Still Summertime and the Living is Easy
10 September 2007 | Five Islands
Beth
Five Islands was a fabulous little find! We blew in here on Friday after making an intricate little low tide passage through Townsend Gut - complete with swing bridge, thousands of lobster buoys, narrow channels and great views. As we dawdled in a cove waiting 10 minutes for the bridge to open, a crowd of young people cruised by and raised the "Yeah Canada" cheer! One of the women was from Saint John, NB, and was happy to see us.
This Canadian identity played a part in another one of the fine local hospitality experiences we've had on this trip. As we were busy untangling a mooring line (note: having a very sharp knife and good goggles on board is essential) a couple of fellows cruised by Strathspey and Mike called out, "Hey - you're from Canada? Come on up to my house tonight. I'm throwing a party. My son is getting married!" Never ones to pass up an opportunity like that, the four of us wandered up the hill in the evening to enjoy a wonderful time with these gracious people. Mitch and Alyssa and their families and friends seemed a bit surprised but happy to welcome these "wash ashores" (as Coco dubbed us) into their midst. We shared stories of our sailing adventures and theirs, Blair played the pipes, and we gave our best wishes for the sailing honeymoon and future life of these great young people.
Saturday dawned windy but sunny and beautiful, so we decided to stay put and enjoy one more day in this gorgeous little bay ringed and protected by five granite rocks. Sometimes these extra days seem just like little jewels in this trip. Mary and I were talking about the flow of the trip the other day, and I realized that the flow for me is like beads in a necklace. It isn't a push southward - except when I want to linger a little longer in an area. It's a series of visits - beautiful beads mixed in with simple, plain ones, all making up this fabulous necklace that I will wear for the rest of my life.
This particular day was hot. The Five Islands Lobster Company opened at 11:30 and we were on the dock for lunch. One building - The Love Nest! - offered seafood items from the grill. The other building offered steamed lobster and corn. We each got our favourite dish and sat at the picnic tables in the sun enjoying this good food, the company and the atmosphere. We heard about a farm market up the hill so we trekked along and discovered a perfectly beautiful store with very sophisticated culinary delights - cheeses, meats, fresh produce, interesting oils and vinegars, wine and pie!!
We left on Sunday morning for Jewell Island, carrying warm memories of this pretty bay, its friendly residents and delicious food.