Trailer Sailing on 'Wave Function'

[Captain Smollett]

Now that we are trailer sailors again, I figured I'd start a thread for 'cruises' on our Skipper's Mate 17 Wave Function.  Some previous cruises on this boat have been documented elsewhere on the site (Examples: Hilton Head, Winyah Bay and Mississippi Sound.

The most recent entry is our trip to Boston/Maine from North Carolina.  We did not sail in Boston, but got out on both Casco and Penobscot Bays (one longish daysail each...marked by destinations rather than just sailing around).

I'll post more later, with pictures, but here are the high spots of our camp/sailing trip.

Before I detail the site-seeing and 'cruising,' I have to first mention what a pleasure it was to meet sailfar's Jim_ME, who not only helped inspire this trip (his mention of a potential Skedaddle this August), but also offered very valuable suggestions on the Portland area sites to see...

And, he is a wonderful sailing companion and local waters tour guide. 

Trip Summary:

Over 3,000 miles driven on the tow vehicle
Two Sailing Days, totaling about 60 nautical miles of course made good
Islands Visited: Perry's Eagle Island (22 nm round trip), Brimstone Island (36 nm round trip as the motorboat would go)
GPS not turned on one single time
13 consecutive days tent camping

14 August - 20 August

The opportunity to take a home school field trip was the impetus for this trip.  My daughter has been begging me to take her to see the USS Constitution for years, and the stars finally aligned for that to happen this year.  What we did not know (oversight on my part) was that we were going to be there for

(a) The dedication and unveiling of the USS Constitution postage stamp, and

(b) The ship sailing under her own power.  We did not see this due to a family obligation, but were 'around' for it happening.  We were aboard her the day before she sailed.

During this week based just south of Boston, we did the Freedom Trail (including the Constitution, Lexington, Concord, Plymouth (including Mayflower II tour) and Gloucester (to pay respects at the Fisherman's Memorial).  On the list but time ran out was a visit to Salem.

20 August - 25 August

Moved the camp base up to Sebago Lake State Park outside of Portland. Among other museums and site visits, we hit the Maritime Museum in Bath.  The people of Maine are (rightfully) quite proud of their sailing and ship building heritage, and this museum is a must-see for any sailor visiting the area.

We also "finally" got the boat in the water for a sail out to Admiral Perry's Eagle Island, about 11 nm (by the path we took) from our launch ramp at Bug Light Park.  The ramp requires a $6 fee, but given that the ramp is in an urban area and there is an attendant, I did not mind the fee.

Jim met us at the ramp, and before we could even offer introductions, I put him to work getting the boat ready for launch.  In hindsight, I do regret the rough and unceremonious manner in which I barked "grab the end of the mast" to the fellow as he approached and inquired, "John?" I had neglected to verify that my mast support crutch (used while pinning the mast to the step) was aboard when I left, and it is darn difficult to do single-handed without some kind of support for the aft end of the mast.  Jim was very gracious and set about helping with the rigging chores.

Another snafu on my part was not verifying the jib was aboard, so, well, we had no jib!  Given that we also had no wind at the time of launch, we were resigned to motor-sailing until the wind picked up.

The motorsail out from the ramp was very pleasant; Jim was an excellent tour guide, pointing out landmarks and local history.  We passed the Portland Head Light to get some pictures from the water side before turning to pass outside the Rams Island Ledge Light.

We took four hours to get to Eagle Island and enjoyed a wonderful tour of Perry's house/museum.  Zane on the docks is a sailor and we swapped some stories with him, and Tim (the tour guide in the house) was also a cruiser...and a VERY knowledgeable guide.

The trip back had some wind, and even with just the main up, we managed in 2-1/2 hours.  My daughter finally got her turn at the helm, while I called out pilotage for her to avoid the lobster pots.

My wife had flown home for business reasons and upon her return, she brought the jib back.

One of our afternoons in the Portland area was spent visiting with Jim and his sister, Beth (and her family).  Cruising, even this style of cruising (what I call camp-cruising), brings the opportunity to slow down and get to know people in the community.

25 August - 28 August

Moved the camp to Camden Hills State Park off Penobscot Bay.  What a beautiful area this is!  Of the three campgrounds we stayed in (all state parks), this one was by far the quietest. 

We had planned to do the American Folk Festival (with Jim) on the 25th or 26th and sail the Bay on the 27th, but on the 25th, NWS had forecast good weather for the 26th with t-storms predicted for the 27th.  So, alas, we elected to move our sailing day to the 26th.  As it turned out, the t-storms did not hit until the 28th, so we COULD have kept to the original plan in worthless hindsight.

We chose to launch in Rockland (I like this little town, very boat-ey) for our sail out to Brimstone Island.  Brimstone is a small rocky island south of Vinalhaven that has the distinction of being volcanic.  As such, and with it's seaward shores constantly pummeled by wave activity and storms, the rocky beaches yield incredible stones polished and colored to rival the works of many a skilled lapidary.

We had good breeze leaving Rockland harbor except for the fact that it was dead in our teeth.  I had not planned on having to beat for over 10 miles.  The boat (with jib now) sailed nicely, especially considering her rig was still badly out of tune (I'm working on that!).

Our slower than expected progress (and some tricky navigation along the 'outside' route we took) led us to pick a 'turn-around time' of 1600 whether we made the island or not.  Right at 6 hours after getting under way, we beached on Brimstone at 1545, giving the children only a few minutes to explore and collect stones.  Each came away with a handful and we shoved off the beach to sail back.

What would later prove to be seaweed had gotten the centerboard stuck up, so we motorsailed back.  Our trip out was 6 hours; back was about 2-1/2 (though we took a different route back that cut a few miles off).  The sun was quite literally dipping just below the trees as we tied up to the dock.

The next day, we ventured over to Mount Desert Island and enjoyed the beauty of Acadia National Park.

Tuesday morning, as we prepared to pack for the return drive, the predicted rain and storms hit.  We got packed up in a lull between showers.

So, all in all, a fun, educational trip even if we had fewer sailing days than we planned.  It was still worth it to bring the boat.   ;D

Pictures and charts to follow ...

[Tim]

Great report looking forwards to photos

[CharlieJ]

Ditto that :D

[Jim_ME]

Thank you, John. It was a pleasure to meet you and your family, too. It was great to get back out on Casco Bay, where I had enjoyed sailing my Typhoon for years.

I too am looking forward to reading your more detailed report and viewing your photos, and have some pics to contribute from the Casco Bay outing, when you get to that point.

Grog to you and yours for being the first Skedattlers.

[Captain Smollett]

Here is the first round of photos and highlights.  In this and the following posts, photos labeled with "HF" were taken by my daughter.

Plymouth, MA

We arrived at the Pilgrim Hall Museum in the morning about 10 minutes before they opened.  An interesting museum: art depicting the historical event (and sort of analyzed) on the upper floor while downstairs was more the typical kind of displays for a museum of this type.  I learned TONS about the pilgrims, which included 'unlearning' a lot of what I was taught in school (as I am finding to be a common theme as I visit sites of such historical significance).

After several hours at this museum - really, we thought it was a one hour type place but spent over two there - we ventured over to Plimoth Plantation.  We've come to love places like this: so-called "living history" makes such a stronger impression than even the best traditional museum display.

One section depicted a Wampanoag Village, with skins drying and dug out canoes under construction.



Moving on the European settlement area,



we were intrigued to note the roaming livestock, which is part of an endangered species protection program to revitalize species common at the time.



Again, we spent several hours here, but moved on to the Mayflower II which was moored nearby the symbolic "Plymouth Rock" exhibit:



which overlooks a nicely populated Mass. harbor.  Imagine if the pilgrims had sailed in to see this in 1620!



Turning to port from that camera angle, we spy the Mayflower II,



We boarded and toured, which was a joy speaking with the young man on deck.  He asked where we are from and was unfamiliar with "Carolina" (settled in 1670, a bit after 'his time'), and when I told him "south of Virginia," he wrinkled his nose uttering 'down with those Spaniards!?!?"  I assured him we were not that far south and we shared a laugh over the intricacies of American geography.

We also spied this guy swimming around the ship, a special treat since we had searched high and low for swans on our trip to Yellowstone earlier in the summer:



Taking an ice cream break, we were treated to another indicator of time, amazed that in a single harbor we could see the full range of water vessels running from early 1600's to modern times:



Walking back to the car, we saw 'the drying of the wings:'



We then ventured to the burial ground and took a contemplative stroll among grave markers spanning 400 hundred years.

[Captain Smollett]

Boston, MA, the 17th

The next day, we walked "The Freedom Trail," but knew we would skip certain parts of it.  It's one of those things, especially with little ones, we have to keep things moving.  As it was, the walk took about 5 hours and we did not even do the ship and Bunker Hill that first day.

Our first stop was the cemetery where Paul Revere, Sam Adams, John Hancock and others are interred.  We paid our respects, especially to the victims of The Boston Massacre:



Later on the walk, we each said our silent prayers at the site of the massacre itself.

Our walk took us along varied neighborhood streets in the Boston downtown, including a row of Irish Pubs.  Oh, how we were tempted to stop in for a cold pint of Guinness!

After Paul Revere's house and heading to the "Old North Church," the the Paul Revere statue, we came across a memorial for the soldiers fallen in the current war.  Rich in the history of our country, the whole region we visited was dotted with memorials from all of America's wars, and I do mean all.  This one was quite unique, however:



Those are hanging dog tags, and while visually beautiful and introspective to view, the real impact of this art comes alive - quite literally - in the breeze.  It's wind-chime effect brings one's mind almost eerily to the voices of the dead riding on the wind that is moving the tags.  We tried to get this effect on video, but alas, our efforts were thwarted by the rude, loud garrulous presence of those not willing to stop and think about what was represented here.

As we walked across the river bridge, I spied my first glimpse of USS Constitution showing herself above the nearby motel and other buildings:



Though we enjoyed a couple of hours in the air conditioning of the museum, we were not to see the ship that first day.  Being a commissioned war ship, and subject to security screening, we were not prepared.  We had to put it off.

One of my wife's co-workers used to live in Boston, and he said of all the eateries, the one thing we had to sample was cannoli from Maria's.  Imagine our delight when on our walk back to the car, along a different path than The Walk takes (to save time), we passed right by Maria's!  We enjoyed our sweet treat and some ice cold water watching Boston Friday afternoon traffic.

The 18th: Boston, Lexington, Concord and Gloucester

The morning of the 18th was overcast and quite rainy, but the showers were light and intermittent and looked to remain so.  We ventured back downtown from our camp site about an hour away at Wompatuck State Park (in Hingham, MA)



Our first order of business was to secure parking, which was done.  We arrived early enough to witness the morning colors and morning gun; it was quite a sight watching this was sailors and marines in period uniforms we heard them "affectionately" refer to as their "1814's."

The Constitution postage stamp was being dedicated that morning, so she was closed to the public while the USPS and VIP's and media had their "free time" with her.  We took the opportunity to walk up to the Bunker Hill Memorial and took a pleasant stroll through the neighborhoods on the way back.

When we finally got aboard (after again spending some of our wait in the museum and the gift shop...each child got a souvenir made from the ship's old copper plating), the first thing my daughter noticed that got her excited was the VERY large, wooden cleat:

(Photo by HF)


and the rig was inspiring as well:

(Photo by HF)


Below, on the gun deck, both children were awed by the fact that the cannon were named by the gun crews.  We had several favorites, including

(Photo by HF)


(Note: I don't have ALL the pictures downloaded to computer yet...there may be some more of the ship)

We missed by one day her sailing under her own power, but it was still cool being around while the preps for that historic occurrence were going on.  A furled sail may be visible in the above shot of the rig.

From Constitution, we ventured to Lexington to see the sites of the beginnings of the war.  Stopping first in the town to scope out the visitor's center and see the actual green where the first shots were fired, my first impression was, sadly a more modern image:



Quickly putting that out of mind, however, proved easy enough as we walked to the green field where "peasants with pitchforks" stood their ground, and some died, against the largest most well-trained national army of the time.



From there, a short drive took us to the National Park site and visitor center with cool and informative displays and a cool "multimedia program."  This outlined the details of the running fight along the Concord Road after "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" in Concord; the North Bridge at Concord was the next stop:



One of the many things that struck me about New England was the connection to the water.  As boaters, I think we might notice this in different ways compared to other visitors, but everywhere we saw boats, canoes, lots of sailing, etc.  The water is a true part of the heritage here.  I can only imagine visiting the North Bridge by canoe:



From Concord, and while north of Boston, we decided to head on over to Gloucester.  We did not know at the time that a big harbor festival was going on, so traffic was intense and the downtown area quite crowded, but we still had a pleasant visit.  

The weather was, as in morning, gray and overcast and not a little chilly with the wind coming in off the sea.  That did not stop the schooners from carrying their harbor tours:





We paid our respects at the Fisherman's Memorial



My daughter (like me) gets quite contemplative at places like this.  She feels, very strongly, connections with those that have gone before.  Here she is counting the names of the plaque for one of the deadliest years.



Back at the camp site that evening, I decided to snap a shot showing our surroundings. This is from the road, our site is camera right (we were site R5):



It was really quite beautiful, and we left wondering how much longer that State Park would remain open.  We saw many clues that they were hurting for money, and the campgrounds were nowhere near full, even as summer's end neared, school schedules loomed and the beach merely 10 minute drive away.

[Captain Smollett]

Sunday the 19th

Sunday the 19th was a down day.  We had to take my wife to the airport and begin making preps to get packed up for the move to Maine.  

Portland, Maine area, 20th-21st

On the 20th, we moved up to Sebago Lake State Park about an hour from Portland.



I checked the wx for the 21st and liked the forecast, so we (ourselves and Jim_ME) tentatively planned to go sailing.  However, the 21st dawned to rain showers and I did not look like it was going to let up 'soon.' I lazed around the campsite waiting for the rain to abait, but eventually decided it was not a good sailing day since we were going to need a fairly early start.  This day was turning into a shore based site-seeing day.

The rain did settle out on our way to Portland, which gave us a good opportunity to scope out the ramp location for launching.  The ramp we chose to use was at Bug Light Park:



and that's Fort Gorges in the background.

Again, we saw a working port with plenty of sail craft in evidence:



I gripe and complain a lot about the lack of "sailing" here in this area.  There are tons of sail boats in marinas and at anchor.  Yet, we rarely see them sailing.  When we do see boats under way, they are, literally, more often than not motoring with sails furled and even sail covers on.

This is not true in the Maine area.  We sailed on two of Maine's bays - Casco and Penobscot, and on both, we saw far more sail boats under sail than motorboats. Sailboats motoring with no sail up at all was actually rather rare.

Another observation in contrast: of the boats we saw up there, a FAR higher percentage were of "classic lines."  Here, truly a sailing town (at least for NC/SC), by far most of the boats are of 80's or newer designs.  In Maine, nearly all the boats we saw (underway and moored) had rounded forefoot, long overhangs for and aft, graceful sheer lines and the settled beauty of boats made to SAIL rather than provide "home" to dockside entertainment.

It was quite an amazing thing to witness.

Across the river from Bug Light Park (in the town of South Portland rather than Portland proper) was downtown Portland.  Picturesque from the water, the town reveals her maritime heritage and rich history.  This shot is but one tiny slice of the view:



The ramp was used to launch all kinds of craft, and again I was struck by such a deep presence "the water" made in the local culture:



Driving across the river to Portland, we parked downtown and "enjoyed" a ten or so block walk to the narrow gage railroad museum.  This walk took us through downtown's art district, with local owned shops, restaurants and historic buildings.  I got a little "over excited" when I saw Hamilton Marine.

From Portland, we took the drive up to Bath to visit the Maritime Museum.  Outlining the detailed history of maritime heritage, fishing and ship building in the bay communities of Maine.  One 'exhibit' was a tour of a working fishing schooner:

(Photo by HF)


Alas, we got kicked out as the museum was closing before we got to see it all (we were in the lobsterman building at closing time), but it was still quite a visit.

Sailing Casco Bay to Perry's Eagle Island on the 22nd

The 22nd found us with gorgeous weather, though light air in the forecast for our sail out to Eagle Island (about 11 nm from Bug Light ramp).  As I mentioned above, I brilliantly managed to forget my jib in NC, and with the light air we had, that meant motorsailing was in the cards.  It proved to not be too terrible.

Jim_ME met us at the ramp and helped rig the boat.  As we got underway and Jim pointed out landmarks and told stories of local history, I realized we were quite lucky to have him aboard.  The "tour" was far richer than had I been on my own, seeing islands with the hope of researching more detail and interesting facts after returning "home."

We motorsailed past Spring Light,

(Photo by HF)


and the island bound fortifications of the ports earlier defenses

(Photo by HF)


continuing to seaward to pass by Portland Head Light.  I really like seeing light houses from the water side (the rarer view), and Ram Island Light was on my 'target list.'  It was a destination to pass before heading to Eagle Island.

Portland Head Light is one of the most famous lighthouses in the world.  Even I recognized her as she came into view,

(Photo by HF)


though she was far more recognizable as we passed abeam just safely offshore

(Photo by HF)


Then we made our turn to run parallel outside the main line of barrier islands to pass just outside the Ram Island Light

(Photo by HF)


while Jim told the sad story of two young female kayakers who perished returning from a day trip to the island.

A few hours later, we tied up to the landing dock at Eagle Island



The dock master, Zane, was kind enough to let us remain tied alongside since Wave Function's 18 ft LOA was not much more than the dinghies tied up there.  The Park Service runs the site, and they generally allow you to tie alongside to disembark passengers, assign a mooring and shuttle you to shore if you don't have (or want to use) your own dink.

Here he returns to the dock after bringing a couple back to their moored boat,



and moments later, we saw them getting under way:



Zane is a colorful character - a sailor.  His first comment to me as I stepped on the dock had not to do with the government bureaucracy of fees and docking rules but were about sailing to the dock.  He noticed the outboard engine, and continued the bond with "I have that same engine on my sail boat," pointing to the mooring field.

Working in PS uniform but barefoot, he got chastised by my 7 year old son who feared "you will get a splinter."  Zane assured him his feet were used to the dock.

Perry's house was amazing - amazingly built, amazingly located and beautifully preserved.  The other colorful character on the island was Tim, the docent of sorts.  Beyond knowledgeable and extremely personable, Tim has found his calling.  Being present between "tour groups," he congratulated us on our timing and how we would get to see the home a little "closer" than many when it's more crowded.

Jim, the children and I wandered the home, trying to imagine living there in good weather and bad.  The island is rather isolated even now, much less 100 years ago.  With true "sailfar" spirit, Perry chose for him and his family a simpler life, and isolated and self-sufficient life:



All cooking done on a wood stove (wood gathered from trees on the island), hand water pump to get water from the below-house 10,000 gallon cistern, hand operated laundry agitator, etc.  The home was also VERY exposed to winter's nor'easters, with crashing waves easily exceeding the height of the house.

It was sad to leave; I would have liked to hike to the couple of mile or so trail through the wooded parts of the island, but time was a factor.  We made it back to Bug Light Park in just over half the time as the run out, owing in part to the stiffer breeze and the favorable tidal current.

Jim got more photos of this day than I did, especially of the sailboat race we encountered as we got close to Portland Harbor.  Again, we saw numerous boats of classic design, including one Triton (always a joy to see Gaelic Sea's little sister!).

Will continue later ....

[Frank]

Great report....super pics!!!

[Captain Smollett]

The 23rd; Up a Mountain and at the Lake's Beach

After 14 hours 'on the go' the day before, we elected for a 'down day' on Thursday.  The boy has come to enjoy "climbing mountains," though his experience so far has been more with "hills."

We headed inland from Sebago Lake toward the town of Bethel, hoping to locate and climb nearby Mount Will.  During the drive, I could not help notice with nostalgia the similarity to Maine's inland, rural roads and the scenery surrounding them to my mountain home growing up in Appalachian Western North Carolina.  The landscapes were very similar.

My hometown is no longer like this; "discovered" by developers and about the halfway point along the route from Atlanta to Gatlinburg, the town is now strip malls, four lane highways and endless miles of tourist shops; it bears little resemblance to the images in my memories from four decades ago.  Driving the back hilly routes of Maine took me back, and the contrast to then and now around my boyhood home was striking.

Maine looked more like "home" than home does.

We easily found the trailhead parking lot for the Mount Will trail, ate a quick lunch and got under way.  The trail lived up to the "moderately strenuous" descriptor, giving us 1400 ft total elevation gain in 3.25 miles.  We hiked and climbed up, up up until we reached the "North Ledges," a series of rock outcroppings that again, reminded me strikingly of rocky trails in the Nantahala National Forest.



Gaining the first vista of the North Ledges, we saw glimpses of the Androscoggin River and it's valley; we would days later drive over this river on a bridge much closer to the coast.  Views from the other parts of the mountain were equally spectacular.







There's nothing like viewing a pair of turkey vultures in flight from above.



The scramble style climbing was quite steep at times



After the climb, the children elected to cool off at the beach on Sebago Lake:



This State Park is pretty cool, and one can launch a boat and anchor it right at the beach. and apparently you can beach your floating shark as well:



That's one small portion of the anchorage area.

While the children cooled off in the water, I took the opportunity to brush up on my "bird photography," getting a few in flight shots



and getting lucky with this guy in the act of tossing and swallowing a snack



Back to Portland on the 24th

On Friday morning, we headed to Fort Williams Park to see the Portland Head Light from the (more famous) land side.  

(Photo by HF)


(Photo by HF)


(Photo by HF)


And this one shows both the Portland Head Light and the Ram Island Light in one shot:

(Photo by HF)


While I got a shot more composed on the Ram Island Light from the shore at Portland Head



One of the more famous wrecks at this site is memorialized by this sign placed on the rocks right near the Portland Head Light House

(Photo by HF)


Inside the museum, there were reproductions of newspaper clippings with pictures of the ship on the rocks; pretty impressive imagery, as was the rescue of the passengers by the light house keeper and his family.

Heading back into Portland, we went to the International Cryptozoology Museum, a small but fascinating display of the science and lore of the world's mystical creatures.  Bigfoot takes center stage, but many others are presented.  Among the many exhibits, I found the mermaid hoax perpetrated by Ringling Brothers to be quite intriguing (they had obtained a monkey's upper body sewn onto a fish).

Once finished at the museum, we were spent the afternoon at Jim's sister's house visiting, discussing home schooling and getting a tour of Jim's Westerly Centaur.  It's a fascinating boat and I'm sure will make a fun cruiser to 'sail far' when Jim gets her in the water.

Jim then accompanied us to our camp site where we ate some dinner and solved the world's problems around the camp fire.

 

[jotruk]

Great read, excellent pictures looking farward to more

[Captain Smollett]

The 25th - Moving Day

My wife had flown into Boston the day before and with her late arrival, spent the night there. Early on the 25th, she hopped on the bus for the trip to Portland where we picked her up.  Then it was back to the campground to pack up and move up the Camden, Maine area.

At early afternoon, we arrived at Camden Hills, State Park.



We got the site set up, then ventured out to explore the area and find a place to eat a late lunch and we settled on a little place right on the water in Belfast (our first meal eating out since arriving in New England).  I got a Reuben sandwich made with haddock, which was beyond delicious.  Then it was back to Camden to get some chores done.

Brimstone Island on the 26th

Another thing my son is really into (like me, he's into quite a few things...) is volcanoes.  Obviously, our trip to Yellowstone fed that "fire" somewhat, and this trip was not to be without fueling the flames as well.  I had read about a volcanic island in Penobscot Bay that one can boat to, and beach upon, and that became the focus of our sailing on this bay.

We again set out with an early start, heading to the town of Rockland.  Getting the boat ready for launch went without drama and now we had our jib!  We got underway, motoring out into the harbor and in the light breeze off the quarter, got some sail up.  By the time we cleared the harbor, the engine was off, the sails were drawing and we were fired up for the adventure of sailing about 17 nm (as the motorboat goes) route "outside" to the little vocanic remnant called Brimstone Island.

The only catch in the plan was that the wind was in our teeth along our desired course.  So, we set about tacking out of the bay, noting with some humor that we were about the only boat going that way.  There were quite a few sail boats on the bay, but each time we tacked to head farther "out," our company grew less and less.

The navigation proved a little trickier than we planned as well, though not as one would say "bad."  There were two big issues we had to face.  First, there are rocks all around and that's something we are not used to here in the land of the sandy bottom.  Eyeballing swells breaking over nearly unseen black rock is a spooky feeling under sail, and every notation of rock or breakers on the chart had us on edge to identify the danger and swiftly and surely as we could.  We were definitely a little bit out of our comfort zone.

I also learned from this experience that I would absolutely not, under ANY circumstances, want to navigate that AO in limited visibility.  Maybe with more familiarity - sailing the region routinely - I'd feel more comfortable with it.  Use makes master, right?

The other 'problem' we had with our navigation was that the Nav Aids were all numbered alike.  Becky now laughs, almost with genuine humor more than sarcasm, about the three different "Green Can #1" shown on the chart all in close proximity in an area where a misidentification could easily put you on the rocks.  These multiple "1" Aids are not isolated; multiple "2" and "4" also exist, and only through VERY careful pilotage can one make out the safe path through the rocks.

If you couple this with the low, relatively featureless nature of the islands and rocks, the "Mark I Eyeball" gets a real workout.  Tacking out to sea to buy sea room and the time to sort things out proved a big key compared to trying to hug the dangers and lee shores too closely.

This is the area, the southern tip of Vinalhaven, that gave us the most trouble:



The key to solving the puzzle through here was finding and identifying that westernmost Green "1" and once Becky (XO and Navigator) convinced herself she was seeing what she thought she was seeing, we threaded through with no problem.  Finding this, though it may seem easy from the comfort of pre-planning at home, was rendered a bit harder by the continuous sound of breakers against the exposed rocks nearby.

Once through "the crux," the path to Brimstone lay clear.  With each island, we became that much more clear on our identification of the low rocks and islands.  Threading through, we beached on the rocky shore

(Photo by HF)


Those boats anchored in the background belonged to a group of people partying just up the beach; their party included throwing rocks at the birds on the water and flying around.

It may not have been the fully wisest move beaching the boat on that gravel.  Her hull does now show some scars from the experience, though minor and nothing a little fairing won't fix when next I paint the bottom.  Mostly, it was just blue bottom paint rubbed off.

The gravel on the beach is comprised of stones weathered smooth by the constant wave action.  It's like river rock, and the only island (so far as I know) in the area with such a beach.  In fact, Brimstone has two such beaches, one on each side of the island.

This shot shows the general lay of the land...gravel beach with a small, grassy hill ... small hill that actually projects about 140 feet above sea level!

(Photo by HF)


Our stay was short - it took us six hours to get there and I was hesitant to count on making it back faster.  Getting underway, we realized the centerboard was jammed up and it later proved to be seaweed caught in the slot.

This has happened to us often enough now that I am wondering if it would not be prudent to rig a method of positive lowering on a centerboard boat.  We could sail with the wind aft of the beam, but with anything from the beam forward, we made too much leeway to be safe in those waters (between the rocks and the lobster pots, i wanted more control than that!).  I decided to motorsail back.

With wind and current boat favorable, and the engine insuring that I could keep a desired course, we made it back to Rockland Harbor in three hours.  Six out, three back.  And, well, they don't call it beating to weather for nothing.

Also on the trip back, we went a slightly different route.  Rather than go out around those rocky ledges again, around the outside of what is charted as Green's Island and Hurricane Island, we went the "inland route" through what is labeled as "The Reach."  This was a pleasant motor sail and quickly deposited back at the mouth of Penobscot Bay; interestingly, it only saved us about 1/2 nm in distance, but in hazard it was much less.

Penobscot Bay is beautiful sailing.  Camden is the area claimed to be "Where the Mountains Meet the Sea," and this is clearly evident from the bay.  It's a pure joy to sail among such scenery, and rivaling images of the San Francisco Bay come to mind.  I could easily envision launching at one of the lower towns, like Rockland where we launched, and town hopping up the entire Bay.  One could spend months cruising these waters and leave with unexplored regions that beckon your return.

Each town would be a relatively easy daysail apart, leaving plenty of time to sail from one port to the next, grab a mooring and go ashore to explore/shop/whatever.  The wilder lands, like Brimstone that we visited, are farther "out," but tipping further around Vinalhaven gives one the glimpse of the island of Acadia National Park.  Penobscot Bay screams for a sailors meeting like the Skedaddle that Jim envisions.

Back at Rockland Harbor, we got the boat on the trailer and secured with little fuss.  We were visited by a couple in a camper with a Macgregor attached and nearly rigged.  They lived not too far away, and often came to the bay, camped in their camper and sailed. They had only owned the boat about a year but had been busy making memories on the water in that time.

Acadia National Park

On the 27th, we decided to head over to Acadia and see the park.  We drove along the Loop Road (the inner part) making our way to Somes Sound - the only fjord in the United States.  My daughter has been reading books about the Norse people and their interactions with the Irish and the Saxons, and as soon as she read that a fjord existed "HERE," her mind was captured.  That became the mission of the morning, far overshadowing the more typical and popular sights of Mount Desert Island and the Park.

As we drove north along Sergeant Drive from the small (but very cool, work boat looking) town of Northeast Harbor, along the very eastern edge of the fjord, we tried to imagine the much longer, deeper and more plentiful fjords of Norway.  I have been to Norway, years ago, and remember bits and pieces of the broken coast, but could not recall, or relate, specifics.  Compared to the bays and sounds to which we are accustomed, this feature was clearly different and captivating, at least in our minds and perception.

We then headed toward the Bass Harbor Head Light, stopping along the seawall to eat a picnic lunch.  At the light, my daughter noticed this sign

(Photo by HF)


Government by the people, property of the US...yet "Keep Out."  She found that to be quite a notion.

From the southern tip of Mount Desert Island, we headed then to drive through Bar Harbor - just to say we've done it.  We have family that visit here with some regularity and along our travels we were asked "Have you been to Bar Harbor yet?"  It seemed "the place to go."

I cannot say it's for me, however.  Bar Harbor is a physically beautiful town in a stunning location, and maybe "off season" it's better.  We did not even try to park and saw no reason to get out of the car.  It was just too crowded, and everything we saw screamed "tourist trap" to us.  Maybe some day we can visit by boat rather than car, make contact with the local water community and find the Behind The Scenes town that underlies the tourist attractions.

From Bar Harbor, we set about driving the eastern portion of the Loop Road, stopping first at Sieur de Monts, with the Gardens of Acadia, Nature Center and Abbe Museum.  The museum housed an informative collection of the native people in this area from both archaic and ceramic periods, and with Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter dioramas, told the story of life in the region during those times.

On the way back to the Camden area, we stopped in Bucksport for dinner, eating at McCleods.  I would highly recommend this restaurant for anyone in the area that wishes to treat the palate while showing a bit of unconcern for the burden to the wallet.  It ain't cheap, but it *IS* good.  Right on the Penobscot River, between the Bay and Bangor, Bucksport would make a nice stop and visit should a future Skedaddle find it's way upriver.

Heading Home, the 28th and 29th

We got underway from Camden around 0730, met with Jim_ME one last (very brief) time as we passed by the greater Portland area, and began our journey back south.  We drove all day, arriving at our motel stop in NJ by about 1700, where the rest of the family hung out at the pool while I rested up from the drive.  The next day, up and on the road by 0600 and it was back home late afternoon.

I know I'm leaving parts, probably important parts, out.  I may also find some other pictures to post.

[Captain Smollett]

Finally, a couple of charts to show the overall routes on both bays:

Casco Bay, Bug Light Park Ramp to Eagle Island and Back:



Penobscot Bay, Rockland Harbor Ramp to Brimstone Island, out "outside" and back via "The Reach."  This image simply shows the general route, not the actual sailed route with tacking.  17 nm as drawn, but actual sailed miles a bit more.  Wind from from S-SW (we were close hauled at 120 M initially, then it freed up a big an allowed us to head 150 M).

[Travelnik]

Beautiful pics! Any updates?  :)

[Captain Smollett]

Beautiful pics! Any updates?  :)

Couple of updates:

I mentioned that we went to the small gage railroad museum in Portland.  There was on display what was reported to be a working model actual steam engine, though we did not get to see it operate that day:



Also, when we got back, I took the opportunity of flushing the engine of salt water as an excuse to explore a part of the Trent River.  We launched at Pollocksville and headed upstream toward the town of Trenton.



This shot is of the way back toward the ramp.  There had been a lot of rain, and the strength of the current is evident.  The overgrown and brushy concrete ruins of an old highway bridge are the obstacles dead ahead...the way through was about twice our beam and with the current causing turbulence...interesting.

It was fun to get out and explore a river on this boat where we had to navigate around trees, stumps, etc.  This was "different" than how this boat usually gets used.

[Oldrig]

John,
What a great report--and the pix are terrific, too.
I'm impressed with how much of New England you got to show your family, especially especially the sections from Boston north. I mostly sail Cape Cod and points south, but the Maine coast is a special place to anybody who loves the sea.
I'm sorry that Lynne and I were on our first trip to California during your visit to Yankeeland. Maybe next time.
--Joe

[marujo_sortudo]

John,

What a great report.  I'm glad to hear you had such a lovely time up in my neck of the woods! We're always talking about how fortunate we are up here to have these waters to sail in.  Sorry to have missed you, but we hope to make it down to NC this winter as we sail south, so maybe we'll get a chance to cross paths down there.

Cheers, Colin

[Captain Smollett]

Joe and Colin,

Sorry to have missed you guys.  Jim really needs to get a "formal" Skedaddle planned, eh?   ;D ;D ;D

(removed double posted image)

[Bill W]

Sure enjoyed the multiple posts of your trip. Thanks for posting.

[Captain Smollett]

Well, we thought about trailering up to the Elizabeth City or Edenton area and doing some trailer sailing on this upcoming 3-day-weekend, but alas, the 20-25 knot forecast on Albemarle Sound for Saturday encouraged pause.

So, we are opting for a more "inland" canoe weekend instead.  Still, it's on the water...and I dig paddling almost as much as sailing.  Why?  < 3" draft,   ;D

Hope ya'll get on the water this weekend (or next, or sometime soon)!

[Captain Smollett]

Not a cruise, but a daysail (or a half-day-sail).

Got the little boat on the water today for the purpose of giving a 'lesson' to my son, who wanted a more directed lesson than he's been getting while trying to figure out sailing the Opti.

Got the boat rigged in under 30 minutes (big grin...30 minutes is my target time, to beat it is a Very Good Thing), and launched without too hassle.  Fired up the engine to motor out, and gave the tiller to the boy, and he steered us out the little creek into the Trent River while I called crab pots for him.

After passing through the Cunningham bridge, and with a Mac 26 on our tail, I raised the main, killed the engine and let the little Ensign get some practice.  SE Winds were lightish, at or under about 10 knots.  He sailed on an easy reach while a lady on a wind surfer zipped back and forth.  She was having a blast, and commented on the boy at the helm as a "Good Skipper!"

To get a little more power and control, I raised the jib.  We trimmed for upwind and he practiced sailing "by the wind" with the telltales and keeping her in the groove.  As we neared the big highway bridge, he gave me the tiller so I could handle the short tacking through the bridge.

Once clear of the Hwy Bridge, we settled into beating downriver but upwind.  The Mac 26, which did not head 'across' the Neuse as we did (while the boy was practicing) was well ahead, about 1 nm as the crow flies.  Several sail boats were heading up the river, off the wind, while we settled into our tacking duel with the Mac.

The boy and I imagined being pirates and wishing to catch the "prey."  He said something about "what if the boat's deck is gold!"  Our little trailer boat will never be accused of being fast, nor really all that weatherly, but today I can say we ate the wind out of that Mac.  

Each tack had us closer.  We crossed her wake, and then a weird thing happened while tacking I never had seen before.  The stopper knot in the lazy sheet had come undone and the sheet was trailing in the water.  Retrieval of the line, re-reeving through the fairlead and cam cleat cost us precious time as we sat in irons, and it took a moment to get way back on the boat.  the Mac got back ahead.

So, we passed her again.   ;D

I'm not a racer; I've never been in a sailboat race in my life.  But I have "raced" boats on the water for fun, even if they did not know it.  The dude on the Mac may well not have been trying to anything other than have a nice time on the water.  It was certainly a fun, beautiful day.

We hit our turnaround time a little before actually making the point we wanted to get to, but turning and rigging wing-and-wing (alternating with some short boards broad reaching) made short work of getting back through the big bridge.  On the other side....on a lark, I tried a trick for self steering I had never tried (successfully)...and it worked.  How FUN to just sit and enjoy an easy ride on a comfortable broad reach.

Heading back up the creek to the ramp, the boy once again took the tiller and did a great job keeping us both in the channel and off the crab pots.  As we approached the dock, the Mac approached behind us and we both docked and de-rigged at the same time (he did not turn around when we did).

A beautiful day, a fun few hours on the water, and the boy asking when we can go again....