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