Wonderful People

We sure landed in a fabulous place. The Breakwater Bash was a great party. The harbour is owned by the local people, and this event raises funds to help take care of it. They created a large party area in the parking lot by piling fish boxes (filled with water to keep them from flying off) to make walls. A live band played good dancing music and there were carloads and boatloads of people all in the mood to party. We bought scrumptious wings, and sausages on buns, and the beer flowed generously! We talked with our friendly rescuers, and got introduced to more people. These Acadians are so welcoming and friendly we feel absolutely blessed to be here. The wind picked up as forecasted, and this is a perfect refuge from the high seas.

This morning, Andre came by and the three guys (Jim, Blair and Andre) tore our engine compartment apart again and fixed the leak in the coolant reservoir. Then he drove us down the road a few miles to pick up some groceries and visit an ATM, and gave us a little tour of the neighbourhood, as well as a lot of information on the area. According to "The Downeast Circle Route", this is the home of the largest inshore fishing fleet in the Gulf Region, and it was most interesting to hear about it and see it first hand. Andre grew up in the area, works for the Coast Guard and fishes so he has a vast knowledge of local lore.

We had an excellent fish and chip lunch at the diner nearby, picked up some scallops at the poissonerie for dinner tonight, did boat jobs in the afternoon, and filled up with diesel - again, arranged and assisted by Andre. Thanks to Jim MacIntyre, who owns the campground here, we have internet access on our boats so it's a treat to check e-mail and post log entries. I waded a bit in the water of the Northumberland Strait, and felt the familiar feel of sand between my toes for the first time this trip.

Over munchies and liquid refreshment in Madcap's cockpit, we thoroughly enjoyed the company of a solo sailor who arrived on the dock behind us. Marsha, on a Pearson 26 - has been sailing single handed from Cape Breton and is headed up the St Lawrence River. We were enthralled with her stories as well as with her courage and fortitude in making this journey on her own.

When Ed came by to collect the dockage fee for the night - the huge sum of $14.00 - we engaged in some more conversation and increased our knowledge of fishing and boats. We know what scallop draggers look like, and when lobster season is open (not now along this coast). We visited the memorial to the 39 fishermen who were lost in a terrible storm in 1959. Such a loss in a small community must have been devastating. It reminded us, just as sailing by the memorial to the Empress of Ireland had, that the sea is not ever to be taken for granted.

Now it is after one o'clock in the morning and I'll get this posted before I fall into my berth for a few hours sleep before our early departure tomorrow for Buctouche. We'll keep our fingers crossed that Jim can take a break from developing his intimate relationship with our diesel engine!