Petty Harbour

After an evening in St John spent with guests, Claude and Catherine that Austen knows from last year. Kenneth, a solo Norwegian sailor appears, plonks himself on the steps whilst we eat with a beer and stayed for cake and coffee too! Austen and I set alarms and we’re up before 6 ready to leave and looked up to see a pilot boat guide a small town balanced on a cruise ship through the narrows, as the entrance to the harbour is called. Goodness knows how it squeezed that gap. We need to sit tight whilst it performs a slow 270 mid harbour, it’s followed by a container ship which reverses up to the terminal. An hour later it’s our turn to make a bid for the channel before another monstrous vessel appears and squashes us!

We haven’t planned a long sail today - but guess what - it’s upwind and minimal winds that so motor sail it is.
We are headed into Petty Harbour which has come recommended and turns out whilst it’s close to St John, consequently boasting some tourist attractions, boat trips, zip lining, walking tours and ice cream parlours it’s not a bad spot for a beautiful warm day.
After a brief greeting and introduction from the harbourmaster who grants us one nights free stay, in the spirit of refuge from the sea, but if we’re here the following afternoon he’ll charge for 2!
We scramble up the hill on the Southside of motion Bay and pick up part of the East coast trail out to a headland.
Austen sleeps on the lichen (ends up wearing quite a bit) and I walk a further getting into boggier conditions with the flytrap plants and midge numbers increasing. I don’t venture into the pools of water in dark peat bog as I cannot judge the depths!

Back in town we find Tinkers ice cream parlour with very complicated menu that the kids on a birthday outing appear to have sorted. We settle for a cone.

We while away the afternoon enjoying the warmth with admin list and reading, then head to the pub after supper - we arrive at 7.20pm - last orders are 8pm and closed by 8.30!Baca lagi