Readers somehow I forgot to post this one. It should have appeared after Day 2 - Blustery but relaxing. I don't know how to change the sequence so here goes anyway....

Had a very quiet night at Dipper Harbour. We were underway today (Wednesday) by 8:30 and motorsailed into Eastport. It was a bit lumpy as we rounded Point Lepreau and almost as far as the wolves but it then settled down nicely. Crossed paths with the Grand Manan ferry but the visibility was great and he went behind us. Saw a couple of whales including one which brought it's tail right out of the water. It's quite a feeling to see whales up close and personal, particularly on one's own boat.

Got flushed quickly up Head Harbour Passage to Eastport where we intended to clear customs. We tied up at the municipal marina and walked the 5 minutes to the Customs House. They could not have been more accommodating and set us up with our cruising permit, gave us good advice about the periodic "checking in" which is required. They did not even come down to the boat nor ask us any questions about what we did or didn't have aboard. Very nice people; we (SNB) would be proud to have these gentlemen on staff.

From their to Moose Island Marine where I had a Kindle delivered from Amazon.com. A Kindle is an electronic book, the size of a paperback and capable of downloading books using a special cellular arrangement. I'll spare the details but check it out at Amazon.com. This was a gift from my colleagues at SNB; thanks folks and especially you Janet for engineering this gift.

We kicked around town for a while. Eastport has been a town of boom and bust over it's life and is in a bit of a resurgence at this time. Great gift stores, restaurants, etc. We moved out boat to "Bob's Chowderhouse" a converted cannery with fuel and a restaurant. Bob is quite a character and he allowed us to remain at the fuel dock while we ate supper then he provided us a stout mooring for the night.

Had a great meal and must be settling into cruising mode 'cause here it is 9:00 and we're ready for the bunk. Tides are not favourable for us tomorrow but we'll leave early anyway and buck the foul tides in the Grand Manan channel on our intended trip to Cutler. For the non-boaters, timing your passages to harness the tides can make a very big difference in the speed you make. For example, our boat normally cruises at about 6.5 knots (about 7.5 miles an hour). If we get a "lift" from the tide, meaning that we are travelling with the ebb or flood (whichever the case may be), we can get as much as three additional knots. The opposite, of course is true, so for part of our journey tomorrow, we'll likely be making 3.5 to 4 knots; but as they say the tides wait for no man!

We're monitoring the possible approach of the remnants of the tropical storm (forget her name) which may bring heavy rain and possible winds late Saturday so we'll want to be tucked in somewhere