August 6, 2006 – Rockport, Massachusetts

We did depart Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday morning, the 2nd of
August. The day before we took a trolley out to Plimoth Plantation. What
a change from my past visits. There is now a very politically correct
emphasis on the role of the Indians who inhabited the area for centuries
before confronting the Pilgrims – and it certainly makes a nice,
balanced presentation. We got there just after the Plantation opened at
0900, so we were finished before the heat of the day (and a hot one it
was). That afternoon Judy did the laundry while I changed the engines’
oil and filters – I think Judy got the better part of the deal.

We left on Wednesday morning, after delaying a bit because the wind had
picked up and we had to convince ourselves that it wouldn’t be as bad on
the Bay as it sounded at the mooring. In fact, it was a very calm on the
Bay, and we had a nice cruise north to the Boston area. We ended up in
Winthrop, Massachusetts, at a marina very close to Logan Airport. The
only purpose in going there was so our friends from Virginia could get
to us easily when they flew in on the morning of the 3rd. Shortly after
they arrived by taxi, we left for Salem, Massachusetts.

In Salem, we were able to get a spot in a marina right in the downtown
area in the midst of the historic area. We could only stay one night
because of a maritime festival that was taking place the next day, and
there were no anchorages in the area. We were able to see a few of the
witch trial sites, and visit the area around the House of the Seven
Gables, Hawthorne’s birthplace, etc. As we were getting ready to depart
Friday noon, Judy was carrying a big bag of ice down the gangplank from
the marina office to Sanderling, when she slipped in the rain, and cut
her knee open, requiring a taxi ride to the emergency room for stitches!
Needless to say, we were all (except Judy) worried for awhile, but in a
couple of hours we were on our way with Judy’s knee properly stapled
shut and a nice soft cast wrapped around her entire leg to remind her
not to bend her knee for a few days!

We headed to Rockport, Massachusetts, at the eastern tip of Cape Anne, rather than Gloucester – an excellent choice for our next port-of-call.
Rockport is the quintessential small “Maine” village – an absolutely
beautiful spot and a very quaint artist colony. We’re all happy that we
didn’t pass it by. We were fortunate enough to get a spot on the
bulkhead by the “most photographed building on the east coast” according
to the harbor master. Again, no anchorages nor moorings available!

Our course took us along the south coast of Cape Anne, past Gloucester and Thacher’s Island, then north in the ocean, and then back to the southwest to enter the harbor. The view of the beautiful homes built atop the large rock outcroppings was absolutely spectacular.

After securing Sanderling to the bulkhead using 10 foot fender board provided by the Harbormaster, along with long spring lines, both of which were to deal with the eight foot plus tidal range, we went off to enjoy the town. We ate dinner on a small second balcony of a very nice restaurant overlooking the small harbor immediately to the north. As the sun set, a small sailboat worked its way into the harbor among the numerous crab pots.

On Saturday we did more sightseeing/shopping in Rockport, then took a scenic bus to Gloucester (about 20 minutes through the countryside). The streets of Gloucester were packed with tourists, all searching for something related to “The Perfect Storm.” My guess is that most of them had no knowledge about the real working Gloucester, with its long history as a commercial fishing port. We walked along the waterfront to the fishermen’s memorial and the Blynman Canal, and tried to get down into the real commercial area with the boats that fish the Grand Banks, but those areas were almost inaccessible by foot. We took another bus back to Rockport along the ocean scenic route, and saw the spectacular homes and rock outcroppings from the land side.

After visiting Gloucester, we were again happy that we chose to spend a day or two in Rockport! This village reminds me of the Cape Cod villages of 30 to 40 years ago. Although there are some tourists and day-trippers, there is a sizeable stable year-round population.

Saturday night we ate aboard, with Ro’s marinated chicken cooked on the grill.

Ed and Ro departed this morning about 0815 by limo to head back to Logan Airport for their mid-morning flight. We had a great time together, and are sorry to see them leave.

We just completed pumping out the holding tank – a service provided free of charge by the Harbormaster, and will soon be departing. We’re going to stop in Anisquam for fuel, then head north to either Newburyport, Massachusetts, or Portsmouth/Newcastle, New Hampshire.

The weather continues to be sunny and clear, with little wind. We may see some scattered showers in the next couple of days, but for now we are basking in sunny days with daytime temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s.

August 9, 2006 – Portland, Maine

We departed Rockport, Massachusetts, on Sunday, August 6th, after Ed & Ro departed for Logan Airport and their trip back to Virginia. We had a beautiful cruise around the tip of Cape Anne, heading for Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At times we were five miles off the coast, but generally closer, and still had to dodge lobster pots from time to time. It’s difficult to imagine putting a lobster pots in 150 feet of water, then having to haul in that much line every time the posts are checked. Other than the pots, the trip was uneventful, except we did see a whale of unknown species when we were about two miles southwest of the Isle of Shoals. We stopped to watch it, but it was too far away and heading away from us.

We took a mooring at the Portsmouth Yacht Club on the Piscataqua River in New Castle, New Hampshire (just east of Portsmouth). A cold front was predicted to come through the area on Sunday night or Monday morning, and we wanted to be well secured to the bottom. We had planned to go into Portsmouth and visit Strawberry Banke on Monday morning, but about the time we were getting ready to call for the launch for a ride ashore, we heard an announcement on the VHF radio that the Coast Guard Bark Eagle was going to depart the Portsmouth Coast Guard Station at noon. Consequently, we stayed on Sanderling and watched as Eagle, escorted by about eight small security vessels, came downstream and passed less than 100 yards away from us. It was very exciting, with people lining the banks of the river to watch.

After the excitement, we went ashore and spent the rest of the afternoon in Portsmouth and Strawberry Banke. It is a different city than the one I remember when I lived there for a year between 1967 and 1968! At least the downtown area has changed dramatically, and Strawberry Banke now has a number of houses restored and open to the public.

On Tuesday, we departed Portsmouth after taking on fuel and water at the Yacht Club docks. The trip up the coast to Portland started in relatively calm waters, but by 1000 the wind had picked up to 15 to 20 knots, and by about 1200 with a few waves coming over the bow, we decided to go below and steer from inside. The increased wave height made the thousands of lobster pots more difficult to see, and steering from inside at a lower helm station made it even more difficult, so we had to keep a constant eye out for the pot markers. It was no easy cruise.

By about 1500 we rounded Cape Elizabeth where friends Norm and Nancy have a home close to the water, and by 1630 we were in a marina in Portland Harbor. It was a tiring trip, between the waves and having to stay always alert for lobster pots. While coming into the harbor we saw a harbor seal swimming on the surface; it was the third we’d seen since we saw the first in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Norm and Nancy graciously invited us for dinner and to spend the night with them, and we gladly accepted. Today they took us grocery shopping and then to a lobster shack near Freeport, Maine, just north of Portland on Casco Bay where we had lobster rolls for a late lunch. Then after a little shopping at the DeLorme store, we came back to Sanderling where Judy and I had some work to do stowing the groceries and taking care of some preparations for tomorrow’s departure, then had dinner in a great restaurant associated with the marina, sitting on the deck while the sun went down. We enjoyed catching up on our friendship with Norm and Nancy and their hospitality.

Tomorrow we depart Portland and start the real “Maine” part of our cruise. We anticipate meandering around Casco Bay for a couple of days, then heading down east.

August 10, 2006 – Cliff Island, Massachussetts

After a rolling night due to wakes from boats in the Portland harbor, we
awoke to no fog and partial sunshine this morning. We had some work to
do to get ready, and then had to wait until the office opened so we
could buy ice to fill up the ice chest. Not a big deal, since we had
decided last night that we would only go a very short distance from
Portland today, and planned to seek an anchorage that would protect us
from SW and NW winds, as a storm front was forecast to cross the area
later in the day with winds from those directions.

We had a very pleasant cruise to the northeast, past some beautiful
islands, all in very calm waters abounding in lobster pots. We soon
learned that most of the pots were n water that was over 40 feet deep,
so tried to avoid the deeper water (some depths approaching 120 feet)
and staying in the “shallow” stuff. The tide was rising, and for most of
the trip was between low and mid range, but even then we came very close
to running over a couple of pots that were submerged.

We worked our way around the northern end of several islands, and headed
for Cliff Island, which is basically in the form of an “H” sloping
southeast to northwest. We anchored in the upper part of the “H” with
good protection from winds from all directions except the north. Only
cruised 8.9 nm today – probably a record for the shortest day! There
were several mooring balls in the anchorage, but we assumed they were
private moorings which we shouldn’t use. However, later in the afternoon
when we visited with some lobster men and another boater using one of the
moorings, we were told that anyone could use moorings until the owner
showed up, so about 1830 this evening we moved to a mooring – just
before a storm hit!

After we tied up to the mooring, we decided it was time for dinner, so I
lit the grill to heat it up for our hamburgers. About the time I put the
first hamburger on the grill, I heard wind whistling through the trees
onshore, and then the wind hit Sanderling! Must have been around 25
knots for a short while, followed by more wind and finally rain. I
retrieved the one hamburger from the grill when the rain subsided a bit,
and we finished our burgers inside on the stove.

When we came into the anchorage today we noticed that there were several
platforms filled with what appeared to be lobster baskets and other
lobstering gear. During the course of the day, several lobster boats
came by and deposited lobster baskets on one of the floats, and then a
larger lobster boat showed up that stayed the rest of the day and seemed
to be helping the other boat crews unload lobsters – they would pack the
baskets, weigh them on some scales, put the baskets in the water where
they floated out behind the platforms, haul baskets obviously loaded
with lobsters from the other boats to the platform, etc. Later in the
afternoon we took the dingy over to the platform where two guys from the
larger boat seemed to be waiting for something, and had a chance to talk
with them about lobstering. Turns out, they were a sort of mother-ship
for the slightly smaller boats, and their job was to accumulate the
catch from the other boats, and take it to the wholesaler in Portland.
They said that each of the other crews tended about 800 lobster pots
each, checking about 1/2 of their pots each day for two days, then
taking the third day off – in essence, the pots get checked and rebaited
every three days.

Now, about 2030, the storm has passed and everything is quiet. The tide
in the area is about 10 feet, which at low tide in this anchorage
resulted in “new” land close to the boat which had been covered with
water at high tide. There is very little, if any, tidal current, since
the opening to this little bay is so broad.

Tomorrow we think we’ll visit Eagle Island to the north where
Commodore Peary had a summer home he built in the shape of a ship and
which is open to the public and contains various artifacts from his
Arctic explorations. Then we’re going to head a short distance further
north, but still in Casco Bay.

August 11, 2006 – Snow Island

We left our small anchorage at 0915 and about an hour later were on a
state-provided mooring at Eagle Island in front of Commodore Peary’s
house. A runabout from the state park brought us ashore, and we had
about two hours to explore the house and the island. What a fascinating
place! The house was built by Admiral Peary in the shape (more or less)
of a ship (no pointy end – it was rather blunt, actually). The house
contained various photos, newspaper and magazine articles, and letters
relating to the Admiral and his family. The view in all directions was
magnificent, and the whole island (to the south of the house) contains
trails established by the Peary family over the years.

When we departed Eagle Island we headed up Cauhog Bay to an anchorage to
the east of Snow Island – another picturesque spot. When we arrived in
the early afternoon there were a few boats anchored and on moorings, but
as the afternoon progressed more boats arrived. Our guess is that they
are out for the weekend. We were the only ones departing this morning.
The course to Snow Island was a maze of lobster pots, which make it
impossible to navigate and steer at the same time – we take turns to
relieve some of the stress.

After arriving at Snow Island, we took a long dingy ride around the area
to see the various coves and inlets with homes built overlooking the
water. All the surrounding hills are covered with pine forests right
down to the high water line (10 foot tides in the area).

August 12, 2006

We departed Snow Island around 0800, and are now heading to the area of
Tenants Harbor on Penobscot Bay. We decided last night that we’d head to
Peobscot Bay now to see what we wanted to see there, then perhaps check
out the more southerly areas between Casco and Penobscot Bays on our way
back later in the month. As I write this final paragraph, we’re rounding
Cape Small at the east side of Casco Bay. The sun is shining, and the
wind is less than 10 knots on our stern. We’re going to have an easy 50
nm trip today!

August 15, 2006 -Camden, Maine

When I sent our last report, we were rounding Cape Small at the eastern
end of Casco Bay. We’re now on a mooring (anchorages aren’t that readily
available in some busy harbors) in Camden, Maine.

The night of the 12th we were in Tenants Harbor, Maine, on the western
shore of Penobscot Bay. The trip from Cape Small was uneventful, even
though the wind did pick up for the leg from Monhegan Island into the
Bay and on to Tenants Harbor. Then there were the lobster pots as we
approached Tenants Harbor. These lobstermen must try to out pot each
other; there must have been pots laying on top of pots, if the number of
markers were any indication. Literally, I couldn’t take my eyes off the
water or disengage my thought processes for an hour or more as we
threaded our way through the maze of pots. We were constantly turning to
avoid the next pot or to get into an area that was slightly clear of
pots! This continued until well into the mouth of the harbor.

We took a mooring for the remainder of the afternoon, and dingied into
the dock for a delicious dinner at a little lobster place, returning
just before dark. This is a neat little area with quite a few boats. Not
a lot of tourists, and a fairly quiet harbor. We’re in awe of the number
of schooners of all sizes in these waters.

A note about the lessons learned regarding lobster pots. In water less
than 150 feet deep, there could be pots all over the place occupying
every available square foot of water. In water between 150 and 200 feet
deep, expect to dodge pots regularly. In water between 200 and 300 feet
deep, there will be a few pots requiring some attention at times. In
water over 300 feet deep, there are generally no pots.

We left Tenants Harbor on Sunday (the 13th) heading for Camden, and
arrived mid-afternoon. In the process we were held up by the deepest
water we’ve encountered on our trip – almost 400 feet in the middle of
Penobscot Bay! With the mountains visible all around, it’s easy to
understand why the flooded valleys are darned deep!

Camden is a neat town, with more schooners per capita than any place
we’ve been to date. One of our cruising guides states that Penobscot Bay
has more schooners than anyplace else on earth – you just have to see it
to believe it. All sizes, from a small 18 footer to the 100 foot plus
three masted schooners which are called “wind jammers” and take folks on
multi-day cruises along the coast. There are about five of them based in
Camden, and we watched several of them depart the harbor this morning
(Monday) when we went into town for the day.

We took a launch to the marina/boat yard which owns the mooring we’re
on. It is a huge boat yard, working on spectacular sailing vessels (for
the most part). There must have been six or seven immaculate sail boats
at least 55 feet in length tied up at the boat yard, and more out of the
water. These are, for the most part, big racing boats – sleek, all the
go-fast stuff, radars, satellite systems, etc! It’s great to see such a
yard busy.

After coffee and a little late breakfast, we decided to climb the
Battey mountain for an osprey’s eye view of the area! We found the trail
head on the outskirts of town, and headed up, and up, and up. After
about a half hour climb, we reached the plateau and the breath-taking
vista of not only Camden (and Sanderling in the harbor) but a great deal
of Penobscot Bay to the north and south, and Cadillac Mountain on Mt.
Desert Island to the east! We took a road down, thinking that at least
it would be an easier hike, and it was – but much longer. The road
connected with route 1 to the north of Camden, and our walk back into
town was through the B&B area of Camden with beautiful homes built in
the early 1800s.

We took the launch back to Sanderling and a good nap, then showers
aboard, and then went back into Camden for dinner. We expected to fall
soundly asleep by 2100, but about the time we were finished reading in
bed, a swell came up out of the bay through the entrance channel,
hitting us on the beam, and rolling us enough to toss us from side to
side in the bed! I assumed that it would stop when the tide changed at
around 0300 in the morning, but no such luck! Evidently the swell is
driven by higher winds in the ocean, and they’re still continuing as I
write this.

Now we’re waiting for a slight fog to lift so we can get fuel and water,
then head across Penobscot Bay to Eggemoggen Reach where we hope to
anchor at Wooden Boat School (I’m an alum from 1988 and 1990) for the
night, then make our way over to Mt. Desert Island for a few days. Judy is removing some of the stitches from her knee injury (I’m not watching)!

Judy has to fly back to Orlando on the 22nd for some meetings so she’s rented a car at Bangor for the 21st and will drive to Providence to catch her flight, while I stay with the boat and cats in either Blue Hill (northwest of Mt. Desert Island) or Castine (northern end of Penobscot Bay). I’ll probably be staying in Castine (a friend has offered the use of his mooring) as it has much more to offer and is better protected in case we get a storm.