19 Jul 16

We were up at 07:30 to get ready for the off to our down-bound trip through the Reversing Falls. LW slack is predicted to be between 09:40 and 10:40, so we got away from the YC at about 09:00 to make the 5.6 mile run down the last of the Saint John River to the falls. The wind was light out of the NE, so it was mostly clear, no fog and we had a pleasant run down the river. We arrived at the Upper Falls at 09:54 and it was flat calm with very little current and practically no turbulence evident, much to the pleasure of the Admiral. We motored on through Saint John, receiving a couple of radio notices from Fundy Traffic about a container ship making her way into the harbour. We cleared Saint John Harbor and headed SW in the lower Bay of Fundy by 10:20. The wind was still light NW, so we continued to motor on down the coast, fighting the last 2 hours of the flood, but finding a number of back eddies to speed us on our way. We were off Dipper Harbour (our original goal for the day) by about 13:00, but, as the tide had now turned favorable and the wind was still light, although now on the nose at SW, we decided to push on the extra 24 miles to Head Harbour, at the north end of Campbelo Island, NB. We crossed the 45th parallel a few miles before entering Head Harbour. This island is the site of FDR’s childhood family summer cottage, so we are hoping to get down to Welshpool, about 5 miles south of here, for a tour of the facility. We got into Head Harbour and tied up to a fishing “skow” by 16:30, after receiving the “OK” from a local fisherman. Another fisherman gave us the phone number for the guy who runs island tours and who will be able to give us a ride to the FDR cottage park. This is a beautiful and bullet-proof working harbour, with loads of fishing/lobster boats and nary a pleasure craft to be seen (the last marina apparently folded about 2 years ago); John, you would love this place. The fishermen are all very friendly and have no problem with visiting yachts tying up to either fishing boats or the skows, which are wooden floats used to park loads of lobster traps and other fishing gear during the off-season; and the price is absolutely right - i.e., free. Amazingly, the tidal range here (even at spring tides; it is a full moon tonight, although, to be fair, it is not near apogee, which apparently has a big impact on the tidal range in the Bay of Fundy) is “only” 5.6m (18.4 ft), compared to the 13m (42.6 ft), or more, just a few miles up the Bay of Fundy. Dinner aboard - pork kabobs and rice.

44-56.596’N, 066-55.229’W

20 Jul 16

We were up kinda early to be ready for our rendezvous with Peter from Island Tours (phone no. 506-321-4567), who drove up to collect us at Head Harbor at 09:30. From there, we went straight to the Roosevelt Park (an international park run jointly by the US and Canada as a memorial to FDR, who used to spend summers on Campobelo Island in his youth, right up to the time he contracted polio). We toured around the grounds for an hour, then rejoined Peter for a driving tour of the whole island, from Liberty Point at the extreme south end to Head Harbour Light House at the north end. It is a beautiful island with 900 permanent residents, who are totally dependent upon fishing and tourism. Although there is a car ferry from Deer Island (also in NB) during the 4 summer months, the only road to this island is from the US via the bridge across the Narrows at Lubec, ME; sort of the opposite of Point Roberts, WA, which is only accessible by road from Canada. FDR loved Campobelo and once visited during his tenure as Secretary of the Navy in a destroyer he commandeered for the purpose; the story is that the captain - (then) Lt. (later to be Admiral) Bull Halsey - of the destroyer wanted to get into Passamaquoddy Bay by taking the more conservative route around the north end of Campobelo Island, whereas FDR wanted to take the short-cut through the somewhat treacherous Lubec Narrows, with which he was very familiar. FDR finally insisted and personally piloted the destroyer through the Narrows, much to the relief of Lt. Halsey. The weather today was absolutely gorgeous: clear and cool with a light SW breeze. We got back to the boat in time for happy hour and dinner aboard. It looks like we will head south of the border tomorrow.