Two weeks later- What we have been up to while the boat dried out Part 4

“43:45.856N 65:19.626W”

7722 Miles since leaving Sandwich.

20^th June 2023

Truro: Again, this was a stop over town but the motel was much nicer. We arrived with enough time to drive from the hotel downtown and eat in Murphy’s Fish and Chips, “best fish and chip shop around” end quote. actually, it was very good and just what the doctor ordered after a long day on the road.

The Willow Bend – Very nice Motel.

Prince Edward Island: On the island we took Norma to her spiritual home the Potato Museum. Coming from Island this must have been the equivalent of a pilgrimage for her and I’m not sure but I strongly suspect I saw a tear in her eye when she got sight of the giant King Edward outside. Joking aside the museum was actually very interesting and any pub quiz team would be foolish not to have us as members now just in case a potato-based question came up.  Second fun fact, two medium sized potatoes a day gives you all of the vitamin C that you need, thus proving the old adage that Fish and Chips without the fish every day will maybe keep the doctor away for a while anyway. See it rhymes so it must be true.

A wee Norma and a very big potato, enough said I feel.

Salmon River: Nova Scotia and in particular the Bay of Fundy has the world highest tidal range at 4. 9ft (15 meters). It wasn’t a spring tide when we were there and he Salmon river isn’t where the largest tides are viewed but not to be deterred, we still travelled over to the viewing area at he base of the big bridge to have a look at the tidal bore coming in. It wasn’t massive only creating a standing wave about a meter high but what was impressive was watching an entire river change direction in minutes and start to flow the other way at a fast-jogging pace. Tony launched his drone and shot it off a kilometre or so downstream and we could watch it forming way down there and work its way back up to us.

Just to prove I am not lying here is a map.

The tidal bore starting to come up the river. Two hours later water was nearly to the top of the banks.

On arrival back in Shelburne we were met by torrential rain and a leaky boat, oh the joy. Norma decided that beer was in order and went to the yacht club. I deferred my decision as my back and ribs were in pieces after the drive but after an hour the pain killers had kicked in and I followed her up. When I got there Norma was in conversation with a couple of the crew from the Earl Gray which was moored in the commercial repair yard further down the bay. It was a chap who was on the aft deck organising the tow and the guy that I had stared across the water at when we collided. Needless to say, we offered to buy them a drink but they were very professional and refused as they were still on call, Many, many thanks later we bade them a good night and returned to Spectra.

Reading back through this I must say that it is all well and truly jumbled up, but it is done now and there is nothing to gain by unjumbling it so I will let it stand. The yacht club have been very helpful as I have said and the locals are universally wonderful. We couldn’t have landed in a better spot for that side of things. Tony is back in the UK now and to be honest we really wish we had been on the plane with him. Norma struggles to speak to Gemma and family without the tears flowing. Every time she looks at the family group, she is confronted with what we nearly lost and it is not a good feeling. Hopefully within a couple of weeks we will have the repair or not option from the insurers and we can move on. In the meantime, we will carry on with the Spectra clean up and generally get on with things. As we still have a car, we are thinking of getting the ferry across to Main via Yarmouth and having a look around, although without a potato museum the draw is not really there. East River Marine are due to come down on Wednesday or Thursday this week to inspect the boat and produce a costed repair estimate. From that it is over to the insurance company to make a decision. Whatever the outcome from the insurers, I think we need to fly home for a few weeks and spoil the other half of our family.