Waiting out the fog
27 July 2014 | Magagudavic River, Passmaquoddy Bay, NB
Fog, Temp 17C, wind S@10
Fog lifting in Head Harbour Passage, NB
In our anchorage at Coldwell Creek, we headed ashore for a walk. We landed at an old steamer dock, one of eight now maintained by the Saint John River Preservation Society.
Before the days of road and rail traffic, there was an extensive network of steamer docks along the river and in the lakes. Most of the old docks have been left to fall into ruin, but a few have been maintained, and in some cases modernized. We had a nice walk on a quiet country road, then back aboard and into Washdamoak Lake.
At Cambridge Narrows there is a 50' bridge, blocking our passage into another 10 miles of cruising. So we landed at another restored steamer dock and wandered ashore in the very quiet village of Cambridge Narrows, really just a crossroads now. After wandering a bit, we came across a very nice library in the old school house. Inside we found free Wi-Fi and a selection of excellent reading.
With directions (a bit off on distances) we set out for a small store where we found a few basic supplies. Then off back down the lake, still motoring in hot sunshine and windless days. In Big Cove, we found excellent holding and nice exploring.
We spent two nights here, exploring the area and sharing the anchorage with Shearwater who joined us for our second night. Aboard Shearwater, we shared a nice Happy Hour and settled down for the night as the wind finally rose. It was a blustry night but with excellent protection we just listened to the wind howl and moan through the pines ashore.
Next morning we were off after a short walk ashore and a chat with a cottager. It was time to think about timing our exit from the river, and we felt that Friday was our last reasonable window, being able to take a slack at the Reversing Falls at 09:30, giving us time to get down the Bay of Fundy to another anchorage in reasonable time and weather. So we left Big Cove on Wed morning taking a casual trip downriver and back into Belleisle Bay.
In the nice sailing, we sailed up past our planned anchorage and enjoyed the afternoon. By evening we were anchored in yet another beautiful sheltered anchorage, Jenkins Cove. We were anchored with one other sailboat.
In the morning we woke to a "soft day" with a mist and occasional showers. By mid-morning we were off down the river to Saint John, sailing with the current and a light following breeze. In mid-afternoon we picked up a mooring at the Royal Kennebeccasis Yacht Club.
Ashore we did some shopping and chatted with the few people about, then prepared for our trip "down the bay". This involved putting the dinghy on deck and stowing gear securely. We calculated slack at the Reversing Falls to be at 09:26 hrs. With about 6 nm to the falls, that meant a departure at 08:30 hrs and traveling at 6 knots. But even with repeated checks of our calculations, we were relieved to see another boat heading down with us. With a combination of good planning, timing and luck, we sailed through the falls in quiet waters at exactly 09:26 hrs, and shot out into the outer harbour, the last in a line of five sailboats.
In spite of the fact that the tide in the bay was rising, we were pushed out the harbour at speeds of up to 9 kts. This comes from the fresh water still running out the river. It is less dense than the incoming salt water, so flows out the harbour on top of the incoming salt. About a mile out of the harbour we saw a distinct line in the water where the tannin-stained fresh met the incoming clear salt and felt Estelle shudder as we hit the eddys. We watched our speed drop from 8 kts to 4.6 as we began our slog down the bay against the tide. But it was only 2 hrs to high so that by the time we cleared Point Lepreau, a nice southerly wind rose and the ebbing tide begin its push.
From here to Deer Island we enjoyed the best sail in years, a close reach in 12-16 knots of wind. Late afternoon saw us anchoring again in the beautiful quiet NorthWest Harbour on Deer Island.
Yesterday we took the dinghy into Lord's Cove, where we saw huge salmon pens and found a quiet village. Deer Island is almost entirely a working community, with few summer homes, unlike nearby Campobello Island, where summer residents outnumber the year-rounds.
We walked the quiet road, bought a few supplies at the small store where we chatted with the owner about friends we know from Deer Island. Back at the dock I chatted with men unloading salmon from nearby salmon pens while Jeannie walked some of the backroads and got lost.
Back aboard we raised the anchor in late morning and headed through Letite Passage again, fortunately timing it for slack, and motored up to the Magagudavic River where we anchored for the night.
A trip up to St George's, about 3.5 nm in the dinghy, we found an excellent shop with some interesting meals. Then an ice cream stop on a hot afternoon and we were back aboard. Time for more dinghy fuel, so off to St Andrews later today.