Jeannie and Nancy Montgomery

27 July
Yesterday we sailed into St Andrew's harbour and picked up a mooring, ready to wait out another few days of wind and rain. And we weren't disappointed. On Sunday, we woke up to heavy fog and lots of rain, so we waited aboard, with the Espar heater keeping the boat warm and dry in spite of the weather. With a break in the rain, we scuttled ashore and stretched our legs ashore, did some sight-seeing, had an excellent lunch at the Kingsbrae Gardens and generally whiled away the afternoon.

Lords Cove Wharf, Deer Island, NB

29 July
Monday was a repeat of Sunday with wind and rain, so today, (Tuesday) with the forecast improved (although the fog apparently didn't get the email), we groped our way out of the harbour, across Passamaquoddy Bay and through Little Letite Passage. Fortunately, as it is a narrow passage with ferries running to Deer Island and lots of current, by the time we reached the entrance the fog was lifting .
Safely through, we headed for Northwest Harbour on Deer Island. The plan was to get through the strong currents and give us an easier start for Grand Manan in the morning. So we were anchored in mid-day, and decided to take the dinghy round to Leonardville, about two miles down the shore, and Deer Island's largest town. Here we found a very quiet community, with all the boats tied up waiting for the fall lobster season. In the mean time, two fishermen were working repairing nets to use on one of the few remaining active herring wiers in the area. The remains of scores of wiers surround the islands, but like other fisheries, the herring fishery has collapsed, leaving all but a few wiers derelict. The only other activity in Leonardville was tending two huge lobster pounds where the spring catch is housed until it is sent to market.

30 July
This morning we headed out for Grand Manan in yet more thick fog. And just underway, the radar failed... "antenna not rotating". So it was a cautious trip. But we contacted Fundy Traffic and they told us about all traffic in the area. So with that, electronic charting and AIS, we were in no trouble. In late afternoon we watched the towering cliffs of North Head appear out of the fog. We rounded the head into the harbour where we picked up a vacant mooring and settled in. After a short walk ashore, we settled in for the night.

31 July
This morning we rented bikes and toured the island, biking south 15 miles to Seal Cove where we marveled at the huge new artificial harbour and marina built to support the salmon industry. Back after a strenuous ride, we had lunch at an excellent cafe, then picked up a few groceries. We also gratefully accepted a drive to Dark Harbour on the west side of the island, where the world's best dulse is reported to come from. I can't confirm or deny the claim as I am not a fan. But the harbor was very impressive.

1 Aug
This the morning we were off early, heading back towards Mount Desert Island. We were underway at 0630 hrs to catch the strong currents in the Grand Manan Channel. They reach 4 knots at peak, so are not to be trifled with. And again we spent the day in thick fog, with only one large motor yacht to worry about.
Late afternoon, Mistake Island came out of the fog and we anchored in solitude and excellent protection. Ashore on the island we spoke to some carpenters building a set for a movie to be filmed on the island. Then back to the boat for a quiet night.

2 Aug
Again we were off early, and caught the ebbing current to sweep us down the shore, arriving at Northeast Harbor on Mt Desert Island in mid-afternoon. Here we secured a raft and met our long-time cruising friends Nancy and Bruce Montgomery on Seabird. With time closing in on us, we spent two nights in Northeast Harbor then headed up Somes Sound to end our cruise at John Williams Boatyard where Estelle will await us in mid-September, when we will head south.