June 20^th. The Last Day.

Things did not go exactly as hoped at St. Shotts. Although the harbour is well protected by breakwaters it is still subject to surging waves. The boat was tossed about between stretching the mooring lines to their limit and banging against the dock. Wayne and Cyril went up several times to shift the boat or adjust the lines (and insisting that I stay put). In the end we had to accept that if we stayed we would not get the sleep we’d hoped for and might end up with damage to Galefilero. At 3:00 a.m. we cast off and started our day’s run. Our plan for the day had been to start around 8:00 a.m., round Cape Race and head for Fermuse. The route was about 40 NM and we expected to arrive at about 6:00 p.m. but as we’d started early we would arrive earlier. It was foggy when we got started so we ran with both the chartplotter and radar.  I was afraid it would remain foggy and we would not get to see the famous Cape Race Lighthouse but as the dawn came the fog burned off. By the time we arrived at the Cape it was almost fully clear and a beautiful day lay ahead. 

Cape Race in the early morning.

We had little or no wind ever since the evening we left North Sydney and while it meant running the engine full time it also made for an unusually smooth crossing. No complaints from me on that account.

A pod of dolphins played alongside on the way.

We arrived at the dock in Fermuse a little after Noon. There were dozens of fishing boats tied up and  space was limited. It was tight quarters so Cyril took the helm and steered us to a perfect landing at a floating dock . He called his wife Madeline to come and get us and I went up to the Harbour Authority to register the boat for a few days. While we waited I cooked us a lunch of Chicken Scaloppini Savoyard (with turkey breast as we did not have chicken) and then we packed our gear and cleared up the boat. Madeline arrived at 3:30 And drove us home.

Cyril, Don and Wayne as we prepare to leave Galefilero in Fermuse.

It was great having Wayne and Cyril on board for the trip across to Newfoundland. The experience was shorter and less varied than the time spent with Gary from Hingham to North Sydney but these guys are great sailors and I benefitted from their experience. In addition they were great travelling companions. If I have been blessed in anything on this trip it is with the exceptional people from the TNYC who volunteered to come and help me “Bring Galefilero Home”.

At this point we can consider Galefilero safely delivered to Newfoundland and the basic story sort of ends. If you’re interested, stay tuned. I’ll add entries for the final runs to St. John’s and to Holyrood. After I’ve had a couple of weeks to digest the experience I’ll also write an overall assessment of the trip from New England to Newfoundland in a small sailboat.