God’s Pocket
August 28 is warm and the water is sparkling in the sunshine when we arrive in God’s Pocket on Seal Bay.
The wind is favourable as we sail through the passage between Long Island and Pilley’s Island. The coastal ferry crosses in front of us and we realize this is the ferry that would have supplied the residents of Little Bay Islands in years past.
Harald drops the sails off Brighton Tickle and we motor in to Little Triton Harbour, only to find limited swing room so we head further east, travelling a total 20 nautical miles and eliminating one stop - a good plan in nice weather.
The entrance to God’s Pocket is easy to find as we round Gull Island (I think that’s the third Gull Island in recent weeks). There is no wind and this snug anchorage is exactly as the name implies - sheltered and perfect.
Turning at the second point and into the basin, we spot two sailboats rafted together at the head. We stop behind them and drop the anchor in 22 feet of water just before 3:00pm. A snack and a beverage is our usual routine but now that we have found summer, we can enjoy them in the warm sunshine, content as we take in the charm of our new surroundings.
The shores hold lobster traps, some appearing to still be in use but others are perched in odd places, perhaps settled there in a tide change or strong wind. There is an abandoned shed, leaning at a precarious angle with one wall long gone.
Later in the afternoon we are visited by the sailors from the other boats, as they paddle their kayaks, stopping by for introductions and a brief chat. They are Pachina Mia and Kashmir who have been travelling together since arriving in Lewisporte earlier this summer, their first visit to their boats since 2019 when they sailed there from Corner Brook: victims of Covid-19 lockdown like many others who could not access their boats in the last two years.
They are both from Ontario but also leaving their boats in Lewisporte this winter. We have lots to chat about!
Anne offers us some mussels she just harvested for their dinner and we happily accept enough to compliment our barbecued ribs and potato salad. Delicious and so fresh!
We linger in this solitude for two more days, enjoying the company of Anne, Mike and Mark, including a potluck supper onboard Seabiscuit, cocktails on Pachina Mia, frequent swims, a paddle to shore and another meal of mussels Harald was able to free from the rocks. It continues to be warm and we sleep in flat, calm water with hatches open.
The forecast is for building seas and rain in the next couple of days (perhaps the red sunrise was a good predictor of what was to come) so we leave God’s Pocket on August 31 and motor sail 18 miles, continuing to head east. The sun is shining but the wind is stronger than forecasted when we leave Seal Bay, exposed to open ocean on port side.
Leaving Seal Bay