We’ve spent the past few days getting the boat ready for the next leg, saying goodbye to friends and welcoming new ones, exploring the island and enjoying time with family.
After our day of fun Sunday, Monday was a day for boat chores. Our friends Hillary and Koleena left for the airport, and we tackled a full scrub down of the boat, inside and out. That evening, we enjoyed a PEI Acadian folk show with Tim and Heather (thank you, Tim!). We heard Acadian folk music, listened to local ghost stories, and saw Acadian step dancing.
Tuesday brought more boat chores (laundry, a grocery run) and moving the boat to a more protected slip in the marina. Strong winds were forecast for Wednesday, so the marina staff kindly moved us deeper into the marina. Guidance is large enough that the regular dock we were tied to might not have been adequate for the winds forecast. We did find time to visit the island’s International Fox Hall of Fame. It chronicles the fox farming industry that had a brief run here in the late 1800s and early 1900s. We also managed two runs to a highly recommended local ice cream shop that did NOT disappoint.
Tuesday was capped off with the arrival of our friends Thibaud and Alexandre, who will sail with Jim to Halifax while Anne returns to Minneapolis to work and send Rose off to her sophomore year in college.
On Wednesday, Alexandre and Thibaud settled in, and Jim did some fixes with supplies he’d asked them to bring. We’ve learned it isn’t always easy to find supplies to fix the boat (although we’ve come to love Canadian Tire and have shopped at one in nearly every province we’ve visited). We then had time for more island exploration. First we went to the Acadian Museum and learned about their history here. Since they were French settlers, most were driven out by the British in the late 1700s (went to Nova Scotia, Maine and Louisiana), although some hid out and others returned to tenant farm. Descendants of about 35 families remain in the island. We then walked the beaches on the north side of the island at a national park.
We finished up the day with an island tradition: an all you can eat lobster dinner, thanks to Tim and Kate! Today, Anne heads to Minneapolis; Jim, Thibaud and Alexandre will sail overnight to arrive tomorrow at an anchorage near the Canso Canal which is between mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.
Jim and crew stayed a day longer than planned. The winds on Wednesday were very strong — in excess of 42 kts at times. That much wind would have been extremely unpleasant and perhaps not safe. A perfect example of the importance of factoring in weather delays to avoid having to make way in rough, potentially unsafe conditions.