Voyages of s/v Rincewind

Lightning causes a problem!

2008-08-09T20:20:00.002-04:00

Rincewind was (lightly) struck by lightning on Aug. 7 in the Block Island anchorage, the night before I was set to sail back to Chesapeake Bay. The lightning blew a fuse in the Aqualine regulator, preventing the engine from charging the batteries, but I was able to replace that fuse. However, the radar scanner unit was put out of action. Without the radar, I was concerned about sailing alone on the ocean, since I rely on that to keep track of other ships while I am resting. After calling a couple of places in Newport to try to get the unit fixed on short notice (impossible, of course) I decided to limit the amount of overnight sailing I would have to do and am working my way down Long Island Sound, through NYC, down the Jersey Coast, up the Delaware Bay and through the C&D Canal. I just have to hope that I get home in time to start work! I will not be posting any more trip pix until I get back to Maryland - then I will bring everything up to date.

Fog again

2008-08-02T11:20:00.005-04:00

I waited until almost noon before leaving Jewell Island so that I would be able to see the islands and Fort Gorges on the way to Portland. But, as soon as I left the anchorage, the fog clamped down. It lifted for about a mile, when I was between Great Diamond Island and Peaks Island, so there were some views there.

No view of Fort Gorges, from sea, but once I picked my way into the harbor and moored at Centerboard Yacht Club, Jake picked me up and ran errands with me.

I got the propane tanks filled, bought stamps, and did my grocery shopping. Jake made a great dinner of scallops and haddock, with roasted vegetables! After dinner, Jean, Jake, Moxie (the dog) and I went for a walk around the tip of South Portland – finally got to see Fort Gorges!

Irony is a mineral

2008-08-02T11:13:00.008-04:00

After a very peaceful night at anchor behind the Goslings, I was able to ponder the name of Irony Island. I got in the dinghy and went to visit the Goslings and Irony Island.

Both of the Goslings have camping areas and are extensively used by kayakers. They are beautiful little islands.

I think that the name of Irony Island does not come from and linguistic usage, but from the fact that the island seems to be made from iron ore. The reddish color of the rocks is different than any of the surrounding islands.

There was a welcoming committee of gulls and cormorants.

I had a good chat with a sailor from CT, talking about Chesapeake Bay and info about going through the Cape Cod Canal. After a nice 8-mile sail in the gloomy weather, I anchored in one of the most famous Casco Bay spots, Jewell Island. This anchorage is a narrow slot on the western side of the island, but is full of boats and is very narrow. I got there just in time to snag a good spot. By evening, and by the time it started raining, there were about twelve sailboats in this little area.

An historical diversion

2008-08-02T11:03:00.009-04:00

After a peaceful anchorage at Harpswell harbor, in Harpswell Sound, complete with muffins for breakfast.......

........and the colorful Casco Bay Lines ferry.......

........I sailed down Merriconeag Sound to tour Eagle Island, the home of polar explorer, Adm. Robert E. Peary. There are a few moorings at this island, and there were no other cruising boats when I arrived, so it was easy to find a spot.

The island has several short walking paths and is a good place to stretch one’s legs.

The house is a great example of life in the early 1900s. Peary’s library looks like the inside of a ship and has a big polar bear skin rug and a sculpture of an eagle that are pretty neat.

Rincewind looked nice, as seen from Peary’s library, laying at her mooring.

After a couple of hours on the island, it is just two hour’s sail to my anchorage at the Goslings (yes, they are right next to Goose Island) and Irony Island.

Quahogs anyone?

2008-08-02T10:56:00.005-04:00

Quahog Bay is one of the indentations in Casco Bay – and a beautiful anchorage is at its head – Snow Island. Nope – there is no snow, but a really protected and gorgeous anchorage.
Evening came and brought a classic Maine sunset. I also learned from Jean during a phone call that “Quahog” is pronounced “Coehog” – who would have thought?

There were a couple of classic osprey nests big in trees.

I went on a small expedition in Twoflower to Little Snow Island.

The sailing has been great so far in Casco Bay. Going in and out of the deep coves has meant lots of tacking or jibing, so lots of activity on the sailboat.

Leaving the Midcoast

2008-08-02T10:50:00.005-04:00

The Maine coast is divided into regions and during this summer, I have traveled to the “Down East” area (Roque island), to “Mt. Desert Island”, “Penobscot Bay”, and the “Midcoast”. Now, leaving Sheepscot Bay, I am heading into Casco Bay, where I will spend the next few days. The sailing today is a reminder that sailing can be hard work, with the SW wind blowing 20+ knots and a big swell is coming from the ocean. It is a fun day as I go past “The Sisters” - yes, there are four of them – and Seguin Island.
Much of the day is spent beating into the wind until I make the turn in toward New Meadows River and end up on a nice broad reach.
Once I am up in the river, I pass a small boat full of people. I grab my camera to take their picture, just as they take a picture of Rincewind – laughter ensues.
I end the day in a beautiful, wonderfully protected anchorage in “The Basin”. It feels like a mountain lake. The entrance is hidden from the river and is a fun experience.

A change in plan leads to lobster

2008-08-02T10:38:00.009-04:00

My day in Boothbay Harbor had taken longer than expected, so I didn’t want to try to make it all the way to “The Basin”, my next planned stop. I decided to head for “Five Islands” in Sheepscot Bay.

Sailing past Burnt Island Light (picture above) just outside Boothbay Harbor was the start to a beautiful day of sailing – long lazy tacks up the east coast of Southport Island, past The Cuckholds Light, and then a great run down Sheepscot Bay.

Five Islands turned out to be another rolly night spent on a mooring, but the location is really great.

Waves crash on the reefs that separate the harbor from the river, but Five Islands Lobster was a good location for dinner. It is really just a shack - serving lobster, steamers, potatoes, corn, and coleslaw. There are a bunch of picnic tables on the wharf for dining. I sat at the end of a table where a couple of folks from Bath were eating and they graciously shared their wine with me.

Traditionally a tuna fishing harbor, there were still a few little boats with long bowsprits used by the harpooner.

As with all Maine harbors, there were a few very classy homes. During the evening fireworks went off from a private beach in front of one of the houses.

Hot times in Boothbay Harbor

2008-08-02T10:30:00.006-04:00

After ten days away from services, it was time for fuel, water, wi-fi, and food. Boothbay Harbor offered all of those things. Unfortunately, it also offered a very rolly mooring at Wotton’s Wharf which provided a really bad night’s sleep. I ended up putting a cockpit cushion on the cabin floor to try to minimize the distance I would roll up and down with the swell.

The passage from Witch Island was very foggy most of the time, with a big southern swell from the ocean.

I passed yet another Island named “Thrumcap” – I need to find out what that name implies. It seems that every section of the Maine coast has its Thrumcap Island.

Ram Island Light has a neat walkway from the house to the light.

Boothbay Harbor is very easy to enter and Rincewind was happy to renew her diesel and water supplies.

Lots of people in town, but it didn’t seem to be as nice a location as Camden for the casual tourist. It was very hot as I walked the mile to the local grocery store. I took a cab back to the boat and put Boothbay Harbor in my wake.

Pemaquid, Pemaquid, Pemaquid

2008-07-26T11:52:00.004-04:00

There, I’ve said it! What a great word. Today, I sailed south out of Muscongus Bay and around Pemaquid Neck. But first, I had to get through the little passage at the north end of Hog Island – lots of lobster pots, rocks, and a narrow thorofare.

Another day of some fast sailing, some slow sailing, but always fun sailing. There are beautiful houses on the east coast of Pemaquid Neck, the type of houses that scream “Hey! This is my house!”

There are no docks for boats because this is such rough and rocky coastline. The wind started to really pick up and by the time I sailed by the Pemaquid Neck Lighthouse, Rincewind was really ripping along.

On the other side of the neck, the ocean swell disappeared and everything felt much calmer. A quick run down Johns Bay and I was at Witch Island.

A passage through Muscongus Bay

2008-07-26T11:40:00.008-04:00

By the plotting I had done on my chart, it was only 10 miles from Maple Juice Cove to Oar Island Harbor. The weather seemed like it would be okay, and there was a lot of time. This turned out to be the most interesting day of sailing so far. I decided to sail the entire way, even if it took a long time due to wind speed or wind direction. There were lots of little islands to go around and little passages to tack down, but it was a great day! The town of Friendship Harbor is on the way – this is the home of the Friendship Sloop, a traditional sailing work boat. Of, course there is only one of these in the harbor. All of the other boats are diesel-powered work boats – so much for the romance of the seas.

On the other side of the harbor is a big row of “lobster cars”, the floats that lobstermen use to store their gear.

Running downwind, I set the sails on opposing sides, called "sailing wing-and-wing".

Several times this summer I have seen these strange sailing canoes. This was the closest I have gotten to one – I have decided that they may belong to an Outward Bound type of group.

Oar Island Harbor is mentioned in the cruising guide as not getting many visits from yachts, but I found it a very enjoyable place to be. As always, there were a lot of moorings and some lobster pots, but I found a spot to anchor just outside of the moorings. Interestingly, the lobster boats seemed to be quieter here that elsewhere I have been. I wonder if this is some sort of agreement with the Audubon Camp on adjacent Hog Island? Here is a picture of Rincewind in the harbor with a fleet of lobster boats.

Oar Island Harbor has the rotting hulk of the Cora F. Cressy, a huge hull from a wooden schooner. Some funny guy has put a sign on the hull that says “speed limit 75 mph”.
Audubon runs the neighboring Hog Island as a camp and nature preserve. This is a picture of their camp with a couple of dorys in front.

Speaking of dorys, a little boat at Oar Island Harbor had this name:

I finally got a picture of one of the scoters. I saw this guy swimming by the boat and took the picture out of the cabin portlight. There have been quite a few of these birds in this area. They are diving birds and also like to run across the water while flapping their wings.

Into Christina's World

2008-07-26T11:33:00.004-04:00

Maple Juice Cove (the Olson Farm) is the home of the location of Andrew Wyeth’s most famous painting, “Christina’s World”, seen here off the bow of Rincewind.

This cove is a big area, reminiscent of a Chesapeake Bay anchorage, on the western side of the St. George River. It is all about 11 feet deep at low tide (of course the tidal range is about 11 feet) and has a muddy bottom. Not too many rocks are visible, and lots of nice-looking houses ring the shores. I stayed her for two days just resting (after a night of thunderstorms) and doing a little cleaning of the boat. Yep, more big skies.

You may have noticed two lines coming from the bow of Rincewind at anchor. One of these is the 3/8” chain connected to the anchor. The other line is a rope called a snubber and connected by a hook to the chain to ease the strain on the boat and anchor. Since the chain has no give to it, the rope stretches when strain is put on the anchor (like in the thunderstorm last night) and eases the pull on the anchor.

I spent two nights at Maple Juice Cove - just doing boat chores and enjoting the secure, peaceful surroundings.

Puffins at Matinicus Rock!

2008-07-26T11:23:00.007-04:00

Sailing south along the coast of Matinicus Island, past Ragged Island (originally called Ragged Arse Island), it was easy to appreciate the isolation of this area, especially in the days before air transport and diesel engines. It was a day of grey water and grey skies.

It was an exciting moment when Matinicus Rock showed up out of the greyness of the day

I had heard that there was a puffin colony on Matinicus Rock and even though I really did not expect to be able to see any while I was just coating by on Rincewind, imagine my surprise when I saw a whole group of puffins in the water in front of the boat! Yes, these are puffins –

I saw three separate groups of puffins before I had to tack to head to Muscongus Bay. I must agree with the various accounts I have read about the isolated feeling and then eternal grayness of Matinicus Rock.

Heading back toward the coast, the promised poor weather finally closed in and the rain started.

The Cap’n looks happy about this turn of events. It is always good to have three jackets and a cap on in the middle of July!

The message is in the bottle.....

2008-07-26T11:15:00.005-04:00

I was pretty excited to be sailing out to Matinicus Island – it is one of those locations that is pretty isolated, doesn’t really have room for anchoring, and is dependent on weather for an easy approach. As it turned out, the sail was great fun, with plenty of wind most of the way, and an approaching thunderstorm to make the final approach exciting! On the way, I passed Brimstone Island, which is a neat little uninhabited outpost.

There were no other boats heading offshore from Jericho Bay, but I did pass three boats that were sailing along the coast and heading down east, including this neat looking yawl.

There was a little cut in the clouds just as I saw Matinicus Island for the first time. Yeah, I know it is another picture of sea and sky!

Since I had no idea if I would be able to get a mooring for the night, I called on VHF channel 19 as recommended in the cruising guide, and inquired about a mooring. After two attempts, someone answered that “Josh” was not around – he was on Vinalhaven – but that I would see his moorings in the harbor. It was easy to enter the harbor and very easy to find the moorings.

The mooring buoy had a plastic Pepsi bottle taped to it with a map/info sheet inserted in the bottle. The map was of the island and the info sheet asked me to leave $25 in the bottle to pay for the mooring. A “message in a bottle”! There was one other cruiser in the harbor, on a small sailboat from Canada. I spent a nice, secure night here.

A Sail in Merchant’s Row (get it?)

2008-07-26T11:05:00.006-04:00

There are so many spectacular sky scenes from a sailboat, but here is another – the sky over Burnt Coat Harbor.

A short sail awaits me as I head for Merchant Island. As it turns out, this area is ground zero for the number of lobster pots I have seen. Generally, I have not been overwhelmed by the number of pots, except in areas that are perfect anchorages. However, this area around Merchants Row is really amazing in the number of traps that can fit into the water. Those “bugs” have no chance of escaping.

Little islands abound off the coat of Maine – I guess there are thousands of them. There are some themes in names, there are many “Bush” Islands – “One Bush Island”, Two Bush Island”, “Three Bush Island” – there are lots of each of those. Also, there are many “Egg” Islands. I was surprised when I glanced at the chart when approaching Merchant Island for my anchorage and noticed “Bill’s Island” – see the picture below.

Reminding us that all of this granite landscape was sculpted by receding glaciers, some islands have very large boulders balanced right on the edge of the shoreline. Here are a couple of samples -

The anchorage at Merchants Island is across from Harbor Island – another perfect example of the granite island crowned with pine trees and blueberry fields.

This anchorage was pretty exposed and had a constant swell that rolled in from the northwest. The openness of the location can be seen by this view of a windjammer sailing by –

Do you smell something burning?

2008-07-26T10:51:00.007-04:00

Well, it must be Burnt Coat Harbor on Swans Island. The original owner of this island had a long and colorful history that ended with him being hung in Paris (or London) after not paying business debts. Entering the waters near Swan’s island, I passed by a sailboat that had caught a pot warp on its keel. They ended up having to cut the warp to free their boat from the pot. Hockamock Head Light shows the entrance to Burnt Coat Harbor with its unique square lighthouse.

This is a working harbor and it took a little doing finding a clear area to anchor. As usual with Maine harbors, if the water is not full of moorings, it is full of lobster pots. This harbor also had a strange looking floating contraption which I assume was a sort of lobster pound for storing the day’s catch.

Shortly after I anchored, the windjammer “American Eagle” (I wanted to ask if they had any outfitters with them) anchored just off my bow. I was in the process of reading a Maine novel “Rigged for Murder” whose novel thanks the captain of this windjammer for technical information for her book.

For a little comparison, I took a picture of Rincewind and American Eagle together in the harbor.

The big deal here for me was “The Boat Yard” take-out restaurant. I rowed over to their dock and bought two lobsters and fries to take back to Rincewind. While I was waiting for my food, I took a little walk to stretch my legs. If you look carefully, you will see Rincewind off the corner of the restaurant.

Once back on board, I had a great feast!

Reachin' for an Eggemoggin....

2008-07-26T10:24:00.012-04:00

"Eggemoggin Reach” is a sailing route leading from Penobscot Bay to Jericho Bay that puts the sailboat on a course that allows a beam reach (wind at 90 degrees off the bow of the boat) and provides perfect sailing. I headed up to this area after Karen left from Rockland. I spent the night at Bucks Harbor, a classic Penobscot Bay location. Along the way, I saw several classic Windjammers.

I also found out why “Barred Island” is named ... I got a great view of the “bar” connecting the two high parts of the island.

I almost stopped at Pickering Island again because a strong south wind had picked up and it started to get foggy, but as the weather cleared, I decided to continue on to Bucks Harbor. I was disappointed in the ambience at Bucks Harbor, even though it is the location of Sal’s outing with her father in Robert McClosky’s “One Morning in Maine”. It has a fairly rustic feel, but all of the sheltered areas are taken up by moorings. This leaves just a very small, exposed, area for anchoring. As it turns out, the weather was settled over night and there was no problem.

I had a chance to dry the laundry I had done in Rockland – not knowing the dryer was broken before I started washing.

The sunset cast a beautiful alpenglow over the area.

As almost everywhere in Maine, the water was wonderfully clear in Bucks Harbor. Shown here by the anchor still three feet below the water in this picture.

There was an unusual and gnarly looking fishing boat of some type on a mooring next to where I anchored.

I had to motor at the start through Eggemoggin Reach. It was so calm that even Twoflower left a lasting wake!

But by mid-morning, the wind had filled in and I had a great sail. However, I was not on a beam reach. The wind from the SE meant that I was beating (tacking back and forth into the wind) the whole way. The eastern end of the reach was clogged with lobster pot buoys, and a lobsterman offered to sell me lobster from his boat as I sailed by. As I tacked toward Jericho Bay, I passed a small ledge with a grand name: Torrey Castle.

As I entered Jericho Bay, heading toward Swan’s Island, I was treated to a classic view of Isle au Haut showing itself above the sea mist. Next stop: Burnt Coat Harbor!

Owl's Head Light says it is time to go....

2008-07-15T16:00:00.008-04:00

Well, the day has come for Karen to go back to Maryland. Owl's Head Light is at the entrance to Rockland Harbor and announces the end of a super week of sailing.

No more bare feet.

The boot goes back on to protect the ankle surgery,

and the bus finally arrives.

Rincewind, Twoflower, and the Cap'n will miss her!

A foggy sail to Rockland

2008-07-15T15:50:00.007-04:00

It is finally time for Karen to head back to Rockland. We wait for the fog for awhile at Warren Island so that we can enjoy the rocky vistas sailing down Gilkey Harbor, but the fog does not lift. We do get some neat views of islands shrouded in fog.

.....and a good portrait of the cap'n with an island called Thrumcap! Bill is trying to act as stern as an island named Thrumcap would.

Finally, the fog lifts and we have a dream sail through the late afternoon!

Black Bart plays with Karen!

2008-07-15T15:42:00.007-04:00

Black Bart came out to play with Karen and had several thrilling escapades!

He joined forces with Karen....

Got a kiss.....

Had some snacks.......

Took a nap.....

Had drinks.......

And stole some Fritos......

A windy sail to Warren Island

2008-07-15T15:33:00.006-04:00

The wind blew pretty hard all day on the 13th and made for a lumpy, but fast, (oh, and cold) sail to Warren Island. We arrived to find a bunch of boats from the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club having a party ashore - but this did not affect us, since we did not plan on going ashore that night. We were able to pick up a free State-owned mooring.

There is hiking and camping on the island - it is a pretty place!

Camden - nice town, bad mooring

2008-07-15T15:27:00.003-04:00

Camden is one of those harbors where one really has to rent a mooring. This was the most expensive mooring we have seen in Maine ($40) and absolutely the worst nights sleep - there was a steady swell from the south and it kept the boat rocking all night! Fortunately, we had come to Camden to meet our friends Jean and Jake (from our days at Kingsley Pines!) - that made it a really special day for us! Bill finally ate lobster!

Camden Bound!

2008-07-15T15:15:00.009-04:00

The Captain is always happy to be underway.

Some crewmembers can sleep anywhere, anytime.

And, in case you were thinking that the bright sunshine implies that it is warm all the time.....

It was a great sail down the east side of Job Island, Lime Island, and Lasell Island. We saw a race with boats from the Dark Harbor Yacht Club.

Approaching Camden, we saw a lot of the big windjammers, since Camden is a center for these cruises.

That Wickedly Good Dyer Dinghy

2008-07-15T15:10:00.004-04:00

We have been really happy with "Twoflower", Rincewind's tender. It is a Dyer Dhow, 7'9" long and can be sailed or rowed. Offshore, it sits up on the foredeck, but in more protected waters is towed behind Rincewind. It provides all of our transport to and from shore. Here is Karen thinking deep thoughts -

Then she's done thinkin'!

Beautiful sunsets!

2008-07-15T15:05:00.005-04:00

Almost every day has scenes that are remarkably beautiful. Here are few nice pictures from Pickering Cove.

We Picked Pickering Island

2008-07-15T13:53:00.006-04:00

With the continued strong SW winds, we wanted a nice, secure anchorage and found Pickering Island. This beautiful place, a little south of Bucks Harbor has a great cove on the western end of the north side that has lots of protection from the south and a big beach.

We found wee, dead crabs, some scary pod-plants, and

beautiful "Flag Blue Iris". Bill dove in to take a look at the prop, bearings, and bottom. Other than a little grass around the prop shaft, everything looked great.

Sabbathday Harbor

2008-07-15T12:01:00.004-04:00

Sabbathday Harbor is only 7 miles from Castine. We had a great sail! With the west wind, this was a very protected anchorage and we were the only cruising boat there.

Electronic communication didn't work this far from town, but it was worth a try anyway.

At one point coming in to Sabbathday Harbor, our speed and depth meters looked the same - 135 ft. depth and 1.35 kt speed.

A day in Castine

2008-07-15T11:41:00.006-04:00

We arrived in Castine at low tide - to a very friendly dockmaster and an easy-going attitude at the dock. We washed the salt off the decks and filled the water tanks. The dockmaster was from Maryland - his parents had moved out of the Silver Spring area to Maine because they thought the area was becoming unsafe for their kids!

There are some old buildings and a lot of history - Rev. War and War of 1812. Paul Revere was even in Castine!

Rincewind's mast was a fitting background for the open-air dining at the wharf. There was even special handicapped parking for her!

Castine is the home of the Maine Maritime Institute and their training boat was at dock - sort of towered over Rincewind and Twoflower!

We purchased 15 six-packs of beer since the store was so close to the docks - the newest find is Geary's Summer Ale. While shopping, we met three people with Maryland connections. Waving goodbye to the beautiful town of Castine and set sail for Sabbathday harbor on Islesford Island.

Sailing to Castine

2008-07-15T11:25:00.006-04:00

A foggy morning in Pulpit Harbor and a strong SW wind made us change our planned itinerary and we headed north to the Castine area.

Our stay in Pulpit Harbor was good - we anchored in Cabot Cove with five other sailboats, so it felt a little crowded - but we had a peaceful sleep.

We had a fast sail up to Castine with SW winds at 20 knots - as we rounded the point into Smith Cove, there was an enthusiastic race going on.

Protected by the shoreline, we had a gentle evening anchored in 10 ft. and shared the anchorage with America's oldest continuously used sailboat, the Steven Taber, now used as a windjammer for cruises.

Even Rincewind's crew was happy!

Pulpit Harbor

2008-07-13T14:23:00.006-04:00

Leaving Rockland, we set off for Pulpit Harbor, considered one of the most beautiful of the Penobscot Bay anchorages.

Passing by the Rockland Harbor light, Karen needs a snack!

We pass a classic Maine Windjammer....

....just as we enter the fog and the temperature plummets!

Pulpit Rock guards the entrance to Pulpit harbor.

The Admiral arives!

2008-07-08T11:51:00.006-04:00

July 7 finds Rincewind on a mooring after a great, very foggy sail from Vinalhaven.

Karen arrives on time from Portland. I had a great time waiting at the bus/ferry terminal listening to all of the local folks swap stories and gossip!

After a nice meal at the Black Bull, we head out to the boat.........

.......where Karen immediately takes a boat nap!

Fog

2008-07-08T11:38:00.009-04:00

The next two days were shrouded by fog. I anchored at Carver's Cove in the Fox Islands Thorofare on the 6th and then left in dense fog to sail to Rockland to pick up Karen on the 7th. The fog lifted a bit near North Haven and then lifted as I approached Rockland Harbor. This is the view of Carver's Cove!

All of the fog navigation tools came out.

I had never actually used the compressed air horn, but as I approached the middle of West Penobscot Bay, a small radar image popped up and kept getting closer. I gave a long and two short air blasts and ten seconds later a sailboat came out of the fog aiming right for me. he and I both changed courses and he called over, "Your horn scared me, I guess I wasn't paying attention."

Eastern Cove on Maine's Long Island

2008-07-08T11:30:00.005-04:00

This beautiful cove was perfect for these conditions, a constant SW wind and pretty settled weather. It is kind of wild and pretty far out to sea. There is a rocky beach, but no settlement on this part of the island. I had to anchor twice, since the first time I ended up right on top of a lobster pot buoy and figured that the lobsterman might not be too happy about that. The night was a little rolly, but the anchor held well.

There was a beautiful sunset - appreciated by the gnarly cap'n.

Dense fog the next morning, but I set sail for Vinalhaven - this is a photo of looking back at Eastern Cove.

July 4 in Black Cove and Winter Harbor

2008-07-08T11:18:00.006-04:00

After Somes Sound, I headed to the east side of Mt. desert Island in a nice strong (20-25) SW wind which gave me thrilling sailing up Frenchman Bay. I put in at Black Cove so that I had some protection from the wind. It was a nice anchorage (no other cruising boats) but got very shallow during low tide - I had a reading of 4.2ft at one point, but never seemed to be resting on the bottom.

I put on my flag bandana to celebrate the morning.

I hoped to spend the evening of the 4th at anchor in Bar Harbor, but there were no moorings and the harbor master wanted me to anchor in 80 ft. near where the cruise ships anchor - Boo, Hiss, Bar Harbor. But I had wanted to visit Winter Harbor and had a great sail past Egg Rock and Turtle Island and up Winter harbor to Sand Cove. Spent a good night at anchor (though pretty rolly) outside the moorings of the Winter Harbor Yacht Club.

I saw the end of a race between the "Winter Harbor 21s" a one-design existing only at this yacht club.

Somes Sound

2008-07-08T11:07:00.005-04:00

After leaving Northeast Harbor, Rincewind headed to Somes Sound, the only true fjord on the east coast. It is a nice sail through the hills on both sides, not quite as dramatic as I expected (ok, it's not Norway) but very beautiful.

Spent the night at anchor in Somesville with the loons, seals, and gannetts and then headed back out of the sound the next day. Gannetts just lve to strike their pose on the top of mooring buoys!

I am in big trouble...

2008-07-02T10:43:00.006-04:00

There was a meeting last night of all of the inanimate objects on Rincewind - they heard about the blog post naming some of them, and the ones that I did not mention have gone on strike until they get their due on the blog. So, here goes.....

"Big Bertha" the sadistic shower bag

Mutt and Jeff" the spare fuel and water cans - the fuel can considers himself a real star on Rincewind since he saved the day in northern Nova Scotia last summer.

"Wally" the Wallas-Marin cabin heater. He is seeing a lot more action in Maine than in the Cesapeake.

The nameless, speechless EPIRB unit. His name will only be spoken if the unit needs to be used in an emergency and that name is unprintable in a genteel log like this.

Well, now that they are satisfied, I can cast off the mooring.

Northeast Harbor lies in Rincewind's wake

2008-07-02T08:48:00.007-04:00

Northeast Harbor is considered by some sailors as the best place to moor a boat in the Northeast. It is quiet, but with easy access to shopping, hiking, showers, post office, hardware store, wifi, free island-wide bus service, and other services. Rincewind arrived in Northeast Harbor after a beautiful night at Little Cranberry Island with the intention to stay one night and say goodbye to Rick, but the discovery of the broken furler pin demanded a stay until the new part arrived. The stay also enabled Rincewind to meet s/v Mirth and enjoy some wonderful conversation and get information about Penobscot Bay from the experts. But now, with the forestay reattached, it is time to embark for Sorrento Harbor and enjoy some sailing in Frenchman Bay. July 4 should see Rincewind anchored at Bar Harbor to see the fireworks!

"....Over the Ocean Blue" - or is it?

2008-07-02T08:23:00.005-04:00

With the same atmospheric conditions, the ocean is a distinctly different color based on the depth of the water.

"The Ocean Blue" comes from the deep parts of the ocean and is shown here in a photo taken on Rincewind east of the continental shelf in a depth of 1510 fathoms (1 fathom = 6 feet).

Once closer to land, the beautiful green color develops as in this picture taken in 67 fathoms when Rincewind was about 70nm SSE of Nantucket.

It is hard to see how clear the water is when there is no frame of reference, but I looked over the transom to glance at the rudder and was surprised at how easily I could see the five feet to the bottom of the boat.

Rincewind's cast of characters

2008-07-01T18:42:00.012-04:00

At the moment, there is only one living soul on Rincewind, but that doesn't mean that there are not other important personalities on board!

The "e" bucket has been sailing with us from the s/s Sun-treader days. It has seen good times swabbing the deck and bad times of violent sea-sickness, but has smiled through it all with it's happy "e". The "e" comes from the first set of lettering for Sun-treader - a failed attempt at applying the vinyl letters.

"Bucky" the 20hp Bukh diesel engine chugs along underneath the companionway steps and rarely asks for anything other than fuel, oil, and cooling water! This is a rare portrait of Bucky.

"Captain Bendy-Butt" is an old salt on board, but has a proclivity for drink and wild parties, so can't be depended on for any real work. Here he is seen surfing on the tiller rather than taking care of his assigned navigational duties!

The auto-pilot is extremely important on any short-handed sailboat. Ours is a basic tiller-pilot and has worked flawlessly throughout our voyages. "Otto" is a frequent nickname for auto-pilots, but ours is named "Klemp", after the famous conductor Otto Klemperer, whose nickname was Klemp. (Get it?) Here you can see Klemp's arm controlling the tiller while Cap'n Bendy surfs.

It's here!

2008-07-01T18:35:00.004-04:00

The pin has arrived! Seems like a little thing to have caused all of this trouble.

To hike, perchance to eat a popover

2008-07-01T18:26:00.004-04:00

Today is really a "Maine Development Day" in the words of a famous camp director. I took Twoflower to the dinghy dock on the east side of Northeast Harbor and hiked to Jordan pond via the Thuya Garden and Elliot Mountain. The final goal was to have tea at the Jordan Pond House. I was not disappointed by the popovers and added a bowl of lobster stew to round out my lunch.

Waiting... (ok, so I shouldn't complain..)

2008-07-01T11:36:00.003-04:00

It is a gorgeous day in Northeast Harbor, but the furler pin hasn't arrived yet, so I am stuck on my mooring for another day. They say that the part should arrive this afternoon....... I used the time this morning to do some important shopping (see photo for some of the most valuable items). I received a special delivery at Rincewind of a couple of warm muffins this morning - what a treat!

A place called Roque Island

2008-07-01T08:38:00.008-04:00

Rick and I made landfall at this unbelievable spot- it almost felt like we had made a wrong turn and ended up in the Bahamas!

Pronounced "Roke", there is a broad, mile-long white sand beach backed by woods and some meadows, with a rocky escarpment at both ends. It was a fitting end to a great eight days at sea. Another boat came in at the same time (s/v Reanimation, from Rhode Island), but anchored in a small cove about a mile from the beach, so Rincewind was alone in its beachy anchorage. A little swell from the ocean set up a rocking motion on the boat, but it was not uncomfortable. The island is privately owned (I heard rumors in NE harbor that some think it is a CIA base!) and signs ask visitors to not leave the beach area. Welcome to Maine, but not tooooo welcome. If you look carefully, you can see Rincewind in each of these pictures.

A meeting at sea

2008-07-01T07:47:00.002-04:00

Last year, Emily and I never saw another sailboat when we were offshore. This summer, Rick and I saw six sailboats - the one I will talk about in this post and a group of five boats that we encountered about 70 miles east of Block Island which were evidently in the Newport-Bermuda race. One of those boats even had to change course to avoid us. None of those boats had much of a radar return and none of them talked to us on the radio - I guess they were a little too busy racing!

The nicer story was s/v Wendigo, a cruising catamaran (ca. 38 ft.?) that hailed us as they motor-sailed near us (no wind that day). They were sailing from Florida to Noank, CT, and had specifically come close to us to chat. It was nice talking to them on channel 68 before each boat headed on its way.

The sea monster is identified!

2008-06-30T23:03:00.001-04:00

Rincewind was followed for several minutes by a very large creature when we were about 80 miles SE of Nantucket. It was swimming in the wake of the boat, about a foot below the surface of the water - only the fin and the tail were visible. The outline of the creature was sort of visible to the eye, but did not come out on camera images. However, I found a You Tube video that looks exactly the same as our beast - so, it was a "basking shark" - the second largest fish in the world (behind the whale shark). It eats plankton, so there was no danger of Rincewind and crew being eaten. They frequently grow to more that 20 ft. long and this looked like a fully-grown specimen! Here is the URL of the You Tube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-fEUaS21ds

For the want of a "threaded-ended pin"........

2008-06-30T17:02:00.000-04:00

As we were organizing the deck in Northeast Harbor, Rick found a nut with the threads of a bolt still in it near the stem fitting. Not a good thing...... Upon investigation, one end of a threaded pin which holds the tangs of the rolling furler onto the forestay and then holds the forestay onto the stem fitting (read REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE RIGGING!!!) had corroded and fallen off. Unfortunately, being Saturday afternoon, there was not much that could be done, but we sorted out what part was needed and then this morning (Monday) I called the Profurl company and got a pin on order (a 2 inch piece for $45 - never fun buying boat parts). It should arrive on Tuesday morning. Actually installing the pin will just be a 20 minute job and then I will take off for other places around Mt. Desert Island. Spent the day today doing laundry, sending postcards, showering, and doing a thorough boat cleaning and straightening. I made a simple bungy-cord holder for the hot-water thermos. Last night, I fired up the kerosene heater to take the chill off of the cabin and keep things dry - felt very nice!

A foggy day in Northeast Harbor

2008-06-30T16:55:00.000-04:00

Today has been completely socked in with fog, but not a problem for me because I am waiting for the "threaded-ended pin" to arrive for my furler from Pyacht. It should be here tomorrow morning and I will head out. It has been a wonderful stay in Northeast Harbor - more details to follow. The log of the ocean passage and the landfall at Roque Island and the anchorage at Mistake Island will be posted shortly.

Leaving for Maine tomorrow morning

2008-06-17T20:36:00.001-04:00

Rick and Bill spent the afternoon doing final maintenance chores. We had hoped to take off this afternoon, but will actually set sail at 6 am on Wednesday. It looks like beautiful weather and should be a great first few days!

Shakedown Sail

2008-06-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Rick and Bill had a test sail to be sure that everything was working. We found that the sheet for the storm stays'l was too large to quickly fit through the rope clutches. Everything else checked out well. The new prop shaft has fixed the engine vibration above 2,000RPM. It was a great day of sailing - nice north wind - a good break from our excessive heat in the Washington area this week. All seems to be ready for our Tuesday, June 17 departure from Solomons.

On the Hard

2008-05-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

Rincewind is in the boatyard for a week as I paint the bottom, have the prop shaft straightened, and tend to a number of other maintenance issues. It is beautiful and dry weather for this work and she should be back in the water, ready for the Maine cruise by the end of May!

Starting to prepare for summer

2008-05-16T07:34:00.000-04:00

Not much sailing in the past couple of months - but now it is time to prepare Rincewind for the summer cruise to Maine. The three-page to-do list looks a little daunting, but none of the work is major and none of it is very expensive.

Varnishing begins

2008-02-27T16:51:00.000-05:00

It has been almost a year since I have done extensive varnishing and it is a beautiful art to get involved with again. The engine compatment covers are at home for a few coats of Interlux Satin varnish and new companionway step coverings from Treadmaster. Over the next year, i will refinish all of the interior teak (and there is A LOT of it) with the satin varinish, giving the interior a warmer feel (as opposed to the glossy "Captain" varnish that is on some of the woodwork now.)

Frankendodger remains!

2008-02-21T19:51:00.001-05:00

With the number of repairs to Rincewind's dodger, it has been named "Frankendodger" by the fearless crew. Alas, replacement of the dodger is behind new sails on the priority list. I still have plenty of thread and needles to do additional repairs..... During the Nova Scotia voyage, the first order of business at every port was the repair of portions of the Franken dodger.

Feels like Spring!

2008-02-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

With temperatures on the Bay in the mid-70s on Sunday, it sure does feel like spring is right around the corner. I even got the urge to start some of my spring boat projects. My main projects are the tracing of every electrical wire on Rincewind and making charts of the connections and track of each wire. I have already found a few "phantom" wires and a few places where I will re-do connections with better fittings. All of the circuits work well, but I want to be sure that I know all of the elements in case of an emergency. The new treadmaster on the deck has been a wonderful improvement and I now need to replace the treadmaster on the companionway steps. I have ordered a new rocker arm assembly for the Henderson MKV pump in the cockpit. A new set of sails is also in Rincewind's future. Looks like nice sailing weather for the upcoming weekend!

A natural wash-down

2008-02-13T06:05:00.000-05:00

The rain today (starting as freezing rain) is a good thing for Rincewind - she got very salty from the weekend sail. She will enjoy having a wash! One of the problems with winter sailing in Chesapeake Bay is the lack of water on the docks at marinas. It is hard to wash the boat down after a sail. Coming up this wekend: a three-day trip to the Little Choptank.

Gale force winds Feb. 10

2008-02-12T08:16:00.000-05:00

I was looking for some strong wind this weekend and found it! Saturday evening was spent in a beautiful anchorage on Mill Creek off the Patuxent river. I was expecting 25-30 knot winds from the west overnight, but it was calm the entire night. The strong winds did not really get started until 1:00pm - then they blew at a sustained 30 knots from NNW with some gusts up above 40. Rincewind handled well under stays'l and double-reefed main. I discovered that I could not tack with that sail combination unless my speed was above 5 knots. Below that speed, I had to jibe, but that was an easy maneuver with the small sail area. Boat motion was good. When the wind speed dropped below 30 knots, I had to put out a little of the genoa to keep the boat speed up. This wind was stronger than anything I sailed in last summer going to Nova Scotia except for the storm off of the New Jersey Coast. The tiller pilot handled the boat well, but did not repond fast enough to some of the gusts - it was best when hand steered close to the wind. This was the first time that I was on the Bay and saw no other boats. I found some problems with the shape of the stays'l - neither the foot nor the luff would trim correctly. The block on the deck seems to be in the wrong place for the cut of the sail. The shape of the double-reefed main seemed pretty good - nice and flat.