44:05.6N 69:05.8W

Tuesday 13^th August

No sign of the forecast rain first thing and so I took the opportunity as things were so still to dive down and check our prop and shaft anode. This was also my first use of the Hookah dive system that we have and like Sarah I cannot praise it enough. The whole process of going down (and staying down) is a breeze with this device supplying compressed air to a reservoir bladder and then down a hose to the diver using a fairly standard scuba demand valve and mouthpiece. It all packs away to nothing but provides you with unlimited air and so most underwater tasks can be carried out with comparative ease.

Scott then rowed over and invited us over to his boat for coffee which of course we accepted so he rowed us over and we met Kitty and had a long chat over pastries and endless cups of proper coffee.

Finally we took our leave and set sail for Rockland in the light but sufficient southerly wind. The downside was that we were soon enveloped in thick fog and back using the radar, all three sets of eyes and ears and the fog horn. A huge oil tanker came down the Sound and although it presented no threat to us, we did listen to a plaintive plea from a small yacht that was trapped with a lobster buoy wrapped tightly around their centreboard that was lying directly in their path. The tanker assured them that they had them on their radar and that all would be OK – and it was. In fact there were two yachts on the radio this morning trapped by buoys, just emphasising the additional hazard presented by fog round here.

We made good time to Rockland, often sailing at 7 to 8 knots in a relatively light breeze and were very relieved to find that the large harbour at Rockland was totally fog free. The anchor did not set at the first attempt which was unusual, but all was fine when we tried again, pretty much in the same place as we had anchored a few weeks ago on our way up here.

We went ashore in the late afternoon and had a ‘farewell to James’ meal in town which was outstanding (‘3 Crows’ in the main street) and returned to Serafina just as a fog bank began to roll in across the bay. We are going to have to remember to take the handheld GPS with us on shore runs in case we need to find our way back in the fog in future.