Saturday September 12th – Friday September 18th.

Spent Saturday in Boothbay and attended the DEYC haulout party.

On Sunday Teresa had some commitments at home and Ron stayed at Boothbay staring to prepare for the end of season.  Teresa returned on Wednesday and on Friday we motored to Hodgdons, at Southport Island, 43 50.04n 069 40.79W, where we’ll layup for the winter. 

Ships Log: 5695.2, Todays Log: 3.7, Seasons Total: 1247.3

Friday September 11th.

Our final trip of the season.  It was great!  We were either reaching or broad reaching most of the way to Boothbay Harbor, 43 50.96N 069 37.65W, in winds up to 20 knots, with boat speeds reaching 11 knots.  We were dodging lobster pots of course (interesting at those speeds), but at least we didn’t have a propeller in the water sucking in their lines.  And we finished with a nice beat into Boothbay harbor.

A sailboat was motoring against the wind as we were beating in and it turned out he was a fellow DEYC member who ended up on the mooring next to ours.  We met him the next day and he was apparently impressed with the speed we were sailing at on the way in.  Between you and us, this was nothing to do with our sailing skills, but due to the fact that we still had 20 knot winds, and unlike monohulls that have a maximum hull speed, multihulls just keep going faster as the wind gets up.  Anyway it was a very nice sail to finish the season with. 

Ships Log: 5691.5, Todays Log: 25, Seasons Total: 1243.6

Thursday September 10th.

Went for a bike ride on the dirt roads around the island.  People were very friendly.  We stopped at the “Fisherman’s Wife Art Gallery” and discovered to our dismay that the baking lady had finished for the season.  We toured the island and discovered the International, ahem, Airport, the one room school and some very nice walking trails which we biked. 

The school had a welcome sign on it so we tentatively went in.  It was not yet in session and the 2 ladies in there, a classroom teacher and special ed teacher, who were preparing for opening next week seemed pleased to talk with us.  The classroom teacher will have 3 boys this year, aged 5,6 and 7.  One of the 3 boys is a special needs kid, hence the special ed teacher who will be there part time.  There will also be a special ed teachers assistant.  A lot of staff for 3 kids!

We posted a card at the islands post office and inquired about internet on the island.  No go!  We also didn’t have data coverage on our phones, and the boats VHF wasn’t picking up weather forecasts.  The lady in the post office said some bad weather was on the way, so we decided to set off for Port Clyde, 43 55.51N 069 15.76W, that afternoon. 

The winds were, unusually, from the north, but light.  They did however make for a pleasant motor sail to Port Clyde, where we picked up a mooring rented by the Port Clyde General Store.  The store was interesting but expensive – they charged us $5 for a shower.  Ron had a beer in the store’s bar while Teresa showered and Teresa went for a walk around town while Ron showered. 

Ships Log: 5666.5, Todays Log: 19.5, Seasons Total: 1218.6

Wednesday September 9th.

The VHF man came along at 9:30 and diagnosed us as having a bad antenna cable.  So we’ll drop the mast when we lay up this winter and replace it. 

We set off for Matinicus Island, 43 51.78N, 068 52.92W, and had a pleasant sail in 7-12 knots winds, dodging lobster pots.  As we approached Matinicus, the wind piped up to 20+ knots and we found ourselves heading directly into the sun, which made locating lobster floats very difficult.  So we were quite glad to enter the harbor whereupon we found 6 or so visitors moorings with pickup floats attached. 

We picked one up and found a message in a bottle taped to the float.  The message explained that the fee for a mooring was $25, it was an honor system and that we should leave the fee in the bottle.  It also gave a lot of information about the island, including the phone number of the lady who would bake bread and pies etc. if we called her.  Nice! 

Just after we picked up the mooring, a lobster boat went past, asked us if we had found the information and if we wanted some crabs.  Of course we said yes and yes and dashed below to find some cash to pay for the crabs.  They returned with a cardboard box full of crab legs and wouldn’t take any money.  (But they took the few bottled of beer we offered).  They told us how to cook them and departed. 

We had so many crabs they wouldn’t fit in our largest pot, so we cooked the first batch but couldn’t finish them all.   Then we cooked the 2nd batch, added the leftovers from the 1^st batch and extracted the meat.  It’s a very messy and time consuming process and by the time we’d finished, and cleaned up the dining table it was 10:30pm.  Still we had a great meal and will have crab sandwiched for lunch for the forseeable future (on home made bread from the baking lady we hope). 

Ships Log: 5647, Todays Log: 22.7, Seasons Total: 1199.1

Tuesday September 8th.

Set off for Rockland, 44 06.03N 069 06.40W, where we’re hoping to get our VHF diagnosed.  (It does not have the range it should).  The winds started out promising, 7-8 knots on the quarter so we hoisted the screecher and cruised along at 3.5 knots of boat speed with a knot of fair tide giving us a an SOG of 4.5 knots.  Not earth shattering, but very pleasant.  As we keep reporting, the winds died after an hour or so, and we motored the rest of the way to Rockland where we tied up on the public landing to await the VHF repair man while we (Teresa) did our laundry. 

It was hot and humid again, with no wind and we wished we were at anchor, where we could at least go for a swim.  The VHF man didn’t show and we went for a walk along the (very short) boardwalk. 

Ships Log: 5624.3, Todays Log: 18.7, Seasons Total: 1176.4

Saturday – Monday September 5th – 7th.

We motored the 11 nm to Belfast, 44 25.71N 069 00.06W, on another hot, windless day. 

Teresa’s niece and husband have a summer home on Unity Pond, Maine, which is only 25 miles from Belfast.  We were invited for the long weekend.  Debbie picked us and our bikes up on Saturday.  Stan took us for a boat ride around their beautiful lake.  We partied Saturday night with them and their neighbours.  

On Sunday, Teresa and Ron took the kayaks out on the lake in the morning, then Debbie, Stan and neighbours had a fish fry in the afternoon.  All in all a jolly good time!  On Monday, Teresa and Ron biked back to the boat and Debbie and Brandon drove out for a sail.  They were really lucky – the winds picked up in the afternoon for a beautiful beam reach down Penobscot bay, followed by a change of wind direction and a pleasant run back home. 

Finished the day with a very nice dinner in Belfast before Debbie and Brandon headed home.

Sat: Ships Log: 5596.5, Todays Log: 11.5, Seasons Total: 1148.6

Mon: Ships Log: 5605.6, Todays Log: 9.1, Seasons Total: 1157.7

Friday September 4th.

We had a short sail today to Islesboro.  Despite the prevailing winds being SW, we had NE winds, bang on the nose.  Anyway, since we hadn’t had any winds to speak of recently we were glad of the opportunity to sail.  Until they dropped to 4 knots and the boat speed dropped to 2 knots.  So the engines went on again!

We pulled into Dark Harbor, 44 15.30N 068 55.41W and picked up a mooring.  It didn’t look like a visitors mooring so Ron went for a ride in the dinghy to investigate where the visitors moorings were.  They were over the other side of the channel in Cradle Cove on 700 Acre Island, 44 15.67N 068 56.33W, so we headed over there and found a mooring. 

Our guide book suggested that the best cycling was on Islesboro Island, so we loaded the bikes into the dinghy and set off back to Islesboro.  The island has many beautiful homes, apparently owned by the rich and famous (such as John Travolta).  And it also has lots of gorgeous views. 

After cycling to the southern tip, we headed north again and Ron wanted to reach the village of Dark Harbor, where he hoped to find some ice cream.  Sure enough we found a likely looking store and parked our bikes.  No sooner had we done so than a lady came out of the store and said “I hope you’re not looking for ice cream, ‘cause we’ve run out”.  Initially we thought this was some kind of Dark harbor humour, but alas, it was true.  We looked around the store anyway, ignored the huge ice cream menu, and then mounted our trusty bikes again.  After a few miles we found another store, and solved the ice cream problem!

Ships Log: 5585, Todays Log: 14.4, Seasons Total: 1137.1

Thursday September 3rd.

We’re cruising again!  We left Boothbay Harbor on another hot and humid day with hardly a breath of wind, and boy could we have made use of some, not only for sailing but also to cool us a little.  We motored all day, mostly with a slight fair tide thank goodness.  The wind teased us late in the trip so we unrolled the genoa (the main was already hoisted – just in case), but after 5 minutes the wind was back to 2-3 knots and we furled the genoa again.   

We had planned to go to Rockport, 44 10.80N 069 04.22W, but by 4pm the fair tide had turned against us, and we were fed up with motoring, so we turned into Rockland Harbor, 44 06.76N 069 05.00W, and dropped the hook behind the breakwater.  This turned out to be a good decision, because we had time for a swim and to cook dinner, before it started getting dark shortly after 7pm.

Ships Log: 5570.6, Todays Log: 36.6, Seasons Total: 1122.7

Wednesday 19th August – Wednesday September 2nd.

Drove back home in a rental car and stayed overnight.  On Thursday Teresa drove south to visit her mom.

Ron returned to the boat and spent a few days fixing or jury rigging some of the lightning damage and doing a few other jobs around the boat. 

The weather, on the boat at least, was not good.  Foggy and drizzly in the mornings, rain shower and the promise of thunderstorms (which have not yet materialized).  So luckily a good few days to be taking a break from sailing. 

Quinita ended up spending 15 days in Boothbay – her longest stay in the water in one place.  The weather was hot, humid and windless.  The showers at the Tugboat Inn are wonderful!

Tuesday 18th August.

Another windless day dodging lobster pots.  We arrived at Boothbay Harbor, 43 50.98N 069 37.63W, at 1:30pm.  It was still very hot and windless!  We picked up one of our yacht clubs moorings (Down East Yacht Club). 

We’ll be leaving the boat in Boothbay over the winter so it felt like we were home.  In fact we’re planning to take a rental car home tomorrow, and pick up our car.  Teresa will visit her mum (mom) in CT and Ron will return to Boothbay with the rental car and do a few jobs on the boat. 

We took bike ride around the town and then to Ebencook Harbor, 43 50.11N 69 40.78W, (where our haulout is actually located).  It was a 10 mile ride with plenty of hills, and we were rather hot when we returned.  We had the best shower ever (for 50c) at the Tugboat Inn & Marina. 

We broke open the champagne to celebrate Quinita’s return to the USA. 

Ships Log: 5534, Todays Log: 27.3, Seasons Total: 1086.1

Monday 17th August.

Since the days are getting noticeably shorter (it’s dark at 8:15pm in these parts), we’re going to bed earlier and waking earlier.  So we woke around 7am, had breakfast, Ron fixed the composting head fan.  Then we went for a walk around North Haven.  It was another hot day, and when we returned to the boat, we were pleased to find the water temp was 20C (68F).  So we jumped in for a refreshing swim, followed by sun shower to wash the salt off. 

We set off for Tenants harbor, 43 57.88N 069 11.99W, just before 1pm.  It was another day of lobster pot dodging.  This is not fun!  Some pots are brightly coloured, but many are not and are difficult to see until you’re upon them.  At high water, some pots are partially submerged.  On the other hand, the lines on the pots seem to be weighted, so that they hang vertically from the pot and so theoretically are more difficult to catch on a prop or rudder, unlike many in Canada where the lines were floating on the surface!

After 4 hours of staring at the water just ahead of the boat, we picked up a mooring, complements of one of the DEYC members, in Tenants harbor. 

We took a dinghy ride ashore to explore the small town, and were pleasantly surprised to find a pub/eatery.  So we decided to support the local economy and had a very nice meal. 

Ships Log: 5506.7, Todays Log: 18.8, Seasons Total: 1058.8

Sunday 16th August.

Brenda and Vin had decided to stay put for a day or so at North East Harbor.  We pressed on to Pulpit harbor, 44 09.22N 068 53.12W.  Once again it was a hot, hot day with no wind, so we motored while dodging lobster pots.  It dawned upon us that a catamaran is not the ideal boat in lobster pot fields – we have 2 rudders and 2 props 16’ apart, and both hulls have to be clear of pots.  This is sometime tricky when the pots are 20’ apart.  A monohull or tri only has one hull, rudder and prop so it’s much easier to find a way through. 

We managed to sail for an hour in the afternoon in winds of 7 knots, but when the boat speed dropped to 1 knot, we gave up. 

Our guide suggested that Pulpit harbor was very popular and would be busy on weekends.  Since this was a Sunday we hoped that the locals would have left, but we were disappointed.  The harbor was full of moorings, so we spent some time trying to find a spot to anchor, with enough swinging room at low water.  Shortly after we anchored, another 2 boats dropped their hooks, one on each side, and in our opinion a little close!  However light winds were forecast so we weren’t too worried (and we had a very peaceful night). 

Pulpit harbor is naturally very beautiful.  Fortunately we were outside most of the boats and had great views out of the harbor towards the Camden hills.  When looking inward however, the mass of boats gave the impression of being in a campground. 

One of the boats on a mooring was a beautiful 92’ sailing yacht – which must be worth millions.

Ships Log: 5487.9, Todays Log: 35.1, Seasons Total: 1040

Saturday 15th August.

We had planned to leave at 10:30 to catch fair tides to Seal Harbor, 44 17.42N 068 14.51W, so we had time in the morning for a nice walk along the beach.  We were so close to the beach that swimming in would have idyllic, but not in water that was 13°C, (55°F) thank you very much!  We took the dinghy instead!  The beach was as nice as it looked from the boat. 

We set off as planned for Seal Harbor, 44 17.42N 068 14.51W, and started negotiating the many lobster floats in the harbor.  Nothing changed when we were out at sea and we both had to keep a constant watch for floats the entire day.  To make matters worse, the day ended with us squinting into the sun trying to locate the **** things. 

Brenda and Vin overtook us at about 4pm and arrived at Seal Harbor before us.  They didn’t like the limited anchoring room so pressed on to North East Harbor.  By the time we arrived at Seal harbor, we had had enough squinting into the sun and were ready to drop anchor, so we took a look and found a couple of likely looking spots and dropped the hook. 

Soon after the steaks were on the grill …

Ships Log: 5452.8, Todays Log: 42.6, Seasons Total: 1004.9

Friday 14th August.

The shortest way south from Eastport is by way of the Lubec  channel, 44 51.56N 66 58.79W, which saves 10 nm.  Unfortunately, the bridge clearance is 44 or 46 feet, dependent on which chart you’re reading and our mast is 45 feet high.  But the bridge clearances are given at high water, so with tidal ranges of 18 feet we should be able to clear the bridge at half tide or less.   But there are also currents that run up to 8 knots through this channel and our maximum speed is 6 knots!  So we did some calculations, and reckoned that we could get through at 6:30am today – low tide and small current.  That meant leaving Eastport at 5:30am.    We tried and it seems our calculations were correct!  We had hoped for slack tide, but we got 1-2 knts against us, (which is safer when passing under a bridge, since you can control your forward speed more easily when motoring into a foul current).  We passed under the bridge without problem, and had 1-2 knot current against us through the narrows.  As a bonus, our early departure meant we got to see the sun rise over the most eastern part of the USA – lovely and peaceful!

Once out into open ocean again, we had foul tides, and no wind for 5 hours, before the wind picked up and the tides turned fair, and we were able to sail the last part of the passage.  But we were in Maine again, with the proverbial lobster pots, so spent a lot of time dodging them.

We arrived at Rogue Island, 44 34.58N 067 31.21W, at 2:45pm and anchored.  It’s a beautiful bay, with a long sandy beach and pretty views out to the sea.  Judging by the other boats here it seems to be a popular anchorage.  

Brenda and Vin, who couldn’t fit under the bridge, set off way later than we did, and arrived at 5pm. We all dined aboard Quinita and had another pleasant evening. 

Ships Log: 5410.2, Todays Log: 46.7, Seasons Total: 962.3

Thursday 13th August.

We left in thick fog for Eastport, ME, 44 54.28N 066 59.01W just managed to see a little of Grand Manan when it lifted briefly.  The sail across the Grana Manan channel was also foggy, but it cleared a little when we reached Campobello Island, 44 57.44N 66 54.12W and we saw some of the beauty of this area.  We also saw a few dolphins, seals and a variety of birds.  It’s a big whale watching area however we didn’t see any. 

We cleared US customs, picked up a mooring at the Chowder House had lunch and took our bikes ashore to explore the town.  It was now sunny and warm – yippee!

We returned to the boat, Ron planned the next days trips and Teresa did the laundry.  We had dinner at the Chowder House with Brenda and Vin and had an early night in preparation for an early start tomorrow. 

Ships Log: 5363.5, Todays Log: 20.2, Seasons Total: 915.6

Wednesday 12th August.

The classic way of crossing the Bay of Fundy from Yarmouth is to sail to Northeast Harbor, where one can clear US customs.  This should be a good sail in the prevailing SW winds, however it involves an overnight since the trip is close to 100nm.  It can also involve big seas with wind over strong tides.  We chose to go via Grand Manan, which is reported to be a beautiful island to cycle and hike and we really wanted to visit the island.  So we had planned a lay day today.

Unfortunately, the day started out foggy, cold and wet and became foggier, colder and wetter as the day went on.  In addition, we needed to clear out of Canadian customs, since we had extended Quinita’s stay in Canada last winter due to repairs.  We called customs and were told that they would arrive in 2-3 hours.  They arrived about 2:30pm (having travelled on the ferry from St. John, NB!).  The paperwork was completed in about 15 minutes, and then finally we were free to explore the island. 

However, it was pouring rain, so we opted for a walk to the lighthouses on North Head.  The fog lifted enough for us to catch a glimpse of the headlands and all in all it was a very interesting walk,  We were soaked, but at least didn’t have to pack wet and dirty bikes.  We saw a little of the towns several shops and restaurants and were disappointed that we didn’t get a chance to explore the island more fully.

The day finished with dinner on Dragonfly.

Ships Log: 5343.3, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 895.4

Tuesday 11th August.

We awoke at 6:25 to find Dragonfly gone!  Oh well.  We set off at 7pm in fog, headed for a hopefully pretty trip through Westport, 44 16.00N 66 20.40W, but it was still very foggy and we saw almost nothing of this passage.  After heading across the Bay of (No)Fundy, the fog cleared until we got to the shipping lanes, when it returned in earnest.  Eventually it cleared when we were about 8 miles from Grand Manan, 44 45.74N 066 44.88W.  I guess that’s par for the course in these parts.  The good news is that we had strong (15-20 knt) southerly wind the whole day which made for a fast passage across most of the bay.  We ended up with light winds and foul tides so had to resort to the motors. 

Brenda and Vin had arrived several hours before us and were on the dock to take our lines, which was appreciated since it was then blowing hard (18 knts) again when we arrived.  We tied up, and invited Brenda and Vin to bring their dinner to Quinita.  (That’s sometime how it is when cruising on small boats!).  Had an enjoyable evening.  Looking forward to exploring Grand Manan tomorrow. 

Ships Log: 5343.3, Todays Log: 50.5, Seasons Total: 895.4

Monday 10th August.

We planned to leave today at 2pm to take advantage of the tides to Meteghan, 44 11.65N 066 10.03W, so we had time for a cycle ride to the Cape Forchu lighthouse, 43 47.65N 66 09.32W.  The cycle ride was very pretty and gave a completely different impression of Yarmouth, which from the harbor seemed rather industrial.  We toured the lighthouse museum – actually having now seen several, they’re all pretty similar – and then went on the Lief Ericsson trail – a short walk describing the geological features of the area. 

We had a quick cycle around the town (not too big), stopping for lunch in town and then set off for Metaghan.  It was a bright, sunny day with 10 knot winds and a 1 knot fair tide promising a great sail, but after a couple of hours the wind died and the motors came on.  (We still had the fair tide.)  

Dragonfly, despite leaving after us, had, surprise, surprise arrived before us, docked and then inquired about a dock for us.  (No wonder Dragonfly is so fast – look at the size of that mast!)  

There wasn’t room so a boat taking up a large dock moved to a smaller one to allow us to use the large one.  The people in these small harbours are really friendly and helpful. 

We docked at 7:15pm and the 4 of us had hoped to dine out in order to discuss tomorrow’s tides and plans.  However the restaurant closed at 7pm, so we went to Tim Hortons instead.  It seems that Tim Hortons is the local hangout in Meteghan! 

Plans were agreed and we returned to the boat at 9:30. 

Ships Log: 5292.8, Todays Log: 24.8, Seasons Total: 844.9

Sunday 9th August.

We are now a few days behind our planned schedule, however the Bay of Fundy is (in)famous for its strong tides and currents which we hoped to turn to our advantage.  We calculated that the tides were favourable for rounding Cape Sable, 43 23.41N 65 37.27W, (which the locals call “the local Cape Horn”), and then catching a fair tide to Yarmouth if we left at 5am.  (This is a 70 odd nm passage but we figured that the tidal assistance should make it possible.)  We woke at 5am, and then realized that we had forgotten to check the time of sunrise.  It was still dark – not the best conditions to leave a harbor we were not familiar with.  So we went back to bed, left at 6am and motor sailed with 15-20 knot winds to Cape Sable, arriving just after slack tide, with the fair tide theoretically just starting.  

We took the notorious inshore passage (which saved us several miles) and were pleased to find flat water and fair tides.   However, on the next leg, the currents hadn’t read the rule book and we didn’t get our expected tidal assistance.  However, the winds were great – 15 knot beam reach, so we sailed at 6 ,7 and 8 knots and completed the 70nm trip by 4:30pm.  A good day’s sail, despite the rain all day. 

We picked up a mooring in Yarmouth, 43 50.33N 066 07.46W, hung our wet gear out to dry and settled in with pasta primavera! 

Ships Log: 5268, Todays Log: 70.5, Seasons Total: 820.1

Friday, Saturday 7th, 8th August.

Strong wind warnings were being issued for these 2 days, so we stayed put.  The weather in the harbor was actually very nice – the forecasted rain didn’t materialize and it was sunny and warm.  We went for some nice bike rides to the Islands Park and to the Boxing Rock Brewery, whereupon Ron felt the need to support the local economy. 

Teresa hauled Ron up the mast again to check the VHF antenna connection, since we were suspecting our radio isn’t transmitting as far as it should.  Ron cleaned all the connections, and we’ll see next time we’re at sea whether that fixed the problem. 

Thursday 6th August

An idyllic sail to Shelburne, 43 45.49N 065 19.43W, today.  We beat pretty much all the way, but the seas were flat, the winds were between 9 and 15 knots for the first part and we finished up with a reach with 18-20 knot winds and boat speed reaching 10 knots.  And the sun was shining.  We arrived at Shelburne at 1pm, picked up a mooring and then the winds really picked up and we were glad to be in harbor. 

We had lunch, went for a bike ride and returned to the yacht club.  We had heard that Thursday evening was race night and $3 hamburgers would be available at the clubhouse.  So we went back to the boat, got our shower gear and went back to the clubhouse to clean up for dinner.  Ron noticed that the sailboats were getting ready for racing and the winds were still pretty strong.  So, thinking that some boats might appreciate some extra weight in the strong winds, he volunteered his services on one of the boats.  Just before crossing the starting line the skipper (Dave) handed Ron the helm, and took up position as tactician for the entire race with Ron on the wheel.  Nice.  2^nd place on handicap, but Ron had to forego his shower.  Oh well, we are sailors after all …

Ships Log: 5197.5, Todays Log: 26, Seasons Total: 749.6

Wednesday 5th August.

First order of business was to assess the damage from last nights lightening hit.  We had a lucky escape.  The solenoid on the propane tank is no longer working, so Ron removed it and we now need to venture out into the cockpit to turn the propane on and off, rather than simply pressing a button in the galley.   – not a huge problem.  The other damage was to the shore power voltmeter.  We were plugged in to shore power last night and the lightening strike tripped the breaker.  We reset the breaker and the voltmeter read 75 volts, rather than the expected 110.  However it turned out that the voltmeter was not working correctly but the rest of the shore power is.  So all in all, we were pretty lucky.  Brenda and Vin on Dragonfly were not so lucky.  They lost their radar! 

The 4 of us then cycled 3 miles to a breakfast café and had a hearty breakfast.  Then discussed heading for Lockeport instead of Port Joli.  One of the locals had suggested that Port Joli was not a great place to anchor.  In addition the winds were forecasted to be strong the following day, and Lockeport would make for a shorter sail to Shelburne.  So Lockeport was chosen. 

Brenda and Vin needed to make a few repairs, and since they’re faster than Quinita, we set off at 11:30am.  It was another foggy day, although the fog came and went, unlike yesterday which was thick fog all day.  It was cold though and very wet.  It was a long day and finished up with strong headwinds, big lumpy seas, fog and slow progress – frustrating.  We docked at 7:15pm in Lockeports very sheltered fishing harbor with a small marina, 43 41.97N 065 06.68W. 

A quick cycle ride around town was followed by dinner in the marina’s restaurant.  

Ships Log: 5171.5, Todays Log: 40.8, Seasons Total: 723.6

Tuesday 4th August.

Happy birthday to our reader – (that’s you Harvey!)

Another similar day wind wise – light in the morning, and a stronger, better sailing breeze in the afternoon.  However, the sunshine was replaced by fog today – thick fog.  At one point, the gps guided us close to a navigational buoy and we were about 100’ from it before we saw it – that’s 3 boat lengths!.  Thank goodness for modern navigational aids. 

Once again we motored for 3 hours, then sailed for 3 hours hard on the wind. 

We made it to Brooklyn, 44 03.12N 064 41.45W without incident, and just when we entered the harbour, the fog lifted and we had a beautiful sail up to the marina. 

We (Ron, Teresa, Brenda and Vin) rode our bikes to Liverpool and toured the lighthouse.  Couldn’t find any traces of the Beatles here though so we biked back to the boats, took a shower and went back to Liverpool by cab for a delicious dinner at the Privateer Restaurant and Pub. 

We got back to the boats, and the forecasted thunderstorms started in the distance.  We were sitting on the boat, writing this very blog, listening to them getting closer and closer.  Then, BANG, there was a load crash and the boat kinda lit up.  So I guess we got hit.  Right now, (10:40pm) nothing seems damaged, but we’ll wait until morning to assess the navigational equipment …  We have however, lost the marina’s internet connection, so perhaps they got hit as well. 

Ships Log: 5130.7, Todays Log: 28.2, Seasons Total: 682.8

Monday 3rd August

Weatherwise, today was a repeat of yesterday.  Hot with light winds early, then a very nice sailing breeze in the afternoon.  So we motored for 2 ½ hours and sailed for 4 ½.  The sailing was great and by the time we arrived at LaHave, 44 14.50N 064 20.38W, we had forgotten about the motoring in the morning!

Dragonfly, as usual, arrived way before us and had found a nice spot to anchor, so we dropped our hook nearby them.  Ron, Teresa and Vin went for an exploratory walk ashore.  Just as we were setting off in the dinghy, SnowCat, the leader of the BWSC cruise arrived and dropped her hook.  On the way back from the walk we stopped by in the dinghy to say hello. 

Then Julia – another BWSC cruise boat arrived.  Julia, with Jack and Toy aboard, are impressive in the amount of sailing they do.  Even in light winds apparently, they sail as much as possible, often arriving quite a bit later than the other BWSC boats.  We tend to prefer to arrive at a destination with time to explore and it’s often a difficult balance.  On this occasion, Julia sailed right up to the spot she had chosen to anchor, and must have had her engine on for only about 5 minutes, when setting her anchor! 

Teresa and Ron had a refreshing swim and sun shower, and then we all dined aboard Dragonfly. 

Ships Log: 5102.5, Todays Log: 30.2, Seasons Total: 654.6

Sunday 2nd August

Our sailing guide indicates that the general weather pattern is for light winds overnight and in the morning, then picking up to SW 15 in the afternoon.  We’re travelling SW for the next several days, which implies strong-ish headwinds if we wait until the afternoon to set sail.  So we set off at 8am and had the anticipated light winds, followed by SW 10-15.  By the time the stronger winds came in today, our route to South West harbor, 44 31.59N, 064 00.72W, took a turn and we were sailing NW which gave us a beam reach – very nice. 

We arrived at South West Cove expecting an empty anchorage, but found that the cove was full of moorings with no room to anchor.  Brenda and Vin, in their 40’ trimaran, arrived before us and managed to secure a visitors mooring (the only one).  The winds were forecast to be light in the evening and they kindly offered to let us raft with them, which we did. 

We went for a walk ashore and found that all the good view spots were on private properties.  Well we got to stretch our legs anyway.

Back on the boat we had a refreshing swim, followed by a sun shower to wash off the salt. 

Ships Log: 5072.3, Todays Log: 37.4, Seasons Total: 624.4

Saturday 1st August.

Another day in Halifax.  It was hot again and the weather forecast looked like the next day would be a good day to leave, so we biked to the grocery store (more uphill) and re-provisioned the boat and both got hair cuts.

In the afternoon we biked around the peninsula to Point Pleasant Park, and then along the eastern shore to downtown Halifax again. We couldn’t resist having lobster tacos for lunch again – a yummy twist on the lobster roll.   We returned to the boat, had hamburgers with Brenda and Vin on Quinita. 

Friday 31st July

It poured down during the night and the day started rainy.  But it cleared up pretty soon and we headed for the laundromat on our bikes.  We quickly discovered that Halifax is a very hilly city and by the time we got to the laundromat, the sun was out, we were hot and the laundromat was even hotter.  Once the first half of the laundry was done, Ron brought it back to the boat and then returned to the laundromat just as Teresa was finishing up folding the remaining laundry.  We went for a ride into the downtown area with the 2^nd half - how many people take their laundry for a ride downtown?) 

Halifax has a long boardwalk along the waterfront where it seems most of the tourists end up and we joined them.  It’s a nice town and the waterfront was very reminiscent of Boston.

Brenda and Vin were on the way to Halifax so we returned to the boat at about 5:30pm, to find them already there.  They docked behind us, we all queued for the single shower and then went out by taxi for an Indian meal. 

Thursday 30th July.

Forecast was for light winds today, with SW 15 tomorrow which would not be good for a passage to Halifax.  So we set off towards Jeddore, 44 46.21N 63 01.05W, found ourselves making good time and decided to press on to Halifax, .  We motor sailed all day, (10 hours on engine – yuk), but made good time and reached Halifax, 44 38.14N 063 36.75W, a day earlier than expected.  And on the way Quinita passed the 5000 nm mark.

We had reserved a slip at Armdale Yacht Club which is at the end of the west arm of Halifax harbor.  

It’s a beautiful sail up here, with many very nice and presumably expensive houses.  We arrived at the gas dock at 6:30pm, filled our gas tanks and were assigned a slip for the evening.  A small champagne toast later we were eating dinner aboard and planning our excursions to Halifax tomorrow. 

Ships Log: 5034.9, Todays Log: 56.3, Seasons Total: 587

Wednesday 29th July

We had planned to start out at 7am and prepare the boat for sea on the way out of the river which would take about an hour, but it was pretty foggy, so we decided to delay our start.  By 8am the fog was lifting, the boat was prepared and breakfast and lunches were also ready, so we set off.  We had a pleasant, scenic and windless trip down the river and headed out towards Beaver Harbour. 

Once at sea we found light headwinds, so the engine stayed on all day.  We took the inshore route (a passage between the mainland and several small islands), which was both scenic and had flat seas.  After the inshore passage, seas were a little bigger but not too uncomfortable. 

It was cloudy most of the day but in the afternoon, the sky turned blue and the sun shone for an hour.  (We hadn’t seen that for a while!). 

We were making good time, so decided to press on to Mushaboom, 44 50.61N 062 32.05W.  This turned out to be another picturesque anchorage.  We took a swim and sun shower, then it started raining, the sun came out again, and we were presented with the most spectacular double rainbow. 

Ships Log: 4978.6, Todays Log: 37.7, Seasons Total: 530.7

Tuesday 28th July.

The weather gods weren’t

kind to us today.  SW 20 – 25, so we stayed put and did some chores on the boat in the morning during some heavy rain showers.  In the afternoon we had a beautiful walk along the river to a salmon ladder and waterfall.  It wasn’t raining during our walk, apart from a couple of showers, but the foliage we were walking through was soaked and pretty soon transferred its water content to our trousers (pants) and shoes.  It wasn’t cold though, so we were only wet.  The walk was beautiful.

We got back to the boat, decided to throw our wet (and dirty) clothes into the washer,  have a shower and eat in the restaurant again while our clothes were drying.   But the washer and dryer were in use, the dryer was very slow, and so we’re still here in the bar (drinking coffee) and waiting for the clothes to dry at 9:40pm.  Oh well, worse things have happened!

Monday 27th July.

We left Port Howe with some pretty decent headwinds and seas and motored out of the bay (slowly).  Once out however we changed course towards the sw and with sse winds, hoisted the sails and set a course for Webber Cove, 45 12.0N 61 21.42W.  We changed course again to round a headland and found ourselves on a beam reach in 15 knot winds doing 7-8 knots.  So we decided to press on to Fishermans harbour, 45 06.66N 61 40.86W.  We were sailing fast with southerly winds and figured we’d get to Fishermans too early, so not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, changed our plans again and headed for Liscomb Mills, 45 00.61N 62 06.08W. 

A few miles offshore and in 140 feet of water we found the only crab pot buoy in the area and picked it up on one of our rudders.  The wind was too strong and the wave too big to try to untangle it so we cut the line.  I wondered if it had drifted off position, since it seemed a long way out and a long way for a fishing boat to reap its harvest.  Anyway, we had little choice.  And once again, there was a lot of line on the surface. 

It was a great days sail, albeit a little rolly with 4-6ft seas.  We sailed just over 50 miles at an average speed of just over 6 knots (including weighing anchor and untangling the pot).  Wouldn’t mind a few more passages like that, particularly since we were sailing against the prevailing winds. 

Liscomb River is beautiful, and our anchorage at the end was even beautifuller!  There is a resort here, with a dock, but the dock was full which was why we anchored.  The resort allowed us to use their facilities however, so after a cold day we took a sauna, had a shower and a nice meal in the restaurant. 

Ships Log: 4940.9, Todays Log: 52.9, Seasons Total: 493

Sunday, 26th July.

We’re heading for Maine (via Halifax of course)!  We left St. Peters and the Bras d’Or in light winds towards Port Howe, 45 14.27N 061 05.81W.  We motored most of the way, but did manage to have several hours of pleasant sailing in southerly and southeasterly winds.  The prevailing winds are of course southwesterly, so we were grateful for the winds we got. 

On the way we saw a school (or what?) of seals.  The only seals we’ve seen so far have been pretty timid and all we’ve seen are their heads.  But these were swimming on the surface similar to dolphins.  It didn’t last long though and we weren’t quick enough with the camera. 

We passed through Dover Passage, 45 14.12N 61 03.26W, on the way to Port Howe.  This is a narrow, rock strewn passage but very pretty.  (The rocks are visible, so it’s not too difficult a passage and of course, modern GPS helps!).  Port Howe is also very pretty, quiet and secluded. 

We explored some of the coves by dinghy and one of us spent an hour on the tramp doing yoga in warm sunshine, with a gentle breeze and birds singing - very tranquil.

Ships Log: 4888, Todays Log: 34.4, Seasons Total: 440.1

Saturday 25th July.

We left at 9am with forecasts of rain showers and easterly winds and the day started with a search for Beinn Breagh – the home of Alexander Graham Bell.  We motored past several candidates before finding the real one; once you see it, it’s obvious that the one.   And after what seemed like hundreds of photos, we set off at 10am for St. Peters. 

Thankfully, the rain didn’t materialize, but the easterly winds did.  We had a great sail with screecher (big light wind foresail), alternating with genoa and back to screecher again.  Wind speeds varied between 8 knots and 15 knots and the boat speed was mostly between 5 and 8 knots.  It doesn’t get much better than this.  (Well perhaps a little sunshine would have been better). 

We arrived at St. Peters, and replenished our fuel and water supplies before picking up a mooring.  Then got to the grocery store for some last minute shopping just before it closed. 

Ships Log: 4853.6, Todays Log: 34.5, Seasons Total: 405.7

Friday 24th July.

Another lay day at Baddeck and a few jobs completed.  Ron cycled out to the bus depot on Teresa’s bike to pick up his bike tyre, only to find that Henry also drove out to pick it up.  Never mind – it was only a couple of miles away and a nice day for a ride.  And the bike is now fixed.

Brenda and Vin had a suspected problem at their masthead, so Ron volunteered to be pulled up in the bosun’s chair.  Didn’t find the suspected problem, but found another problem instead – with the genoa halyard sheave.  Probably not a big deal since, these days, with roller furlers, genoa halyards are not in frequent use. 

Teresa defrosted the fridge, cleaned and vacuumed the boat and we both went grocery shopping. 

Teresa and Ron spent several hours at the Alexander Graham Bell museum.  He was an amazing man, well know of course for inventing the telephone, but he did in fact invent a lot of other things.  He started out in life teaching deaf people to speak, and married one of his students – Mabel Hubbard, who lost her hearing at the age of 5 after surviving scarlet fever.  She was also an amazing woman, learning to speak fluently not only in English, but also in Italian, French and German.  He also built the first Canadian plane, a hydrofoil boat that at one time had the world water speed record of over 100 mph (in 1919). 

On the way back, we saw Julia, a beautiful yawl owned by Toy and Jack.  She’s on the BWSC cruise and so we snapped a photo. 

In the evening we all (Brenda, Vin, Barbara, Mike, Teresa and Ron) went to a play at the museum about the Bells life together. 

Thursday 23rd July.

A few weeks ago in a pub called the Red Shoe in Mabou, Ron had the best pint he’d tasted in a long while.  It was brewed by Big Spruce brewing which happened to be 10 miles from Baddeck.  So the bikes were prepared for a ride to the brewery.  Ron’s back tyre was flat so he pumped it up and it exploded with a sound like a gunshot.  Disaster!

Henry was on the dock so we asked him if there was a bike shop in town.  “Nope, the nearest one is in Sydney”.  (Sydney is 50 miles away).  Henry then called the bike shop on our behalf for a new tyre, and said they’d be able to “put it on the bus” and we’d get it tomorrow.  Long story short, the bus didn’t work out but the bike shop have a customer coming from Baddeck who will return with our tyre!  What service.  More tomorrow on this story!

In the meantime, Vince offered to lend Ron his bike, so the immediate disaster was averted.  

We had an upwind ride to the brewery.  The rain held off, and we sampled their offerings.  All were delicious (well, perhaps the raspberry beer was an acquired taste!).  We had excellent sandwiches at the Choked Herring bakery for lunch and then an easy downwind ride back to Quinita.

A walk around town was followed by showers and dinner at the Inverary Resort, (which also happens to sell Big Spruce Ales). 

Wednesday 22nd July

We headed for Baddeck, 46 05.75N 060 45.21W, at 8:30, planning to get to Barra Strait Bridge before the foul tide.  After a lumpy beat into choppy seas, we did (arriving at 10:42am), but there was a problem with the railroad bridge and it couldn’t be opened.  So we doodled around and eventually picked up a mooring at Barra Strait Marina until they fixed the bridge problem.  We got the all clear at 12:30pm and passed through the bridge.  By this time the wind was up to 15 – 18 knots, the tide was against us and the seas were even lumpier.  We reached Baddeck at 2:15pm and tied up in front of Dragonfly who had left a couple of hours before us. 

We started tidying up the boat, then the heavens opened and it rained and rained and rained for several hours.  Once again we were lucky to get settled just before it really started pounding down! 

It was still raining hard at 5:30pm when we went next door to Dragonfly for dinner.  After dinner, Teresa went back to Quinita for some tea bags and bumped into Mark and Nerine from Rudder Nonsense.   (If you’ve been paying attention to this blog you’ll know that we last saw them in Sydney).  So she returned with teabags and 2 additional guests.  Such is the cruising life in these parts. 

Ships Log: 4819.1, Todays Log: 25.5, Seasons Total: 371.2

Tuesday 21st July

The Blue Water Sailing Club cruise, of which we were guest participants, had arranged a dinner at the Cape Breton Smokehouse at Little Harbour (Malagawatch), 45 51.13N 060 58.46W this evening.  So we headed that way and had a very nice sail to Little Harbour.  Little Harbour is an excellent anchorage;  it has a very narrow entrance and is virtually a small lake with protection from every wind direction. 

A few days ago we had been invited to a BBQ hosted by the club.  We, (Teresa, Ron, Barbara and Mike) thought that we’d like to offer a small thank you to the club, so we invited all the cruise participants aboard Quinita for a pre-dinner champagne reception and we ended up with 16 people in the cockpit of a 32’ sailboat.  A good time was had by all, we didn’t sink, and at 6:30pm we adjourned to the restaurant by dinghy. 

The restaurant was a beautiful log building overlooking an equally beautiful seascape.  The food was excellent, but they were a little overwhelmed by having 16 of us arrive at once! 

After dinner, everyone took their dinghies back to their respective boats.  It was a very dark night, and Toy and Jack had the toughest trip since they were engineless and rowing against a decent wind back to their boat which was the furthest away. 

Ships Log: 4793.6, Todays Log: 18.1, Seasons Total: 345.7

Monday 20th July

Dragonfly had gone to Barra Strait marina, 45 57.36N 60 47.66W, yesterday for a pumpout so we agreed to meet at a midway anchorage.  Blues Cove, aka Orangedale, 45 54.03N 061 05.28W , was chosen since the weather was forecast to be dreary again, and Orangedale has a railway museum and general store. 

Light headwinds to start so we motored for the first hour, then the winds developed  so we had a pleasant beat followed by a tranquil run down to Blues Cove at the end of the harbor.  Dragonfly was already docked on the town wharf and radioed us to let us know there was a spot for us on the wharf.  A sloop with tan sails arrived after Dragonfly and before us, but heard our radio conversation so anchored rather than use up the remaining spot on the wharf.  Very nice of them!

Someone on the dock told Brenda that the general store had washers and dryers, so she packed up her laundry and took it to the store.  It turned out that her informant meant they had washing machines and dryers for sale!  So no laundry for Brenda. 

We walked into town to discover the museum was not open until Wednesday. 

Ships Log: 4775.5, Todays Log: 17, Seasons Total: 327.6

Sunday 19th July.

The day started with light rain and no wind.  Rain is in the forecast for today and tomorrow, so we decided to stay put and plan our trip along the south coast of Nova Scotia towards Maine. 

Before this though we took a hike with Brenda and Vin to Marble Mountain – where the views were reported to be spectacular.  We found what we thought was the trail up the hill but after walking for several miles didn’t find a defined summit with views.  Brenda and Vin returned to their boat since they needed to move to Barra Strait to pump their holding tank.  The rain varied between none and a very light drizzle, so we persevered and eventually found the trail to the top of the hill.   The views were good, but probably not as good as they can be due to the low cloud and drizzle. 

We got back to the boat and the heavens opened.  Very lucky. 

Spent the afternoon putzing around the boat and started to plan our passage to Maine.  

Saturday 18th July.

Chapel Island is an Indian reservation and at the end of July, the local Mi’kmaq Indians have a gathering.  We arrived too early for the gathering, but dinghied to the island and walked around.  A few Mi’kmaq we already preparing their camp homes for the festivities and were very chatty and friendly. 

We set off for Clarke Cove, in company with Dragonfly, at about midday, motored for a while with no wind, then hoisted sail when a breeze appeared.  Dragonfly (a 42’ trimaran) soon left us in the dust, and we sailed slowly until the wind ran out.  Motored for an hour or so, the hoisted sails again when the wind returned.  We arrived at Clarke Cove and dropped the hook in a beautiful, well sheltered pond just west of MacMillans Point, 45 42.76N 060 46.63W. 

Brenda and Vin provided dinner on Dragonfly.  Very nice.

Dennis on Blue Moon arrived at the anchorage just after we did.  He is part of the Blue Water Sailing Club cruise and we met him at St. Peters  a few days ago.  He is planning to go to the Magdalen Islands and PEI, and since we had some maps, pamphlets etc. on these areas, we dinghied over to deliver them. 

Ships Log: 4758.5, Todays Log: 16.3, Seasons Total: 310.6

Friday 17th July.

We left St. Peters with a nice sailing breeze and had a predominately beam reach though some twisty passages towards Chapel  Island.  It pretty soon turned into a beat however with winds of 20knots.  We should have reefed sooner and as a result got ourselves into a tacking pickle!  Eventually we reefed and had a tough but not unpleasant beat out of the twisty channel and a nice reach to Chapel Island, 45 42.76N 060 46.63W. 

We anchored next to Brenda, Vin, Barbara and Mike on Dragonfly and had them over for dinner on Quinita.  All in all, another  very pleasant day. 

Ships Log: 4742.2, Todays Log: 10.9, Seasons Total: 294.3

Thursday 16th July.

A lay day.  We stocked up on beer, wine and food for the next few days, since we’re likely to be out of contact with towns for a few days.  Then we took a nice walk along the canal towpath and round the back of the town.  It was a beautiful day with good winds and warm sunshine.  Let’s hope we don’t regret not sailing today!

In the evening Greg and Dawn, (Greg runs a local sailboat charter company and is friends with Bart, the trip organizer from BWSC), invited us to their beautiful home and grounds on the canal for a BBQ.   A great evening with good food and company.  We met a few more BWSC members and swapped sailing stories. 

Wednesday 15th July

We set off early (5:30am) to catch the current south.  It was windless, foggy and damp but not too cold.  The fog lasted until about 11am.  The wind never reached sailing speed, given that we had 40 miles to go today and we needed to be in St. Peters in time to meet Brenda and Vin, shower and get to the restaurant for dinner with the other Blue Water Sailing Club members by 6:30pm. 

We made St. Peters, 45 39.69N 060 52.54W, by 13:40 after a long not too interesting day.  It was good to finally meet Brenda and Vin with our respective boats.  Barbara and Mike arrived just in time for dinner and signed on as crew for Brenda and Vin!

We had a very nice dinner at the Bras d’Or Lakes restaurant with the BWSC members. 

Ships Log: 4731.3, Todays Log: 42.1, Seasons Total: 283.4

Tuesday 14th July

The tides dictated that we should set off very early in the morning if we didn’t want to fight them all day, so we decided to stay put for the day and explore this beautiful cove. 

Woke up to a bright sunny warm day.  Took a dinghy tour around the inner pond where we were hoping to find the otters.  Didn’t find any, but saw a lot of beautiful blue starfish.  Toured the outer harbor as well and still didn’t see any otters.  We did spot a house up on the hill. 

Couldn’t find an open wifi connection – our first night without wifi – so we had to use Verizon’s data connection.  Bummer!

It was a hot windless day so after doing some chores on the boat we had a nice swim followed by an almost too hot sun shower to rinse off the salt. 

We rigged up our mosquito netting and for the first time this season, dined out in the cockpit in a beautiful, tranquil setting. 

Ships Log: 4689.2, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 241.3

Monday 13th July

A slightly complicated day today.  We’re heading back to the Bras d’Or lakes via Great Brad d’Or.  The entrance has very strong currents - up to 4.5 knots, so we definitely want to arrive with the current in our favour.  Which means, (today), we need to arrive at Carey Point, 46 17.50N 60 24.92W, at 6pm or slightly later.   We also wanted to visit the Bird Islands, 46 22.47N 60 23.08W, on the way.  In fact, visiting the Bird Islands made things a little less complicated since we could spend more or less time there as needed. 

We stared out at noon with very light winds, which picked up at 1pm and allowed us to sail.  We had a very pleasant beat out of Sydney harbor, and despite our best endeavours to give the lobster pots a wide berth, found ourselves among them again.  They were much more spread out however, and we were sailing, so only had rudders to worry about (no props).  By the time we got through the pots the wind had pretty much died, so engines went on again. 

This enabled us to get to the Bird Islands on schedule, and Teresa took lots of photos of puffins, kittiwakes and cormorants.  Ron was once again on the lookout for lobster pots!

We got to the wide open bay at the entrance to Great  Bras d’Or on schedule (6pm), and were worried to find 1 knot of tide against us.  (If we had 1 knot in the wide open section, we’d expect 3-4 in the narrow section.)  We pressed on since we didn’t have anywhere else to go and were amazed to find how quickly the current changes here.   In 20 minutes they went from 1 knot against us to ½ knot in our favour.  So we had a very nice passage through the narrows and dropped the hook in Otter Harbour, 46 13.22N 060 31.83W at 7:30pm.  By 8pm we were cooking lamb chops on the grill.  Life is tough!

Ships Log: 4689.2, Todays Log: 37.4, Seasons Total: 241.3