A Long and Exciting Day
It is Thursday morning during breakfast when two small speedboats pass us and tie to a cabin dock at the end of the Newport basin. Harald tops up the diesel and I make sandwiches for our lunch underway. CBC announces the cod fishery will open on Sunday and run until November 16. We will have to consider this in our upcoming harbour stops - boats will be out but they will also be coming in to offload their catch, reducing our options for dock space.
We are not long out of Newport and heading toward Greenspond when two humpback whales appear on the horizon. Breaching and splashing and putting on a real show.
The wind is from the south, but there isn’t much and we are travelling northeast. Once again, we are running under engine power. We let the autohelm take over and we enjoy the ride, checking positions and of course, the horizon, constantly.
Passing Puffin Island we note the Coast Guard helicopter sitting on a pad at the lighthouse station. We had seen it flying over earlier.
The sea is getting a bit “rolly” so Harald unfurls the foresail and lowers the centreboard. This all helps with our level of comfort. As we turn north, the wind has also turned and we are now riding on a beam reach. It is so unfortunate we cannot sail - well, we could but we like to maintain enough speed to get to our destination in reasonable time.
As we pass the Cabot Islands I spot a few whale spouts ahead, which soon after turns into a “wall” of whale spouts - exactly on our course.
The light at Cabot Islands
We have been told seabirds on the water are a good sign of the presence of whales - well there are hundreds of gulls, puffins and what the locals call “saltwater ducks” all on the surface. The sea is in a state of chaos as we frighten them and they try to take off.
The whales are everywhere! We cannot focus long enough to get a photo of one when another shows up. The humpbacks stay further away, only the flash of their black backs in the sunshine and the resultant large splash as they hit the water. The minkes swim quietly by, some closer than others. There are singles and pairs. We hear the blow of the spouts around us. The smell is almost nauseating - the fishy smell from the whale spouts and the acrid smell from the birds.
The excitement seems to have settled as we approach Lumsden. I call the harbour master ahead and he tells us he one spot, right inside the harbour entrance, on the outside of the first wharf. Fishing boats have arrived and he tells us there are more than the usual number of pleasure boats.
We make the decision to push on three more hours to Musgrave Harbour. I have also called Steve, the harbour master there. He will be there until 5:00 and believes there will be room for us for a couple of nights. We know there is rain expected tomorrow and we would like to get fuel and groceries.
Northern Gannets appear again. The first we’ve seen since we rounded Cape Freels, heading south, three weeks ago. They are large and white and so easy to spot on the blue water. We cannot get complacent though. More whale spouts ahead, at the Penguin Islands. Humpbacks this time.
The wind is now from the northeast, as forecasted. We let the auto helm do all the work until Harald has to set the dock lines and install the fenders. I work us through the well-marked channel into the harbour which is strewn with rocks and shallows. Seems a rather unlikely place for a harbour. I am glad I studied this harbour closely before we left home. Steve is there to meet us and help with our lines. He explains about the water hose, the washrooms, offers us a ride to town tomorrow and heads home at 5:00pm.
We organize the dock lines, preparing for the four foot tide, install the enclosure and sit back for a cold beverage. What a day! It was long, travelling 48 nautical miles all with the engine running. But we are now a few days ahead of our somewhat flexible schedule and in a safe and quiet place.
Not long into our rest, a voice comes to the wharf beside the boat. It is Ron McCarthy - a local asking the usual questions and telling us he has some souvenirs “for the boat”. We walk up to his truck where he presents us with all kinds of homemade “toys”. I ask where he is from originally and he tells us Goose Cove. We cannot believe it! Goose Cove is where we had so much fun last summer after our dinghy rescue, where we joined the locals at the Garden Party and made friends we have kept in touch with ever since. It is also our furthest destination this summer.
After our supper I head to shore for a little walk. It has been four days since my feet have been on solid ground. The harbour is four kilometres from town so we expect we will have a quiet night.
Harald is up a few times in the night, checking lines and moving fenders. The squeaking keeps him awake but doesn’t bother me. The light on the wharf shining in our bedroom hatch is a nuisance and so is the briny smell from the anchor locker. That is not a problem when the anchor is down and the chain is not in the locker at the foot of our bed. We do prefer the quiet of anchoring but after four nights of solitude we will put up with a bit of noise so we can also be near amenities. Room spray can do wonders!