Monday, July 22, 2013
Day 9 - Boothbay to Portland
Today’s sail from Boothbay to Portland was the third day in a row where we could sail. Winds were not high, but thankfully we were able to use our trusty spinnaker to make use of the 6-7 knots of true wind and allowed us to make 4-6 knots of sailing speed. Without “Jack” the spinnaker, we would have had to motor all day.
Since the distance involved today was less than the last two days , we took it at a relaxed pace and had breakfast at an appropriately named restaurant “Ebb Tide”. They note next to the tables the people who have dined there – John and Yoko, David Soul, three former governors of Maine, and you (us).
And we looked at shops and found a variety of sailing T shirts
After we returned to the Boothbay Harbor Marina and we paid the docking fee at the red hut we noticed a boat in a bottle – I still don’t know how they get them in there.
We departed the marina and headed for the west and passed a favorite lighthouse.
With Yolande at the helm plotting course and taking care of everything on deck, I was able to spend a relaxed day.
Of course we saw boats
And Islands
And then approached into Portland, went shopping, had dinner and returned to Prairie Gold at DiMillo’s for a nightcap.
Since the distance involved today was less than the last two days , we took it at a relaxed pace and had breakfast at an appropriately named restaurant “Ebb Tide”. They note next to the tables the people who have dined there – John and Yoko, David Soul, three former governors of Maine, and you (us).
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Day 8 – Camden to Boothbay
This sailing day was the second with great winds. The low pressure system had come through the day before and we still had the tail end of the winds. We headed out of Camden towards the east – winds were SSE – and tacked with the goal of heading south out of Penobscot bay and then west to a destination unknown. Sailing was great with lots of spray because we had 6 foot swells from the preceding day’s storm. The winds started to slowly move westward that allowed is to have a long tack south that was slowly changing to SW. We used the winds to our advantage as much as possible but they eventually turned to the west, our destination path.
We had decided to get to Boothbay harbor where we knew oysters would be waiting. We estimated that to sail there with all the tacking would take until at least midnight. So eventually we turned on the engine. For about 2 hours we took a pounding heading straight into the wind and the waves, spray everywhere and our bodies feeling bruised.
On my radar app I was following some storms with great interest. There was one to the south in which a waterspout was observed. We calculated that we were heading away from its path, then a thunderstom storm popped up just north, but is was heading NE. Today we were lucky as we managed to find a path between the cells.
We had called ahead to Judy at Boothbay harbor marina, and she told us which slip to use as we would be arriving after she left. At 7:30pm, 10 hours after our departure we arrived and had completed about 57nm of a great journey.
At times we were getting internet connections on our phones and read of the high temperatures on the mainland. In contrast we were sailing with 59 degrees Fahrenheit and we were wearing layers to keep warm. It was still 59 F as we were entering the channel leading to Boothbay harbor, about 1nm from our destination. By the time we docked we were unlayering as the temps rose to over 80F.
We had decided to get to Boothbay harbor where we knew oysters would be waiting. We estimated that to sail there with all the tacking would take until at least midnight. So eventually we turned on the engine. For about 2 hours we took a pounding heading straight into the wind and the waves, spray everywhere and our bodies feeling bruised.
On my radar app I was following some storms with great interest. There was one to the south in which a waterspout was observed. We calculated that we were heading away from its path, then a thunderstom storm popped up just north, but is was heading NE. Today we were lucky as we managed to find a path between the cells.
We had called ahead to Judy at Boothbay harbor marina, and she told us which slip to use as we would be arriving after she left. At 7:30pm, 10 hours after our departure we arrived and had completed about 57nm of a great journey.
At times we were getting internet connections on our phones and read of the high temperatures on the mainland. In contrast we were sailing with 59 degrees Fahrenheit and we were wearing layers to keep warm. It was still 59 F as we were entering the channel leading to Boothbay harbor, about 1nm from our destination. By the time we docked we were unlayering as the temps rose to over 80F.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Day 7 – Belfast back to Camden, via a different route, and with wind
We woke to fog in Belfast and based on the forecast of a small craft advisory with winds gusting to 30 knots, we decided to change the headsail to our 90% headsail. We did this is record time – for the two of us at least – of 15 minutes. We dropped the 135 genoa, folded (well…..) and then raised the 90%. Fortunately in the public docks that we used overnight we woke to be facing the wind that allowed this to be a simple task. Later, we were really pleased to have made this decision, as Day 7 turned out to be windy and really good sailing.
Before departing Belfast we watched the launch of a boat from French and Webb, a local boat builder/restorer that specializes in woodwork.
We headed out of Belfast with radar running – Yolande at the helm and disembarking Prairie Gold – and headed east. We soon got the sails out and began sailing in about 10 kts of wind. After an hour the wind dropped and we had to turn on the iron sails to get around the northern tip of Isleboro. After coming out of the lee of the island the winds picked up again and we tacked south and along the eastern side of Isleboro. In dense fog the temperature dropped to 60 degrees F and we added layers of clothing to keep warm. We had planned to have salad for lunch but were so cold that we decided to heat up a package of prepared food.
We continued to tack and apparent winds were gusting to 30 kts. At one point we had the main reefed quite dramatically to reduce weather helm, although we had a full 90% headsail for the entire day. If we had left the 135% genoa on as our headsail we would have had to reef it as well and then have to work with the resulting poor sail shape and reduction in sailing performance.
As we were taking our last tack across the eastern Penobscot we were able to head through a passage between Saddle and Mark Islands. We noticed a dramatic temperature change as we entered the western Penobscot. The temperature rose from 63 degrees to 73 degrees almost instantly, the fog lifted and we were able to continue on into Camden on a close reach. After getting into the public docks we noted the temperature there was 83 degrees F.
This was the best sailing of the vacation with the sails in use for all but an hour of our journey that commenced at 9:20am and finished at 5pm.
Before departing Belfast we watched the launch of a boat from French and Webb, a local boat builder/restorer that specializes in woodwork.
We headed out of Belfast with radar running – Yolande at the helm and disembarking Prairie Gold – and headed east. We soon got the sails out and began sailing in about 10 kts of wind. After an hour the wind dropped and we had to turn on the iron sails to get around the northern tip of Isleboro. After coming out of the lee of the island the winds picked up again and we tacked south and along the eastern side of Isleboro. In dense fog the temperature dropped to 60 degrees F and we added layers of clothing to keep warm. We had planned to have salad for lunch but were so cold that we decided to heat up a package of prepared food.
As we were taking our last tack across the eastern Penobscot we were able to head through a passage between Saddle and Mark Islands. We noticed a dramatic temperature change as we entered the western Penobscot. The temperature rose from 63 degrees to 73 degrees almost instantly, the fog lifted and we were able to continue on into Camden on a close reach. After getting into the public docks we noted the temperature there was 83 degrees F.
This was the best sailing of the vacation with the sails in use for all but an hour of our journey that commenced at 9:20am and finished at 5pm.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Day 6 - Camden to Belfast
We definitely think that there is no wild life in Penobscot Bay. Our lure, which has been renamed the ‘mighty mackerel slayer’ did not get a bite today, and we saw neither dolphins nor harbor seals.
The day promised to be good with 10 kts of wind in Camden, so after disembarking we raised sails and began the journey. We sailed for 2.5 hours and only made about 2 nm of headway to our destination, Belfast. This was because the current was heading south down Penobscot bay and we were initially on an eastern tack, intending to head north. As we headed further across the bay the winds dropped so we tacked to try to find the wind again, and as it grew to about 10 kts apparent the strong current took us NW. At 12:30pm with an apparent wind of 5 kts we started to motor. As we entered Belfast Bay, the winds grew to about 8 kts true from astern so we got the trusty spinnaker out and sailed into Belfast. Overall we almost had a record setting day of 3.5hrs of sail time – not the best sailing, but we did sail
Today as we head out of Belfast the winds are suggested to build to 20kts. We will see.
We had breakfast in Camden at the top of this waterfall at "The Mariners"
Looking back to Camden as we depart
The race is on
Belfast is a funky location - funky good. Here is a public bench in the main street
Oyster shells in the bar at the "Three Tides" restaurant
The day promised to be good with 10 kts of wind in Camden, so after disembarking we raised sails and began the journey. We sailed for 2.5 hours and only made about 2 nm of headway to our destination, Belfast. This was because the current was heading south down Penobscot bay and we were initially on an eastern tack, intending to head north. As we headed further across the bay the winds dropped so we tacked to try to find the wind again, and as it grew to about 10 kts apparent the strong current took us NW. At 12:30pm with an apparent wind of 5 kts we started to motor. As we entered Belfast Bay, the winds grew to about 8 kts true from astern so we got the trusty spinnaker out and sailed into Belfast. Overall we almost had a record setting day of 3.5hrs of sail time – not the best sailing, but we did sail
Today as we head out of Belfast the winds are suggested to build to 20kts. We will see.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Day 5 - Boothbay harbor to Camden
Today was a record for wildlife sightings and for wind speed. We saw a total of 11 dolphins and a harbor seal. Now when I say we, I mean eagle eye Yolande. She sees them, and points them out to me. However, I had a major victory today as I saw one of the dolphins first.
We set off promptly from Boothbay harbor marina at 9:20am. Judy the owner of the marina told us that winds in the marina don’t normally pickup until 1pm, therefore since we had 10 kts of wind when we disembarked we had cause to be optimistic. As we motored out we brought out the sails. However, our hopes were dashed as the wind dropped as soon as we left the harbor.
Prairie Gold in Boothbay harbor marina
Judy’s red hut where she spends her day. When approaching the marina she says "look for the red hut".
Some pictures leaving Boothbay
We had several discussions on board about where to go. We were considering Tenants Harbor as there is a boat building company there and we would arrive promptly and might be able to see important things such as sailboats. Also this would give us buffer time to sail in low winds. However, Yolande suggested we head on to Camden. It turned out to be a great suggestion as we kept motoring and while doing so saw dolphins and lots of lobster pots.
This is our newest model washing machine – its eco friendly as it uses natural wave motion to agitate the clothes.
The wind grew as we entered Mussel Ridge Channel. We had 20 knots of wind from the stern. This is a narrow snaking path with thousands of lobster pots to avoid (we nearly renamed it lobster pot alley) . However, since we had been starved of sailing today, we brought the sails out and went on a wing-on-wing run. We really let the boom out to prevent an accidental gybe as we moved around the pots. We were flying, well sailing. The fastest this boat will do is 7.4 knots – it’s a physics law based on this being a displacement vessel and the hull length. We were at hull speed and we could feel the boat shake. This is when sailing is really fun, on the edge. We rapidly approached Camden and needed to bring our sails in too soon.
Wing-on-wing sailing along Mussel Ridge channel
As we were entering Camden harbor we saw a parasurfer and a paddle boarder
As we arrived we tied up at the town docks and turned on our personal hotspots on our phones and started to get the day of work done on our computers connected through phones to the internet– about an hour. I could work like this all year.
Here is some of the local Camden scenery
We set off promptly from Boothbay harbor marina at 9:20am. Judy the owner of the marina told us that winds in the marina don’t normally pickup until 1pm, therefore since we had 10 kts of wind when we disembarked we had cause to be optimistic. As we motored out we brought out the sails. However, our hopes were dashed as the wind dropped as soon as we left the harbor.
We had several discussions on board about where to go. We were considering Tenants Harbor as there is a boat building company there and we would arrive promptly and might be able to see important things such as sailboats. Also this would give us buffer time to sail in low winds. However, Yolande suggested we head on to Camden. It turned out to be a great suggestion as we kept motoring and while doing so saw dolphins and lots of lobster pots.
The wind grew as we entered Mussel Ridge Channel. We had 20 knots of wind from the stern. This is a narrow snaking path with thousands of lobster pots to avoid (we nearly renamed it lobster pot alley) . However, since we had been starved of sailing today, we brought the sails out and went on a wing-on-wing run. We really let the boom out to prevent an accidental gybe as we moved around the pots. We were flying, well sailing. The fastest this boat will do is 7.4 knots – it’s a physics law based on this being a displacement vessel and the hull length. We were at hull speed and we could feel the boat shake. This is when sailing is really fun, on the edge. We rapidly approached Camden and needed to bring our sails in too soon.
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