September 25
Dear Fiona, We planned your visit a few days before your arrival. During that planning phase, we traced your progress from Dominican Republic on September 19 to your arrival in Nova Scotia on September 23 with 130 km/h winds.
We prepared for your arrival by removing our sails and cockpit cover, tying up our wind generator and all ropes. We didn't want you to play with our boat Komeekha with a lot of vigor and enthusiasm. We knew you'd have a lot of fun on Nova Scotia's electrical grid and infrastructures; so we decided to give you free range and moved out, away from your energetic momentum. This decision was feasible thanks to the generosity of my sister Lucie who lent us her car while visiting her daughter in Dartmouth. We are so grateful.
We did what we love best: visit wineries, taste local treasures, stay in Airbnb's. We discovered Nova Scotia signature wine called Tidal Bay. Based on what we learned from this province, this white wine perfectly pairs with seafood and good friends. It is a blend of grapes that are grown only in Nova Scotia and follow a strict set of standards. Every year, an independant blind wine tasting panel approves which wineries can call their wines Tidal Bay.
The first night, we stayed at an Airbnb in Kingston, NS. It is a renovated barn with its original beams and extra-wide wood-planked floors and walls. We had a wood stove which Frank lit as soon as we arrived. The area didn't lose electricity so we were able to cook our meals and me took take a nice hot bath in a soaker tub on legs. Wow! Such bliss!
The following day, most of the region was out of electricity so we weren't surprised to learn that our second Airbnb in Kentville, NS didn't have any. The hosts were so welcoming and ready to make our stay as comfortable and safe as they could. Thanks to a good novel and Netflix, the hours like the winds flew by.
This morning, with trepidation, we came back to Komeekha. We had attached her to a mooring ball of the Armdale Yacht Club.
We're pretty sure the yacht club would have called us if Komeekha had sank or kissed the shore rocks. But you never know. So we were quite relieved to see her happily floating under a bright blue sky, anticipating our arrival, and showing us how well she played with Fiona in our absence. Nothing was broken or missing. Relief was our prevalent feeling at that time. We all survived our first hurricane, unscathed.
