18 Jun 16

We awoke to another clear, sunny day; this makes two in a row, so summer must finally be here. After breakfast, I called Canadian Customs and checked in; we arranged an arrival at St. Andrews at 12:00 local time, which is one hour ahead of EDT. The Customs officer did not even ask if we had brought a brick to help build the wall. We got away from the dock about 09:30 and cruised up the St. Croix River and across Passamaquoddy Bay with the last of the flood, arriving at St. Andrews at HW slack. We pulled up to the government dock at 11:55, but after 15 minutes, no Customs officers had arrived, so we moved to a mooring ball. Good to be back in Canada again!! This place is a gem: $40 for the 1st night, $20 for the 2nd night and the 3rd night free; and pump-out is included in the mooring fee. They have showers (included in the mooring fee) on the dock, and grocery store, liquor store and laundry are all a couple of blocks away on the high street, along with a load of restaurants and bars. Eastport was dead by comparison. We went into town straightaway for a quick recon and had lunch at the Kennedy Hotel. Then, back to the boat to collect the laundry, back to the dock for showers and did the laundry; all clean again. Back to the boat for a late happy hour and dinner aboard - salmon and salad.

44-04.193’N, 067-03.328’W

19 Jun 16

Another beautiful day greeted us at the dawn. After breakfast, we moved over to the dock to pump out the holding tanks and fill up the stern water tank. Then back to the mooring ball. We went for a long walk around town in the afternoon, including a visit to the Kingsbrae Gardens and the iconic Canadian Pacific Railway hotel The Algonquin, where we had tea on the terrace - very civilized. After walking back into town, we stopped for a beer (and free WiFi) at the Red Herring Pub. Then, back to the boat for happy hour and dinner aboard - pork chops and fresh green beans.

20 Jun 16

It looks like summer has finally arrived; we were finally able to sleep under duvet alone - i.e., without the polartec blanket and the quilt. We went into town early for coffee and WiFi - to do a bit of planning for the exit from Passamaquoddy Bay and the arrival at Saint John, and to talk to our daughter in Chicago and check on her recovery from last week’s clash with a car; she’s doing much better. After a quick top-up grocery shop, back to the boat for a late lunch. Then, we went back into town for a long walk around the east end of town; lots of houses built in the mid-1780s by United Empire (i.e., British) Loyalists who abandoned Castine, ME after they found themselves on the wrong side (i.e., the USA side) of the border after the Revolutionary War. We got back to the dock about 17:00 and stopped in for showers before rowing back to the boat in SW 20-25 kn winds; my back got soaked on the row back and it was bloody hard work. But we made it back for happy hour and dinner aboard (salmon, rice and cherry tomatoes), so its all good. After dinner, the Admiral let me beat her at Backgammon, although it was a close thing.