Saturday, 22 July 2006
Saturday the 22nd began with very strong SW winds coming right up the bay and into our anchorage. When there wasn’t a stinging rain coming at us the log noted “a heavy mist”. In any case, after sorting out the anchor lines, we powered out the Great Bay de l’Eau directly into the gusts and steep choppy seas, under bare poles to minimize windage. With close to full power it took us 4 hours to progress the 6 miles to St. John’s Head where we could use wind power to our advantage for the run off to the eastward. We set a double-reefed main, a single-reefed fore and full jib as the rain let up, only to be replaced by a solid fog bank that soon hid the lee shore from our sight.As we approached St. Jacques Island Light the fog lifted, the rain departed, the seas abated, and the land was again visible off our port bow, a most welcome revelation.
