Down
(wind? NOT) to Maine, Summer 2008
All the photos can be found in the main
(no "e") sailonset.com
gallery.
Best quote: "We were really lucky"
(also said in 2002 and 2005).
Best sail: Rockland to Pulpit Harbor - short but sweet (and finally!).
Worst sail: Pulpit Harbor to Merchant's Island - picked up two
lobster bouys and a floating line!
Best lobster: off the Dawn Jr II lobster boat, Stongington.
Best shower: Beggars' Wharf Marina, Rockland.
Best fuel dock: Port Clyde - Jess made swapping the two boats
a breeze.
Best chandlery: Hamilton Marine, Rockland - even in the new,
green, paint job.
Best new landfall: Winter Harbor, Vinylhaven.
Best new harbor: Harbor Island, Muscongus Bay.
Best purchase: Bodum polycarbonate coffee press
Short
version...
Maine 2008
saturday
Onset
plan to take current out late afternoon in a jump to Duxbury
PM arrives at 8:30 and rafts up
SIG
l/o MA pizza
sunday
Onset to Great Misery Island
off at 8:30 at height of current
light wind SW to SE - fly the asym for first time but too DW
to work
t-storms reported off boston, so we detour for two hours, S then
back N
so not IofS, AnnisquamYC but G Misery in fog at 8:30
mooring, cold chicken, potatoes
continued sound&light show
12 hr
monday
Great Misery to Isles of Shoals
light wind, rain ahead passes us by
pot practice
Blyman canal, Ann river, out by noon
12:30 sailing into a NE 10deg off the rhumb line
v. dark over shore
eventually motorsail, arrive at 4:30
immediate rain, mooring, steaks
8hr?
tuesday
Isles to Jewell Island
foggy, cold - must be in Maine
off 8:30 (again!) for Cape ELiz.
skies clear along the shore for a change!
light wind on the nose
by noon, clear skies overhead but clouds along shore and out
to sea
hot, rolly, wind shifting to the E
2pm ahah!
try main only - NG
genoa out with w/pole run up lazy sheet and hook on mast Yes!
spirits much better wind S @ 11 kts
then all gone, hot, motor
PM diverts to Portland for pick-up
Jewell 6:15, anchor delta + sentinel
spag sauce and all four on board
10 hr
wednesday
Jewell to Harbor Island (M.B.)
clear and warm, then gray and chilly
off 10:45; wind on nose!
try outside Seguin for wind; sail some but too many shoals
motor past the points
round Pemaquid some more sailing
pots! ledges!
7:$5 Harbor Island raft w/ Calypso, anchored
beef strog I(MH)
rain, T&L, peaceful spot
9 hr
thursday
Harbor Island
fog, breeze, some sun
arise late, lazy, decide to stay the day - forecast is rain all
day
not until 10:30, then a deluge!
PM goes up mast to install LED anchor light
PM, SM and DGE dinghy ashore to wander around
Mooring frees up; we grab it
run fridge 1/2 hour
steak, wine, early!
bilge pump works!
friday
Harbor to Rockport
still cold, gray, rain, foggy.
run fridge 1/2 hour
off at 12:30
light fog alla way to Mpsquito I, clear to Whitehead, thick to
Owls H, clear to Rockland!
arrive at 7:00
picked up fuel water and ice (1b, 1c) at Pt. Clyde (jess); also
l;obstah
pick up Beggar's Wharf moorings $25 each and eat at 9:00
friendly manager (Charlie) waves from pier and later comes out
to get cash
unusual for folks to just p/u and call in; we hear many with
great diff. on VHF
6.5 hr
saturday
Rockport
dawns foggy but sun by 11
Ms off for wedding
showers $3, laundry $22, 'net (Free) at or by BW
walk into town, ATM, (no need for pub lib net,) shop, lunch
of course Hamilton Marine, an awesome place with big stock and
small prices
now painted forest green, not process blue
can see fog bank out by N. Haven, Pulpit
cold chicken, fresh rolls (Atlantic Bakery)
run fridge 1/2 hour
sunday
Pockport to Pulpit Harbor, N. Haven
sun, W wind, some clouds
baro goes down (?) first time moved at all
7:30 10 kts; 8:30 3 kts
Joe's cab ($5 each way) says Hannifords over Shaws so do so -
excellent
Off in the early afternoon; 2:30 at the breakwater
SW at 17 droping to 10 kts - nice!
Finally see sailboats along the N. Haven coast!
Pulput by 4:00; anchor w/ 150' as is good breeze now
tie down main; drop burgees
BBQ chicken and B.S.
raise riding sail; stop weaving around, near big, expen$ive yacht
7:45 rain, t&l, lots more of rain - the baro was right?
oh yes: almost no pots alone N. Haven, except those in nice,
straight lines!
11.5 nm, 2.5 hr
monday
Pulpit to Round & McGlathery Islands, Merchant Row
sun by 10:30, SW 5 kts
plan to meet up w/ Merries in Merchant Row
do we try for Swans? when stop at N. Haven? where provision?
Or not needed?
leave 11 am; only one boat (CA) remaining this late hour
now SW 10-15; genoa only; awesome again!
even more; reef genoa
12:30 cloudy - in Maine?
1 pm mythbuster - pick up pot under sail; easily cut away
free at 1:20; pick up another at 2:!5. free at 2:25 - getting
good at this!
3:00 stop at Merchant I where only 1 other sailboat.
Anchor catches on free-floating line, so more fun and exrecise
Merries at 4 pm; we all head over to McGlathery/Round anchorage
Calypso anchore; we raft
Last time they said it was empty and MI full;
this time several boats and a family on three; incl teenagers
usual three walk half-round Round
food?
17 nm, 5 hr
tuesday
Round to Winter Harbor, Vinylhaven
hot, sunny, little wind
photo bluie lob. boat over by Stonington
later arrives in anchorage, hits anchor rode, we buy bugs (4
1-1/2+, $30)
lend channellocks to family working on stuffing box
leave 11:00
I au H Thorofare by 1:00 after zig zag (See track)
good wind; making 6+ knots towards FI Thoro
no; lets just head for Winter Harbor so time to explore (good
call!)
wind up; speedy crossing;
drop sails, motor in the channel via GPS.
make to to Stb Rock, but actually way past same
we anchor; they raft. Another pot!
swimming Merries pull it free
dinghy to Stb Rock, thunder, sprinkles and grey, so head back
also look like no access
gather raingear and climb rock rock to south where anchored
much hiking; see seal harbor backwater
another thunderhead; head back JIT, it rains
lobstah! rainbow! stars!
15 nm, 4 hr
wendesday
Winter to Harbor Island via N. Haven
cool, sunny, still
off at 8:30, at browns mooring by 10 (would have been tough to
stop and return day before!)
fuel, water, shopping; swap boats on single fuel float
out of FIT by noon
MRC by 1:30
pass Calypso than (!) catch pot
call from Tom Young!
free, try to catch up; find out they are alongside, not ahead
motor down channel and across; sail a bit past P Clyde
decide on Harbor I sail to McGee then motor.
mooring! cold chicken
RAZR gone!
companionway bug screen first time
35 nm, 9 hr
thursday
Harbor to Seal Cove, Cape Elizabeth
cool, foggy, burns off
9:30 depart
E wind, motor sail w/genoa (helps!)
current and tide puzzling
Pemaquid at 11:00; put up the whisler pole
zig-zag down coast of points; wind up and down
clothing on and off, foulies
2:30 just sailing for a while with the p-o geona
really DW sailing on the Sabre!
5:00 rain and thunder - motor on!
head for Seal Cove instead of Richard's Island; pehasp more protected
from NE
raft, then split in driving rain, rolling seas coming in
more rain; t&l; add riding sail
quiets down by 10, but way rolly at high tide
wind is NE, but seas from E roll right in
dine on CM w/ B (MH)
anchor watch 'til 12:30; yup, tide is falling!
H-L foulies may be all used up
CM & B? Turket Tetz?
45 nm, 8.75 hr
friday
Seal Cove to Isles of Shoals
8:00 cell call - are we ready? Sally already on shore
Oops! Rush; off by 8:30
9:00 on course 2225 to IofS
major fog; 100# h20 in dinghy
slow to pump out and await wind
10:30 fog lifting, some wind, 1 kt from current
radar ball up, dope, on stbd
meet "bitter end" ofr GPS track up at Cape Pospoise
(old track has been v. useful, as from P J to H I or exit from
WH)
noon sun; v. little wind
try pole; beter w/o
beautiful day (n.a.p.) buy not sailing
IoS at 3:00; grab blue mooring
warm, sun, dry, almost like summer!
PM and I walk island, see monuments
grill steaks
40mn, 7.5 hr
saturday
Isles to Clarks Island, Duxbury
plan for 8:am; off by 8;30
moderate fog; wind on ????
gray above; gray below, but deep! (no pots)
Cape Ann at noon hour
wind said to be NW, back to NE; jib on pole
Hailed by NE Gateway LNG "guard" that we near "A"
with 450 feet of floating hawset line
N42.23.06 W70.35.5
Still gray; still NE
forecast is SE, thounderstorms in Boston and BuzzBay; we split
the difference
4pm it rains, shifts to the SE
low-lying fog, can see mast but no boat ahead
8:15 Clarks Island, anchor, raft, fog, loom, grill chops, potatoes,
bs
64 nm, 12 hr
sunday
Duxbury to Onset
fog, sun, fog
leave 9:45 against current
cut Brians' bo;e?
sunny, no wind
noon hot, some clouds (now what?)
finally help from current that will cary us through the canal
Wind tantelizes, switching from NE to NW
12:30 sail briefly but then pour in the spare 5 gals
PM stops at HofR for fuel
At SW end is awesome SW and NE current; welcome to BB!
All wrapped up at 5pm; last dinghy load to shore.
27 nm, 5 hr
orignal block ice much dimished; ice
from PC block mostly intact; some cubes
Long Version...
Overview...
This is our third trip to Maine,
after a two-summer hiatus. It is also the first season for both
Nan and I and Paul and Sally Merry in our new, longer boats.
We are now sailing Hickory Wind, a 1986 Sabre 34 Mk II and they
are in Calypso, a 1978 Bristol 40 yawl. As usual, Paul's wife
Sally will join us in Maine, so he will also get to single-hand
the unfamiliar boat for several days.
The Way Up,
North (or Down East if you prefer)...
Saturday, July 19
provisioning, Onset, MA and
ready to go with the evening current
What Worked
and What Didn't...
worked
Garmin 276c w/ BlueChart v9.0: not new, but still awesome
asym (not use much but did work!)
whisker pole
Harken IV cruising furler
Lewmar Ocean #00 hatch (head)
Stecktronics anchor light (did come on in fog)
polycarbonate coffee press
Again we found the Taft guide excellent
for locating interesting anchorages and the new MapTech/Embassy
Guide much more complete than before on harbors and facilities.
not worked
glass coffee press
Ray repeater - blew out? wires?
Ray rudder sensor - wiring?
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