Day 129 - Shippegan, NB
04 August 2015
Day 129 - Mon 3 Aug 2015
Docked – Shippegan, NB
[photo: this is what the sky looked like at 0445 today]
I awoke at first light, which was about 0440, and decided to get up. The Internet weather check showed promise of beating the forecasted strong winds if we left early. Diane had told me last night that if we needed to leave at 0500, she was fine with that, so we did and were greeted with very minimal wave action as we set out. It was pretty chilly outside and in the boat, so as a treat I started the generator and ran the heater for half hour to warm the cabin.
About 0600, we had passed within 5 miles of where Zendo had gone in for the night. They had not traveled nearly as far after we parted ways as they had hoped due to the nasty conditions. I took a chance to radio them and Jon answered. They had just gotten underway a few minutes ago, so they were behind us for the trip across Chaleur Bay. Like so many rivers and bays up here, the water was quite deep in the middle, over 400 feet. It is still considered a decent place to see whales, but other than a few small pods of porpoises, we saw none.
Diane got her cleaning done while underway in the relatively calm water. When she sat down and could take the watch, I got into the galley and made a chicken, artichoke, onion, and mushroom medley in pesto sauce from a jar (the homemade stuff is all gone). We always like to be sure to have a meal or two ready to go after a late day, if needed.
We got abeam Miscou Island and were then in fairly protected water, passing a string of large wind turbines as we continued SW towards the channel into Shippegan. Zendo checked in several times by radio and was about 1.5 hours behind us. While the Chaleur Bay has a reputation for getting nasty, we had great crossing and are now entering a region known for moderate weather and predictable summer winds. We shall see if that proves true for us.
We have been moving steadily when we can, with the idea to get to the places where we truly want to slow down and savor the time. It will also be in a region where English (in its variations and dialects) will be the predominant language, so that will remove one of the challenges. Well, as we arrived at the Shippegan Marina, we found that English is not the predominant language, but they do speak it well enough.
At near low tide, throughout the marina we saw less than 5 feet of depth, but plenty for us. We got tied up in a strong wind with the help of 2 staffers, which was pretty critical since there are no cleats on the dock. You have to thread your lines under a heavy timber and then make knots. Cleats would be very easy to install here, so you have to wonder why they don’t have them. Next, we inquired if there was room for Zendo. They would have to make some adjustments, but there would be room. This is one of the reasons not to travel with a flotilla of more than 2 boats, in my opinion. What do you do if only 2 out of the 3 boats can get docked? Some places would allow rafting up, but some not.
Diane asked the dock neighbor (new to boating) if there was a good place to buy fresh mussels, and the woman (who lives in town) offered to drive her. We radioed Zendo to let them know about the marina space, the shallow depths, and the group dinner tonight of Moules Marinieres. They arrived at low tide and docked with no problems. We then found out it was officially New Brunswick Day, so most things were closed everywhere.
Diane and I took our shower stuff in a bag and had a long walk on the wooden promenade along the water. I try to be objective in reporting our observations and we have to say that once again this is a working town with little to enjoy in the way of pretty scenery. The main attraction here has been the people, as is true with so many places. Starting with the woman offering Diane a ride to the store, to all the boaters here at our dock, and people we met on our walk. They are all curious about us, our boat, and our impressions of their area. You would think, being in New Brunswick, that this would be an English-speaking province, but the vast majority of people here have only a very limited ability in English. I suspect as we get farther away from this portion of NB, that will change.
The showers were nice and even though the wind was blowing hard, the air was pretty warm and Diane didn’t freeze on the way back to the boat as has happened on so many other days. I prepped some of the supper ahead of time and then a short nap was in order after the very early start. Jon and Lynn arrived about 1745 with appetizers and we got caught up on what had transpired during our separation, plus planned the next day’s destination – Miramichi.
The mussels turned out well, but they were not as large or tasty as the ones we got a few days ago in Riviere-au-Renard. We all enjoyed our supper along with a nice salad by Lynn. They wanted to get back to Zendo by 2000, but the folks on our dock were jumping with enthusiasm and wanted us to party with them. I wound up giving tours to 3 separate groups of people in the boat still littered with the remnants of our 4-person supper, but even Diane didn’t freak out.
Thankfully, they all locked up their boats and left by 2130 and we could start unwinding for bed. Tomorrow’s run could be 9 hours so we want to get an early start again.