Doing the Down East Circle Loop

July 25, 2025 Wrong Way! It was bound to happen. And things do happen when you least expect them to.  So what am I talking about?  Well, this is actually hilarious... The other day we pulled into Bouctouche, New Brunswick Canada.  It was a beautiful marina with a fantastic dockmaster.  We snuggled into our slip after taking on fuel.  All is good and it was time to take Yudee for his walk.  Now, Yudee is one amazingly well trained dog who works very hard to please us. Among his rather broad vocabulary are a series of commands dealing with the boat.  One of the most common is "jump" to get him on and off the boat.  The specific command for getting off the boat is "Off - Jump" and away he goes. Well, I opened the door to let him out and issued the command, "Off-Jump" as I reached to grab his leash.  Without hesitation, he goes to the port side of the boat and jumps.  Unfortunately for him, the boat was tied to the finger pier on the starboa...

July 20 New Heights "I'm on top of the world!!" Not an exact quote from Leonardo DiCaprio in the epic movie Titanic, but as you read it, play in your mind the emphasis and passion he displayed in his famous quote ("Im King of the World".   Yes,  this is our Northern most point on the trip.  From here, everything is downhill, or at least southward bound.   Incredible Scenery WOW, what a trip this is turning out to be.  Terri and I agree that in many ways, we enjoy this as much or more than the Great Loop.  Don't get us wrong, the GL was spectacular and we openly encourage anyone interested.  But the DownEast (DECL) is something else.  There is something raw and unique about this adventure.  Our destinations are fishing villages and seaside working towns.  Tourist, by and large, just don't go here.  Some of the marinas are quite crude and rudimentary with their docks and power.  Yet, it all seems to work perfectly with ...

July 11, 2025 Our visit to Quebec City was marred by torrential downpours for several days delaying our departure.  And then it rained some more.  The morning of July 8th rolled around and the rain and winds stopped.  We targeted a big jump from QC to Tadoussac, 125 miles.   With expectations of smooth waters and easy cruising, we caught the first locking out of the marina at QC and headed, ready for this, North - DOWN River.  Yes, this river flows south to north.   Our expectations were not met.  The first 25ish miles were 3 - 4 foot seas in a 2 - 3 second period.  The boat did fantastic, but none the less - the Admiral frowned.  But, once we cleared some islands that were confusing the water, it smoothed out beautifully and did in fact make for a nice run.  The admiral smiled!    Lighthouse in the middle of Nowhere Tadoussac Oh, we are SO back in the saddle again.  Tadoussac is a stunning little town just off t...