Are We Still “Come From Aways”?
I will miss the view from my many shore walks
Our final days in Port Saunders were busy ones, once Seabiscuit was lifted and taken to her place for the winter behind the Marine Centre building and nestled in with protection from Gallant Lady.
We stayed onboard four nights: winterized the engine and water systems, covered the winches, removed all of the canvas and fenders, polished and treated the stainless rails and mast pulpit, removed all electronics and scrubbed the deck and cockpit.
Having dry indoor storage is a real bonus, as we have always carried cushions and clothes and various other contents home for the winter. We are anxious about Seabiscuit not being covered but the Marine Centre crew convinced us they will make sure she has the snow removed.
All repairs have been arranged, including a rebuilt strut and replacing the wet exhaust hose. New propellor blades and a new windspeed indicator have been ordered.
Once the fridge was emptied we found it much easier to enjoy lunch from Colleen at the Snackbox, just metres from where we were working. I enjoyed many chats with Colleen, lingering over lunch and coffee when I wasn’t needed at the boat. She was lamenting over no cod for the last two weeks for her delicious cod burger. I told her we were hoping for more opportunities to buy fresh fish but we were either too late, or it was all for the fisheries.
She asked if we’d had any moose meat and ran into her house, coming out with moose burgers, sausage and stewing meat. We ate five meals of moose in our last week and enjoyed every one! Colleen got the last of the stew and said it was the best she’d ever tasted. (my secret ingredients being dehydrated corn and mushrooms). I look forward to seeing Colleen again next summer when I can present her with her own jar of dehydrated, fresh Ontario corn.
With it easier to finish the cabin cleaning, including washing and storing bed linens, with us not living onboard, we moved to a cabin at the Sea Echo Motel in Port au Choix. Transportation was offered and we willingly accepted, to travel the 8 kilometres between boat and cabin during our final three days.
Port au Choix is where we “landed” when we crossed from Quebec on August 29. There were some sights we had hoped to see but we left after just one night so we could begin moving south.
We enjoyed the trip to Point Riche Lighthouse, from land, seeing the “famous” caribou, a moose and I should mention, how awesome it was to be in a dry, comfortable bed with full bathroom and kitchen without having to climb a ladder to get to them!
Next summer we will visit the French Rooms and the bread ovens and the interpretation centre at Point Riche, all closed now for the season.
Having friends from Ontario in the area was a wonderful bonus! (Thanks Bob and Cheryl for the lovely steak dinner and visit “from home”)
Painted rocks at Port au Choix
It was indeed bitter-sweet the day we said our good-byes to so many who made these last three weeks so memorable for us. I felt as if I was leaving so much behind. Not just the boat but people who took us in and made us feel welcome, cared about our situation and went the extra mile whenever a situation presented itself. I never imagined I’d miss a wharf, the noise, the smells, the persistent wind and a language I have now come to love.
So I don’t feel like a “come from away”. I feel like I belong to a special place that we look forward to returning to next summer.
Please stay tuned for the final chapter of this year’s journey.