of our electronics were powered up and that the engine cooling seacock was in the open position. After a quick departure briefing, he took the helm, Charles was on the mooring lines, and Noelle was helping us to communicate. We dropped the lines, gave a quick shot in reverse to ensure we kept clear of the lines and dinghy, then turned to port to make our way out of the mooring field.

    We motored south for a few minutes before deciding to raise sail. With winds were blowing from the north-northwest, we headed upwind to assist in hoisting the main. Our inexperience made it more difficult that it should have been. Lines that should have been running free were, at times, left cleated on, the batons became caught on the lazy jacks as the winds shifted, and the weight of the sail was more than others we were familiar with. Noelle took the helm so that D’Arcy could head forward to help manage halyard tension. We eventually got the mainsail up, then began rounding downwind to unfurl the jib. Once both the main and jib were flying, we cut the engine and raised the mizzen.

    After our struggle, it felt liberating to relax with full canvas up, coasting downwind. We were making 3-5 knots in 8-10kts of breeze. As Frog Island lay off our starboard beam, Noelle and Roxy spotted something in the water off our starboard quarter – a pair of Harbour Porpoises! We were so caught up in the moment that we forgot to take photos. They breached several times before diving beneath the keel, and we could clearly see them beneath the water’s surface.

    A Gusty Return

    We continued sailing south and rounded Birch Island, where Roxy spotted the Quaker Island Lighthouse off to the east. Sitting on (appropriately named) Quaker Island, the lighthouse marks the entrance to Chester, Nova Scotia. We altered course to get a better look, sailing across Mahone Bay toward it.

    As we passed the island, the wind picked up — gusts reaching 19 knots from the north. Isola Naida heeled over for the first time, just enough to send something tumbling in the salon. But she held her line well, and we were all impressed with her performance.

    As we made our way between Saddle Island and Snake Island, the gusts became more sustained. Not wanting to push the boat, ourselves, or our guests any further than we already had — and with the afternoon slipping away — we decided to head back. Charles and Roxy still had a drive ahead of them.

    Crossing back south of Birch Island, we considered the upwind leg that awaited us and whether our crew (and current experience level) could handle it smoothly. We decided not to tempt fate. We pointed upwind, dropped sails, and motored back to the marina.

    A Relaxing Evening

    Re-entering the mooring field was uneventful, helped by the fact that many boats between us and the outer edge were out sailing. With a clear approach, we made the pickup smoothly. After securing lines and powering everything down, we settled into the cockpit for some drinks and snacks to cap off the trip.

    We didn’t expect our first day out on Isola Naida to be smooth and mistake-free—and it wasn’t. But despite a few operational hiccoughs, we had a successful first sail and were grateful to share it with good friends.

  • How We Came to Isola Naida

    How We Came to Isola Naida

    We met in 2023. At the time, D’Arcy was a Naval Communicator in the Royal Canadian Navy, having just returned from a six month deployment to the Mediterranean a few months prior. Noelle was working in post-secondary

    Sometime during the summer of 2023, while we were out on one of many drives exploring the Nova Scotia coastline, we passed a marina. Noelle turned to D’Arcy and asked, “Have you ever thought about living on a boat?”

    Little did she know, D’Arcy had been curious about the liveaboard lifestyle since his deployment. That drive marked the moment we agreed: one day, we wanted to buy a boat and sail the world.

    The Plan

    We began to formulate a plan. D’Arcy owned a home at the time, and selling it would cover the initial cost of a boat, and then some. Our original timeline was to each work another five years, save up, and then set sail. But plans change – and quickly.

    Along Came Skipper

    In the fall of 2024, we took a trip out to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia intending to meet a cat who was available for adoption through the NSSPCA. En route, Noelle noticed another listing on their website – a young cat named Ivy.

    “It says she’d good with dogs… maybe we should stop at the shelter to see this one.”

    We pulled into the NSSPCA in Sydney, and it didn’t take long to meet Ivy (now Skipper) an energetic cat playing with a pellet of litter and eager to climb all over us. We knew right away: she was coming home with us.

    Skipper relaxing at home a few days after her adoption.

    Plans Changed

    As plans often do, ours evolved. By the end of 2024, D’Arcy was becoming increasingly unhappy in his Navy career. We decided it was best for him to move on sooner than planned, even though it meant selling the house earlier than expected.

    In February 2025, we sold the house, and D’Arcy moved into Noelle’s 420 square foot apartment, great practice for boat life. After a few months of job searching, D’Arcy landed a new role as a Marine Service Technician at a, somewhat local, shipyard. This would be an excellent opportunity to learn new skills that we would need maintaining our own boat, and was a field of work that D’Arcy was keen to get into.

    From 2023 until this point, we had been keeping an eye on sailboat listings, compiling a list of features we liked and disliked in different models. We wanted a blue-water capable boat, so this included:

    • 38′ – 45′
    • Full Keel – or – Fin Keel with a skeg hung rudder
    • Keel Stepped Mast
    • Cutter or Ketch Rig
    • Mostly turn-key

    On June 1st, D’Arcy reached out to John, a broker we’d been working with, to arrange a viewing of a Reliance 44 named Isola Naida located in Chester, Nova Scotia.

    We had initially planned to see a Pacific Seacraft Crealock nearby, but its listing price would have been pushing our budget too far.

    Falling for Isola Naida

    On June 14th, we went to see Isola Naida. From the moment we stepped aboard, we both knew, this was the boat. Neither of us felt any desire to leave that day. We reached out to John later that evening to put in an offer.

    That’s when we found out that the person who viewed her after us had also submitted an offer.

    You And Your Notes

    When D’Arcy bought his home in 2020, the housing market was red-hot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People were buying houses sight unseen, waiving inspections, and overbidding just to secure a place to live. He didn’t have much extra money to compete.

    D’Arcy’s realtor, Ken Sullivan, told him about a client who had written a personal note to the sellers and won the bid — even though it wasn’t the highest. Inspired, he wrote a note to the seller, explaining his situation and what he loved about their home. It worked. He wasn’t the highest bidder — by about $20,000 according to an upset seller’s realtor on a phone call after the sale went through — but the seller chose his offer because they connected with his story. D’Arcy’s been thankful ever since.

    So when we learned that Isola Naida had two competing offers at asking price, we figured it couldn’t hurt to write a note to the sellers, introducing ourselves and sharing our dream.

    A few nail-biting days later, D’Arcy got the call from John. The sellers had read our note and decided they liked us — they chose to sell Isola Naida to us.

    Needless to say we were over the moon!

    Sea Trial of Isola Naida

    Welcome Home

    It took a few weeks to schedule surveys, complete a sea trial, and close on the purchase. On July 14th, one month after seeing her for the first time, Isola Naida was ours, however, we would have to wait until July 19th to truly get aboard due to work schedules. We spent that first weekend moving in a few items and coming up with plans to make Isola Naida just a little more comfortable for us; a topic for a separate post.

    Next Steps

    Our next steps include:

    • Familiarizing ourself with the mechanics of the boat
    • Addressing maintenance concerns (of which there isn’t many)
    • Spending time practicing maneouvring Isola Naida and getting used to how she motors
    • Planning our first day-sail

    We Want To Hear From You

    We know we’re just at the beginning of this journey, but we’re excited to share each step along the way.

    Have you ever dreamed of living aboard a sailboat?

    Maybe you’re already living that life or planning your own escape to the sea. We’d love to hear from you — drop a comment below and tell us your story, ask a question, or just say, “Hi”.