Have I mentioned I owned a boat?
It was for a short period of time and to be honest…wasn’t really my thing.
In fact, sailing and I go together like oil and vinegar as in, I’m really not meant to be anywhere near a boat. For starters, I really can’t tell what way the wind blows and don’t know my left from right half the time let alone try to figure out port and starboard. I’ve been told it’s “red right returning” a million times but still can’t figure out if it’s your right or my right and whether I’m coming, or going.
To me, saying “just point it towards the wind” is equivalent to trying to get me to do quadratic equations while standing on my head eating a taco. It’s mentally hard, physically hard…and bound to be super messy.
Admittedly, I did have one fabulous sailing trip to the BVI a few years back and I was…by far…in one of the most amazing places on earth that truly could only be appreciated by sailboat. But on returning, I was WEEKS trying to get my land legs back as I was more seasick on land than I’d been on the boat. And let’s not even talk about all of the trips on the ferry to Newfoundland when I was a little girl! The smell of diesel immediately makes me nauseous and my mind begins to fill with reminders of the taste of gravol that my mother would try to hide inside our tunafish sandwiches!
Sailing with Murphy’s #WinesOnTheWater:
When Murphy’s on the Water contacted me about going out on their #WinesOnTheWater tour, my first reaction was “NO WAY.” But, the thing is, I’d made a bit of a promise to myself that I was going to try to “put myself out there” this year and this was kind of a cool opportunity…so, rather reluctantly, I agreed to go.
This past Wednesday evening, myself and my friend, Victoria, boarded the Tall Ship Silva for a tour around Halifax Harbour and I gotta tell you…leading up to it…I was pretty apprehensive, I thought about cancelling, I remembered how waves and I don’t mix and how one time I broke my elbow slamming into a fridge-sized buoy in the middle of the Chester Harbour going too fast in a Boston Whaler. I thought of the Titanic, and whether or not they had enough life rafts, and all of the various sea creatures that surely reside in the harbour. Throw in I’d worried so much I had an upset stomach and I could just imagine the size of the bathroom on the boat IF THERE EVEN WAS ONE! And then, I sucked it up, gathered my nerve, and headed up the gangway to what would turn out to be a SPECTACULAR evening!
For starters, it’s possible that we went out one the very best sailing night of the summer. It was warm…a beautiful breeze…calm and gorgeous!
As stated on their website, “This two-hour cruise is the ultimate Nova Scotian experience. Created by Pete Luckett of Luckett Vineyards and Pete’s Frootique, you will sample the best that our province has to offer. From delicious local seafood dishes to pairings with locally made wine for the perfect culinary experience.”
On Board the Tall Ship Silva:
On arrival, we were greeted with a sampling glass of lovely “Rosetta” and then proceeded to find a spot on the boat where we’d enjoy the rest of our stay. Victoria and I chose a bench that went along the side of the boat…with many folks sitting and even more standing around. In total, 80 folks were along for the sail that included about a dozen staff from servers to sailors to chef’s preparing the evening’s sampling dishes.
In the middle of the boat were two large areas filled with fruit, veggies, mussels, crackers and cheese that you could enjoy throughout the evening.
As part of the event, a BBQ was set up on board where Chef Rob MacIsaac (a fantastic local chef and owner of Chameleon Cafe) was busy preparing some fabulous food for our voyage.
By the end of the evening, we’d had 5 sampling wines from Luckett Vineyards (including Rosetta, L’Acadie and Tidal Bay) and 5 paired applies (including Scallops, Smoked Salmon and Lobster Tail) that were all delicious! I admit, I could have probably done with a bit more wine but there’s a bar on board where they’ll hook you up!
The sail was great…reminding me of the things I DO actually enjoy about being on the water like seeing all of the amazing homes, beautiful Point Pleasant Park, the Dingle…sailing along with the other boats that were out for a Wednesday night regatta, the fresh air and the warm wind blowing through my hair!
Also…I remembered how I always wore my hair up whenever I was on a boat!
It was a truly spectacular night on the water that included great wine, fabulous food, great company, dancing…all while surrounded by sheer beauty.
There was a time I truly disliked sailing…I honestly can’t say the same anymore.
The Murphy’s #WinesOnTheWater Tour runs every Wednesday evening at 7PM until August 31st. The cost is $99 per person and includes a 2 hour tour, 5 samples of wine and 5 food pairings…some dancing, beautiful views, and a great many laughs. Click here to book.
Disclaimer: Murphy’s The Cable Wharf provided me with tickets to go on this tour. As always, opinions and stories are my own.
I am SO GLAD you posted about this, because I have been wanting to do this cruise ever since we moved to Halifax. Would have done it already earlier this spring but it wasn’t running yet. We did the whale-watching cruise instead. Loved the cruise itself, but was a little disappointed we didn’t see any whales, and would have been perfectly happy with it if it hadn’t been marketed as a whale-watching cruise 😉 So next time will for sure opt for wine-cruise with guaranteed wine-sightings.
Thanks for sharing your adventure I’ve finally convinced my Mother in Law to get on board and try it out!
Hey that’s fantastic news! I was quite apprehensive…but it was awesome!
this sounds so fun, I have to try it next time I am back on the east caose