August 9th, 2017, Day 79, Sydney River to North Sydney to somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean headed to Newfoundland 36km

Blueberry muffins with cardomen. Interesting combination. I might have to try that at home. We said our goodbyes and thank-yous to Chantal and Aria and went on our way. Charlie had an appointment at a lab again and usually the earlier you get there, the shorter the line-up. The hospital was not far and when we got there, there was nobody in line up for blood work. He was in and out in about 15 minutes. We made and ate our breakfast outside, chatting with the people who came over. People are friendly. We’ve yet to find otherwise.

Our next destination was a bike shop where Charlie had his brake pads changed and things tightened up after the accident yesterday. We wandered through the downtown. There were only a couple of places that drew our attention. At a craft/art store, Charlie saw work done by a former Mt A student. More mundane tasks; we biked to North Sydney near where we were to catch the ferry and got groceries. Our ferry ride was 16 hours and undoubtedly food would be expensive onboard.

The ferry was in a bit late, so our departure was delayed. I took the opportunity to call my dad to tell him where we were. Dad was in the Royal Canadien Navy so he knows what it’s like to be at sea. The motorcycles board first and Charlie and I lined up behind them. We felt like “the big boys” and Charlie rolled up right in amongst them, silly boy. The motorcycles all have to be secured to the floor using heavy hooked straps. We secured our bikes against the walls as well before we headed to our cabin. As we were facing 80 km riding hills the next day, we splurged for a cabin and I’m glad we did! There are 4 dressed bunk beds and a bathroom with a shower. Signs on the chairs in the lounge read ” No sleeping allowed” which would make for a long and uncomfortable night. We dropped off our things and headed down to the 7th ( of 10!) floors. This was where the restaurants, lounge, shops, etc., were. There is also a children’s play area , an arcade and access to the outside deck. We plunked ourselves down in the lounge beside Alan, a motorcyclist we’d met in the lineup to board. Alan, aged 68, is an Australian. Last year he motored throughout Australia, this year he was taking 5 months to travel throughout North America. He was having a great time. Travelling solo, he said, was the best way to meet people. His wife lives in Victoria, Australia and they face-time daily and he has a gps tracker. Every day he pushes a button that lets Lynn know where he had lunch and then again at night, where he was sleeping. She can zoom in on that spot. Incredible. He told us of how he’d met her at age 21, she 19. They were both affected by wanderlust and went to Toronto, he from “Down Under”, Lynn from England, where they met. Some time after, Alan set off to the USA to motorcycle and on his return to Toronto, received a letter from Lynn saying that if he really wanted to see her again, she would be at Heathrow airport at such a date, and such a time. He said” Smartest thing I ever did was to show up.” They’ve been married 45 years and have a 44 year old daughter.

Luckily we had bought a whole chicken. We had plenty of food to share with our new friend. That, salad, buns and potato salad, (which he wouldn’t touch because he dislikes mayo). We had a feast. There was entertainment in the lounge and I just had to get up and dance with another woman, she clad totally in white. Maybe she was “Mr Clean’s” partner. The ferry rocks a bit and it’s tricky to keep a firm step but I danced anyway. It was close to 11 pm and we went outside before retiring to our cabin. It was brisk on deck and black on the horizon. There were lights around the ship and we watched the waves or wake created as the boat surged forward through the water. It’s huge, this thing. The bottom 3 or 4 floors are full of vehicles and there are more than 600 people on board. I shudder to think of what would happen in any kind of emergency. The panic, the congested hallways….. Don’t even go there Wend…….