CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI

August 17, 2011

A glorious day!  We got up at 1030 hrs this morning after going to bed at 1700 hrs yesterday afternoon.  It is an absolutely beautiful day.  My first task is to call the Charlottetown Yacht Club and find out if they have a berth for me.  We stopped in over there yesterday and put our name in the hat for the first available one.  Yep, they called and we have one ready.

1100 hrs: switch berths and take a shower at our new marina.

Charlottetown is quite beautiful in a Victorian way.  We are right on the waterfront in the old part of town and it is very charming.  Definitely worth a visit by land, sea or air.  The people are friendly and courteous; the weather is mild and comfortable.  There are artists, musicians, and plays going on everynight until September 1st.  I guess they have to make the best of it while the weather is decent because the -20 to-30's are the winter fare.

We went out today to do the tourist thing.  PEI is noted for its' potatoes.  I saw  a sign in a restaurant advertising "chocolate covered chips".  Not as bizarre as first impression would have it: potatoes are a neutral tasting tuber so just about anything could be concocted.  The more I see of this place, the more I like it.

Lot of sailing here.  Right now the Charlottetown Yacht Club is have a race starting at 1800 hrs.  Great weather for this as the winds are light and "spinnakers" can be used.  A spinnaker is a big balloon type sail with fabulous color schemes.  Basically it is used in light winds.

We'll be here another day to sort things out and make equipment checks.  Our next hurdle will be getting through the Canso Strait Lock and out into the Atlantic Ocean.  At this point in time, we have made up enough time where we are back on schedule for scooting down the Nova Scotian coast and then heading for Bar Harbor, ME