September 24-25                            Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Weather reports indicated favorable winds for our departure from Halifax but we looked out to see whitecaps in the harbor.  David kept checking the internet and assured me we would be OK.  I insisted on waiting and by 11:00 AM, we could see improvement and decided to start our journey to Lunenburg.

 As promised, the waves were no problem and the wind decreased to 5 knots.  Cruising near the shore, the scenery was spectacular.  We saw lovely villages surrounded by thick forests of towering evergreens situated on white beaches or rocky shores.  It was postcard perfect!

We arrived at our dock at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg only minutes before closing at 5:00 PM and were welcomed with great help in securing our lines.  Eager to walk about, we promptly left the boat for a quick tour of this charming little town.  Situated on a high hill above the sea, Lunenburg is an architectural treasure of colorful nineteenth century homes and buildings.  Settled by German, Swiss, and French farmers, who quickly became shipbuilders and fishermen, the town reflects the prosperity and traditions of its founders.  Lunenburg is remarkably intact because it was spared fires and natural disasters which devastated many towns of that period.  It has also benefited from the pride in heritage of its residents, many whose descendants continue to live or own property here.  In 1995, Lunenburg was named a UNESCO Heritage Site, the first in North America.

A horse and carriage ride was a great way to tour the town without struggling to climb the steep hills.  Our driver was a charming lady who enlivened her historical narrative with many puns (and apologized for none of them!).  The imposing black and white academy building situated atop the hill on expansive grounds was the public school for many years.  It will re-open next year as a school for musicians.  Lunenburg’s churches are impressive and most continue to have active congregations. Many houses have a central dormer feature on the second floor and stained glass above the front doors.

We enjoyed a light dinner at the very nice seafood restaurant on the second floor of the maritime museum.  David ordered steamed mussels but we both agreed my calamari dusted in cornmeal drizzled in a sweet chili pepper and balsamic vinegar reduction sauce was superior.  We shared a decadent dessert of lemon custard on a layer of sweetened cream cheese atop a pecan shortbread cookie crust.  It was fantastic and after leaving the restaurant, we have tried to find a similar recipe on the internet.

On Thursday, we had to move the boat about a hundred yards to another docking area so we could receive fuel.  A truck supplied us with approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel.  We should be OK for the remainder of the journey.  

The driver of the truck was very helpful in finding a length of special hose needed to repair our waste pump out system.  David spent most of the afternoon deep in the hold lying atop the damaged props installing the new hose and several needed replacement parts.  He emerged sore but victorious.  It worked!

While David worked, I enjoyed another walk through the terraced streets of Lunenburg and admired the many hanging metal sculptures of fish, scallops, mussels, and oysters, all which had meant so much to the economy of this town.  A glorious sunset ended the day as we enjoyed dinner on the  the boat.