Hi Gabier! Looking forward to seeing you when we get to PEI (if you are who I think you are)
The 24 hour watch on a boat is a really interesting experience, especially when the sky is clear at night. The high pressure system that's been depriving us of wind has been rewarding us with spectacular, clear views of the night sky outside of the built up areas.
One of the aims I had for this trip was to pick up a little more astronomical knowledge - learn a few more constellations, etc. Fortunately both the skipper, George, and one of my crew mates, Tom, have plenty of experience with the subject matter, so we've had some good discussions & mini "star parties" when not searching for channel markers.
For anyone interested, I've been using a really good open source night sky simulator/planetarium called Stellarium -
Stellarium web site . Definitely worth checking out if you ever look up in the night sky and wonder exactly what it is you're seeing.
We're in Trois Rivieres tonight, after a marathon run straight through from the 1000 Islands. Beautiful, vibrant city. Friendly people, forgiving of my rusty French! A non-stop stream of residents has been walking past, admiring the boat, some asking questions about it or our trip.
Tomorrow we're aiming for a very early start to make Quebec City by nightfall. In that distance, we'll be moving from fresh water (we stopped and dove off the ship in the middle of the stinking hot afternoon at Lac St Pierre) and minimal tidal effects (about 12 inches) to brackish water and significant tides (16 ft.) @ Quebec.
Tasdrouille - want to meet up? PM me your contact info, or check at the Bassin Louise around dusk (hopefully).
After Quebec, I'll have limited internet access until PEI.
We're also keeping an eye on the remnants of Gustav and the three Atlantic tropical storms as well...
