Wake to early morning fog. Plus an extremely low tides. There is the muddy smell of the exposed harbor banks. SPARTINA is settled in a nice pool of water with about a foot to spare. 6:50 under power, 7:20 out of the harbor. A distant fog bank, no wind. Under power on gentle swells rolling in from the ocean. 7:35 sail up at Marker "2CP" off of Cranberry Point (not to be confused with the Cranberry Islands). Making just over a knot. 8:00 motorsailing with the harbor at Corea to port. A sleep black-hulled lobster boat slows down nearby, the crew waves. Then they speed up and move on.
9:05 crossing the Outer Bar between Petit Manan Point and Green Island. Water goes from smooth rolling waves on the west side to very choppy waters on the east side. 9:45 wind on the port quarter. Making 2.7.
10:30 motorsailing, waves breaking on the rocks to port at the island called Jordan's Delight. 10:45 wind fills in, 3.2. 11:30 slip behind Shipstern and Flint Islands. 12:25 choppy water. Look east to a series of islands, not sure which is the best path to follow.
To port is the harbor at South Addison. Navionics shows two town docks there, maybe the chance to offload some trash and pick up some fresh water. Heading into the harbor I watch a man and a woman, maybe husband and wife, hauling in lobster pots on a boat called TRIPLE TROUBLE. Seems like there might be a good story behind that name.
Head into what is marked as a town dock on my chart, tie up and carry up a couple gallon bags of trash to a large green bin. A lobsterman comes up in a dinghy and points out it is a private dock, the public dock is closer to the harbor entrance. I wave to the guys unloading lobsters at the pier, apologize. They wave and say no problem. After moving out to the right dock I find there is no nearby store, so no water to be had. Walking back to SPARTINA I see the woman from TRIPLE TROUBLE. I ask her about the name, what's the story that goes with it. She shrugs, says "I don't know, that was the name on the boat when they bought it."
It is too early to stop for the day, and the wind is good to ignore. I decide to go out for a little day sailing around the islands outside the harbor, including The Ladle, which looks like a giant ladle laid on its side. 2:00 out of the harbor and sails up. 2:30 wind after of starboard beam and doing 4.7. Great wind and plenty of daylight left. Looking at the charts I decide to sail outside the islands to Great Wass Island.
Heading southeast I pass a series of islands, Inner and Outer Sand Islands and Toms Island to port, Flat Island to starboard. Beyond that there is nothing but blue, blue sky and the rich color of the sky reflected in the water. Navionics shows a red marker out there somewhere, and I sometime see a flash of white - maybe a lobster boat. I smile as I zoom back out on the chart to see the next piece of land directly ahead is Nova Scotia.
SPARTINA suddenly slows down. I look around, sails full of wind but the boat is hardly moving. Looking over the stern I see the problem, I've hooked a lobster pot float. Raise the rudder, let it slip off and then continue on the way.
3:00 making 5.3 over the ocean swells. Wonderful sailing. 3:15 I see red marker "2SR", realizing that bit of white I thought was a lobster boat is really waves breaking over rocky ledges just below the water's surface. Turn downwind between the ledges and the red marker, keeping Egg and Seal Rocks and Crumple Island to port.
Approaching Great Wass Island we pass Pond Point, Red Head and Little Pond Head, rounding the last point and threading the needle at 4.6 kts between the rocks on the way to Mud Hole Channel.
5:25 reach Hole Point, bring down the sails and motor into Mud Hole. Anchor down 5:45 in the beautiful anchorage lined by granite walls and a forest of pine trees.
Checking the weather I get reports of a handful of thunderstorms passing by overnight. No worries at all in the protected waters of Mud Hole.
32.14 NM
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