8/16/04 Bridgewater
Rick, from HMCS Fraser returned and gave us a fascinating tour of the
Ship. There was a 1954 sophisticated operations computer system in
place for tracking radar blips, a helicopter pad for deploying nuclear
torpedoes (borrowed from the U.S.), a token gun used only for firing
upon U.S. fishing vessels who were in Canadian territory, and various
ward rooms, cabins, and a radio room where HAM operators can enjoy
communicating all over the world. The ship is used now for meetings and
special events and is quite an attraction. Rick hopes to get special
Canadian recognition (and funding) for it so it can be a 1st class
memorial to the era. Fred wanted to talk to Covey Island Boat Builders
about their technique of epoxy/wood building. Ron, from Covey Island
picked us up, and we toured their facility and talked to John about
building possibilities. Fred just can’t make up his mind about a new
boat–bigger?, smaller?, faster? Lloyd, a Bridgewater resident, came to
visit and came back after dinner with his wife, Betty. They then took
us to their lovely home down the river. Lloyd is in the concrete
business; so he has a wonderful concrete pier and lots of concrete
pavers in his driveway. He and Betty have owned their boat for 37
years! After a harrowing Bay of Fundy ride, Betty now meets him by car.
We still marvel at the friendliness of the Canadians.

8/17/04 Bridgewater to Mouton 44nm 6hrs
We awoke to no rain for the 1st time in 3 days. It was a pretty ride
down the LaHave River to another rolly ocean scene. We had decided to
anchor in Mouton but got there early in the day and debated abut trying
to make Shelburne by dark. The anchorage was open to swells, but wasn’t
too bad. We opted for relaxing instead of running, and dropped the
hook–a good decision. We actually had time and opportunity for
cocktails and reading. After dinner Sharon kayaked to the gorgeous
beach. The sand was as fine as talc and glistened in the sun. The
beach was backed by grassy dunes, and small fir-treed rock islets dotted
the harbour–lots of photos! We were joined in the anchorage by 6
sailboats and passed a quiet night under the calm starry skies.

8/18/04 Mouton to Shelburne 41.4nm 6hrs
We awoke to the red sun rising into a clear sky, but....by 0930 we were
enveloped in pea soup fog. Before the sky dropped we passed a large
rock with a 40+’ fishing boat precariously perched on top. Someone had
had a really bad day! We called Yarmouth about dockage for the weekend
and were told there’s a tournament scheduled for this weekend–no room.
We ended up in Shelburne, a quaint town with lots of quaint museums.
The sailboats from Mouton showed up, and Annie was in Shelburne while
Don & Ann went home to Punta Gorda to assess the damage from Charley.

8/19/04 Lay Day Shelburne
The weatherman predicted 25-30kn winds with rain & fog for the next 2
days; so we stayed put, cleaned, and did boat projects. We got bored.
We rented a car and drove to Theriault Boatbuilders outside Yarmouth.
They build fiberglass and metal fish boats, yachts, and Cape Horns.
It’s quite an impressive operation. We stopped in Yarmouth on the way
home. There was a shark fishing tournament going on and no room on the
docks. The tide was out, and the anchorage was skinny; we thought about
skipping Yarmouth and using a weather window for an overnight run to ME.

8/20/04 Lay Day Shelburne
We did more cleaning and projects and enjoyed the ambiance of the
marina. We picked the brains of Downeasters Pete and Mary on Noelia.
They live in Kansas but have a mooring in Buck’s Harbor, ME and have
sailed Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. They convinced us to go across
from here on the 22nd, after the seas have calmed from the few days of
wind.

8/21/04 Lay Day Shelburne
Shelburne’s nice, but...this is getting old. Hopefully tomorrow will
bring our window. We hung out at the marina, and we were very glad to
be tied to a dock as the wind raged at 20-30 for most of the day and
night.

8/22/04-8/23/04 Shelburne to Castine, ME U.S.A. 199 ½ nm 30.25hrs
We awoke at 0200, and the water was calm. The front had finally gone
by; our weather window was here. The 0600 weather report intimated that
we’d be OK for about 36 hrs for the 24 hr crossing to Maine. Of course
weather forecasts aren’t always completely accurate. We were the last
of several boats to depart Shelburne. The beginning of the ride was
bumpy, but by sundown as we got out of the lee of Nova Scotia the seas
calmed, the winds turned, and we had a wonderful crossing. There were
no clouds and no light pollution. The stars were incredible! Sharon
doesn’t know how the ancient mariners navigated by the stars–there were
just too many to choose from. We arrived at Mt. Desert Rock at dawn
after slowing down to 5+kts at midnight. We anchored at the Woodenboat
School in Eggamoggin Reach, but it was too open for the wind
conditions. We moved to a quiet protected harbor off Castine, ME and
settled in for Pina Coladas, naps, and a good ole American turkey
dinner.

8/24/04 Castine to Rockland, ME 31 nm 5 1/2hrs
Today we did the Penobscot Bay Harbors Tour on Playpen. We cruised
through crowded Camden where there was not a mooring to be had. They
allow only boats under 40' in their inner sanctum. Then we dodged
lobster pots ‘round the bend to Rockport. We saw lots of empty
moorings, but the kid at the dock said he hadn’t checked availability,
and if we came back later he might have a spot for us. Camden and
Rockport seemed a little too snooty for us; so we motored ‘round the
next point to Rockland. The people at Journey’s End Marina were very
nice and helped us secure to a new floating dock ($2.25/ft). We
arranged for fuel the next morning ($1.47/gal) and strolled through
Rockland. Rockland is a medium-sized working town with many shops,
pretty little homes, and a very picturesque waterfront. We ate at
Conte’s, a most unusual restaurant, on the main wharf. The table
coverings were real estate newspapers (uh-oh), the menu was on butcher
paper suspended from the ceiling, and food was scrumptious with 2-meal
sized portions. We walked the docks after dinner and took in a lovely
sunset to end a beautiful day. We’ve been in ME 36 hours now and
haven’t’s seen any fog!

8/25/04 Layday in Rockland
The real estate table coverings did their sub-conscious work, and we
spent the morning perusing ads and visiting harbor-front condos for
sale. Then Fred saw a boat he liked, and we visited the builder. It
was perfect weather for selling Maine real estate or boats (sunny &
warm), but we resisted. We visited the Farnsworth Museum. Andrew Wyeth
was quite an artist! Then we had dinner and walked the docks.
8/26/04 Rockland to Little Joe Island, Friendship, ME
Today we saw the real ME. We set a course for Cam & Dorothy’s island,
“Little Joe.” Cam is president of the LRC Club, and he and Dorothy
leave their 58, Duchess II, on the west coast of FL and summer on their
own little island in Muscongus Bay. Entering Otter Passage was a
stressful comedy. Fred said if you took a handful of colored candy
sprinkles and tossed them on a table, you’d see what the lobster buoys
looked like. Cam & Dorothy met us in their 17' Whaler to guide us to
their mooring. We wove through the mine field of floats and secured to
their mooring in a protected quiet cove. Fred spotted a float off our
stern which we hoped belonged to a local. It didn’t. The line was
wrapped around something under the boat but didn’t affect our running;
so we cut the buoy off with our new tree trimmer saw and crossed our
fingers. Cam & Dorothy took us on a tour of non-tourist ME. It was
gorgeous under sunny skies. We visited the villages of Port Clyde and
Friendship where the only industry is lobstering. On the way back to
Little Joe we stopped at Cam’s neighbor’s dock and picked up 4 huge
lobsters for dinner. Cam & Dorothy have a wonderful cabin and pier on
their chunk of paradise. The island is an idyllic getaway for solitude,
projects, togetherness, and relaxation. They are part of a tight knit
island community reminiscent of old Maine stories. Wild roses and berry
bushes cover the uncultivated ground. With Dorothy’s vegetable patch,
barrels of rain water, a hand dug septic system for the outhouse, solar
panels, and bottles of propane, they are pretty much self-sufficient.
Any supplies are brought in by Whaler or barge–it’s not easy, but it’s
definitely worth the trouble. After a fabulous Downeast dinner, Cam &
Dorothy ferried us back to Playpen under a pollution-free starry and
moonlit sky–What a perfect day!

8/27/04 Little Joe to Boothbay Harbor 21 nm 3 3/4hrs
We negotiated the mine field out of Otter Passage and cruised into
Boothbay Harbor. Boothbay is one of the nicer tourist towns. We
secured at Boothbay Harbor Marina ($2.00/ft) and called for future
tie-ups. Kennebunkport is $4.50/ft! Portsmouth is $4.00. We set a
rhum line course for Gloucester, MA, 80 nm away. The weather called for
5-10kn winds and 1-3' seas. We strolled through Boothbay, window
shopped, had a yucky dinner at the Lobster Dock and a tasteless ice
cream cone. Back at Playpen the tide had come in and we found ourselves
level with and next to the pool hall. We watched a video and went to
bed with loud music and pool hall chatter.

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