Bay of Fundy - the crossing

I was really nervous about the passage from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to Bar Harbour, Maine as it was 99 nm with no where to stop in between and the current and tides are known to be strong. We had the perfect weather window as winds were suppose to be northerly and then turn easterly. We calculated that it should take 15-20 hours depending on the winds. We left at 1:00 PM Thursday and we wanted to be close to Bar Harbour around 7:00AM eastern time. We left Yarmouth on high tide hoping that the current would give us extra speed. Once we got out of the channel the winds were light but excellent for sailing. We used both sails for a couple of hours with a 15 degree lean and we were speeding (6 knots). The sea was so calm it looked oily. I prayed this would continue. And it did. The winds died after awhile so we left up the main sail only to provide stability and started the engine. It was calm enough for us to enjoy a few games of cards. It really was beautiful.

We could see a couple of boats on AIS and as they got closer we could actually see them behind us; one on its way to Saint John, NB and one just left. Technology is a wonderful thing!

Timing of snacks and meals can be a challenge on a boat but Byron is fabulous at feeding me so frequently and identifying when my blood sugar is low. He knows if I am not making sense or quiet I must be low! We spend a lot of time eating and for anyone who knows me this has become my favourite hobby🤣🤣🤣.

As it got dark we realized we were going too fast so we slowed down a little to ensure we got in after daylight before we entered a new harbour. Unfortunately what you can't see at night is buoys!!! They are literally everywhere. About half way across the Bay of Fundy we experienced snagging the first one around our keel. Luckily we had the boat in neutral and we were just drifting to slow ourselves down so there was no damage done to the boat. Byron had to go up on deck and cut the rope between the 2 buoys. We then became very diligent about the buoys by using our radar and flashlights to see them and navigate around them.

Byron had been talking to Steve from sailing vessel Ocean Cowbuoy a few days earlier and Steve warned us about the buoys that are used to mark lobster pot locations. He said it looks like packs of smarties were opened and sprinkled randomly on the water. Steve did not exaggerate! As we got closer to Maine we were looking forward to getting in the shipping channel as we thought we could get away from the buoys. However, unfortunately they are everywhere. The ones out to sea were only preparing us for what was to come! They were even in the mooring field in Southwest Harbour.

Customs and Immigration went really well. We had gone to Halifax in April to be interviewed for our Nexus cards. We believe this was really beneficial. As we got within 3 miles of Maine I used the ROAM app to check in to the USA. We then had a videoconference with a border security agent and answered some questions and showed her around the boat. The process went very well and the agent was very helpful. We then proceeded to our mooring field to rest and wait for Andrea and the dogs! It was a great crossing😁😁😁.