It is often said by cruising sailors that their plans are written in the sand at low tide and that certainly applies to us over the past week. As I mentioned the other day we had moved our haul out date up a few days as the frequency of tropical storms was increasing. Now there's a definite threat to the area at the end of the week from hurricane Lee which is already a category 5. So with that in mind we will be hauling out September 12th which should give us ample to to prepare Dagny for the winter.

So as time winds down on this trip we are spending our last few days among the beautiful islands of Mahone Bay. This area really reminds us of the Thousand Island except more sparsely populated. There is no shortage of huge stately summer homes gradually taking over the islands. Fortunately, a few years ago a group of concerned local citizens formed a trust and started buying uninhabited islands and mandated that they can never be developed. To date they own 9 islands and have started installing mooring balls for visitors to use free of charge. It is amongst these islands where we are enjoying our last couple of days before heading to East River for our haul out.

While we were in Halifax a couple of weeks ago we wanted to hook up with some Hudson friends who moved here a couple of years ago but just couldn't get organized. So we took a break from island hopping to meet them in Chester and go sailing for the day. We had a great day with the Konencys and it had a bit of everything. The forecast was for sunny and 25c but when they arrived the fog had rolled in reducing the visibility to 100 yards. However, as we sat around catching up with each other conditions improved enough to set sail. Before long we were romping along in a 15 knot breeze under bright sunshine and everyone enjoyed a great day on the water.

We are currently anchored off Round Island and are the only boat here. It's really hard to describe how special this area is. Yesterday as we relaxed over morning coffee we watched a mother deer strolling along the beach as her two fawns played behind her. Blue herons patrol the water's edge while loons drift around the bays, it truly is a cruiser's paradise. With any luck the hot weather will hold for a couple of more days so we can get one or two more kayak rides in before it's time to pack up.

Today's picture is of a seagull looking for a handout at Backman Island. Even though they can be annoying at times they are a nice looking bird.