Posts

Onward

 8/12- Bucks Harbor Marina, Brooksville ME    The spectacular weather continued this morning as we woke to crystal blue skies but alas no wind. We finally just said what the heck and departed. We motored out of the harbor and around the first nun before we ran up the yankee. It took a couple of tacks but we finally made the buoy when the wind decided to take a rest. We drifted across most of Jericho Bay at around 2 knots. Once we neared the Eggemoggin the wind picked up but it was right on the nose. We tacked a bunch of times in some rather flaky winds. Once we cleared Brooklin Boat yard we got on a long tack. Several times I told Alayne to get ready to tack as we neared a buoy but we got lifted just enough to get by. I never thought we would clear the buoy at the Benjamin River but once by the ATON the wind shifted south and we flew under the bridge on a broad reach right into Bucks Harbor.     We met up with the rest of the crews who all had similar exper...
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Swans

 8/11- Swans Island ME   The wind was up early this morning but it didn’t get too far up. We waited around until 9:30 or so and thought we detected a wisp of a breeze. It was of course directly behind us which is a poor point of sail for us. After dodging a few bunkers we finally got to run the head sail out and ran wing on wing for a bit. Once we turned the corner we ran down Jericho Bay quite nicely. By the time we got near the harbor entrance the wind was steadily decreasing but we managed to sail right into the harbor.     It’s been quite a while since we have been in here so we picked up a mooring with a soda bottle for paying. We then hustled over and walked up to an old quarry where we went for a swim. The water was warm and fresh and it felt good to just lay in the water.     After a nice nap we dinghied back over to the other side for a group lobster dinner. It was a kind of unusual place. It was called lobster in the rough. The guy cooke...
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East

 8/10- Camp/Bold Islands, Stonington ME    It was another windless morning so we went to shore and had a walk around the park. We did manage to get some boat chores accomplished. Then we just bided our time waiting on the wind. We got a little antsy and decided to head out. The wind was light but usable. It was another circumstance where we sailed in a big arc as the wind increased it slowly shifted. We mosied across the bay and once on the other side we found it confusing amongst the islands so we put the motor on.     We chugged into this bay which is between three or four islands. It was low tide so it looked like a big bowl. A couple of the islands go mostly underwater at high tide. Most of the rest of the cruise participants were anchored and we got together on a boat and had a cocktail hour.      We only did about 10 miles today and maybe less tomorrow though the forecast calls for more wind in the morning. As this bay is next to Stonin...
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Cruise

 8/9- Banks Cove, North Haven ME    The wind went missing again and just as we were getting ready to depart we heard some thunder. We decided to hang around until after the storm went past. It turned out to be not much of a storm just sprinkling a little. We called on Mr Perkins as there was no wind again but there was a layer of fog. The fog rose up out of the water to just about boat height. We got to practice a bit with our radar as we motored back into Rockland.      The Cape Dory cruise was getting underway tonight so we did some quick provisioning. We had a nice dinner at the Camden Yacht Club.       The wind was again slow to wake up. Once we left it was a nice if somewhat slow sail across the bay. We sailed through the Fox Thoroughfare and caught a nice breeze on the other side and after a quick jibe we set the hook down in what I had been calling Mullen Bay but we found out is called Banks Cove. We met up with friends and had an...
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Calm

 8/7- Dix Island, ME    We were waiting for the nonexistent wind to make an appearance when we changed plans and headed to Hurricane Island. We motored the whole way winding our way through some narrow passages and many rocks and islands. We passed by the infamous Basin which is a large bay with only a tiny entrance. You can only enter at slack high tide so we trudged onwards.     Hurricane Island is a marine research facility that specializes in educational opportunities. We took a hike through the old quarries before retiring to the boat. It was a rolly and bouncy night as the moorings are exposed to the ocean especially at high tide.     The morning proved no better wind wise so we took another hike around the island. After some lunch we decided to head out and we had a nice sail across the bay. We were close hauled the whole way but the wind kept shifting so we ended up sailing a big arc right into the Dix  Island anchorage. We met u...
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Rookie

 8/4- Carver Cove, Vinalhaven ME    We had to sit through some pretty sloppy weather but we ripped ourselves away from Rockland. The storm yesterday wasn’t too bad but it did finally rain a bit as places around here are getting desperate for water. It was foggy and rainy and windy which made it a day we just hung out on the boat.      Today though dawned like a freshly cleaned window. The sun bright and the sky a bluebird kind of blue. I could see the islands for the first time in 3 days. So what should we do— go sailing of course. The wind was west south west which put it almost behind us. We sailed a big looping course as the wind freshened as changed direction as we crossed the bay. Once we got near the thoroughfare I doused the jib as it was doing nothing with the wind directly behind us. We sailed all the way through and plopped our anchor in the mud of Carver Cove.      Here’s where our rookie mistake happened. As we were backing down t...
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Uh oh

 8/2- Rockland ME    When we last left you we were waiting out some bad weather which never really arrived. The morning after dawned bright and sunny but with no wind in the forecast. On leaving the cove we discovered a slight northern breeze which led to one thought — spinaker. For the first time in 2 years we said let’s go. It took me a while to figure everything out and get all the lines on the right sides but then with a whopp the sail filled and away we went.      We were cruising along at 4-5 knots until we came to Cape Rosier where the wind decided to take a break. It never really died though and we managed to keep the sail full and drawing. We were moving along at the stunning speed of 1-2 knots. I was glad just to be moving. The breeze eventually filled and and we strolled down Penobscot bay at a leisurely pace with just the spinaker flying. We now had to gibe the sail which is always a challenge with a spinaker. It went amazingly smoothly and we w...
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