Since leaving Nuuk a few thousand miles ago we have seen only one other sailboat. That was the American yacht ARA that was sailing north for Nain when we came south from Makkovik. There's been no need to care or worry about appearances. Now though, with Lewisporte Yacht Club soon to be our new temporary abode, it's time to start thinking of making ourselves look respectable.
Three years north of 60N, where fenders are truck tyres and where the next door boat is made of ice hardened steel, have left their mark. Scuffs, gouges, stains and rusty streaks all need to be polished away and buffed to a high sheen. Fenders need to be scrubbed and clutter from the pushpit removed. Already we've taken off the Windpilot (which had never worked well on this boat) and it will soon be making an appearance on eBay. The ice poles were gifted to us by Rod in Isafjordur but it is difficult to imagine that we will need those south of here. Maybe even the old two stroke petrol outboard should go on eBay as we have now gone over exclusively to electric.
And will any of this happen? Probably not. My guess is that Lewisporte Yacht Club will not raise an eyebrow at our dishevelled state and will welcome us as we are. At 49 15N Lewisporte is still at the most northerly limit of most sailboats in this region so those that have made it this far will have acquired a few scratches and stains along the way. It will be a different story when we get to Maine and New England when the yacht will have to be polished and buffed to perfection and the decks swept clean of clutter and fuss.