Perrys Creek to Rockland

 Another calm day on the water.

After breakfast we dinghied over to North Haven and explored the Sage Woods trails. These are beautifully maintained trails just outside of the village. The 26 acres have a maze of trails winding through the forest. The owners of the property have spent years creating the paths and managing the forest. We feel incredibly fortunate that there are places like this to enjoy. 

The trip back to Rockland was calm, chilly, and overcast. Rounding the monument at Fiddler's Ledge we could see the Camden Hills through the haze. 

A solitary red boat provided a splash of color in a monochrome scene. Yet again we feel like we are living inside of a painting. 

A somewhat boring boat ride became interesting courtesy of the Coast Guard.  A HC144 was flying training operations outside of Rockland Harbor. (Thanks Eric for the plane identification!). They were flying low, slow, circles and dropping objects with parachutes attached for a Coast Guard boat to find and pick up. Watching them fly with the rear cargo door open was fascinating.  

Camp Island to Perry's Creek

We woke up to a calm and peaceful scene with mirror like reflections on the water.  A song sparrow on Camp Island sang a beautiful song. His back up singer was a tern with a very high pitched squeaky voice.  The tern was fishing next to the boat and finding plenty of small fish for breakfast. 

We motored past Stonington with its houses tiered on the hill. This is a working harbor and most of the lobster boats were already out fishing.

Crotch Island has an active quarry. Someday we would like to see the gantry crane in action loading stone onto a boat. 

The trip to the Fox Island Thoroughfare was an uneventful motorboat ride.  There were a few other sailboats motoring, some lobster boats hauling traps, and the occasional curious seal.

The windjammers and Goose Rock Light are icon Maine scenes. 

We anchored in Perry's Creek, one of our favorite places, and went for a paddle in the kayaks. Exploring areas where we cannot take the big boat makes taking the kayaks worthwhile.

On our way back to the boat we saw a small seal trying to eat a big fish.  It tried flipping the fish up in the air to swallow it head first but that didn't work, so it tried biting it but could not chew it into small pieces. Then it tried shaking the fish, but that didn't help so it tried throwing it again. Eventually a seagull solved the problem by stealing the fish.  The seagull could only fly a few feet above the water in short hops because of the weight of the fish.  The seal didn't try to get the fish back, it just dove and hopefully found a more suitable portion size. 

Rockland to Camp Island

 The Blues Festival returned to Rockland this year.  This is great for the city and all of the music lovers although it does make getting to the boat more of a logistical challenge than usual.  Luckily we had loaded most of the provisions on the boat already so we had very few things to carry. I dropped Bill off on Main Street close to the dock and he walked in with the gas tank for the dingy and I drove to the Snow Marine Park to park the car. Walking back through the neighborhoods on the south end of town was interesting. This is the part of Rockland where I grew up and seeing the changes in housing, landscaping, and the transition from an industrial area with warehouses, fish processing, and run down houses to one that is almost completely residential, full of flowers, and more prosperous shows the evolution of the area.

The docks were crowded with Blues loving boaters and their friends.  One very large lobster boat had a pop-up canopy in the cockpit, a tent on top of the cabin roof, and a Great Dane on board. The boat was so big and beamy that the dog was in proportion to the boat!  

The wind was light leaving the harbor, but there was just enough to sail since we were in no hurry to be anywhere. We sailed up to the north end of North Haven where the wind died completely so we had to motor. The beauty of calm days is the ability to see dolphins easily. I also saw a lions mane jelly fish.  Rounding the top of North Haven we passed the Lewis R French and enjoyed seeing her with sails up (although she was being pushed along by the yawl boat). 

The wind came up on the east side of North Haven and we had a surprisingly good sail to Merchants Row. 

The area around Stonington and Merchants Row is beautiful with many islands, ledges, rocks, and about a zillion lobster pots.  Sailing through this area requires concentration! 

We anchored at Camp Island then went for a dinghy ride to Devil's Half Acre and walked around on the flat ledges and explored the tide pools.  

The wild iris and rosa rugosa added a touch of color to the landscape. 

July 8, 2021

 Wow, what a difference a day makes!  The temperature dropped overnight and it was chilly on the boat. The weather report called for rain and winds gusting over 25 knots so we decided to head back to Rockland.  We had to be back home on Friday anyway so this was not a big change in plans.  We had to wear heavy clothes and winter hats.  Sailing in Maine I wear my ski pants and winter jacket as much in the summer as I do in the winter.  

Even on a gray cold day sailing through the Fox Island Thoroughfare is still beautiful. 

July 7, 2021

 Wednesday morning was a bright and clear day with crystal calm waters.  We ate breakfast on deck watching seals and eagles fish. The local crows were very upset by the eagles and after watching the eagles dive after a family of ducks we were very happy about the crows driving the eagles away. No ducklings were injured.  A pod of dolphins swam under the boat, including a tiny baby dolphin that was very close to the surface and seemed as curious about us as were about it. 

We left Smith Cove under motor and had a leisurely cruise to Great Spruce Head Island where we stopped for lunch. 

The view from our lunch anchorage was amazing. We felt like we were living inside of a painting. 

After lunch the wind picked up and we had a nice sail to Vinalhaven.  

The entrance to Seal Bay was marked by seals sunning on the rocks. 

In the evening while we were sitting on deck a couple with two very cute border terriers dinghied over and we talked with them for quite a while. He had built his boat and he and Bill had a great time talking about technical details. 

Smith Cove

 

We woke up to a white world of dense fog.  A family of dolphins swam by the boat and disappeared into the mist. After a few hours the fog lifted enough to see the HERITAGE raising her sails getting ready to sail slowly and majestically out of the harbor.  The winds were very light so they tacked slowly back and forth for two hours to clear Smith Cove and Castine. Watching a schooner sail out of a harbor is like stepping back in time. 

A calm foggy morning is a perfect day to spend ashore exploring Castine.  I was charmed by the little free library in the shape of a boat.  We walked to the real library and were just in time to watch the librarian wind the beautiful old grandfather clock.  

On our way to buy ice cream cones there was a sign that captured what we are trying to do perfectly.

Walking around Castine is like going on a garden tour. The flowers and gardens next to the historic houses with a view of the water are a treat. 

Our dinghy had not been getting up on plane so we hoisted it out of the water using the spinnaker halyard and Bill scrubbed the algae and grass off the bottom.  We took it for a test drive after its bath and it was able to plane again. 

In the afternoon the wind was still calm so we decided to stay in Smith Cove. We packed a picnic lunch and went for a kayak ride to explore. We found a little waterfall and ate our lunch while the current drifted the boats past tenacious pines growing out of the granite. 

On our way back to the boat we paddled around Sheep Island.  Over 50 seals were sunning on rocks and fishing in the cove.  The seals were jumping out of the water in graceful arcs as they chased fish.  Watching their acrobatics was amazing, although when they jump in back of the kayak it is spooky hearing the splashes. 

 Monday, July 5, 2021

The start of a sailing trip involves carrying what feels like everything we own down the ramp to the dock.  For one of the rare times in our boating lives it was high tide when we loaded the boat. 

 

Penobscot Bay is world renowned for sailing and scenery and we enjoyed the sight of a wide variety of sailboats with the Camden Hills in the background.  Seeing CORRET's sails and feeling the boat come alive as the wind picks up is one of my favorite things in the world. 

Castine was the first stop on our itinerary, but the wind started dying down off Islesboro. Warren Island State Park has nice hiking trails and is a fun place to kayak so we pulled into the harbor and anchored.  A few minutes after we anchored the wind picked up, a boat sailed by heeled over and it looked like fun, so we raised the anchor and headed up the bay. We had a fast downwind run to the top of Islesboro, then a very fast and fun ride to Castine with 20 knots of wind.   

Smith Cove is a favorite anchorage. Watching the sky turn colors is a great way to spend an evening. 

Summer Sailing in Maine

 We have decided to spend the summer sailing in Maine. Bill is his own boss so he gave himself 3 months off. Susan gave her notice at her jobs and is looking forward to enjoying the beautiful coast of Maine. We made this decision by giving it much thought and consideration.  Not really. We were sailing and remembered how much we loved it and said casually "we should take the summer off and go sailing."  So we did.