Leg XVI Maine to Chesapeake Bay
(Logs are posted with the most recent entry first)
THE END
Bitter sweet words to be sure as we come to a close of this log that started with Leg I on April 22nd, 2007. If you have been with us for the entire voyage, thanks for the interest, moral support, and perseverance. Jo and I both hope it was an enjoyable experience. If you recently joined us, we hope you will go back sometime and catch up on rest of this adventure.
As our trip evolved, it became our mission to show what a safe, fun experience could be had in a small, 43-foot, unstabalized trawler without going offshore and facing the perils of the open ocean. There is plenty of adventure in just seeing the Americas from coast to coast as I hope our humble attempt at writing was able to convey. In the company of good friends, this is a very doable trip and any well-found boat can do the same voyage!
Our mission now is to encourage others to follow in our wake. Toward that end we will be starting a website by years end about “The Big U,” Cruising from Maine to Alaska. In its pages, we hope other fellow travelers will share their adventures and add to the legacy for all to enjoy as they too voyage through the truly wonderful Americas.
Annapolis to Solomons - the final passage!
9/11 Saturday
From: Latitude: 38:58.58 N Longitude: 076:29.13 W
To: Latitude: 38:19.93 N Longitude: 076:25.50 W
Weather: cloudy Wind: 2700 at 12-16 kts. SEA: 2
Barometer: 1007 Passage time: 6 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2312 Fuel used/on board: 5768/562
End Engine Hours: 2318 Fuel used/on board: 5783/547+231=778
Distance trip/to Date: 44/14,668
This is it! Our final day at sea and the completion of our 14,668-mile voyage we now call “The Big U” that started in Seattle some 30-months ago.
It was still overcast and cool this morning in Annapolis but yesterdays waves and wind are only a memory. The new classes of Midshipman were all out for their morning run around the Academy as we slip past the school’s waterfront and head out into the Bay. Our last 44-mile, 6-hour passage will be in calm seas and little wind as we head south from Annapolis to the Solomons, our last destination.
Wandering Star’s autopilot steered almost the entire way as even the crab pot buoys seemed to be aligned for an uneventful day at sea. Lots of fellow cruisers are out and about, many, I am sure were trapped in various ports by the three days of storm and are finally heading home. Summer is over here and the cooler nights foretells of winter just around the corner.
We’ll leave WS in the care of Washburn’s Boatyard for the next several weeks while we head home to the west coast to see family and take care of some business. We’ll also take a short vacation in Bali to see our good friends Roger and Suzanne who run an Ashram there. In early November, Jo & I will be back here to finish up some maintenance on WS before we head her south again for Key West and the Bahamas for the winter.
By 1:00 PM we are making the final turn into Solomons Harbor. First, we’ll make a quick stop at the fuel dock to top off our fuel tanks to prevent condensation from accumulating and adding water to our fuel while we’re away. Being Saturday, the usual crew at the boatyard are off but Scott, who lives in the marina, is there to catch our lines and tie us up this last time.
Our good friends Bob and Cheryl on Kasekuchen, a Selene 53 parked next marina over, our quickly on the phone to invite us to dinner. Friends Jake and Susanne, on Annaruth, another Selene 53, are here too and a great night of catching up as well as sharing our previous to boating life’s stories. It seems only fitting that we share this happy occasion with new good friends as the evening subtlety reminds us of all the great occasions we shared with Les and Rose and Dottie and Ken to get here. Also, how much we wish they could be with us now to help put a special end to this closing chapter in our Alaska to Maine adventure.
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St Michaels to Annapolis
9/11 Friday
From: Latitude: 38:47.14 N Longitude: 076:13.21 W
To: Latitude: 38:58.58 N Longitude: 076:29.13 W
Weather: Overcast Wind: 3150 at 16-40 kts. SEA: 4
Barometer: 1007 Passage time: 4 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2308 Fuel used/on board: 5757/573
End Engine Hours: 2312 Fuel used/on board: 5768/562
Distance trip/to Date: 25/14,624
Forty plus knot winds, angry five to six foot short, steep waves, blowing foam and spray reaching the top of the pilot house…sounds like a great day for a passage to Annapolis! The good news was that the gale warnings were lifted this morning but someone forgot to tell the wind and waves. With the promise that perhaps the weather would be improving, we decide to press on for the 25-miles run to Annapolis across the Bay. While no where near as bad as it could be here under these same circumstances, it is still a bumpy crossing with the wind rattling the bimini on the Fly Bridge as the spray keeps the wipers busy.
The wind is coming out of the west so as we get closer to the western shore, the waves begin to subside with the shorter fetch and by the time we make the long channel that leads into Annapolis harbor, conditions have calmed down substantially. We head directly to our usual spot on the dock in the front of Pusser’s Rum Bar where Rook, the very attentive dock boy is waiting to take our lines. It’s a nasty, old wood piling waterfront that takes a few minutes of bumpering and line adjustment to get the old girl comfortable for the night but she soon snuggled in tight, safe from wind and wave.
Our immediate project is to get Twinkle, the wayward dinghy, pumped back up and lowered into the water for her trip to the dinghy doctor for repairs. In a half hours time she is ready for the short putt across the harbor to the inflatable shop. Once delivered and hauled to the shop, the water taxis takes me back to WS. Chores complete, we now have the afternoon off to relax with a movie after the strenuous days crossing.
One of the nice perks of our bar side location is the full room service catering that can be ordered right from our boat. Later, Jo and I order a nice dinner of steamed mussels and salad to eat on board followed by a twilight walk around the still busy, Friday night streets of Annapolis The midshipmen at the Navy Academy, now in Fall session, and the girls that they attract are very much in evidence everywhere. Fall is in the air but it is still just warm enough for a sorbert before heading home for the evening.
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St Michaels
9/10 Thursday
Gale Warning - well the weather has continued to deteriorate over night and we wake up to formal gale warnings on the VHF from NOAA and 25-knots of wind. While we probably could have made it across the Bay to Annapolis before the storm hits, we decide to stay put hoping for better weather tomorrow to make the short 24-mile passage. We want to stop there and drop off our leaking RIB dinghy so it can be serviced while WS is in dry dock in the Solomon’s.
Baltimore to St Michaels
9/09 Wednesday
From: Latitude: 39:16.87 N Longitude: 076:36.14 W
To: Latitude: 38:47.14 N Longitude: 076:13.21 W
Weather: partly cloudy Wind: 450 at 16-20 kts. SEA: 2/3
Barometer: 1012 Passage time: 6 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2302 Fuel used/on board: 5743/586
End Engine Hours: 2308 Fuel used/on board: 5757/573
Distance trip/to Date: 38/14,599
Is a nice day to cruise down the Chesapeake Bay. Heavier weather is looming before the weekend but today is fairly mild with even occasional glimpses of sunshine. We’ve decided to head for St. Michaels, a small town on the Chesapeake’s Eastern Shore. It has sentimental value for us as it was the first destination for the original Wandering Star almost ten years ago. To get there we shall need to pass through the Kent Narrows directly across the Bay from Annapolis some 26-mile south of Baltimore.
The Kent Narrows is a narrow gap between a large, Bay side island and the mainland of the Eastern Shore. It features some very shallow approach water, down to 7′ in places, but also has Harris’ Crab Shack, one of our favorite hangouts from when we were here for months getting WS I commissioned. With dockside tie-up space available, we decide to stop in for a nice lunch before continuing on to St Michaels.
After lunch, we must get one more tiny bascule bridge to open before we can get through the Narrows. The bridge attendant was not paying good attention and gave our right away to a north bound sailboat without telling us a second boat was coming behind it a swell. Normally the boat traveling with the current - us in this case, has the right of way.
Naturally when we started into the narrow bridge opening, a 2nd hidden boat was coming from the other side at the same time and only the combinations of my horn and the other guys quick reactions prevented a collision in the narrow passage. The bridge operator apologized for his lack of care - too little too late - but it was still as near a miss as we’ve had this whole trip.
The rest of the voyage across Prospect Bay went without incident except that the wind is continuing to build, now up to 20-knots plus as the afternoon wears on so it is blowing pretty good by the time we arrive at St Michael’s Marina. We decide to take an easier to get at side tie on their face dock rather that to try to back up into the now strong wind into a narrow slip and are soon tied down safe and secure.
After a walk around town and dinner at a great little wine and pizza bar called Ava’s, we are back on board in time for our president’s health care speech and a good night sleep (not because we were much relieved by anything in his speech).
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C&D Canal to Baltimore, Maryland
9/7 Monday
From: Latitude: 39:32.79 N Longitude: 075:42.23 W
To: Latitude: 39:16.87 N Longitude: 076:36.14 W
Weather: cloudy Wind: 900 at 10-16 kts. SEA: 2
Barometer: 1012 Passage time: 7 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2295 Fuel used/on board: 5721/608
End Engine Hours: 2302 Fuel used/on board: 5743/586
Distance trip/to Date: 52/14,561
It’s a log way to Baltimore! While only 52-miles by water, it seemed to take forever when you’re fighting the currents. First going out of the canal had us down to barely making 6-knots against the incoming ebb and then you must go quite far south into the Chesapeake Bay, cut across some shoals to the west, then back up north again a long ways, again against the current, to get into Baltimore’s harbor. So we ramped up the RPM’s to 1680, burned more fuel than we like at 3.3 gallons/hour and plowed along to make it in 7-hours where it would have taken 9 at our normal cruising settings.
The voyage itself was somewhat rocky, not because of the weather but from the wakes of the dozens of high speed power boats heading in all directions trying to get home from their holiday weekend. Once in Baltimore’s inner harbor, we took a slip in the East Inner Harbor Marina which is conveniently located next to all of the major tourist attractions; the aquarium, nautical museum, Orioles ballpark, and every major chain restaurant plus 20 some smaller places in the nearby Italian district. There are street performers, old ships on display and even a huge Borders Book store along with a nice shopping district here too. This is definitely the place to be in this city.
Jo and I did our usual walk about before heading for La Tasca, a Spanish tapas (small plates) bar we always seem to enjoy. Then it was a stop for ice cream before heading back to WS early as we are still trying to get over the all night run to get here. Incidentally, today’s weather shows the expected waves hitting 18′ this week off the Jersey Coast so we certainly did the right things in heading here early.
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Stamford to Summit North Marina, C&D Canal, Bear, Delaware
9/5-9/6 Saturday and Sunday Overnight Passage
From: Latitude: 41:02.60 N Longitude: 073:31.84 W
To: Latitude: 39:32.79 N Longitude: 075:42.23 W
Weather: clear becoming cloudy Wind: 900 at 8-12 kts. SEA: 3
Barometer: 1013 to 1017 Passage time: 28.4 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2266 Fuel used/on board: 5656/674
End Engine Hours: 2295 Fuel used/on board: 5721/608
Distance trip/to Date: 215/14,509
The promise of big winds with matching seas early in the week off the Jersey Coast talked us into doing one last, 215-mile long, 28+ hour run all the way from Connecticut to the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay. We had looked forward to a more leisurely final lap through NYC and even a stop in Atlantic City for the first time but getting stuck for a week that far north or a miserable ride down the exposed Atlantic coast were strong enough incentives for us to make a whole new plan.
As it turned out, the weather and timing could have been not more perfect. We left Stamford at a lazy 0900, carefully timed to catch the 12:28 PM flood through the infamous Hell’s Gate into New York City’s East River. And the gate to hell it was! The current had us virtually surfing through the final gap at a blistering 13.9 knots even with the throttle pulled all the way back to idle. We haven’t seen anything as wild and exciting as this since we left the fjords of SE Alaska so long ago. With the swirling currents and confused waves, it was all I could do to keep WS under control and pointed in the right direction. Once safe in the east River, the favorable push lasted all the way past NYC and out through the Narrows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Darkness overtook us shortly after we hit the New Jersey Coast but the full moon was already on the rise, the sea had a gentle 2-3 foot swell, and the night was clear for a stunning shoreline vista of twinkling lights as far as you could see. There was even a fireworks show along the way as some little beach community celebrated the start of their big Labor Day Weekend. We arrived at the Cape May breakwater as planned, right at 0630 and first light of the new day.
Sure enough, the ugly dredge we dangled last time by here in July was now working on the lower section of Cape May Bay. This time, I did manage to guess the correct around it thus avoiding getting tangled up with the snakey, 3-foot diameter plumbing pipes that carry her tailings out of the bay.
Once past the dredge, it was still tricky to sort out the day markers and find the deep water path across the Bay’s inner pond to the canal out onto Delaware Bay. Why they can’t mark this channel better is beyond me. It has to be the worst navigation signing on East Coast. Cynically, one might think that it is because Seatow and Towboats US both have bases here and need to make a living pulling visitors off the mud. Both of their advertising bill boards are on prominent display as you enter both ends of the bay…very suspicious.
By 0800, we were through the mess and out in Delaware Bay, steaming north for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay. After 28-hours on the water, we were relieved to find that the Summit North Marina, located half way through this 12-mle long ditch, has room for us for the night so a quick right turn and we are soon secure for by 1330 in the afternoon.
Beside lots of bothersome bugs, this marina has a lot of good things going for it. Helpful dock boys who gladly drive you to the grocery store and back, the cheapest fuel prices we’ve seen since the ICW, a tree covered park setting and even a popular destination restaurant called Aqua Sol we would loved to have tried if we weren’t so physically shot from being up most of the night.
So it’s a quiet dinner on WS after a quick trip to the store and early to bed for your crew…the bright lights of the party life will need to wait till we pull into Baltimore tomorrow and officially start this, the last week of our 126-week odyssey.
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Milford to Stamford
9/4 Friday
From: Latitude: 41:12.68 N Longitude: 073:02.96 W
To: Latitude: 41:02.60 N Longitude: 073:31.84 W
Weather: clear Wind: 900 at 8-12 kts. SEA: 2
Barometer: 1008 Passage time: 4 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2262 Fuel used/on board: 5646/684
End Engine Hours: 2266 Fuel used/on board: 5656/674
Distance trip/to Date: 28/14,294
This is still real summer cruising…with yet another perfect day on the water. To bad it can’t last but we sure are enjoying it one day at a time. Today’s run was only 28-miles to
Our marina,
It was back to WS fairly early for a good nights rest for tomorrow we will do our last overnighter of the voyage as we make our way back through New York City and down the New Jersey coast some 200-miles before more bad weather (high seas) arrive early next week.
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Mystic Seaport to Milford
9/3 Thursday
From: Latitude: 41:21.75 N Longitude: 071:57.88 W
To: Latitude: 41:12.68 N Longitude: 073:02.96 W
Weather: cloudy becoming clear Wind: 900 at 8-12 kts. SEA: 2
Barometer: 1012 Passage time: 8 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2254 Fuel used/on board: 5627/702
End Engine Hours: 2262 Fuel used/on board: 5646/684
Distance trip/to Date: 52/14,266
Off the dock at 0715 to make the scheduled 0740 opening of the Mystic Highway Bridge. As luck would have it, the very busy commuter train bridge, just a coupe hundred yards down stream was open long enough for us to slip through that as well. We were then on our way the mile or so back down the Mystic River turning east to our next port of call, the Milford Yacht Club in tiny Milford Harbor.
We are still enjoying perfect summer weather and the sound was as smooth as it can possible be as well. Not even a ripple most of the 52-miles/8-hours to Milford. I was even able to take time off to lay on the foredeck to read, snooze and get some sun…the first time in months.
Milford is mostly a commuter town for NYC but the yacht club was very active, friendly and comfortable with our side-tie dock looking right out the breakwater into the sound. Thursday night is race night at the club so we had the extra treat of seeing their entire fleet of sailboats head out for an evening of racing around the buoys in the sound much like our old Wednesday night beer can derbies in Marina del Rey back home.
After our usual walk around this very small town, obligatory drink at the yacht club bar, we headed back to WS for a nice dinner on board and a quiet evening at home.
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Newport to Mystic Seaport, Connecticut
9/2 Wednesday
From: Latitude: 41:29.30 N Longitude: 071:19.07 W
To: Latitude: 41:21.75 N Longitude: 071:57.88 W
Weather: sunny and clear Wind: 3250 at 12-14 kts. SEA: 2
Barometer: 1017 Passage time: 5.5 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2248 Fuel used/on board: 5614/715
End Engine Hours: 2254 Fuel used/on board: 5627/702
Distance trip/to Date: 38/14,214
A nice little run today with the wind and the waves still in our favor. As you recall, we visited Mystic on the way northeast but want to return to spend more time with my cousin Bob and wife, Paula. Jo was also able to finesse a hair appointment in the afternoon so all I had to do was get her the 38-miles by 1pm. This sounds easy but involved leaving Newport in the early morning dark and timing it so we could pass through two bridges, one that only opens once each hour, and be tied up to the Mystic Seaport dock with enough time for her to walk the mile to the saloon.
As it turned out, we did it all with time to spare and I even managed to work in a haircut and see more of the wonderful Seaport museum in the afternoon. Mystic Seaport is a very special place that is dedicated to preserving the history of the sea and I always wanted to bring my own boat here so we can check the box on this one too. By docking here we had full run of the place, even after hours when all of the tourist are gone so it is a very unique experience.
Evening was spent enjoying the hospitality of my cousin and Paula at their beautiful home on Mason Island with steamers, corn on the cob and swordfish stakes, Bobby barbequed to perfection.
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Sandwich Marina to Newport, Rhode Island
9/1 Tuesday
From: Latitude: 41:46.24 N Longitude: 070:30.21 W
To: Latitude: 41:29.30 N Longitude: 071:19.07 W
Weather: sunny and clear Wind: 900 at 10-12 kts. SEA: 2
Barometer: 1017 Passage time: 7 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2241 Fuel used/on board: 5596/733
End Engine Hours: 2248 Fuel used/on board: 5614/715
Distance trip/to Date: 51/14,176
No rush to leave this morning till the tide turns to ebb at 0828. Jo had 30-minutes for a short walk to the store while I got the boat ready so by the time she got back it was time to leave. Then it was quick run west on the 10-miles of canal reaching a speed of 8.5 knots by the time we got to the Buzzard Bay end. With calm seas and the 12-knots of wind at our back, the rest of the 51-mile trip into Newport was as nice as it gets out here. This shallow bay has the reputation for being really nasty when a strong prevailing wind is against the opposite tide so we were very pleased with our warm and sunny day when it couldn’t be more like a lake.
Everyone connected to boating for any length number of years has heard of Newport Rhode Island as it is a hub for sailboat racing. It was best known for hosting the America’s Cup (1930 to 1983) when it was the exclusive property of the New York Yacht Club who borrowed the facilities of the Newport Yacht Club here to run their race. While these days are long gone, the town still has the remnants of its past glory in the nautical shops, atmosphere, and street names. Once Jo & I were welcomed and secure by the great club crew at NYC to our dock for the night (at $5.75/foot and still the cheapest in the harbor), we did not waste any time getting off and exploring its old brick paved waterfront..
Tourist shops are much the same in every town so you look for the unusual or something unique to the area. Here, we found a huge second hand consignment shop full of nautical antiques and old model ships. There was also a very special modern school committed to the training of young people in the restoration of old wood ships which looked like fun at any age.
After very over priced drinks at the Black Pearl, a classic tourist trap bar, it was getting dark and cooler. George, our dockmaster, steered us to the locals favorite Brick Road Restaurant for a nice dinner with a great salad bar (something that’s become quite rare) before returning to WS for an early night’s rest after a perfect day.
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Boston to Sandwich Marina, Cap Cod Canal
8/31 Monday
From: Latitude: 42:22.28 N Longitude: 071:03.35 W
To: Latitude: 41:46.24 N Longitude: 070:30.21 W
Weather: sunny becoming cloudy Wind: 700 at 8-12 kts. SEA: 2
Barometer: 1011 Passage time: 7 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2234 Fuel used/on board: 5579/750*
End Engine Hours: 2241 Fuel used/on board: 5596/733
Distance trip/to Date: 49/14,125
It is a beautiful, pre-dawn morning as we leave Boston and sail out of the harbor into the sunrise. The sky is clear, the ocean is smooth, and the boat is running great while we cover the 49-miles to the eastern entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. As you may recall from our eastbound passage, timing is everything transiting the canal and even more important heading west as the current can run over 5-knots east to west on the flood. So you must be riding on the ebb to make it through the 10-miles of waterway in any sort of reasonable time.
Our plan is to spend the night in the small Sandwich Marina at the Cape Cod entrance, then head through at the beginning of the ebb first thing in Tuesday morning. After our 0530 departure from Boston, we arrived at the east end at 1230, too late to go all the way through today but with just enough ebb left to easily get the ½-mile up the canal to the marina…perfect timing if I do say so myself. Dockmaster Dave soon had us secure in a nice slip in this old but comfortable marina.
What was totally unexpected was the quaint town of Sandwich. While rich with the early history of our country, being one of the first areas settled after Plymouth, it later became the American center for the art of commercial glass lowing. This large and profitable industry was based here for many years dominating the local economy of the whole area. All that is left now is an incredible museum with some of the most beautiful glass on display to be found anywhere and most of it made right here.
Jo & I had a delightful afternoon wandering around and enjoying this undiscovered gem before heading back to WS for the evening. The weather returned to gloomy late in the day with low’s predicted in the 50’s for tonight, it feels like we are getting out of New England just in time…winter is on the way!
*Note: took on 360 gallons of diesel at $2.60/gal. to bring total back to 750gal. on Board.
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Boston
8/29-8/30 Saturday and Sunday
While “hurricane” Dave didn’t mineralize, it sure dumped a lot of rain on us all day Saturday so we just stayed snug in our little boat most of the day. Sunday was as nice as Saturday was miserable so Jo & I were able to spend the day walking around Boston, taking in a movie, and then joining the multitudes lurking the streets of the Italian section searching for the perfect place to have dinner. Tresca Restaurant looked like it would do nicely and served one of the best Cioppino’s I’ve had anywhere outside of San Francisco. Then it was early to bed with a predawn departure planned for the morning.
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Kennebunkport to Boston
8/28 Friday
From: Latitude: 48:21.29 N Longitude: 070:28.43 W
To: Latitude: 42:22.28 N Longitude: 071:03.35 W
Weather: mostly cloudy Wind: 700 at 10-15 kts. SEA: 3
Barometer: 1014 Passage time: 11 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2223 Fuel used/on board: 5551/450
End Engine Hours: 2234 Fuel used/on board: 5579/422
Distance trip/to Date: 73/14,076
Can you believe it, as we left Kennebunkport, yet another hurricane was boring down on New England. We had planned to visit Gloucester one more time but it is too vulnerable to wind and weather and not a good hurricane hole. Our plan now is to take refuge from Daniel at our favorite marina way back on the Charles River on the north side of Boston but we had to get there today before it hits us tomorrow. This made for another long day at sea but well worth the eleven hours it took to cover the 73-miles for the peace of mind in Boston Harbor.
As it turned out, old Daniel fizzled out before it made it to Massachusetts, thank God, but we’ll still get hit with the moisture it was carrying. Construction Marina only had one slip left with everyone running for cover and it is all the way at the end of the last gangway overlooking the special dock where the square rigged warship “old Ironsides,” (US Constitution) has a permanent home. I can look right out of my pilot house window as I write this and see her in all her glory not 100-yards away.
We’ll hunker down here for a couple of days and let Daniel pass on before we continue our journey south. For tonight, it was off in a light sprinkle of rain to our favorite pub for a brew and some crab stuffed mushrooms before dinner and rerun TV on board.
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Kennebunkport
8/27 Thursday
We took the day off here to play with cousin’s Kathy and husband David. It’s the first time we’ve been able to get together in way too many years so we made the best of this opportunity by having lunch on board while pourng over the family albums going back to our common great grandparents. Kathy has done a remarkable job of keeping all of our clans history together so it was great fun sharing all of the memories and family we have in common..
Then it was off in their car for a driving tour of the surrounding country side. This is a real treat for Jo & I who usually have to walk, or at best bike everywhere and usually don’t get much beyond the waterfront. Today we went south all the way down to the village of York with its neat little lighthouse, perched on a rocky point (we passed it again at sea on Friday) and popular beaches.
Once we were back on board, it was time for happy hour followed by a very good dinner in Kennebunkport across the bridge at Grissini’s Italian restaurant. It was after 10pm when we finally had to say goodbye with the promise that it won’t be so long till our next time together.
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Boothbay Harbor to Kennebunkport
8/26 Wednesday
From: Latitude: 48:51.04 N Longitude: 069:37.59 W
To: Latitude: 48:21.29 N Longitude: 070:28.43 W
Weather: sunny turning mostly cloudy Wind: 2300 at 10-15 kts. SEA: 4
Barometer: 1001 Passage time: 8 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2216 Fuel used/on board: 5532/474
End Engine Hours: 2223 Fuel used/on board: 5551/450
Distance trip/to Date: 50/14,003
We finally hit 14,000-mile mark for the voyage on the 50-mile slog back to Kennebunkport. And what a slog it was, the sea decided to be as ugly today as it was nice yesterday with nasty 5′ short interval waves right on the nose beam most of the way. Luckily, the wind stayed mild so new wind waves did not compound the problem but the spray was flying as WS did her best to keep on an even keel for most of the 8-hour trip.
At one point, we seriously considered turning off at Portland and calling it a passage but with 10-miles to get in there from our course line as we passed and only 20-miles to continue on, we decided to stay the course. As it turned out, we made the right decision as the seas began to moderate and were downright mellow again by the time we reached Kennebunkport’s breakwater. Just as well too, as I was not looking forward to surfing WS into the small, narrow entrance to the Kennebunk River. Chick’s Marina was a welcome sight, even with the highest docking rates on the trip, and the dock boys were there standing by to tie us up in short order. Then it was the all call to mops and hoses for the next hour as the crew scrubbed her down fore and aft to get all the salt off and we could forget that passage in short order.
Needless to say, it will be a quiet night tonight. Just hanging on to stay upright for 8-hours tends to exercise every muscle in your body so its not surprising to feel as tired as we did and ready for a good night sleep. We’ll take the day off tomorrow for a visit with my cousin Kathy and husband David who will drive over from Massachusetts to spend the day. In the meanwhile, the weather will hopefully sort itself out before we head off for Gloucester on Friday.
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Southwest Harbor to Boothbay Harbor
8/25 Tuesday
From: Latitude: 44:16.45 N Longitude: 068:19.52 W
To: Latitude: 48:51.04 N Longitude: 069:37.59 W
Weather: mostly clear with some fog Wind: 2250 at 5-8 kts. SEA: 3
Barometer: 1012 Passage time: 10.5 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 2205 Fuel used/on board: 5506/499
End Engine Hours: 2216 Fuel used/on board: 5532/474
Distance trip/to Date: 74/13,953
We were off the dock before 6AM for our 74-mile return trip to Boothbay. Much to our surprise, the outside ocean was calm today compared to just yesterday’s huge swells. Local patches of dense fog provided the challenge for most of the morning. Were it not for the lobster trap buoys, cruising in fog is not much different than the overnight passages with no moon that we are so used to from the Caribbean. Up here we also need to watch our radar for the lobster boats that dart around without much regard to where they are headed, thankfully not the big commercial container and cruise ships that were the bane of our existence in the warmer waters.
Our old friend (as of our last visit), dock master Judy was there to greet us as we pulled into our slip at Boothbay Marina. After over 10-hours at sea, it was all we could do to get WS tied to the dock before we were off to the dockside pub for a Guinness and some oysters followed by a great dinner at Kaler’s, a locals favorite fish place much like our old Crab Cooker in Newport Beach back home. Instead of crabs though, it’s a $12.99 one-pound lobster dinner that packs them in even on a Tuesday night. I’m about done with lobster but we did try a lobster roll (like a tuna sandwich made with lobster, mayonnaise and lettice served on a hotdog bun) as an appetizer and it was quit good.
Not much energy left in the crew by the time we got back on board so we called it an early night after only a half-hour of rerun TV and internet email.
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