August 24                                         Bouctouche, New Brunswick, Canada

The dockmaster, John Walsh, met us before 9:00 AM and moved the boat by lines into place at the nearby gas dock.  At low tide, we were showing less than four feet below the stern and we did not want to engage the props.  John earlier had called his fuel distributor to deliver more diesel as his supply was less than 400 gallons.  Despite being Sunday, the distributor promptly responded.  Fueling took a very long while as the pump was slow and we held more than 500 gallons.  David and John spent the time in long conversation about the marina and families.

Shortly after 11:00 AM, John and volunteer help from the marina manned the lines and pulled us back to the main dock and deeper water.  They stood waving as we departed.  Station Wharf is scheduled to be updated in the near future.  John and other investors have obtained a large grant from the Canadian government and will expand and improve all the facilities.  Miramichi River is a renowned fly-fishing destination and popular with sportsmen.

The long journey down the river and out into the Strait was delightful as we viewed lovely, pristine homes and small churches.  Sandy beaches lined the shores and we saw many families with children in bathing suits enjoying the pleasant warm weather.

After several hours of smooth, uneventful cruising, we encountered a field of hundreds of plastic markers denoting lobster traps.  Our line cutters (the bane of lobster fishermen) had been damaged when we hit the shoal and removed by the shipyard crew.  Lobster traps are secured by heavy lines (sometimes chains) which can wrap around a prop, cause the engine to seize, and result in serious damage.  We were VERY careful to avoid them.

The channel to Bouctouche was winding and shallow in several places although we had been assured the depth was sufficient for our boat.  We tend to become anxious when our depth finder indicates less than five feet.  After 4 nm, we reached Sawmill Point, a beautiful small marina located in a lush green park and featuring a magnificent clubhouse/office.  Our dock help was another guy named John who could not have been more gracious.

For the first time in four days, we had access to internet and promptly made use of it to catch up on mail and personal matters.  Dinner was on the boat with a beautiful sunset off the aft deck.