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| Thursday, July 13: winds 10-15 knots
in the morning, 25-30 knots in the afternoon with gusts to 40 knots.
With the weather forecast so unstable, I decided to remain at Factory Cove. I’d walk the shoreline and explore the immediate waters in my rowboat. At low tide, the fishing couple dried out their vessel on the shore. They proceeded to remove a cage covering the propeller of the boat. The cage prevented lobster pot lines from snagging the propeller while hauling pots. With lobster season over, they would now longline for cod and halibut. However, they didn’t expect good catches with fish stocks so poor. ..  By 1100, a strong southwest wind reaffirmed my cautious decision to remain at Factory Cove. A chilly fog joined the strong wind so I returned to Naomi for the duration. After battening down the tent openings, I brewed a pot of coffee and settled down to reading and snacking for the remainder of the day. In the evening I listened to the marine forecast for my rapidly closing week's vacation. The forecast Friday was for westerly winds 15-25 with fog banks and showers. For Saturday, moderate to strong westerlies were expected. I had to take the bus back to Dartmouth to retrieve my truck and boat trailer. The bus runs along the coastal road to Dartmouth once a day and leaves Port Dufferin around 0900. Sunday’s bus only passes this way in the evening and I had to be back to work on Monday. Rather than continue my stay on Naomi till Saturday, I decided to return home on Friday’s bus. Friday, July 14
 On Saturday, I returned to Factory Cove and sailed Naomi around to the gravel landing by the abandoned government wharf at Port Dufferin. Soon Naomi was secured on my boat trailer. As I drove home, I thought about the passage. It was not an ideal cruise in any sense, but it left me with many unique memories I wouldn’t have acquired by taking a more conventional vacation. |