Monday August 10th
The winds picked up and we were banging against the dock, the radio on, we kept waking to listen to make sure we did not need to move. Rain and more rain, it was a stormy night, but it broke a bit in the morning bright and early, when Dave woke me up to ask how badly we needed the store at 10.

We decided that right now, we could get off the dock and head out and if we waited until ten, the winds that were expected to shift to south and get quite strong could pin us to the dock making it impossible to give up our space to the ferry.
Prudence led the pack today and we got ready to leave. Breakfast would have to be while underway.

I started Willi up, turned on the navigation systems and Dave untied the stern and while holding the bow and forward spring line looped through a metal ring on the dock, he let them slide out as I turned Mysti-Cal out into the harbour, being careful of the fisherman's buoys and mooring balls on our port side.

The fog was thick and the rain was coming down so we trusted our radar and headed out through the narrow entrance, opting the way we had come in rather than trusting the shortcut channel that we did not know.

Out on the Atlantic it was thick fog and rain, and high waves which we were taking broadside. Not the most comfortable ride, but we had to leave port while we could and wanted to get to our destination in Hare Bay before the winds picked up and shifted, so we slogged onwards. We bounced our way through, up and down peering into the fog, constantly checking radar and AIS to make sure we were good. AIS has a collision alert that lets us know if anyone is on a course that would intercept ours. Great service, as long as the other boat has it installed! Not much help when heading into a port though as it sets off the alarm for every docked boat and station on the land as well!

We got Jenny out to help stabilize us in the waves, but there was not enough wind in that fog to rely on her alone, so Willi helped. We came to the entrance to Hare Bay, still in thick fog, and moved into the channel. We could not see much, but wound our way through what looked like solid walls on either side. Ahead, mid channel was a radar return that looked like a ship blocking the channel, we slowed down and inched ahead peering through the mist. At first it looked like a huge submarine looming out of the fog, but as we got closer we could see it was a massive fish farm. It's yellow buoys were almost blocking the channel, but we had enough room to squeeze by, so we continued up the arm following the advice in the guide book to keep port of Sandy Point. We found the rock face they said to anchor in front of just before noon and just as the winds started picking up in ernest.

The anchor set right away and we were held fast as the winds and rain began doing their best.
We made some hot soup for lunch and I had a nap to the sound of pouring rain while Dave puttered. I must have been tired because I slept for two hours and awoke to winds shrieking and the boat bouncing around. Dave had measured up to 40 knot winds, 50-60 kilometers, but our trusty Bruce anchor held us secure beside the rock cliff. I made us some hot chocolate for a mid afternoon snack, perfect for a rainy day.

I decided this was a good day to make lasagna. It would heat the boat up too! The rains tapered off a bit and we could begin to see where we were through the fog. My personal squeegee boy went out and did the windows and I counted three huge waterfalls around us, and magnificent cliffs on all sides. Wow, this place was beautiful from what we could see. We listened to Dennis Ryan on our CD player during dinner and viewed the incredible beauty that was forming out of the mist. The seas calmed down and the view from our secure anchorage made me homesick in a way I do not understand, but this place fed my soul.

The sky cleared some time in the night when I got up and I saw stars like my ancestors may have seen in Ontario many generations ago. Here, where man is not competing with the dark, you can see stars and clusters that I never knew existed. The sky was twinkling an eternity of stars.