Isola Naida

Tag: Sailing

  • Hauling-Out for the Season: Bringing Isola Naida to East River

    Hauling-Out for the Season: Bringing Isola Naida to East River

    We knew shortly after buying Isola Naida that we would need to haul out in order to address some of the work we wanted to accomplish onboard. This past weekend, that time finally came. We brought Isola Naida around Mahone Bay from her summer mooring at South Shore Marine to East River Shipyard, where D’Arcy works. Just like that, the chapter on our first summer aboard comes to a close, while a new chapter of projects and maintenance begins.

    Update on Noelle’s Injury

    If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you know that at the end of August, Noelle injured her back. After a long night in the ER, she was diagnosed with radiculopathy—a pinched nerve. Her injury has kept us ashore since our last sail on 24 August, and recovery has been a slow process. . While she wasn’t able to make the trip around to East River, she’s been cheering from the sidelines and looking forward to being back on the water once she’s healed.

    Departing South Shore Marine

    On Sunday, D’Arcy teamed up with his friend and coworker, Matt, to bring Isola Naida down the coast. The forecast called for a steady 5kt southerly breeze – not enough to sail with – so the passage would be under power.

    Isola Naida set off from South Shore Marine under fair conditions and motored out into Mahone Bay. The most careful navigation of the day came as we passed north of Big Gooseberry Island, where the peninsula extends well underwater, leaving only a narrow channel of deep water.

    Map depicting sailing route from South Shore Marine to East River Shipyard.
    The route motored from South Shore Marine to East River Shipyard.

    From there, we rounded the Chester Peninsula, passing north of Meisner’s Island and skirting the Chester Golf Club. The route took us past a handful of shoals off Zincks Cove and Graves Island. We crossed over Western Lobster Claw Shoal, followed the buoy around Eastern Lobster Claw, and then had a nearly straight run past Graves Shoal to East River Shipyard.

    Chester, NS

    Arrival at East River Shipyard

    After an easy passage, we arrived at East River Shipyard, where Isola Naida will be hauled out and spend the coming months on the hard. The yard was quiet on Sunday afternoon. We prepared docking lines and fenders as we approached the breakwater, shifting the dinghy we had in tow from the port to the starboard side. Rounding the mooring field north of the yard, we came alongside on Isola Naida’s port side. With calm seas and no wind, docking went smoothly.

    Isola Naida tied up alongside East River Shipyard

    Reflecting on Hauling Out

    While it’s always bittersweet to haul a boat out of the water, it is an exciting milestone for us. We’ll finally be able to tackle the projects we’ve been planning since we first bought her—both maintenance and upgrades which are difficult to complete while afloat.

    As we settle into haul-out season, we’re looking forward to tackling the projects that will carry Isola Naida into next year stronger than ever. Stay tuned as we share updates from the shipyard and the behind-the-scenes work that keeps a classic ketch like ours sailing. If you’ve been through a haul-out yourself, we’d love to hear your best tips or stories in the comments — and don’t forget to follow along on our blog and social media for the latest updates.

  • High Gusts & Choppy Seas: Sailing Mahone Bay on Isola Naida

    High Gusts & Choppy Seas: Sailing Mahone Bay on Isola Naida

    We set out this weekend aboard Isola Naida with the plan of sailing to a quiet, protected bay and anchoring overnight. The forecast looked promising enough—winds between 7 and 18 knots, with gusts topping out around 19. Manageable, we thought.

    When we arrived at the marina, it was immediately clear that the tailing edge of Hurricane Erin was lingering more than predicted. The winds were stronger than expected, and as we readied Isola Naida to leave her mooring, the instruments showed a steady 11 to 13 knots – already stronger than the forecasted 8 knots. If conditions were that far off here, in the protected marina, what might we encounter farther out in the bay?

    Skipper asleep on the port settee.
    Skipper asleep on the port settee

    Winds that had been forecasted as 18 knots with 5′ seas, but given what we were already seeing, it seemed more likely we’d face 23 knots in more open water. That felt less like a casual adventure and more like a test we weren’t quite eager to take on, especially with Skipper aboard. After some back-and-forth, we made the tough but sensible call to stay put for the day.

    Instead of dropping anchor in a new location, we reset our expectations and leaned into the slower pace of a day on the mooring ball. With the wind whistling through the rigging, we settled into the cockpit with a simple charcuterie lunch, letting the rocking of the boat remind us that even tied to the mooring, Isola Naida was exactly where we wanted to be.

    Sunday’s Daysail

    We woke up early Sunday morning intent on departing the mooring for a day sail. D’Arcy, always up and about first, made coffee and blueberry pancakes before Noelle crawled out of the V-berth. After breakfast we cleaned, dried and stowed the dishes. Then we secured for sea and readied Isola Naida to set off.

    Winds in the mooring field were nearly nonexistent – less than 1 knot – and the water lay like glass. Ripples in the distance hinted at a breeze working its way out of the south. Noelle secured the dinghy to the mooring and took the mooring lines in hand as D’Arcy took the helm and started Isola Naida’s engine. We motored out of the mooring field and began our southerly course making our way toward open waters.

    With the winds coming out of the south, we found ourselves continually driving the bow straight into them. Hoisting the sails at nearly any point along this course would have meant heading directly toward shoals or shore, requiring frequent tacking. Given that today was meant to be a relaxing outing, we opted to motor until clear of Frog Island, in more open waters.

    A Very Seasick Skipper

    Beyond Frog Island, the wind filled in at 7 knots and gusts around 10 knots. We unfurled the jib and hoisted the mizzen, leaving the main stowed as we weren’t in a rush and expected the wind to build throughout the day.

    As we pressed upwind, waves struck the starboard bow and beam, rocking the boat just enough to unsettle Skipper. She soon succumbed to seasickness – not once, not twice, but four times.

    We noticed that we were the only sailboat out on Mahone Bay. For some time we wondered if everyone else knew something we didn’t – something that should have told us to stay home. But soon, a few sails appeared in the distance, reassuring us that we hadn’t made a big error in reading the weather forecast.

    Halfway between Quaker Island and Rafuse Island, we decided to tack west and make for the lee of Rafuse. As we approached Rafuse Island the winds had risen to 17 knots and gusts of 19 knots. With a very sick kitty now sheltering in her carrier in the fresh cockpit air, we thought it would be best to north and begin making our way back to the marina. The downwind course provided her some relief as she settled in for a nap.

    On the return, the wind chased us gently and we soaked up the sun, allowing the auto helm to keep us on our course relative to the winds.

    Back On The Mooring

    As we approached the marina, the wind held a steady 13 knots – enough to make maneuvering Isola Naida a challenge. Our first attempt at the mooring came in short and fast, the wind catching our quarter. We circled back, lined up nearer the shoreline, and secured her safely on the second try. With the lines fast, Skipper could finally relax, and so could we.

    Despite the detours, the seasickness, and the gusts that kept us cautious, we were reminded that every outing builds seamanship and deepens our bond with Isola Naida. Not every sail goes to plan — and maybe that’s the point. The best sails are often the ones that teach you something new.

    We’d love to hear from you. Tell us about a time you had to change plans mid-sail, or make a second approach to a mooring. Drop your stories in the comments below and the lessons you learned about your, or your boat’s capabilities. Be sure to follow along with our adventures on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram for more sailing logs, lessons, and life aboard Isola Naida.

    Fair winds,

  • 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.