To Windward

To windward  ....  Thursday 13^th September 2012

It was another early start today.  Some of us (guess who) were not really ready to jump out of bed at 5:15 am.  It wasn’t even six o’clock and I had already disgraced myself.  Reluctant as I was, I got up and made coffee.  We hoisted the anchor at about 6:10 and set off.  The sun rose as we made our way out of Duxbury harbor.  Two and a half hours of motoring put us close to the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal.  At this point we could see lots of smoke near the entrance markers.  We turned on the VHF radio to see if this was some emergency.  As we got closer we could see lots of people on the beach setting off flares.  Apparently this was some kind of coast guard training class.  We had been having visions of being turned back from entering the Canal (déjà vu).  The passage through the canal was speedy, helped by 2-3 knots of current.  At the far end we experienced the notorious wind over tide.  The southwest breeze was kicking up some nasty waves.  Nearing East Cleveland ledge lighthouse, we put up the sails and beat to windward toward Cuttyhunk Island.  It was around about this point that I disgraced myself again by using the R-word.  Yes, I admit it; I suggested that we should REEF the sail.  This suggestion was not well received.  We did not reef and sailed for about five hours to arrive at Cuttyhunk. According to the GPS we had taken 9 tacks and 28 miles to cover the 16 miles of distance (as the seagull flies).  Despite what I might be tempted to claim, we did not have the toe rail in the water.  So all was well in the end. So what if the helmsman needed to have one foot on the floor of the cockpit and the other on the wall.  Some cruising guru said “if you are beating to windward, you are going to the wrong place.”

Four shots taken within 10 minutes of each other ....

Duxbury Pier (light) - silhouette against the rising sun

In the opposite direction - lit by the early morning light

Roller furling - into the sunrise

View down the deck - into the sunrise

Between a rock and a Tugboat

Between a rock and a Tugboat   … Wednesday Sept 12th 

Tonight I want to talk about my Verizon "Jetpack" - which right now I'm pretty impressed with, but last night I was ready to pitch overboard.  This little WiFi gizmo is the size of a cell phone and, when working well, lets us connect our computers via the Verizon network to the internet. For those of you who looked at our blog entry for yesterday ("An unexpected Visitor") you may have noticed there were no photos. (Laura - got your message!). This was not because we didn't have any to post nor because I didn't try to get them uploaded. The truth is I spent a very frustrating hour last night trying to get through the process but it seemed like the Verizon Wireless coverage was so intermittent that I kept getting hung up half way through. The "Jetpack" would search, say it was 3G ready with reasonable connection, even at times say it was 4G ready, then spontaneously disconnect or tell me my computer was dormant (not so!). I was literally banging my head on the nav station table and just had to give up! This evening we are down in Duxbury, Mass and the reception must be much better. I can connect to the internet and do email really easily, and yes, there are now photos uploaded.

To change subject completely, I do want to say how great Gloria is at tuning and steering the boat in light winds. Today we headed out of Gossport Harbor (Isle of Shoals) just after 6am to make the 60 mile journey to Duxbury. We managed to get an hour of sailing this morning in light west winds but spent several hours motoring through glassy seas. However, at about 2pm the wind picked up from the south east and Gloria managed to coax the boat to ever greater speeds as the intensity built, and we ended up having a great couple of hours. At one one point whilst trying to avoid a rock marked on the chart, a large ocean going tug closed in on us from behind and overtook, threatening to limit our maneuverability and prompting Gloria to comment that she felt between "a rock and a … tugboat". As my mum used to say (and probably still does) - "if wit were shit you'd be constipated". We arrived at Duxbury at about 4.30pm, tired but satisfied having completed our second longest days sailing. We are now well placed to pick up the westwards ebb through the Cape Cod Canal tomorrow morning.

Mike

Isle of Shoals Light House - early morning

Sport fishermen heading out at sunrise

The Boston Skyline (as we saw it!) - look carefully and note glassy seas and the visible layer of smog, evident as soon as we passed Gloucester

Gloria's tugboat

An unexpected visitor

An unexpected visitor   ... Tuesday 11 September 2012

We set off this morning from Biddeford Pool after a somewhat bumpy night.  The route out of the harbor was pretty exciting.  There are shallow ledges on either side and the residual swell was pushing breaking waves over these rocks.  That will get you to pay attention to the navigation.  Once out into deeper water we tried to sail but there was hardly any wind.  So much for the forecast of 15-20 knots of wind from the northwest!  We motored on keeping an eye out for pots. Suddenly there was a fluttering and something vanished down the companionway.  I said to Mike that a bird had flown into the cabin. He thought it must have been a butterfly.  In truth we have had a number of butterflies and other insects land on the boat when we are quite a long way from shore.  I went into the boat to investigate.  At first I found nothing.  Once I got into the v-berth at the front of the boat, I found a red-breasted nuthatch perched on Mike’s camera bag.  I tried to grab it to carry it out of the boat but it flew off into the head.  Then out it came nearly flying into me.  I managed to shoo it toward the back of the boat, closing the door to the v-berth. The poor little thing flew up to the hatch but couldn’t get out.  Then it flew to the window.  Once again I tried to grab it with no success. At one point it was perched on our little net fruit hammock like some exotic treat.  Finally it flew into the aft cabin and I managed to throw the tea towel over it.  I picked it up and carefully carried it outside.  Placing the towel down onto the deck I lifted up one side. Out flew the bird, straight at me.  For a second it seemed like it was going to fly back into the boat but finally off it went.  Maybe we will have to break out a clean tea towel.
We made it to Isle of Shoals harbor just after 2pm and had a quiet afternoon, a lovely dinner (chicken in wine and caper sauce) and a beautiful sunset.

Canada Goose - taking off on Smuttynose Island (Isle of Shoals)

Feather in a mossy pond

Last light over the cottages on Cedar Island (Isle of Shoals)

Sunset in Gossport Harbor (Isle of Shoals)

A Great Day of Sailing

A Great Day of Sailing    …..   Monday 10th Sept 2012

OK, the verdict is in - it was a good decision to pull in to Robinhood Cove on Saturday. Three reasons - firstly, it's a lovely place and it was a pleasure to be there. Secondly, we got to watch the Patriots game, and who knows, they might have lost without our fervent support. Thirdly, when we left today we had a wonderful sail. Despite the persistent swells from tropical storm Leslie, conditions today could not have been more different than what we experienced on Saturday. The swells were long, not short and steep, and the winds were out of the NW rather than the SW. We motored out of Robinhood Cove and through Goose Rock passage with the benefit of current from the falling tide. This was something of a mixed blessing as the lobster pots were being dragged under water and were really hard to see, particularly as we were squinting into the sun. Once out in the Sheepscot river and past the heaviest concentration of pots we raised the sails and headed south initially and then south west towards Cape Small. The winds were supposedly 10-15 mph from the NW, gusting to 20+, and this seemed about right to us. (We have no wind speed measure). The boat felt great and we were making excellent progress, often at speeds of 7 knots or more. Whenever it would gust the boat just headed up a bit to windwards. We approached Cape Small and decided to change our plans and instead of heading to Potts Harbor (north east of Portland) we would try and make use of the good conditions to reach Biddeford. As the day progressed the wind stiffened up a bit and things got a bit bumpier. At times we achieved sustained speeds of over 8 knots (8.8 max) and by 3.30 pm we were entering Wood Island Harbor, Biddeford. We had covered 42 nautical miles in 6.5 hours - all on one tack! It's supposed to continue to blow hard tonight so we picked up one of the many vacant moorings. The Biddeford Yacht club could not have been more pleasant when I called them. After confirming that we didn't need launch service they said "You are good to go" - so I take it that they aren't going to charge us, which is very nice of them. We are feeling quite pleased with our day of sailing….and Gloria says she'll feel even better if we make it through the night without throwing up! It has to be said that it is really rocking and rolling out here on the mooring.

Sailing across Casco Bay to Biddeford

Fishing for Supper

Fishing for Supper   .... Sunday 9^th September 2012

When we arrived in Robin Hood Bay yesterday,  I saw a large fish jump completely out of the water and land with a large splash.  This got me pretty excited about the idea of fishing.  As you may have read, the wind was blowing pretty strongly yesterday afternoon and there didn’t seem to be any reason not to try fishing.  I got the rod and Mike was kind enough to remove the mackerel hooks that had been in use and tie on the fake silver fish called something like the deadly Dick…

I cast and reeled the lure back in over and over.  After a while I found myself thinking that the lure is called something dick because you are one if you think you are going to catch anything. Later in the afternoon,  Mike tried his hand at the fishing.  Low and behold he caught something.  After much struggle and reeling we almost landed the side of a lobster pot.  In order to achieve this we did have to get the landing hook—more commonly called the boat hook.  This we did in order to recover the lure.  I’m afraid once we got the hook out of our ‘catch’ we let it slip over the side.  We soon tired of our fishing adventures but this morning Mike saw the splash of one of these spectacular jumps and his interest was piqued.

Today we chatted to some people who were walking around the docks at Riggs Cove.  We asked them what sort of fish we were seeing.  According to this chap these are sturgeon and they are protected.  They were never in any danger from us anyway.  When I hear sturgeon I always think Russia, not Maine.  Interesting.  We might need to do some research on the web.  This will have to wait for another day as the Wi-Fi gizmo seems to be having an off day.  No doubt this has to do with the less than stellar cell phone coverage—one bar.  I ask you--what can you do with one bar.

Well in fact, you can go watch the Pats game if you can find ‘one bar’ where it’s being shown.   That’s what we did today.  First we cycled to Bath.  That alone seemed to require near super-human strength.  Then we did the grocery shopping.  I can hear you gasp—all that weight.  Then we found the Irish pub and had a long lunch while watching the game.  I’d like to say that the ride back was easier but that would be lying.  I’m not sure which had the greater negative effect on my cycling; the food in the backpack or the food in my stomach.  The sun came out as we got back to the docks and the light was lovely.  I guess that was our reward.

Bath rail bridge

Byrnes Irish Pub - surprisingly quiet for the Patriots first game of the season - a nice place nonetheless

Robinhood Marine - Georgetown, ME

Gloria driving "the dumb dog" down Robinhood Cove

Shelter in Robinhood Cove

Shelter in Robinhood Cove   …    Saturday 8th September 2012

We left Christmas cove about 8.30am as planned. Within a few minutes it was obvious that we weren't in for a pleasant trip. Disorganized lines of waves rolled in from the south bolstered by a strong wind dead on the nose.  It is truly awesome how the sea can pick up and push around a boat as big as ours. We passed the lighthouse off Ocean Point and some time later the Cuckolds lighthouse. We had to make a decision - should we press on for another 10 miles pounding into the seas to round Cape Small and the sanctuary of protected coves in Casco Bay or take the easy option and cut out up the Sheepscot river and head into Robinhood Cove. Two thoughts went through my head - firstly, if we don't go now it will be several days before we can make this passage because conditions are only going to get worse, and secondly, are we just being wimps - what should we be able to cope with?  But in truth we weren't enjoying the experience and so we opted to duck out early. Robinhood Cove is beautiful and well protected - it's where our friend Marty keeps his Cape Dory  "Sea Arrow". We pulled in and secured what we hope is a good anchor. I say this because it's been howling all afternoon with no sign of the anchor dragging, but it' supposed to get even stronger tonight with possible T-storms. I don't know whether we should have gone on this morning - it's  a bit like backing off a climbing route, sometimes it's the right thing to do, other times it may not have been necessary, but either way it seldom feels good. The effects of Hurricane / Tropical Storm Leslie have been causing big swells which in conjunction with the more local fronts moving through have created what seem to us to be fairly nasty conditions. There has been a small craft advisory in place for the past several days, but I'm not sure that at 26000 pounds you would call Cotinga a small craft. The swells are forecast to continue through the middle of next week - but the winds are due to move to the north / north west. This is certainly a more favorable direction for us to head back towards Rhode Island, but my question is whether the opposing swells and wind will help calm the seas or simply make them steeper as in wind over tide situations? Maybe we'll find out!

Passing to the north of the light on Fisherman's Island - opposite Ocean Point - sheltered from the ocean swells

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

Fog in Port Clyde

 The fog lifts off the lovely Muscognus Bay

Gannet - a common sight along the coast