Forza Mille - 10 Minutes!? Halifax to Yarmouth to Bar Harbor.

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Wednesday.

Last night we had dinner in a great Italian place, Café Chianti, right across from our Hotel. I ordered a seafood jambalaya thatwas *awesome*... shrimp, scallops, mussels, sausage, rice... and enough paprika to kill a Hungarian. We were joined at dinner by Mick Pallardy and Kevin Canty of Mercedes-Benz USA. Mick needed a driver to help him shuttle a car to Manchester, New Hampshire the morning after the rally ends... since it just so happens that I am flying out of Manchester that morning it is a perfect idea. Arrangements are made.

Left: a now familiar scene... only this time in Halifax.

The real shocker comes when RallyMaster Ian Tugwell passes out the standings as dinner finishes. We glance at the top of the sheet expecting to see ourselves fallen to second place somewhere... only to find us way back in the pack at 19th Place! Needless to say we are confused. A closer look reveals a 500 point penalty on the day's last TSD segment. We check in with Ian and he confirms the sad truth... we were 10 minutes early ... to the second, mind you ...but still a full 10 minutes early. Dad, who served as navigator on that leg replayed the segment in his head and realized his mathematical error.

We're screwed... not by the factors that have robbed us of victory before (being cut off at checkpoints by latecomers, etc.) - but from our own monumental mistake. The irony here is that I have rather brutally lambasted other teams right here on this website for making the very same error, and stealing our check-in time the process (the infamous "Aston-Moron Incident of 1999"... which lead to our loss of the overall win.) Thankfully we didn't screw anyone else out of their time... and in fact had there been two of us lined up for the checkpoint we probably would have checked our math... as it was we had the wrong time all to ourselves... and have no one to blame for our predicament than ourselves... well OK, just Dad. =)

Needless to say, Dad beats himself up about it for a while...

Left: The Start on Wednesday.

The Vallipollicella from last night, added to our timing error makes getting up this morning real hard. =)

Our route will take us out along the southwest coast of Nova Scotia back to where we started, at Yarmouth, to take a ferry back to the US. The first segment will be the only TSD of the day... a 55.4 mile - 70 minute run from Halifax to Mahone Bay. The navigation is pretty simple... get the hell outta Dodge... in this case the busy weekday morning traffic of Halifax, and onto a portion of the Trans-Canada highway system down to Mahone Bay.

Dad is driving, and I'm pretty busy for the first 10 minutes just getting us out through the surface streets and onto the highway... after that I can basically sleep on the job. (provided I've done the math right!)

OK... some Canadian needs to explain to me the concept of the Flashing Green Light.

I live very close to Canada, and spend a fair amount of time in and around Vancouver. But I have not grasped what the hell a flashing green is supposed to mean.

Here in Nova Scotia, especially Halifax, it seems to be very important, as there is even signage posting the times of day that you will see the mysterious blinking green.

I don't get it.

Left: Ferrari's fly around a curve toward Mahone Bay.

Once we leave Halifax, I sit back and enjoy the ride. There is not much to see, and until we reach Mahone Bay we do not see any other Rally cars... so I don't have anything to shoot pictures of. The scenery is that weird 'midget tree' environment common in Nova Scotia... it is as if the whole province was invaded by Bonsai Gardeners at some point who clear cut the place and planted miniature trees everywhere. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, where even the second-growth firs and cedars in my yard are over 70 feet high these little stunted things are hard to comprehend.

Mahone turns out to be very scenic, and the checkpoint is in a large bay-side parking area. We arrive with plenty of time to spare. Dad has come to peace with our newfound status as 'losers'.. er... 'un-winners'... but still wants to do what we can to finish well. We have a reputation to uphold you know. However he is relaxed, and even wants to finish the segment at the wheel. So I amble up to check our clock against Rally Time, and take the opportunity to shoot a few pictures:

Above: Curt Friehs soaks in the view of Mahone Bay outside his 1989 Ferrari Testarossa.
Below: Lined up for the roll to the check-in.

Below.. I can't stop loving this GTB/4.

With Dad at the wheel we zero the checkpoint. From here to the ferry is a lot of driving, but no more TSD's so the pressure is off, and we plan to enjoy the day. Dad drives the short 7.6 mile transit to Lunenburg. When we arrive I grab a chance to stock up on Tourista Swag for the folks back home... T-Shirts for Sue & the boys. There is a museum in Lunenburg... a maritime museum, that thankfully comes equipped with a gift shop. I grab a huge wad of shirts for a very small wad of cash... as they are having a clearance sale. Tourist season is over. =)

Below: The schooner Bluenose at anchor in Lunenburg.

Below: Dad adding oil to the Cruise Missile in Lunenburg.

My turn at the wheel comes up for a 144.1 mile transit stage to Yarmouth. Again we navigate for a while along the coast, and then jump back on the Trans-Canada for the majority of the segment. The driving is easy, though the roads down here are significantly more crowded than elsewhere in the province. It was along this segment that I witnessed the only display of 'Proper use of a Ferrari'... I was cruising along at a pretty good clip... when I cam up behind a pickup and a tractor-trailer rig poking up a long shallow grade. I passed the pickup, tucked in for oncoming traffic then floored it to pass the truck. Just as I was pulling even with the nose of the truck I glanced at the rear-view, and almost flying past the pickup was a black 2001 Ferrari Maranello... gaining on me *fast!* I quickly moved over in front of the truck, right as he flew by me ... probably travelling close to 170 MPH. I grabbed the camera to get a picture of him, but by the time I did, he was just a speck on the horizon. As you can see, I wasn't poking along myself, but he was hauling ass!

The above also shows the Nova Scotia Bonsai Forest well too.

Anybody would have a hard time justifying that kind of speed on a public road. These events are not about speed... extreme speed is for the track, not the public highways. I suspect that if the rally organizers saw this bit of driving the participant in the black Ferrari would not be invited back.

That wound-up V-12 did sound sweet though.

We arrive in Yarmouth and check out the ferry line-up. The gates are locked, so we head to Rudder's Restaurant for lunch. I have a plate of clams and chips, and Dad enjoys a some fish. The place is packed, but the food is great, and we are hungy. The clams are huge, and I can not mange to finish them all (a rare thing with me, as I love clams.)

Afterwards we head out and lounge about in the sun, waiting for the ferry line-up to take place. The 450sl is almost out of gas, but rather than pay an arm and a leg for it in Canada we plan on nursing it onto the ferry and fill up once we reach the US. Gasoline is the *only* thing in Canada that is expensive... everything else is dirt cheap.

Dad checks out the GTB/4 in the ferry line-up.

We get in the line-up and await our turn to load into the ferry. This ferry is a very cool machine. It is a high-speed catamaran built by InCat Tasmania. This is an awesome bit of engineering!

Above: Loading up the Cat.
Below: Leaving Yarmouth.

Left: 18,000HP!

Left and above: Sunset over Maine.

The Cat has four marine diesels driving four water-jet drives. It maneuvers with amazing grace and agility and once clear of the harbor... moves faster than anything I have seen on the water short of a racing hydroplane. Add to this the fact that it is HUGE. The thing cruises at nearly 60 MPH, which is amazing for an object in water. The ride is smooth and the view from up on deck is awesome.

When we return to the car as we arrive in Bar Harbor I find that I can't get the trunk open. Both Dad & I try several times with no success. We are kind of freaked that the US Customs guys will have a cow and crow-bar the thing (and rubber glove us!) if we can't comply with a request to look in the trunk. Given the weird post-Sept. 11 situation a Customs incident is not unlikely.

Thankfully we pass through customs with little trouble other than a once-over of our passports.

We gas up the car with cheap unleaded and as I'm washing the windscreen I tell my Father my Customs horror story... the one with the bizarre ending that leaves dad laughing. We head to the hotel and enjoy a great dinner.

Above: a thorn betwen two roses.

--chuck

On to the next day: Thursday

or...



		Wednesday. Last night we had dinner in a great Italian place, Café Chianti, right across from our Hotel. I ordered a seafood jambalaya thatwas awesome... shrimp, scallops, mussels, sausage, rice... and enough paprika to kill a Hungarian. We were joined at dinner by Mick Pallardy and Kevin Canty of Mercedes-Benz USA. Mick needed a driver to help him shuttle a car to Manchester, New Hampshire the morning after the rally ends... since it just so happens that I am flying out of Manchester that morning it is a perfect idea. Arrangements are made. Left: a now familiar scene... only this time in Halifax. The real shocker comes when RallyMaster Ian Tugwell passes out the standings as dinner finishes. We glance at the top of the sheet expecting to see ourselves fallen to second place somewhere... only to find us way back in the pack at 19th Place! Needless to say we are confused. A closer look reveals a 500 point penalty on the day's last TSD segment. We check in with Ian and he confirms the sad truth... we were 10 minutes early ... to the second, mind you ...but still a full 10 minutes early. Dad, who served as navigator on that leg replayed the segment in his head and realized his mathematical error. We're screwed... not by the factors that have robbed us of victory before (being cut off at checkpoints by latecomers, etc.) - but from our own monumental mistake. The irony here is that I have rather brutally lambasted other teams right here on this website for making the very same error, and stealing our check-in time the process (the infamous "Aston-Moron Incident of 1999"... which lead to our loss of the overall win.) Thankfully we didn't screw anyone else out of their time... and in fact had there been two of us lined up for the checkpoint we probably would have checked our math... as it was we had the wrong time all to ourselves... and have no one to blame for our predicament than ourselves... well OK, just Dad. =) Needless to say, Dad beats himself up about it for a while... Left: The Start on Wednesday. The Vallipollicella from last night, added to our timing error makes getting up this morning real hard. =) Our route will take us out along the southwest coast of Nova Scotia back to where we started, at Yarmouth, to take a ferry back to the US. The first segment will be the only TSD of the day... a 55.4 mile - 70 minute run from Halifax to Mahone Bay. The navigation is pretty simple... get the hell outta Dodge... in this case the busy weekday morning traffic of Halifax, and onto a portion of the Trans-Canada highway system down to Mahone Bay. Dad is driving, and I'm pretty busy for the first 10 minutes just getting us out through the surface streets and onto the highway... after that I can basically sleep on the job. (provided I've done the math right!) OK... some Canadian needs to explain to me the concept of the Flashing Green Light. I live very close to Canada, and spend a fair amount of time in and around Vancouver. But I have not grasped what the hell a flashing green is supposed to mean. Here in Nova Scotia, especially Halifax, it seems to be very important, as there is even signage posting the times of day that you will see the mysterious blinking green. I don't get it. Left: Ferrari's fly around a curve toward Mahone Bay. Once we leave Halifax, I sit back and enjoy the ride. There is not much to see, and until we reach Mahone Bay we do not see any other Rally cars... so I don't have anything to shoot pictures of. The scenery is that weird 'midget tree' environment common in Nova Scotia... it is as if the whole province was invaded by Bonsai Gardeners at some point who clear cut the place and planted miniature trees everywhere. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, where even the second-growth firs and cedars in my yard are over 70 feet high these little stunted things are hard to comprehend. Mahone turns out to be very scenic, and the checkpoint is in a large bay-side parking area. We arrive with plenty of time to spare. Dad has come to peace with our newfound status as 'losers'.. er... 'un-winners'... but still wants to do what we can to finish well. We have a reputation to uphold you know. However he is relaxed, and even wants to finish the segment at the wheel. So I amble up to check our clock against Rally Time, and take the opportunity to shoot a few pictures: Above: Curt Friehs soaks in the view of Mahone Bay outside his 1989 Ferrari Testarossa. Below: Lined up for the roll to the check-in. Below.. I can't stop loving this GTB/4. With Dad at the wheel we zero the checkpoint. From here to the ferry is a lot of driving, but no more TSD's so the pressure is off, and we plan to enjoy the day. Dad drives the short 7.6 mile transit to Lunenburg. When we arrive I grab a chance to stock up on Tourista Swag for the folks back home... T-Shirts for Sue & the boys. There is a museum in Lunenburg... a maritime museum, that thankfully comes equipped with a gift shop. I grab a huge wad of shirts for a very small wad of cash... as they are having a clearance sale. Tourist season is over. =) *Below: The schooner Bluenose* at anchor in Lunenburg. Below: Dad adding oil to the Cruise Missile in Lunenburg. My turn at the wheel comes up for a 144.1 mile transit stage to Yarmouth. Again we navigate for a while along the coast, and then jump back on the Trans-Canada for the majority of the segment. The driving is easy, though the roads down here are significantly more crowded than elsewhere in the province. It was along this segment that I witnessed the only display of 'Proper use of a Ferrari'... I was cruising along at a pretty good clip... when I cam up behind a pickup and a tractor-trailer rig poking up a long shallow grade. I passed the pickup, tucked in for oncoming traffic then floored it to pass the truck. Just as I was pulling even with the nose of the truck I glanced at the rear-view, and almost flying past the pickup was a black 2001 Ferrari Maranello... gaining on me fast! I quickly moved over in front of the truck, right as he flew by me ... probably travelling close to 170 MPH. I grabbed the camera to get a picture of him, but by the time I did, he was just a speck on the horizon. As you can see, I wasn't poking along myself, but he was hauling ass!** The above also shows the Nova Scotia Bonsai Forest well too. Anybody would have a hard time justifying that kind of speed on a public road. These events are not about speed... extreme speed is for the track, not the public highways. I suspect that if the rally organizers saw this bit of driving the participant in the black Ferrari would not be invited back. That wound-up V-12 did sound sweet though. We arrive in Yarmouth and check out the ferry line-up. The gates are locked, so we head to Rudder's Restaurant for lunch. I have a plate of clams and chips, and Dad enjoys a some fish. The place is packed, but the food is great, and we are hungy. The clams are huge, and I can not mange to finish them all (a rare thing with me, as I love clams.) Afterwards we head out and lounge about in the sun, waiting for the ferry line-up to take place. The 450sl is almost out of gas, but rather than pay an arm and a leg for it in Canada we plan on nursing it onto the ferry and fill up once we reach the US. Gasoline is the only thing in Canada that is expensive... everything else is dirt cheap. Dad checks out the GTB/4 in the ferry line-up. We get in the line-up and await our turn to load into the ferry. This ferry is a very cool machine. It is a high-speed catamaran built by InCat Tasmania. This is an awesome bit of engineering! Above: Loading up the Cat. Below: Leaving Yarmouth. Left: 18,000HP! Left and above: Sunset over Maine. The Cat has four marine diesels driving four water-jet drives. It maneuvers with amazing grace and agility and once clear of the harbor... moves faster than anything I have seen on the water short of a racing hydroplane. Add to this the fact that it is HUGE. The thing cruises at nearly 60 MPH, which is amazing for an object in water. The ride is smooth and the view from up on deck is awesome. When we return to the car as we arrive in Bar Harbor I find that I can't get the trunk open. Both Dad & I try several times with no success. We are kind of freaked that the US Customs guys will have a cow and crow-bar the thing (and rubber glove us!) if we can't comply with a request to look in the trunk. Given the weird post-Sept. 11 situation a Customs incident is not unlikely. Thankfully we pass through customs with little trouble other than a once-over of our passports. We gas up the car with cheap unleaded and as I'm washing the windscreen I tell my Father my Customs horror story... the one with the bizarre ending that leaves dad laughing. We head to the hotel and enjoy a great dinner. Above: a thorn betwen two roses. --chuck On to the next day: Thursday
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