Surprise!! We're HOME!!

Having had enough of the Intracoastal, on Wednesday, September 8th, we headed to sea with plans to stop in Beaufort, SC to visit friends. WOW! What a beautiful day! With flat seas and a slight following swell, we simply could not stop at Beaufort! We called our friends and told them with regret, that we were headed to St. Simons Island. Off St. Simons Island, the seas were even more calm so we kept going with our sights set on Jacksonville. At 6:30 PM we entered the jetties at Mayport. To illustrate just how calm it was (and kids, we do NOT recommend trying this), we fired up the gas grill and smoked 2 slabs of ribs while cruising along. We rewarded ourselves with a wonderful meal of ribs after clearing the St. Johns River jetties at Mayport. As the sun set over the Dames Point Bridge, we knew we would be in our home berth tonight. At 8:05. we arrived at Huckins Yacht Center, sat down, took a deep breath and realized what we had accomplished on our final day: 13 hours on the water and 269 nautical miles travelled!! Needless to say, it was the longest travel day and the most miles travelled in one day during our trip but we were home. We have travelled a total of 4503.5 nautical miles or 5088.95 statute miles since April 15th. In the near future, we will complete our blog with thoughts, observations and statistics that might be helpful to others planning their journey on the Down East Loop.

Georgetown, SC

With higher winds and seas than we prefer, we decided not to venture out into the ocean and resigned ourselves to the slow passage on the ICW, filled with No Wake zones and lots of boats. The first half of the day was just that. However, in the afternoon we entered the glory of the Waccamaw River. Wide open water, lined with mossy cypress trees and marsh, it was a welcome respite. We saw few other boats on the Waccamaw; just natural beauty. At the end of the day, we made a return visit to the Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown and were reminded once again of what a pleasant town this is.

Headed Home

Baltimore's Inner Harbor lived up to its billing as a protected harbor and Hurricane Earl stayed far away so we were able to enjoy the city and as a bonus, a visit from Judi's sister Denise and niece Caitlin.

We are now on the fast track home. We've overnighted at Tidewater Marina in Portsmouth, VA (across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk), Dowry Creek Marina in Belhaven, NC and Sea Path Yacht Club in Wrightsville Beach, NC. The last time we stayed at Dowry Creek they were having a pot-luck supper complete with "beer-butt chicken". We missed it by one day on this visit but still enjoyed sharing shories with other boaters in the marina.

Since this was Labor Day weekend, it was a slow ride in the Intracoastal waterway to Wrightsville Beach. Our slow ride was more than rewarded when we were met at the dock by Gene & Tee Woodbury, long-time friends of Tom Coker. Tom sent us a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne via Gene and Tee, to celebrate our completion of the Down East Loop -- AWESOME!! After toasting the occasion, Gene and Tee took us on a tour of beautiful Wrightsville Beach and hosted us at dinner at their beachfront club. A wonderful evening!

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!

Though we left our home port on April 15th, we began the Loop portion of the trip on June 1st when we left New York Harbor. Today, August 31, 2010 at 2:05 PM, we “crossed our wake”; we have officially completed the Down East Circle Loop!!! Hallelujah! It was quite an emotional time as we exited the East River and again saw Lady Liberty standing tall over New York Harbor. So far, we have traveled 3505.5 nautical miles or 3,961.215 statute miles. What an adventure it has been!

Next adventure: Avoid Hurricane Earl
We have both satellite TV and XM Weather on the boat so we are keeping a close eye on this Category 4 storm. Our plan is to cruise to Cape May, NJ on Wednesday then to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on Thursday, via Delaware Bay, the C & D canal and the upper Chesapeake Bay, in order to be in protected water. We are hoping that Earl will mind his manners and stay far away from the East Coast.

Noank & Mystic, CT

Mystic is a 3 mile ride up the river from Noank but with the No Wake zones, it would take almost an hour in Litenup Therefore, we opted to stay at Noank and take the tender into Mystic where we looked around the town and historic Mystic Seaport.

Several years ago, while on a road trip, Judi and Terry detoured to Noank to eat at the famous Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough. Imagine our surprise when we pulled the boat into the Noank Shipyard and discovered that we were docked immediately adjacent to Abbott’s! Obviously we had to make an encore visit as this is our last chance for a lobster roll.

Onset Island

While traversing the Cape Cod Canal, we cruised under a unique Railroad Bridge. Built as a WPA project, its span raises to a height of 135 ft above the water. When it was built, the railroad carried passengers to Cape Cod from the mainland. Today it most often used by the train removing garbage from Cape Cod. Just off the Cape Cod Canal lies Onset Island where friends Martha and Steve have owned one of the island’s 54 cottages for over 30 years. After Steve drove us to the grocery store, liquor store and showed us around the area, they tendered over for a tour of the boat and invited us back to their home for a New England lobster dinner, complete with stuffed quahog clams, steamers and lobsters. It was quite a party as their daughter Emily and her friend John were visiting for the weekend. Once again, great to catch up with friends from home.

Boston

What a pleasure it was to be in a large US city! Docked at the newly renovated Boston Yacht Haven, we were right in the downtown area, walking distance to all the historic sites and only a couple of blocks from the Italian area, the North End, where a festival called St. Anthony’s Feast was being held. We discovered a fabulous Italian restaurant, Limoncello, whose owner Maurizio takes great care with all of his customers making each one feel like a member of the family. Across North Street from Limoncello we found V. Cirace & Son, Inc, purveyors of fine wine and spirits. V. Cirace, a third-generation business that was established in 1906, will even deliver purchases to the boat!

While Jon and Margaret visited their children and granddaughter in the Boston area, Judi, Terry and Mike took in the sights of the city. We walked the Freedom Trail that runs from Boston Common, past Faneuil Hall, the Old North Church, Paul Revere’s house, etc., culminating in a tour of the USS Constitution. The USS Constitution, Old Ironsides, is the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy and still sails today. In fact, we were lucky enough to see her sailing in Boston Harbor!

On our final night in the city, we enjoyed a home-cooked dinner of pulled pork and authentic Boston Baked Beans with Margaret and Jon's family. While the meal was delicious, the highlight of the evening was the entertainment as Sophie displayed her hula-hooping and dancing talents. Such a treat!

JAWS!!!

The weather cleared and the seas calmed so we left Boothbay Harbor and headed to Boston. We saw a number of whales spouting and diving and then, about 20 miles from Boston, something odd was sighted. From afar, it reminded us of the lobster traps we had been seeing – a large plastic bottle trailing a float about 10 ft behind. As we drew closer, we thought it must be a large sunfish. Sunfish often swim at the surface of the water with one fin up and can grow to several hundred pounds. We slowed the boat to take a picture and realized that it was a HUGE SHARK!! The dorsal fin was out of the water at least 2 feet! The shark rolled over on his side, looked at us then kicked his tail and swam off. We have seen large tiger sharks and hammerheads in our fishing days but never a shark this big. We estimated that he was 15-18 ft long with an enormous girth. Further research has confirmed that he was a GREAT WHITE!! Our comment: "We need a bigger boat!"

Boothbay Harbor, ME

Margaret and Jon departed Rockland on Saturday to visit their family in the Boston area while Judi, Terry and Capt Mike took the boat to Carousel Marina in Boothbay Harbor. The marina was named for the movie "Carousel" starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley MacLaine, because the movie was filmed right here! The area is quintessential Maine. Absolutely beautiful, jagged shoreline, small islands, 18th and 19th century homes, lovely lighthouses, lots of lobster trap buoys and lobster houses. Due to weather and rough seas, we've had an extended stay so we rented a car and drove to the home of LL Bean, Freeport, ME. It is an unbelievable place. The entire town has been turned into an outlet mall! It is the "Disneyworld" of department stores. Even the historic library building is now an Abercrombie & Fitch. Too much for us non-shoppers. We also stopped in the town of Bath, ME where the US Navy destroyers were built during WW-II. Nice town. Having eaten no barbeque in quite a while, when we saw Beale Street Memphis Barbeque, we had to try it and were pleasantly surprised. Top notch! Add it to your places to eat, if you are a barbeque fan.

Every region of the country has its own specialities and while Maine is generally known for its lobster, there is one other food that is special here: Whoopie Pies. A Whoopie Pie consists of 2 layers of Devil's Food Cake, about 5" diameter, with a cream filling. They are not too sweet and taste similar to a "Zinger".

Rockland, ME

The cruise to Rockland was slowed by the veritable minefield of lobster trap bouys dotting the coastal waters. The weather was nice and the scenary spectacular so we relaxed and made the best of it. We continue to be impressed by the number and differing styles of lighthouses we see.

Rockland Harbor, located off of the sailing paradise of Penobscot Bay, has combined commercial fishing enterprises with tourism and pleasure cruising. During our harbor cruise in the tender, we counted 10 seals swimming around the wharf, waiting for their free meal as the fishing boats cleaned their nets. Known as the "lobster capital of Maine", Rockland also boasts a downtown filled with excellent galleries and interesting shops.

Great news for Gimlet drinkers. The Rite-Aid pharmacy carries Rose's Lime Juice - along with those "pharmaceuticals" known as beer, wine, vodka and gin, all at reasonable US prices. All's right with the world again!

A slightly bumpy tender ride took us to Rockport and Camden harbors. Both places have changed immensely, having become more "modern" and tourist-oriented, since the Fullertons last visited 20 years ago.

Margaret and Jon picked up a rental car Friday afternoon in preparation for a drive into the Boston area on Saturday to spend a few days with their kids and granddaughter. That also meant that we were able to drive to the local seafood market and pick up some TWO POUND lobsters for dinner! The lobsterhouse steamed them for us and while delicious, we all agreed that the ones we steamed ourselves at Southwest Harbor were better. Lots cheaper too!

Shelburne, NS to Southwest Harbor, Maine

After a brief overnight stop in the historic town of Shelburne,pictured above, we awoke early to flat seas and calm breezes. Seizing the window of opportunity, we modified our plans and headed to the United States. For 9 hours we cruised open seas, accompanied by seals, porpoises, sun fish, puffins and humpback whales, all enjoying the perfect day. The humpbacks were especially acrobatic, diving and showing their flukes. What a wonderful day!

When we arrived at Southwest Harbor, we were greeted by an estimated 26 million lobster traps blocking the way into the marina, Dysart's Great Harbor Marina. Problem #2: the transmission on the starboard engine failed at that moment. We secured the boat to a mooring in the harbor to investigate the problem. We found there was a transmission fluid leak somewhere. Filled it up and hobbled into our slip. The Hinckley mechanic said we had a bad transmission oil cooler. He had one overnighted and installed it the following day. Perfect.

When we checked in at Dysart's, manager Jane asked if we would be interested in any lobsters. One of the dock hands was selling 1 1/4 lb lobsters for $5 each! We ordered 10. We steamed them in sea water in the dockside steamer and devoured every single one. Delicious!

Southwest Harbor is on Mt. Desert Island, the same island where upscale Bar Harbor and Northeast Harbor are located, though Acadia National Park encompasses most of the island. There is a free shuttle, sponsored by L.L.Bean and Friends of Acadia, that runs all around the island so we were able to do some land-based touring. We hoped to catch Thunder Hole in full roar, planning our visit to coincide with high tide but unfortunately, the calm seas that blessed us the day before, rendered Thunder Hole mute. The coastline of Maine is beautiful. The town of Bar Harbor is pretty but too touristy for our taste. Northeast Harbor had many lovely shops.

Jon and Margaret's friends, Nancy and Harry, are in Maine and stopped by for a visit. We were delighted to hear the news of their new boat purchase, a Cape Dory 28! We enjoyed lunch together, catching up on all the news.

After months of being the largest boat at the dock (and sometimes the ONLY boat at the dock!), we are suddenly amongst mega-yachts, dwarfing our 65 footer. What a contrast!

Lunenburg

The beautiful town of Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This traditional fishing and shipbuilding town, established in 1753, was a planned Colonial settlement. The buildings have been beautifully preserved and were interesting to see. We tied to a floating dock that was attached to a very old wharf; many of the pilings were actually tree trunks with bark still attached. The tidal drop was more than 6 feet so at low tide, the floating dock was at least 12 feet below the wharf. To get to the top, we had to climb up the wall on a very old ladder. Going up was not so bad; coming back down was much more challenging!

We highly recommend the Italian restaurant in town, Trattoria della Nonna. Best Italian food we have had in a very long time. We noted there was no veal on the menu. In fact, we haven't seen veal since Quebec City and wondered why.

We were told that the Sci-Fi Channel was filming a Stephen King episode of "Haven" on the black boat at the wharf, picture attached.

Halifax

We arrived in Halifax during the Halifax International Busker Festival. What is a Busker?? Busking is the art of performing in public places for tips and gratuities, says Google. So there were street performers everywhere. Lots of fun that no doubt goes on unto the wee hours. We were all glad that we were moored at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron rather than at the downtown wharf! Though Halifax is a large city, it seems clean and relatively free of the less desirable big city elements. We enjoyed strolling the waterfront, the historic area and the Public Garden. The flowers in the Garden were spectacular!

The Yacht Squadron hosted sailing camps for all ages of children. We really enjoyed watching the little ones learning to sail.

Liscombe Lodge

After a bumpy ride from Cape Breton, we pulled into Liscomb and docked at Liscombe Lodge ready for some calm water and we found that and more -- delightful people, laid back atmosphere, walking trails for all levels of experience, rental cottages, a heated swimming pool, nice restaurant; sort of a throw back in time. No town of any sort nearby so we made the most of the walking trails and down time. The dock at Liscombe Lodge is small, only large enough to hold our boat, so several sail boats anchored in the tiny harbor. Since the weather was predicted to be windy for several days, we made ourselves at home. The harbor was beautifully eerie in the fog.

Random Observations

During our travels in Canada, we've made the following observations:

Sweet N Low is unavailable in Canada. So are grits and Rose's Lime Juice, essential for making a gimlet. A pound of butter, unquartered, is $2 less than butter that is cut into quarters. Also, milk is not sold in gallon jugs. It is sold in a 4 liter "bladder" that needs to be put into a special pitcher, sold separately of course. Milk is sold in either a 1/2 gallon wax carton or plastic jug. The plastic jug is $1 more! On the plus side, the bakery selections have been outstanding.

Be careful in the meat aisle: ground beef is right next to the ground bison and ground HORSE and it all looks the same and the descriptions are in French (in Quebec)!

Water temperature varies greatly. In the St. Lawrence River, at Quebec City, 63 degrees; only 110 miles away, near Tadoussac (whale feeding grounds), it was 39 degrees; in Bras d'Or, 70 degrees; at Halifax Nova Scotia, 54 degrees. Since we are traveling on the water, we really feel the difference in water temps. In town, off of the water, it is warm (72 degrees) but on the water, not so. Hard to know how to dress.

Fuel is very expensive here. Gas is about $1.03 per liter for regular. Diesel, our fuel of choice, is about the same. We burn 40 gallon an hour at cruising speed ( 20 knts )

A 65 ft boat is about the largest that could do this trip, if you expect to stay at any marinas. Docks are pretty small here and marinas are few and far between.

American country music is BIG here. We hear it all the time!

Main observation: you could not ask for nicer people on the face of the planet. We have not met a rude person on our travels. Even when unable to satisfy our needs or to speak our language, each person has been polite beyond measure and wishing to help. What a delight!

Bras d'Or Lake, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Between PEI and Cape Breton, we cleared two more locks. The first in Canso Strait was huge - 820 ft long and 80 ft wide. We didn't even have to tie up; just hover in the middle. The second, St. Peter's Lock, built in 1869, was similar to those in the Champlain Canal. Prior to the opening of the canal and lock, small vessels were placed on skids and pulled by oxen over the 1/2 mile strip of land.

St Peter's lock marks the beginning of the Bras d'Or Lake, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world. It is a beautiful cruising area, with lots of coves and islands. The town of Baddeck, on the northern end of the lake, is home to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. Bell and his family loved Cape Breton and spent their summers in Baddeck at their home overlooking the lake. In fact, the family still uses the house every summer.

In Baddeck, there was a quilt show at one of the churches. We couldn't resist taking a picture of the unique car cover we saw.

Prince Edward Island

Docked at the Silver Fox Yacht & Curling Club, we made Summerside, PEI our base for touring the island. PEI, named for the father of Queen Victoria, is famous for its potatoes and mussels and we agree that they have the best of both. The soil on PEI is a rich, red color, perfect for agriculture, and the islanders have made the most of it by planting acres of potato fields, covering the rolling hills with lush vegetation. The author of the novel "Anne of Greene Gables" lived on PEI and we toured the home and farm made famous by the book.

Charlottetown, the capital of the province, is considered to be the birthplace of Canada because the Fathers of the Confederation convened there in 1864 to consider the details of a union that resulted in the formation of Canada 3 years later. Charlottetown is a pretty town. We walked the streets, visited the Provincial House and tried their famous "Cows" ice cream and chocolate covered PEI potato chips -- YUM! Margaret was feeling a little under the weather that day. At lunch she decided to have just a little something; maybe just a hamburger with some vegetables...

Mussels are farmed in the bays and rivers of Prince Edward Island. We were able to see the harvesting operation in action near Montague, PEI where we stopped on our way to Cape Breton. Sheila and Darryl manage Montague Marina and they brought us a HUGE bowl of freshly dug and cooked mussels. Another culinary delight! They were the best mussels we have ever eaten and they cooked them right on the dock in a big turkey fryer!

The third most popular product of PEI is oysters. The oysters from the town of Malpeque were chosen "the tastiest oyster in the world" at the 1900 Paris exhibition. Yes, 1900.

Prince Edward Island is connected to New Brunswick by the 8-mile long Confederation Bridge. Built in 1997, it is designed like a Roman aqueduct. It is free to cross the bridge from NB to PEI but the toll to leave the island is $47 !! Why so much? Because that is what the ferry charged when it used to cross the Strait.

Canadian Coast Guard

While in Trois Rivieres, we met 3 members of the Search and Rescue division of the Canadian Coast Guard. Etienne, Miriam and Thomas were very enthusiastic about their jobs and were a delight to meet. They enjoyed the tour of our boat and remarked on how cool that it was so "old school". The CCG provides a wonderful service for cruising yachtsmen -- the ability to file and follow-up on a Sail Plan. Here's how it works: we contacted the Canandian Coast Guard and gave them pertinent information about our boat, crew, safety equipment on board, emergency contact information, etc. Then when we leave a port, we call them and tell them where we are headed and our ETA. When we arrive at our destination, we call them again and report our arrival. If they don't hear from us, they start searching, first by phone and radio, then with assets. This service has given us an added sense of comfort while we traveled in remote areas or when the seas kicked up. Surprisingly, there are very few cruising yachts up here. In fact, we've gone for days without seeing another boat, other than the occasional local fishing vessel.

Gaspe' Peninsula

The coast of the Gaspe' Peninsula is reputed to be the third most beautiful coastline in the WORLD. Well, we don't know which locales are rated first and second but we believe that the Gaspe' coast should be number one. It is magnificent! We spent several days there, both on the boat and in a rental car, exploring the area. In the Gaspe' National Park, we hiked the last few kilometers of the International Appalachian Trial -- such a thrill! We hiked down to the rocky beaches and studied the unusual rock formation, we witnessed the nesting of various sea bird species, including Gannets. We viewed the Roche de Perce' (pierced rock), one of the most famous landmarks in Canada; we learned all about salting codfish and the fishing life of yesteryear; we enjoyed the slower pace and met wonderful people. The staff at Marina Gaspe' could not have been nicer nor more helpful. Jean Francois and Doris were the best! Luckily for us, both gentlemen speak English beautifully, as our French is very limited (except for Margaret, who's French classes have come in handy quite often).