Cross Island

One evening Donnie got a call from Wayne, a good friend who had stopped by earlier to chat. Wayne wanted to know if we would like to go with him to his cottage on Cross Island the next day. Is the Pope Catholic? Of course we said yes!
Morning dawned with a fog hanging over the harbor. Somewhat normal for the first few days of our stay. Not prepared to go to sea I had to borrow a sweater and jacket that would fend off the water that may get splashed along the way. When we arrived at Wayne's the fog was still present and I expected him to say we wouldn't be going. I was wrong! Into his truck we climbed and off to the boat we went.

Wayne & Donnie loading the boat. Notice the absence of electronics!

It wasn't long before we were motoring past moored lobster boats and fish houses making our way to the open sea. That's right. Cross Island is roughly four miles from Wayne's dock across open water.
Unfortunately due to the fog and salt spray I wasn't able to take pictures on the way out or back.  Wayne navigated the course through the rocky outcroppings twisting and turning at points only he could see from 30 plus years of going back & forth. It wasn't hard to determine when we hit the open water of the North Atlantic as the boat started to rise and fall over the ocean swells. While we travelled along I couldn't help but wonder which way I would swim if we had to abandon ship? There was no way to know where the closest land was due to the grey/white fog surrounding us.
A few minutes later Wayne announced that we should be coming up to his buoy marking the start of his route around and through the rocks to his cottage. Bingo! Right on cue a floating marker appeared out of the fog.
We twisted and turned through the rock ledges sometimes barely missing them and then we arrived. Even in the fog words cannot describe the beauty of this place. It's easy for me to see why Wayne keeps coming back.

Wayne's little piece of heaven.

Other cottages further in the cove.

Wayne has all the comforts of home in his cottage. Heat (wood & propane), electricity (solar, battery, & inverter), refrigeration (propane), and stove & oven (propane). The main house even has indoor plumbing for sink, shower, & toilet. Freshwater comes from barrels that collect the rain water and any other water comes from the sea via electric pump. What we take for granted in our homes has been carefully thought out and implemented by Wayne into his hideaway. He even has an electric winch in the boathouse to retrieve the inflatable.

Wayne retrieving the inflatable.

Wayne & Donnie walking on Cross Island. Notice the rocky composition of the island.

Looking out to the Atlantic during a brief respite from the fog.

Interior shot of the cottage. Simple but functional. Sleeping quarters are upstairs.

I enjoyed lunch at the cottage listening to my two companions exchange tales of their past encounters. It's a wonder their wives's still let them play together!

All too soon it was time to go back to the mainland. All it would have taken to stay would have been to open a bottle of rum. Who knows. We may still be there if that had happened. Sometimes being responsible sucks!

Before we got back to the dock we took a detour and headed over to an area called the Back Harbor. A much shallower bay that lays just over the hill from downtown Lunenburg.

Passage to Back Harbor.

Before long we were back at the dock securing the boat. My thanks to Wayne for the unexpected privilege of his company and being able to share a little piece of his world. A great day, with great people, in a beautiful part of the world.