Sunday morning dawned clear and calm, a perfect morning for our departure from Lunenburg and the start of our trek towards the Cape Cod Canal. As we eased out of the anchorage I commented to the Admiral that I didn't think the engine exhaust was putting out the normal amount of water. Bev readily agreed and said she didn't think it sounded right, right from the start, even though the temperature was normal. Once clear of the breakwater we shut the engine down and drifted along in the flat water while I went below for an inspection. Fortunately, the raw water strainer is easily accessible and within a couple of minutes I quickly discovered the problem. The intake was clogged with a long stringy type of weed that was like rope and I needed pliers to pull it out of the hose; however, once cleared everything was fine and we were off for the 50 mile run to Carter's Beach. We had hoped to be able to sail by mid morning but the forecasted wind never materialized, on the other hand I was happy to burn off some of the old fuel in our tanks. We had a comfortable uneventful run until the last 3 miles, then just to show us who's boss Mother Nature shrouded us in fog, reducing the visibility to about 5o yards until we reached the anchorage. Once anchored the sun came out again and we enjoyed a quiet evening in this beautiful spot.

I was up before the 6:30 alarm went off to make coffee and prepare for our 7 o'clock departure. One look outside and I knew we weren't going anywhere fast. The fog had rolled back in overnight reducing the visibility to a boat length at best. Shelburne was our destination for the day and we had lots of time to get there, so we wisely had a second coffee and a leisurely breakfast while we waited for the conditions to improve. Finally, the vis improved to around 200 yards and with the help of our radar we eased out of the anchorage and set course for Shelburne. The forecast called for southeast winds, at 10-15 knots, they had the strength right but the direction wrong as the south west winds were right on the nose making the ride quite lumpy. However, we did burn off more of that old fuel and I was relieved to find the fuel filters clean at the end of the day. The highlight of the day was Bev sighting a whale, we are not sure how big it was, but it was certainly bigger than a pilot whale. The wind finally veered as the sun came out and we enjoyed a great sail for the last 3 hours into Shelburne.

The Shelburne Yacht Club is usually the first stop for boats coming up from the US, so there are always boats coming and going. We had chatted with folks from Dartmouth on the way down and made arrangements to get together for drinks and dinner in town once we were settled. During our stay last year we weren't able to visit the museums or explore the historic waterfront as much as we would have liked. So this year we'll take a few days to immerse ourselves in the local history before moving on.

Today's picture is of a beautiful waterfront home outside Lunenburg.