Sailing in Penobscot Bay
August 17, 2020
Yesterday we tried to sail, but the wind wasn’t cooperating. Today we picked our destination so that we could take advantage of the northeast winds that were forecast to be 10-15 gusting to 20 mph. Our objective was the anchorage in the White Islands on the west side of Vinalhaven. To extend the sailing a bit more we chose to sail over toward Ile-au-Haut in the first instance. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
The sailing was brisk on the way over to Ile-au-Haut. The lobster pot avoidance proved to be quite challenging. Once we got near to the island we gybed and headed back towards Vinalhaven to clear its southwestern point. We were more downwind and the speed fell off dramatically on the broad reach and the boat began to roll on the ocean swell. Then the sun popped out from behind the clouds. The combination of the reduced airflow, extra motion and heat from the sun proved to be too much for Liz. She started to feel unwell and sadly had a very unhappy passage to the White Islands. The entire trip could have been shorter if we hadn’t decided to sail toward Ile-au-Haut. I feel bad about it....
The anchorage is a small area between the many islands of the group. These low islands provide some protection from the wind and swell. Overall this spot has a wild, remote feeling. No buildings can be seen and the only sounds are of waves breaking against the rocks and the cries of the sea birds.
The downside is that the area enclosed between the islands as well as being quite small is (of course) littered with lobster pot floats. Additionally there was a strong current running. All these factors made our attempts to anchor somewhat frustrating. We got settled after a few attempts. The first ended with us too close to the north shore, the second had us tangled up in lobster pots and the third was more successful. We had our lunch and the wind shifted to the south and we found that Cotinga was again drifting toward some lobster buoys. Unhappy with the prospect of becoming entangled, we hauled up the anchor and found a position that seemed better. We are not quite sure how the boat will lie overnight with the combination of wind and tide, but it certainly is beautiful.
Gloria
44 02.827 N, 68 54.642 W
Heron Neck Lighthouse, southwest corner of Vinalhaven
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