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| Monday, July 21: Forecast
winds SW 15-20 knots, gusts to 25
The sun rose over the horizon and seeped into Naomi through the open boom tent. Another sunny day was forecast. Unusual weather - July has the least rainfall on record. Wells running dry, farmers worried about feed crops, and now a provincial ban on woodland travel in case of fire. After shaking off a morning chill with a fast walk, I cooked breakfast and waited for the tide to float Naomi from her berth. |
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| A brisk wind filled Naomi’s main as she scooted from Black Duck Island, between Torpay Island and Macdonald Island, and then into Necum Teuch Bay. To avoid numerous rocks south of Ship Rock, I sailed north of the steep sided granite island and across the bay. |
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| Trying to match the coastal passage I saw on the chart with the view I saw from the rolling cockpit of a lively dinghy wasn’t easy. One hand on the tiller, one hand grasping the sheet, the chart held open on the floor with my foot, conning with quick glances from the floor to over the bow and down again. Was it Hartling or Calf Island on the port bow? A bumpy ride over Calf Island Shoal confirmed my position as south of Calf Island. For longer distances, I prefer to plot the courses on the chart and sail by compass. |
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| In the lee of Hawbolt Island, I stopped for a break. Just as I dowsed the main and unshipped oars, an inshore fishing boat rounded the island. As she came alongside Naomi, I saw the fish boxes on the stern were filled with seaweed. Instead of fishing gear for long-lining, gill-netting or dragging - long-bladed rakes for harvesting seaweed were lashed to the gunnels. Seaweed provides an alternate source of income for the fisherman. We chatted for a time. He was the first person I had seen since leaving Port Dufferin. |
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| While sitting on a hunk of driftwood and swilling coffee, I looked from the gravel beach of Hawbolt Island across Ecum Secum Bay. A lively 15-20 knot wind swept the bay. Before departing the anchorage, I double-reefed the main and left the jib furled. Naomi plowed solidly across the bay leaving me less concerned about capsizing in these icy coastal waters. |
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| Dinghy cruising is a hybrid between the smaller kayak or canoe travels and the larger common sailboat cruising. The channel between Crooks and Goose Island is not mentioned in coastal pilots for the sailboat cruiser but it is discussed as a usable passage in canoeing guides. A dinghy can easily be rowed through the passage and the channel provides a sheltered anchorage. After exploring the channel, I left Naomi to dry on mudflats on Goose Island. With a sail bag containing a water bottle and snacks, I set out walking. The dense spruce woods and rocky shoreline were difficult to travel along, so I crossed the exposed peat bog which crowns Goose Island. Hiking wasn’t easy here either, as the deep peat grasped at my legs and the bog was soggy. I arrived at an inlet with a white sandy beach tucked among boulders. Here I lay on the beach, dozed, and daydreamed with none of the sounds of civilization to intrude. Returning to the shore, I waited for the rising tide so I could move the dinghy over to Crooks Island where she would be closer to the channel for tomorrow’s tide. |
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| Naomi was anchored and the boom tent in place. With supper finished, I stretched out with a cup of wine and my book in hand. This desolate world of mudflats, stunted spruce, and peat bogs was alive with the calls of terns, gulls, osprey, and various waders. Crabs scuttled below the surface and several deer and fawn crossed the shallows between the islands. A groaner buoy off Crooks Island played bass to the shriller tones of the seabirds. Cruising in a small boat with ample time to wander ashore and just sit back and enjoy the surroundings, is an ideal change from the rat race of city existence. |