8/7/04 Trepassey
Left St. Johns Tuesday. No fuel in St. Johns because
nobody wanted to sell me less than a trailer load sufficient for a small
freighter. I only needed 100 gallons not 10,000. No problem since I
had plenty of fuel to run down to Trepassey where everyone assured me fuel would
be readily available for a small boat. Arrived Trepassey Tuesday
afternoon. Fuel truck came on Thursday (every Thursday) and cheerily
filled me up. By then the good weather window was gone. Really gone.
Hurricane Alex passing off shore brought the sword fisherman (including an 80
foot boat from Portland Maine) off the Grand Banks and into Trepassey.
(They don't usually come in here, and it is quite a scene -- they take the
opportunity to off load their fish (75-300 pounds) which have to be carefully
handled individually and put back on ice in a tractor trailer that the takes
them 12 hours to the ferry to Nova Scotia and on to Boston.) Off shore
waves reportedly 9-12 meters (x3 for feet). On shore waves unpleasant, but
we have a nice secure spot. However, I did get up at 1:00 am the other
night and turn the boat around in the windy chop so that the pointy end pointed
away from the dock instead of the big flat stern into which waves were slamming
unpleasantly kicking spray over the cockpit. The radio weather report this
Saturday night continues to include words and phrases such as "complex low
pressure system", "stall", "gusts",
"veering", "moderate to strong", "becoming extensive
fog", "showers or thundershowers", "drizzle",
"gale warning continued", as well as the recurring monotone:
"Visibility fair in showers poor in fog".
At this point I am so far behind and so much delayed that I will not make it up
the St. Lawrence this year, but will (eventually) return by way of the Cabot
Strait, Bras d'Or Lakes, East Nova Scotia Shore, Halifax and the Gulf of Maine.
Still having a good time though. Cooked up Cod/Potato/Frozen Veggies plus
Apple Pie with Ice Cream tonight -- all from the boat's larder. Fuel tanks
are full and we will depart Trepassey at first opportunity.