Last Wednesday morning Dave helped Robin and Ian from Passage put their sails on while we waited for the fog to lift a bit and then we said goodbye and headed our separate ways - they went south to Cape Cod and we went north to Herrick Bay, just west of Mt. Desert Island, where our friends George and Cynthy from Ellie Belle live. Although it was still foggy as we made our way through the Deer Island Thorofare visibility was good enough that we could see the beautiful islands on either side and the pretty village of Stonington. We got to Herrick Bay just after 1 p.m. and anchored not far from Ellie Belle on her mooring.
Despite the miserable day, George came out to greet us in his dinghy and invited us up to the house for the afternoon and dinner. It didn't take us long to pack up our shower stuff and some meagre offerings (we used up the last of the wine a little too early) and head in to the dock before walking up the shore five minutes to their lovely waterfront home. What a fantastic spot they have, and a beautiful home with fantastic views (even in the mist). And what a great way to spend a cold, rainy afternoon - catching up with friends in front of a cozy fire. Cynthy fed us a wonderful meal, including an amazing almond cake for dessert and we headed back to the boat just before it got dark.
The next morning we met George and Cynthy on shore and Cynthy and I went to nearby Blue Hills to the grocery store. They just got back from their cruise a few days earlier so she was still stocking up, which was a great opportunity for me to hitch a ride. On the way back she took me in to see the village of Brooklin as well as the inn and the view from Flye Point where they live. Meanwhile George took Dave to the Wooden Boat School and to a couple of boat yards, finishing with a tour of his garage where he has a wooden boat project of his own going. They sent us off with leftover almond cake, fresh chives from the garden and some wonderful memories and we headed back to the boat.
We were undecided about whether to move on that day or stay put. It was a miserable, cold, rainy day so we decided not to go anywhere. George and Cynthy had invited us in to share dinner again, but we didn't want to overstay our welcome, especially as they had just arrived home a few days earlier. When the rain let up a bit (not that it ever rained that hard - it was mostly just a drizzle) I went in to shore to go for a walk up to the point and back and dropped in to thank them again for all their hospitality but said we were going to just hunker down on the boat that evening. We had a great supper and the cooking along with our oil lamp and a couple of candles warmed up the cabin enough that we didn't need to wear our toques inside!
Friday morning we woke to rain, but once again it was just a light drizzle. We set off just before 9 a.m. and by 11:30 we were tied up at Clifton Docks in Northeast Harbor, on Mt. Desert Island, ready to get fuel. There are so few customers at this time of year that there was just a sign on the door of the office saying "call Jane" with a number. So we did that, and soon Jane showed up and we filled our diesel tanks, our water tank, got rid of garbage, got our propane tank filled (she just had to go up the road and was back in less than 10 minutes) and we even got a mooring for the night for free (she just put us on one where the boat wasn't going to be in for a couple of weeks). Boy, we love Maine!
As we were filling our tanks the rain had stopped and there were even a few patches of blue sky so that was promising, as our plan was to go for a hike that afternoon. We picked up the mooring and had some lunch and then got ready to go. George and Cynthy had recommended a hike up to Jordan Pond in Acadia Park, so we took the dinghy in to the dock that Jane had pointed out for me and started up the hill. There was a bit of drizzle at first, but that soon stopped and we had a fantastic hike over to Jordan Pond, through beautiful woods on great rocky trails. When we arrived at Jordan Pond we found out that the shuttle bus we were planning to take back wouldn't be running for a couple of weeks. Since we didn't want to wait that long we decided to hike back. Although it had taken us an hour and a half to hike over there was a shorter route back which we could take. But first we had to try the popovers, which are a longtime tradition at Jordan Pond House. We went into the restaurant which had great views of the 'pond' and ordered popovers and lemonade (apparently tea is the tradition but Dave doesn't drink it, so lemonade was one of the other options). We had never had popovers before, but they are kind of like a really airy yorkshire pudding which they serve with butter and homemade strawberry jam. Quite a treat for two hungry and tired hikers!
We walked down to have a look at the pond and then headed back to the trail. And there, by the side of the road, stood a deer. After hiking through the woods we finally saw a deer only about 100 feet from the restaurant and other buildings! It was a good hike back, and only took an hour, and for the last half of it the sun was out, which was a real bonus. Shortly after 5 p.m. we were back on Romana having a drink as we watched the sun drop down below the hills. What a great day for our last day in the US.
Saturday morning we got up and left just after 4 a.m. headed for Yarmouth. It was a very uneventful crossing once we got away from the Maine lobster pots after the first few hours. It is a southeast course from Mt. Desert to Yarmouth, surprisingly enough, taking us across the Bay of Fundy. Apart from a few fishing boats as we left Maine we only saw two other boats - both ships - on our crossing. There wasn't very much wind - just enough behind us to give us a bit of a push and a somewhat rolly ride over - and we made decent time arriving at the Yarmouth harbour entrance just as the sun went down. Thankfully lobster season here ended May 31st so we didn't have to contend with traps as we approached.
We picked up a town mooring in the dark at 9 p.m. after 103Nm and then went below to call customs. Luckily we were able to get wifi and Dave called them on Skype, because we didn't have a cellphone and it would have been a real drag to get the dinghy down and try to go ashore to find a pay phone (do they even exist any more?). We cleared in over the phone and fell into bed, exhausted.
Because the forecast was for SE winds on Sunday, which would be right on our nose, we had decided to stick around Yarmouth and see if we could sort out a cellphone. That allowed us to sleep in before we went in to pay for our mooring and get a shower. Unfortunately the town marina office was not open for the season yet, so we didn't get a shower, but we also didn't have to pay for the mooring so I guess that evens out. Dave had done his research on where we could get a cellphone SIM card so we trekked up to the 'Yarmouth mall' walked past the Aliant, Telus and Rogers stores (all closed on Sundays) to The Source where they fixed us up in no time. Quite a different experience from when we landed in Maine and it took us about a week to find a SIM card.
When we got back to the dock (after a quick stop at Sobeys to get a bit of fruit and a German chocolate cake) there was Christel, skippered by 76 year old Ben, who we had met in Annapolis with Flextime. The last time we had seen him was after we did the night passage up to New York City as we were heading under the Verrazanno Bridge and up the Hudson River. His quarantine flag was up and he wasn't on board, so we figured he had gone to call customs and Dave left him a note to call us on the radio. We went back to the boat and set off, planning to get some miles under the keel to get a head start for the following day's passage around Cape Sable.
As we motored out in the flat calm (the wind had died completely) Ben called us on the VHF and said he was going to follow us down to the Tuskets as he didn't have a chart for this area (Yarmouth wasn't in the original plan for him). Dave gave him some waypoints and courses and we chugged down to the Tusket Islands, a bunch of small islands about 15 miles SE of Yarmouth, where we planned to anchor that night. The current was very strong against us, but since we weren't in a big hurry and didn't have far to go and it is light until about 9:30 p.m. (with the hour time change) we just relaxed and enjoyed the ride.
That night we anchored in behind Turpentine Island (the islands here have very interesting names that I am sure have great stories behind them - we passed Murder Island on the way too) and Ben came over for a drink and some supper. The people here are very friendly - when we were circling around looking for somewhere to anchor two fellows from the island came out in their motor boat to see if we needed any tips, and even invited us to tie up to their dock (but skipper Dave wasn't interested given that the tide is 11 feet here) or come into shore with the dinghy if we wanted. Unfortunately we plan an early departure to catch the good currents in the morning so we can't linger, but sometime it would be an interesting place to stop for a bit.
This morning we got up at 5 a.m. (which still feels like 4 a.m. to us) and set off with Ben following us. Although it was slow going at first, soon the currents were in our favour and we were flying towards Cape Sable at 8 knots. We made good progress under motor and then motor sailing and we even sailed for a while, but not that long, as we were aiming for Liverpool, which was a 92 Nm day. We pulled into the dock at the marina near the defunct pulp mill just after 8 p.m. tired but happy to have made such good progress today. And we even got a hot shower!
As we get closer to home I have been reflecting on our trip. A friend of mine said that we are 'brave' to do this, but he doesn't like boats or the water. For the most part we don't have to be brave, because we aren't scared, but there are definitely times when it can be a bit daunting. I have to say that the number of times I was scared on this trip was a lot fewer than our first long cruise in 2002 to 2003 so the extra 11 years of experience sailing on Romana and all of the improvements Dave has made have paid off. My brother said to me last time we talked "I never thought you would be sailing all over the world". That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but 25 years ago I would not have believed I would be spending 9 months living on a boat.
So much of this trip is about chance and circumstance conspiring to make it what it has been. As George noted, if we had not run out of fuel in Winter Harbor and spent a day cleaning out the tank, we might never have met Ellie Belle in Jewell Island and we wouldn't be counting George and Cynthy as friends. Nearing home is bittersweet, as it means this adventure is coming to a close, but it also means we can look forward to summer at home and we still have the whole 'season' ahead of us even though we have been boating for 9 months already!
I was surprised to find how delighted I was when we were at George and Cynthy's house to be eating at a beautifully set table and drinking tea out of lovely glass mugs - these little things that seem frivolous sometimes do make me happy. But I am also aware that part of that is because of being away from it all. It is a cliche but so true that you really appreciate things when you don't have them and perhaps the contrast of life on the boat to life off the boat is part of what makes this adventure even more special.
We should be back in our home port of Pictou by next weekend (with the same caveat as always, weather permitting) so my last blog will come from there.