A Tale of Two Chemists: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The good, the bad and the ugly ... Friday 7th Sept 2012

Our plan was to get up early and use the day to make solid progress south-westwards across Muscognus Bay to the Boothbay area. Winds were predicted to be light and from the southwest, so it looked like another motoring day. However, when we woke at 6am thick fog blanketed Long Cove (Tenants Harbor), so we went back to bed. By 9.45 am the fog had mostly cleared in the anchorage and we decided to make a start. No sooner had we left the mouth of the harbor when we were again enveloped in thick fog. The next couple of hours proved to be quite an experience with elements of good, bad and ugly. So what was "bad"? Have we mentioned that lobster pots really suck? As much as I like lobster, I have grown to hate lobster pots. We estimate there must be 100,000 deployed up the coast of Maine. They are literally everywhere, but typically at their greatest concentration in restricted channels and areas of tight navigation. They can be less than a boat length apart, some are partially submerged, and in some cases two floats are paired, with only one attached to the pot and the other linked by a rope close to the surface to aid pick up. Woe betide the boat that tries to pick a route between these two pots! It's bad enough trying to avoid them in good conditions, but this morning we had the triple whammy - fog, significant swells and pots. Two of these together we could manage, all three was "ugly" . So what was "good"? Our boat and, in particular, the navigation system and radar were great. Visibility was less than a 1/4 mile, we couldn't tell where the horizon was, we were being bounced around and we couldn't see the xxxxx pots until they were right upon us! But we did know exactly where we were, we could "see" other vessels around us on the radar, and when we decided to change plans and head into Port Clyde we were able to plot and follow a precise route solely on instruments. We pulled into Port Clyde about 11.30 am and picked up a mooring to wait and see if the fog lifted. We prepared a new course that took us through more sheltered waters and by 1pm the fog had lifted enough for us to venture onwards. Things went much better in the afternoon. We still experienced a bumpy ride in the southerly swells, but the boat performed flawlessly and we rounded Pemaquid Point at about 3.30pm and headed into to the very lovely Christmas Cove, a few miles east of Boothbay Harbor. I personally really enjoyed the afternoon and overall the day helped boost my confidence. Tomorrow the wind is predicted to be stronger (15 gusting to 20 in the afternoon) and from the south or south south east. We hope to use this to sail through to Casco Bay.

Mike