Five years ago we set off on our big cruising vacation which included the Down East Circle, traversing the ICW and spending 5 months in the Bahamas before we came back to Maine. Last summer we planned to set off in mid-June to cruise the waters off the Southern coast of Newfoundland and the Eastern shore of Nova Scotia before returning home in September. Instead we welcomed two new daughters-in-law and spent a couple of weeks on a family tour of Vietnam as part of the celebrations. So this year - 2020 - was the year we were going to go to Newfoundland. Then along came a novel corona virus.
COVID-19 has changed many people’s plans this summer: so far there aren’t many boats out cruising, and there aren’t many lobster boats out either, judging by the lack of lobster pot buoys. Here we are, anchored in the Barred Islands, our third new-to-us anchorage in midcoast Maine, a good start to our revised cruising goal of 20 in 2020. Actually, this is an ambitious goal, given Dan’s former career as captain/owner of the Maine windjammer Schooner Lewis R. French; There aren’t that many places he hasn’t anchored but we are determined to find them. This little picturesque place is between Little Barred and Big Barred Islands, with a tricky entrance navigating the ledges between Little Barred and Escargot. The cruising guide advises to get here early, but today we have the place to ourselves.
We have decided to move aboard the Willie Dawes, even if we aren’t able to take on a lengthy adventure like exploring Newfoundland. Each night finds us in a different place although sometimes it’s the same place as three nights ago… Dan takes the dinghy out to collect driftwood and we have found new places to walk and hike. I can work from the boat if we have good cell phone coverage. Dan can install, adjust, fix, and - one of his favorite words: titrivate - to his heart’s content. I have been using some daily free time to learn Vietnamese and will be able to tell people that dragons are not animals and there is a dirty glove at the train station should the need ever arise. Over all, it’s peaceful, we’re away from people most of the time, and aren’t pressured to pay attention to the news.
Not that the news isn’t important. Just saying we’re finding it healthier all the way around to pay more attention to the beautiful scenery of coastal Maine than to the sensational and depressing ugliness of politics, selfish behavior, and police brutality. We check in to see what’s going on, we just aren’t dwelling on it. We hope Canada opens the border to US visitors by the end of this summer, but we aren’t counting on it. In the meantime, we’re at # 3 of our 2020 goal and enjoying the quiet.
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| Barred Islands |
