So they say that Baie Fine is a unique fjord; They claim it’s it’s the only fresh water fjord in the world. We couldn’t pass by it’s mouth and not explore deeper.
There is a popular off-shoot at the very end of the fjord called “The Pool” where cruisers and sightseers head because of the beautiful scenery and walking trails to nearby lakes. We decided it was best to avoid the beaten path and stay in a secondary popular location called Mary Ann’s Cove… unnamed on the Canadian charts but “everybody” knows that’s what it’s called. I guess we’re now in the inner circle of cruisers!
Feng on the foredeck watching for underwater rocks, the Admiral makes sure I'm steering straight.
We arrived to find our new friends Patty and Dave on their Nonsuch 30 (32?) already swinging at anchor. The unique, single sail boat is what they call cat-rigged and doesn’t have the traditional boom and two-sails like most sailboats. I’ve loved the Nonsuch for years (there’s one in Tobermory I’ve often eyed) and so I liked looking at Patty and Dave’s while at anchor. With a wide beam, a LARGE mainsail and its unique wishbone boom, it makes for a comfortable cruiser. What it lacks in upwind performance, it surely makes up off the wind and in liveability. This one is called Pelican.
The Pelican swings at Anchor
In Mary Ann’s cove, a deep clear-water cove, power boats anchor their bows out in the cove then tie their sterns ashore. We decided to just drop a hook and swing as the wind would take us. After we got settled, we were invited to a wine & appetizer get-together on a large powerboat… errr… I forget the name but it was owned by Norma and… Paul? Feng decided to nap, but I went along to meet some new people. Definitely a nice little boat! Another one of the powerboats in the cove was large enough that it had two full King size beds. What a far cry from our little Vixen.
In the morning, Feng and I planned to go hiking up to Cassan Peak. Patty and Dave were also going on the same hike and invited us along in their dinghy so we could hike together. Rossi had a blast. Off-leash, mountainous wooded area with tonnes to explore. The day was hot. Not a little hot, but HOT. Fortunately we were under the cover of trees for most of the hike up and there was a good breeze blowing, but it was still hot.
We reached the first lookout as we got above the trees…
You can see Baie Fine in the foreground and McGregor Bay further out.
Can you spot the sailboats in McGregor Bay? We are high up. Maybe this one will help…
McGregor Bay ... Can you spot the two, large sailboats?
There were piles of wild blueberries up in the hills. Patty, Dave and Feng begain filling ziplock bags as fast as they could. It was tiring work but really worth it.
Picking Blueberries high above Baie Fine.
Feng gets in on the blueberry picking action.
Even Rossi went for a roll in the blueberry patch! She was covered in bits.
The view was stunning. Now for a flood of photos from the top of Cassan Peak.
Another view across Baie Fine and McGregor Bay.
Feng and Rossi sit on the warm rocks in the hot sun. Stunning view.
Patty and Rossi make it to the peak before I do.
Rossi sits at the top of the world, surveying her Kingdom.
Sitting on top of Cassan Peak.
It really does look like a bunch of “sitting around” on our hike. But really, it was a long way up and I didn’t stop to take [many] photos along the way. At least Dave got some work done…
Busted! I caught Dave working on his vacation. Ok, maybe he was sending photos to his kids.
Ok, there's a better pose. Looking like they're enjoying time away from family, work and hustle and bustle.
Work or kids? You decide...
ok… and then back to viewing the sights.
Baie Fine in the background. D'oh! I forgot to take off the dorky chin strap.
A hawk flies beneath us. We did see vultures later... perhaps it was a vulture.
Taking in the scenery.
Before I finish this post, I’d like to take a little aside. You see, Valentina Rossi is a water dog at heart. She spends a great amount of time swimming at home and on this trip, she has spent hours upon hours swimming from the dinghy, the boat, from shore, accidentally off the dock etc. I didn’t think we’d end up with a wet dog, for once, on our hike up to the peak. But, if you know the Lagotto Romagnolo, they can find water ANY where. She found the only water at the peak and…
She's a water dog through and through.
It was really rather amusing. She stepped into it, turned her head and you could see the wheels turning… she looks down and slowly lied down nice and slow. She looked up at us and, I swear, smiled. A big doggie grin.
Rossi looking pleased with herself after she discovered she could lie down in the puddle and wasn't going to get in trouble.
That’s all the pictures I can get uploaded at this time via 3G… this slow speed is killing me.