Canada at last
Well, we made a new bowsprit within a week, this time from laminated spruce boards instead of a solid tree. Hopefully this should be stronger as the wood was completely dry and the grain is alternated on each laminate. It was also was much easier to fabricate as we had the use of a friend’s workshop for the glueing process (a warm dry space with lots of clamps available), and then it was roughly square before we started shaping it.
Heading north again, we stopped at the Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island and climbed Mount Cadillac for fantastic views of the island-studded Maine coastline, made even more spectacular by the local 4-masted windjammer sailing along the bay.
Once away from the touristy Mt Desert Island, we were in true ‘downeast Maine’, where lobster fishing is the main industry and the waters are literally strewn with lobster pots, making steering a straight course impossible. At first glance, the small towns we stopped in seemed to have little to offer, but we found the locals extremely friendly and welcoming.
We had an overnight stop in Mistake Harbour, a completely remote anchorage surrounded by rocks and islands. From there we went to the pretty fishing harbour at Cutler, and on to the border town of Eastport. As we entered here, rounding Campobello island, we saw Minke whales surfacing near the boat. This amazed us so close in to shore until we realised the water was 600 feet deep.
To cross the border into Canada, we had to pass through ‘The Old Sow’ whirlpool, apparently the largest in the northern hemisphere. It wasn’t at its most fierce when we passed through but still pushed the boat madly from side to side and sent seagulls floating round in circles. We arrived in St Andrews, Canada to a warm welcome from the harbourmaster who came out to show us to the anchorage and then let us use his phone to check in with Customs.
Heading north again, we stopped at the Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island and climbed Mount Cadillac for fantastic views of the island-studded Maine coastline, made even more spectacular by the local 4-masted windjammer sailing along the bay.
Once away from the touristy Mt Desert Island, we were in true ‘downeast Maine’, where lobster fishing is the main industry and the waters are literally strewn with lobster pots, making steering a straight course impossible. At first glance, the small towns we stopped in seemed to have little to offer, but we found the locals extremely friendly and welcoming.
We had an overnight stop in Mistake Harbour, a completely remote anchorage surrounded by rocks and islands. From there we went to the pretty fishing harbour at Cutler, and on to the border town of Eastport. As we entered here, rounding Campobello island, we saw Minke whales surfacing near the boat. This amazed us so close in to shore until we realised the water was 600 feet deep.
To cross the border into Canada, we had to pass through ‘The Old Sow’ whirlpool, apparently the largest in the northern hemisphere. It wasn’t at its most fierce when we passed through but still pushed the boat madly from side to side and sent seagulls floating round in circles. We arrived in St Andrews, Canada to a warm welcome from the harbourmaster who came out to show us to the anchorage and then let us use his phone to check in with Customs.
posted by Katie at 9:03 PM
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