O, Canada! Here we come.
We leave Eastport at about 10 am and head out to the north of Campobello Island, expecting to see all sorts of tidal eddies and swirls. We were not disappointed. We pass the famous lighthouse at Head Harbor on Campobello where FDR's destroyer docked.
Once around the Island, we head south to North Head on Grand Manan. Grand Manan is near the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, playground for whales, dolphins and porpoises. We saw many dolphins and no porpoises or whales. The tides were impressive.
We spent the night at North Head. Once we docked, we put out our US ensign and our Canadian courtesy flag. Then we checked in with Customs. After all of the officialdom was done, we went ashore and enjoyed a delicious haddock and chips. The fish was so fresh and flaky!
The waitress wanted to know which pie or cake we would choose, but we said we were going up the street and get coffee ice cream. She (jokingly) called us traitors. She wanted us to see Grand Manan. We told her we had no car. "Well, just use mine! I don't need it for a few hours!" Another generous soul!
The ice cream was good! We had a nice conversation with a member of the Canadian Coast Guard. His job was to man the several lighthouses on the island as well as serve as keeper on Machias Seal Island. That assignment was 28 days on, 28 days off. The great fear among his group is that if they should lapse in their duties by a day or two, the US would jump in and take over Machias Seal Island.
This is the connection between Grand Manan and Blacks Harbour to the north. There are two ferries running, one each way, from about 0730 to 1730.
Here's a picture of the waterfront near where the ferries dock.
Whales and puffins!
Early Tuesday morning, we cast off from our mooring and headed south past Seal Cove and around Grand Manan. The fog set in, so our rounding of the southern tip was a bit of a mystery. The fog cleared and we could see the steep cliffs on the west side of Grand Manan. We headed back north towards Lubec and Eastport where we could clear US Customs and head back west.
Customs in Eastport was a simple process. The Customs officer remembered Brio from two years before. That made it easier. Lots of jokes about New Hampshire being a better place to live than Maine. He plans to retire in New Hampshire and also spend time in Florida "if there's any room left"!
From Eastport, we went down the Lubec Channel and headed west southwest past Cutler, Machias Bay and Roque to Head Harbor and "The Cow Yards." This little harbor is well-protected and we knew some bad weather was setting in for a day or two. Better find a cozy spot!
Cheers!
Brio
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