20 -21 August, 2015:  to Yarmouth

      In order to make the trip from Shelburne to Yarmouth in one daylite, in a 6 knot boat, one must use the tide to advantage. Our cruising guide told us to leave Shelburne one hour before high tide, but that made all the currents against us. After much discussion, the plan was to leave at Low tide, to catch slack water at Cape Sable Island, but that meant departing Shelburne at 0500. We decided to leave the night before and do a couple hours so we would have a shorter haul the next day.

      We left Shelburne about 1630 and headed for Cape Negro Island where there is a small cove. The conditions in the river were fine, but as soon as we got to the mouth we had some swell to deal with, and fog. We carried on and made Cape Negro by about 1930 and anchored in a harbor North of the island.  Never really saw shore, just the loom of lights at the man-made fisherman's harbor.

      0700 Underway, into a steep chop for about an hour til we get off shore a ways. We made contact with our buddy boat, the Volunteer, and were in the same vicinity most of the day, altho we never once saw them. Thick Fog. We rounded the vaunted Cape Sable Island and enjoyed some favorable currents, but not like the charts described. The saving grace was that there was no wind all day long and the sea state was calm. After rounding the Cape and passing Murray Cove, (Murray my middle name and my Mom's maiden name) we couldn't pass up the chance to give Peases Island a look, so we  took the inside route North thru Schooner Passage, where we had clear visibility. Peases has a small light house, but not much else.  

      As we approached Yarmouth the fog shut in again. Yarmouth is a deep harbor as tho it were a river, a long way in. The channel winds its way between mudflats, but is easily navigated for us considering the Maine-Nova Scotia Ferries have run in here for years.

      Yarmouth was warm, and sadly a little dirty and gull infested. We picked up a marina mooring. There was a battle of the bands on the waterfront that evening, so a mooring turned out to be just the ticket, as it gave us just the right distance for our listening pleasure. Before supper we went ashore for hot showers and laundry. Kathy and I visited the marine supply house, (what a treat!) and then walked the length of town to get a couple bags of ice. A good hike, and on the way back we got all the history of the town along the harbor side town park, that even though it is well laid out, seems to see very little use.