30 Jun 16

The dawn was beautiful and clear. I topped up the water tank while the Admiral did a bit more grocery shopping. We pulled away from the dock at 10:30 and motored all the way to Oromocto into a very light westerly wind, arriving at 13:05. Dale and Val were there to meet us and we were able to tie up to the dock (I guess there was a cancellation). They then took us on a driving tour of Oromocto and we ended up in Fredericton, where after a tour of the town museum, we joined them for dinner at the Crown Plaza Hotel, which has an excellent restaurant overlooking the Saint John River. Then, it was back to the boat to join in the festivities leading up to tomorrow’s Canada Day celebrations.

45-51.229’N, 066-28.618’W

1 Jul 16

Oh, Canada. Happy Canada Day, y’all. The weather, apparently a Constitutional requirement in Canada, was absolutely gorgeous. We hung around the boat and did a few chores in the morning, although it was nearly impossible to get anything done, as every few minutes, one of our dock buddies would stop by for a chat (e.g., “you’re not really from Houston?” “Did you sail all the way?” “I have a cousin/brother working in San Antonio/Dallas/Houston.” “We drive the RV down every winter and stay at Lake Conroe.” “Have you found Tim Hortons, yet; there are 4 of them in Oromocto.” etc., etc.) for 10 or 20 minutes; these Maritimers just love to chat. In the afternoon, our buddy Pete (we visited them at Mechanic Lake last week) drove over for a visit and to see the boat. He and I ended up taking “Swallow” out for a little sail along the Oromocto and Saint John Rivers. After cocktails with “Ginger Snap” and various of the Oromocto Boat Club crowd, we had dinner aboard, then sat out on “Ginger Snap’s” transom deck to watch the Canada Day fireworks, courtesy of the town of Oromocto, which finished after 23:00. Altogether, a fun and relaxing day in paradise.