In June of '99 we had the good fortune to set off on the fourth annual North Atlantic Coast Cruise. Dan Harper returned to be Captain of Chaos again for a week. Ralph Rodriguez also returned for another year, and we had the pleasure of adding my dad to the crew list this year. It was a fun crew and another adventure exploring unfamiliar waters in Nova Scotia. We followed an itinerary that would take us from Lockeport to Halifax over a six day period.

We had several adventures along the way, as in past trips, that will be remembered for years to come:

In Lockeport, Dan and I competed for photos in the morning light on the day of departure. I can't say who won, but I will include some photos from both portfolios. The quality of the web photos doesn't do justice to the beauty of these photos at full resolution here on my computer at home, but the idea can be extracted from the web versions.

On Carver's Beach in Port Mouton, we hiked for hours, losing our way in some nearby woods, in the full tradition of our trips.

On the way to the LaHave Islands, we approached Cape LaHave in near zero visibility fog. The sound of the surf was ominous as we came closer to shore, monitoring the coastline painted on our radar screen. The waves came into view and seemed very close, so we immediately jibed away from shore. My dad was surprised and had a definite look of concern, but the radar was accurately indicating our distance from the rocky shoreline.

In the LaHave Islands, we enjoyed explanations from the local lobstermen as they maintained their gear on the docks.

Lunenberg was an old town full of brightly painted old buildings. The long history of marine and fishing industries were evident everywhere. We met some people at the Grand Banker, a local bar, whose regular seats at the bar we had taken. We had a good time sharing a few beers and learning about their lives in Lunenberg. Interestingly, most of the people we met in Nova Scotia, and certainly these people at the Grand Banker, were savvy users of the web. In fact, they played interactive web games at the bar as a kind of spectator sport.

Our entrance to Cross Island was a navigational and boat handling challenge. 

On the way from Deep Cove to Rogue's Roost we had 25kt winds and 5 to 6 foot fairly rough seas. The P. Ellen's centerboard  plug worked itself loose, and we had quite a time recovering the swamped P. Ellen. In the process we lost an oar, which we were unable to find. The lost oar was found and returned to us by a family that was sailing in St. Margaret's Bay where the oar had drifted. I am uplifted every time I think of the nice fellow who went to so much trouble to return the lost oar to the P. Ellen.