Aug 3 — Day 26 — RKYC to Jenkins Cove — 27 NM

 Fueled and watered ILENE at the start, with the Club’s fuel dock not opening until 11. Note flags of both nations plus the HYC burgee.

We did not know what to expect in the clear and clean but brownish waters of the St. John River system. How narrow, how twisty? So we set the sail that is easiest to use, the self tacking small jib, and used it almost the whole way - without the diesel, making the 27 miles in five delightful sunny hours We did have the wind pushing us up the river, changing directions in the river’s groove, and apparently we had tidal current helping us as well. We made speed of 3.8 to 6.2 knots depending on changes of wind speed (15-20), how hot off our tail it came and the river’s current,  which got stronger in narrower spots and depending on the river’s bends. The river is beautiful, broad, not deep, with a few islands in it. Much less industrial and commercial than the Hudson, with recreational housing, campsites, beaches and moorings near its shores. Not much traffic, mostly power boats. The hills are much lower than those lining most of the Hudson.

An interesting feature, noted on the charts, are the cable ferries. These bring people from one side to the other and are drawn across by cables, with large bow and stern ramps that they lower onto the beach. What about those cables? I called via channel 13 and the operator, who was at one end, said he would wait and that I should just stay in the middle.

I had selected two destinations, three miles apart, both off the river, in What was perhaps once a tributary and is now called Belle Island Bay. One is Jenkins Cove and the other Kingston Creek. Because we will be passing this area on the way back down river, we will probably end up in the other on the return trip. Jenkins is about three miles further in but better sheltered in N or S winds like the 20 knot ones from the south, so we selected it. And our anchor in 15 feet of water (no tidal hight to speak of in the river) with 60 feet of snubbed chain, put us comfortably distant from a large motor boat from NC and a trawler from Newport RI, which has a cat aboard.  Next stop: Gagetown.