Surprise! We are still in Little St. Lawrence Harbor. The weather didn't turn out as planned, so we took the safe option and stayed put. We are definitely now on the Atlantic Ocean and feel a need to be safe. The two days at anchor have been productive. I finished the 990 knots, the 660 webbing into the line and the drogue is now complete. Paul did get the solenoid switch to work for propane so we don't have to go out back to open the tank every time we want to cook. Plus he worked on the hinges for the cockpit compartments to make them safer in case of a boarding wave and made the companionway hatch more secure. So we are getting ready for the big crossing. We are hoping to leave today, if so we should be in St. John's by Monday. Wish us luck!

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Today we leave for St. John's, should take us less than two days to get there. We have many things to accomplish on the boat before heading across for Ireland. It has been so foggy and damp that we are thinking of adding a heater before we cross. It will be damp in Ireland, so it makes sense to figure out a way to stay warmer and dryer.

It is very sad that we haven't seen much of Newfoundland at all. I would love to come back and spend several summers cruising the island. It is wonderful and the people are nice, but you need lots of time to pick the weather windows and to get through the fog.

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We are still here! We woke up Friday morning, all ready to head out bright and early and get some miles behind us. Already have been here 8 days. Paul went to make coffee and the stove would not work. Full day of working on it and still frustrated. My heart goes out to Paul, he works so hard on this. I try to ask questions to help him figure it out, but this one really rests on his shoulder. I am the loving wife and keep feeding him food. Plus keep working on the drogue. I have to thread 660 pieces of webbing into the double-braid line and then tie 660 knots. My fingers are killing. But every knot I put in, I think, in a bad storm this may make the difference.

Which reminds me, I wanted to thank the women sailors that have gone before that I have learned so much from. When I am sitting in the cockpit at loose ends, I think, 'What would Rose do?' So I get out the cleaner and polish and clean the cockpit. When we hit a rough spot, I think, 'What would Judy do?' And I go to the pantry and start cooking up food. Love the role models.

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Sigh, and bigger sigh. We were hoping to be out of here on Tuesday. But the wind and weather says no. Maybe Thursday, but more likely on Friday. Tuesday evening the wind and waves got so big, and the front of our boat is just sticking out from the wharf a little bit too much, that we had to go out and check all the dock lines. We put rubber hoses everywhere we could to prevent chafe. And we put out FOUR docklines off the bow. We have back-ups for our back-ups for the back-ups. And, of course, the boaty was rocking and rolling, kind of jerky. I had to put cushions on the floor and sleep there so as to not get sea-sick.

And today it is raining a steady drizzle, which is good for them because they haven't had rain for a month. But not so good for us. I got soaked walking up to Pizza Delight so I could have wi-fi.

We are trying to not waste time while here and are busy working (when not sleeping!) trying to get the boat ready for our Atlantic crossing. The picture is of me putting 110 little cones on a 200 foot line to make a drogue. We hang a 15 pound mushroom anchor on the end and then send it off the end of the boat. Each little cone helps to slow down the boat and altogether they work really well. We will use this if we have bad weather. It protects the boat from going head over heels in a big wave, slows us down so it is more comfortable and so the storm can go on by faster. I am curious to see how well it works, but not so curious for that storm.

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Still here, decided to go for a walk out to the shore to take a look at the wind and waves. Yes, indeed, the wind is coming strong, right on the nose and we can'.t head out yet.

We walked up to the Port aux Basques traffic control. They keep track of all the boats coming into the harbor, plus all the big boat going through the shipping channel for a 15 mile radius. I had to share the picture of the emblem they have on the door. I thought it was kind of cute.

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We have spent the last several days tearing the boat apart to clean up all the wet spots and did many, many loads of laundry. Paul is also making changes to the anchor arrangement so we don't get so much water in, and we re-bedded a cleat. Plus, we are catching up on our sleep, this last trip took a lot out of both of us. Still have a couple of projects and then we can head off.
Port aux Basques is a nice place. It is the port where the ferry comes in and brings all the food and other goods for all of Newfoundland. The people here are friendly and helpful. People in the grocery store stop and talk and know we are from the yacht on the wharf. We try to spend some time every day getting out and about. Right now the wind is blowing hard, so we are glad to be where we are secure. The scenery is rocky and green, but few trees. It reminds me a lot of Ireland, but without the sheep. Tentative plan is to leave Tuesday morning for Ha Ha Bay. Sounds like a good time.

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