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Maine Cruise 2010
- The Illicit Cruise
 We finished the Bermuda
Race this year, and sailed directly back to Portland,
Maine to clear customs in order to get to the Sabre
rendezvous in Boothbay Harbor for the July 9 - 11
weekend. Once the rendezvous was over, we
had planned to head directly home. However, when
we thought about
all the extraordinary cruising ground just east of us, well,
we couldn't resist. So on Sunday afternoon
as the rendezvous wound down, we gave in to temptation
and headed east - in the thcik fog - towards Tenants
Harbor. The rest, as they say, is history!
Cuttyhunk - Wednesday &
Thursday, July 21 - 22
Cuttyhunk was delightful
when we arrived. Warm and steamy, with lots of
moorings available inside the pond. We were both
tired, so we relaxed and snoozed a bit, reading and
walking ashore with Pep. For dinner we bought
swordfish from the local fishmonger on the dock, as well
as some shrimp and seafood spread from the Raw Bar.
 A very expensive meal, in the end, but nice! Ate
on deck with a bottle of cold chardonnay. Kind of
what it's all about.
Our plan was originally to
leave Cuttyhunk in the morning for a run to Block
Island. Unfortunately the forecast proved correct:
15-20 kts out of the west, gusting to 25. We
weren't exactly in the mood for thrashing directly into
it for six hours or more, and Cuttyhunk isn't such a bad
place to hang out for an extra day, so we hung. I
made Bruce a sauteed mushroom-cheese omlette with bacon,
and also made delicious banana-blueberry-oat muffins
from the Black Dog Cookbook. Very pleasant
domestic morning on board, while the wind blew.
The Hunter 41 DS next to us headed out for Block: we'd
love to talk to them to see how the trip was! We'd
rather get to Block on Thursday than on Friday, but the
price we'd have to pay, leaving in those wind
conditions, was simply too high.
Overnight to the Cape Cod Canal
The forecast was basically
for light and variable winds: not great sailing, but an
easy passage, and a fast, direct one, which was a top
priority for Pepper. These Maine overnights are
not easy on or good for the little guy. We don't
like doing it to him, but sometimes we have little
choice. Our plan was to leave mid-morning and head
for either Provincetown or the Canal -- same compass
course, so it didn't matter. In the end, going
directly for the Canal is only an extra 12 or so miles,
so it's far more efficient, unless you really want to go
to P-Town. We didn't care. So ultimately we
decided to run straight for the canal. We left
Tenants at 10:00 am.
The trip was quiet and
uneventful. We ran at about 23 or 2400 RPMs,
burning about a gallon an hour. We kept on 7 - 7.2
knots as long as we had some apparent wind angle, and as
low as 6.2 when the breeze came directly ahead at 12-15
apparent over night. At one point we were down to
5.9 SOG when the current came ahead as well, but
basically we made pretty good time. There was a
near-full moon and clear skies for most of the night:
very pretty, very easy, very pleasant.
We arrived at the Canal
entrance at about 7:30, and as we did, the fog descended
VERY thick! No problem, really, but annoying.
We dropped the main and pulled into the basin for fuel
and -- more importantly -- a pee for Pepper. He
made a bee-line for the nearest bush! We were
stopped for all of about 10 minutes, and under way again
for a fast passage through the canal and out the other
side, and on to Cuttyhunk, where we pulled in and
grabbed a mooring at about 12:00 noon.
Tenants Harbor - Monday, July 19
In the afternoon we
motored off from Camden to Tenants Harbor, planning our
exit-strategy for getting back home. We motored
through the calm down Mussel Ridge Channel, which,
although still scattered with lobster pots, seemed no
where near as packed with them as in previous years.
Apparently still more indication of a quiet
economy. Same was true of the waters approaching
Tenants Harbor: lots of pots, but seemingly no where
near as bad as years past.
There were also lots of
moorings available in Tenants. Hmmm. Nice,
sunny day, little activity. Entering the harbor we
saw a strange looking vessel anchoring far outside,
beyond all moorings. It was GLevy on his bizarre
"new" steel boat. If only we could find out what
happened to his last boat, which seems to have
disappeared mysteriously without explanation...
On the way to Tenants we
called the Bouzaids, who promised to meet us for dinner
at the Cod End. They arrived (naturally) by boat,
and we had a delightful evening with them and their Kiwi
buddy, boat captain, Chris.
That evening, after
looking at the forecast, we decide to head out in the
morning for either Provincetown or the Canal, thus
ending the 2010 Illicit Cruise to Maine!
Camden - Sunday, July 18
This was on obligatory and
eagerly anticipated stop by the entire crew.
First, we really enjoy Camden, and second, we wanted to
say Hi to all our friends at Wayfarer. Pepper was
especially excited about the prospects of seeing Nancy
and Missy!
After a lovely (short)
sail from Bucks Harbor in crystal-clear, warm, sunny
weather, we pulled into Camden at around noon and tied
up to a float in the inner harbor, all the way inside
and right next to all the schooners that were in to
change over guests for the week. Saturday and
Sunday are always great days to visit because the
schooners are in and it's fun to see them and watch the
activity.
We got a warm welcome from
Ben and the rest of the dock staff, which was really
nice. Wandered around town in the afternoon and
generally relaxed in the typical Camden afternoon heat.
Camden was a little quiet, especially for a weekend.
This is a theme that has echoed everywhere we went.
Maine is quiet this year. Clearly, the economy is
still in the rubbish bin. We're doing our best to
prop it up, though! Had dinner (with Pepper) out
on the dock at Bay View Lobster, then turned in for a
quiet night.
In the morning, we motored
over for a quick-haul at Wayfarer. The objective
was to look at the repair job with the work crew there,
and also clean the bottom which, judging from our boat
speeds over the last week, was becoming foul. The
gang was great: the travel lift guys were fun, Simon and
Steve were there to greet us and chat, and most of all,
Missy and Nancy were there. Pepper went NUTS!!!
Next time I'll try to get it on video: he races up and
down the office from one to the other, barking in
celebration. Then he gives Missy high-fives for
cookies. It is VERY cute! Missy and Nancy
are looking forward to pictures of Mattie, which we
promised to send. We also saw Pepper's photo on
their wall, with photos of all the other famous Boat
Dogs.
In the afternoon we
motored off to Tenants Harbor, planning our
exit-strategy for getting back home. We motored
through the calm down Mussel Ridge Channel, which,
although still scattered with lobster pots, seemed no
where near as packed with them as in previous years.
Apparently still more indication of a quiet
economy. Same was true of the waters approaching
Tenants Harbor: lots of pots, but seemingly now where
near as bad as years past.
On the way to Tenants we
called the Bouzaids, who promised to meet us for dinner
at the Cod End. They arrived (naturally) by boat,
and we had a delightful evening with them and their Kiwi
buddy, boat captain, Chris.
Bucks Harbor - Saturday, July 17
We had a couple of
leisurely days in Northeast Harbor, partially because we
enjoy it, partially because we're lazy, and partially
because of the persistent, heavy fog that dogged us just
outside the entrance and periodically rolled into the
harbor to remind us we were doing the right thing by
staying put. We had a nice day-trip into Bar
Harbor to be tourists and have steamers and a lobster
roll on the water. The entire town was buzzing
with the impending arrival of the President and the
First Family. It made us want to leave...
They finally arrived on Friday afternoon, and we bugged
out on Saturday morning when the fog broke, at least
partially, and we were ready to go.
We headed for the "Egg
McMuffin Reach" and Bucks Harbor. Although we had
to motor into a light and partially foggy southwesterly
across Lower Blue Hill Bay and through Casco Passage, by
the time we headed northwest towards the entrance to the
Reach the breeze had filled in and the sun had come out.
We had an absolutely delightful sail from the Passage
and up the Reach: sunny, warm, beam reach, 7 - 7.5
knots, and fair tide.
At Bucks there were lots
of moorings available. We picked one up just off
Bucks Harbor Marine, and took Pepper in to visit with
Horatio and Barkley, the two Scotties who live there.
The boys had a great time with each other: no squabbling
at all! It was good fun to watch them bounce all
over the place together. All the customers were
entertained. We promised to send photos of Mattie
when she arrives home.
Northeast Harbor - Wednesday, Thursday
& Friday, July 14, 15 & 16
RAIN. RAIN RAIN
RAIN. Overnight the heavens opened and I'm
surprised the boat didn't drown! It continued well
into the morning. I finally gave up, put on all my
gear, and took Pepper ashore in the monsoon. The
dinghy was like a bathtub, but at least it was floating!
Once soggy, we decided to make a decent walk of it, and
went out to see how the lighthouse restoration project
was going. A carpenter was there working inside.
The outside of the building looks wonderful, but
obviously it's a long project. The inside still
looked largely gutted.
 Back on the boat, we
decided to head for Northeast Harbor. We got under
way, and, as I flicked on the autopilot, the GPS and
radar went out. Geeze. We went through the
same exercise as the day before, and Bruce got on the
phone to try to troubleshoot. Eventually,
everything started working again, and we proceeded in
the rain and fog, under power, to Northeast. The
fog wasn't quite as think as the day before, except for
a brief period, but it was still cold and very wet.
 We were glad to arrive at Northeast, where skies began
to brighten as we entered the harbor. Thankfully,
moorings were available and we settled in.
Ashore, parking lots were
largely empty, slips were not full. Again, it
seems very quiet. We explored town, noted the new
shops and the stuff that is now closed. The
restaurant we enjoyed last year with Tim & Bev, up
behind the gas station, was closed and for sale.
How sad: we had like it, and it had seemed quite
popular.
And of course Bruce
marched in to the Little Notch Bakery and bought a
blueberry pie!
Dinner was lobster rolls
aboard: wonderful!!
Swans Island - Tuesday, July 13
Morning broke in Isle Au
Haut as the evening before had ended: shrouded in thick,
damp fog. After walking Pepper and doing boat
chores, we headed out. As the thick fog settled
around us, the GPS, autopilot and radar all crashed.
Oh Joy. We spent half an hour or so messing
around, just near the harbor entrance outside the
curtain of fog, trying to figure out what was going on.
Since early summer, we had occasionally lost our GPS
fix, but we had attributed it to satellite failure.
Now it was looking like we had some gremlins in our
system. Turn on the autopilot, and out goes the
GPS. Finally it all started working, and, with our
hand-held GPS running close at hand as back-up, we
headed out in VERY THICK FOG, th rough Merchants Row
where we dodged lobster buoys and lobster boats, not to
mention ledges and islands. Tense work, but thank
God the electronics stayed on.
We eventually made our way
to Burnt Coat Harbor at Swans Island, where, even in the
harbor the fog remained thick. Wow. We
picked up one of the Boathouse moorings. We tried
several, all of which were foul with weed and wrapped
around the chain. Eventually, we got one on board,
then had to wash the boat down.
After relaxing for an hour
or so to come down from the stress of working in the
fog, we dinghied ashore with Pepper. The
Boathouse, our normal shore access point, was closed up.
No floats in. So we went over to the Fishermen's
Co-op. Bruce bought four lively lobsters. We went
for a nice little walk with Pepper, then back to the
boat. A few other cruisers had managed to find
their way in, including a Canadian couple that was
delighted to see Pepper, as she was actually Scottish!
We steamed all four
lobsters for dinner, and ate two of them. They
were great! And the cockpit was a mess. Pepper
enjoyed the last of the rib-eye and was very pleased.
I picked the other two for lobster rolls the next day.
Then we all went for another walk ashore for an evening
walk.
Isle Au Haut - Monday, July 12
The morning broke with
think fog, but some sun shining from overhead, so we
were hopeful that it would break into a nice day.
Once ashore we had a nice long walk with Pepper, who was
very grateful and enjoyed the whole thing. Then
back to the boat, where we were the last of the over-nighters
still lingering. We hauled up the main, cast off,
and motored out, picking our way among the lobster pots
that carpet the harbor. They were thick, but both
Bruce and I think not so thick as a few years ago.
Once outside, we headed for Isle Au Haut. The
breeze filled in, and we were able to have a nice
motor-sail. Not quite enough breeze to just sail,
but nice none-the-less. Sunny and pleasant, but
surprisingly cold.
We arrived at Isle Au Haut
around 2:00 pm, to find no other yachts. Picked up
a rental mooring with the coke bottle attached for
payment (Bruce left a Bermudian $10, plus some US cash).
Ashore we discovered the Lunch Buggy, which was new.
The food looked very tempting, but we'd already eaten so
we will make note for a future visit. Bruce
enjoyed looking at all the funky vehicles, and Pepper
was joyful.
Evening brought clouds and
fog, so we tucked in and enjoyed chicken and asparagus
on the grill.
Tenants Harbor - Sunday, July
11
 The trip to Tenants
from Boothbay was foggy
and damp, but we were happy to be headed east. We
motored directly into an easterly wind, gray, damp and
cold, with current against us and swells rolling in from
the southeast. Pepper, poor little guy, barfed again, as he had on
the way from Portland to Boothbay. Note to self:
give Pepper some Bonine before leaving next time.
We arrived in Tenants in the pouring rain, and couldn't find any
rental moorings. As the heavens opened, we picked
up the nearest vacant buoy. It clearly had not had
a boat on it in a VERY long time, so we hung.
And of course, as the
rain let up (a bit, not completely) we went in to Cod
End for the obligatory lobster rolls and (for Bruce)
lobster stew. Great as always, but a big
difference: we were the only people there!! We had
gone in early to avoid the crowd that normally shows up
at dinner time, to find no one. Hmmm. We've
never been here in July before, and of course it was
raining, but still, it seemed odd. Sign of the
summer season? Time will tell. No Chuck
sighting this time. But when it really started to
rain as we waited for our food, they invited us inside,
even with Pepper. How nice!
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