Our first stop after leaving Lunenburg was a return visit to Prince's Inlet where we knew we would find shelter from the forecasted ocean swells. Although hurricane Franklin had veered much further off shore than expected it still produced some heavy seas for a couple of days. In fact, two people had to be rescued after having been swept off a beach by waves. We spent the next 2 days kayaking around the inlet while once again admiring the beautiful homes and inspecting the moored boats, one thing I never get tired of. Quiet evenings were marked by the haunting sounds of the numerous loons that live in the area.

We decided to head over to Chester for Labour Day Weekend to see if there were any festivities planned but we were surprised how quiet things were. Although Chester Yacht Club is a hub of activity in the summer with junior squadron classes and weekly races it all comes to an end by Labour Day. I think most of the participants are cottagers from out of town who all return home for the start of the new school year. The Fo'cle Tavern had reopened after the devastating flood earlier in the summer and being the oldest tavern in Nova Scotia we were keen to check it out. I must admit it sure wasn't like an HYC Labour Day Saturday night, the band played from 6:30 until 9:30 and the doors were locked by 10. However, the food was good and "The Groove Blues" band played lots of old favorites to keep us entertained.

As the month progresses we find ourselves spending more time tracking the progress of various tropical storms as they may or may not turn into hurricanes. After hitting Florida Idahlia was all set to sideswipe parts of Nova Scotia, so once again we poured over the charts figuring where we would hide. Luckily she veered further offshore as well and weakened to a tropical depression bringing minimal effect to the area. But we still needed to protect ourselves for a couple of days of strong northerlies. The harbour in Mahone Bay seemed the best choice, plus it was on our list of places to visit. We arranged to meet our friends on Arapesh there and spent 2 days exploring this historic town and hiking sections of the Trans Canada Trail. But no kayaking as the north winds gusted to 30 knots.

As time winds down on this trip we still have a couple of anchorages we want to check out so we will head out tomorrow for more adventures. But they will be short lived, we have moved our haul out date up to September 15 as the weather in the tropical Atlantic becomes more unsettled. The early date will give us a chance to get Dagny safely tucked away for the winter. Prior to leaving Chesapeake Bay this year we upgraded some of our electronics which included replacing the masthead wind transducer($500 USD). You can imagine my reaction when I looked up to see a big Osprey perched on the wind vane. Thankfully, with a little encouragement, he left without causing any damage and took up residence on a neighbouring boat.

Today's picture is of the landmark churches that over look Mahone Bay Harbour.