MAINE CRUISE 2002
Whirlwind: Barb Field & Dave Curry
Kokopelli Too: Betsy Bouchard, Greg Davis, Barbara & Wiley Crockett
Free Again:  Dave and Sue Cleverly
Ladylove:  Jim, Helene & Kristin Feeley
Fascination:  Darilyn Dealy, Bob Wells, Hal & Elizabeth Hemme, Bob & Rhonda Haggard
Stardust: Fran & Theresa Coleman

Friday July 5: Dave and crew departed Hull Yacht Club at 8am (late start; no ice to be found in Hull after 4 days of 95-100 degree weather). Shawn Gallagher, Jim Ray, Jim Fitzpatrick & Ann Marie Linehan crew. NW wind 10-15 kn at the start. Builds to 25 with gusts to 35kn off Gloucester. Double reefed the main and used a tiny reefed 130 which flattened the boat beautifully. Winds died back to 10-15kn. Many whales were spotted at the beginning of Jeffries Ledge. Two humpback whales frolicked within 10 yds of the boat. Sailed all night and the winds picked up again to 20-25kn. Reefed and unreefed several times as the wind picked up and died down.

Saturday, July 6: Sunrise over Monhegan; arrived Tenants  Harbor 7:30 am; another sub 24 hour trip! The crew had a great breakfast at the inn.  Barb arrived at 10:05 am, just over 1 ½ hrs from Dad’s.  Left Hooly in tears at Dad’s.  Cell coverage continues to be bad in Tenants Harbor.  Anchored in Long Cove and Ladylove, Free Again, Kokopelli Too and Stardust arrived mid afternoon.  During an attempted raft-off, a local lobsterman decided to scare us off with a huge wake.  The other boats headed into Tenant’s to get moorings and we joined them shortly afterward after Dave discovered a blocked output hose in the dinghy engine.  We rafted with Kokopelli and Dave fixed the engine with help from Wiley and Greg and especially the white vinegar.  Darilyn and Bob, who we thought would be in Pulpit Harbor that night,  sailed to Long Cove on Fascination, a Beneteau 45 charter from Camden.

Sunday, July 7: Left Tenants for Perry Creek on Vinal Haven.  Motor-sailed most of the trip.  Anchored in first cove in 12’ water.  Fascination and Kokopelli also anchored.  The others arrived later and rafted.  Took dinghy ride to North Haven and found most of the shops closed on Sunday.  Took a nice walk for exercise.  Upon returning to Perry Creek Kokopelli discovered shallow water and moved up to raft with us.

Monday, July 8:We all took dinghy rides up the river; we saw seals, a little waterfall and high cliffs.  Dave and I discovered a trail map on one of the trees and asked Greg to ferry us up to the head of the creek so we could walk back toward the boats.  Departed Perry’s Creek at 1pm and were soon joined by several schooners making their way through the thoroughfare.  We made reservations at Billings Marine in Stonington.  Dave Cleverly had hoped take one of the two available moorings (plenty of dock space for the rest of us) but found that being outside the breakwater was too rough so we all wound up at the slips.  Stonington is 1 ½ mile walk or a good dinghy ride from Billings.  We managed to get into town before all the shops closed (between 5-6pm).  We discovered some interesting antique shops up the hill to the right.  This being our last night together with all 6 boats we planned a dock party that wound up on Fascination.  Everyone brought an appetizer and we partied until 10pm (so much for dinner).  The Princess Bride provided some great one-liners. Elizabeth and Rhonda tried to teach Sue how to speak with a southern drawl.

Tuesday, July 9: After cleaning Whirlwind at the dock we set off for NE Harbor with Fascination. 

Kokopelli sailed the Eggemoggen Reach and Free Again, Ladylove and Stardust left for Horseshoe Cove.  Motor-sailed against the current to NE Harbor, taking 4 hours.  The harbor was pretty full and we were lucky to get a floating dock mooring while Fascination found a 400 series mooring ball. ($20). Dinghyed to shore to check out the shops then back to the boat for dinner and back into town with Fascination crew to check out the nightlife-apparently the only town with bars is BAR Harbor.

Wednesday, July 10: The wind turned nw with strong gusts early in the morning.  We managed to find a mooring that was preferable to the anchored float which couldn’t swing with wind changes.  We all went ashore to rent bicycles.  $13 for 4 hours, $17 for the day.  Hal, Elizabeth, Bob & Rhonda chose to ride the main roads to SW harbor.  Bob, Darilyn, Dave and I took the free bus the few miles to the start of the carriage trails.  The bus saved us a ride along the busy street with no shoulder and a steep climb.  The carriage trails were gravel and wound around the mountains.  We chose some of the less strenuous trails but they still had quite a few elevation changes and I discovered muscles I hadn’t used in 25 years.  The trails had breathtaking views of the lakes, harbor and mountains in the distance.  We found a shortcut from the trails to Sargent Road and rode into town from the other direction on less traveled roads.  We estimated our trip was about 20 miles.  After showers on the boats we took a bus to Bar Harbor where Darilyn and I shopped and Bob and Dave waited patiently in a bar.  We had a nice dinner and then back to the boats. The others gave us quite a scare when we discovered their dinghy in the same spot they left it early that morning.  Before we could make calls to the local ER, Bob discovered some evidence that they had in fact made it back to the boat alive!  

Thursday, July 11:The strong NW continued.  We reprovisioned and then left for Winter Harbor on Vinal Haven.  We double reefed the main and motor-sailed with gusts up to 32 apparent.  Fortunately the seas were not rough.  The trip took just under 4 hours.  Fascination rafted with us and Bob entertained us with his anchoring exploits from the dinghy.  Cocktails together and then we separated to cook our respective dinners.  Winter Harbor is very pretty with steep cliffs.  We didn’t have time to explore by dinghy because we had lots of mileage to cover the next day.

Friday, July 12:Departed at 8:30am with a destination of Pemaquid.  Fascination departed for Pulpit Harbor before returning their boat the following day to Camden.  Motored in light NW winds that later blew up from the SW.  9 hours later we arrived in Pemaquid Harbor.  A very tiring day but we covered 43 miles.  There were loads of moorings in the harbor though most were privately owned.  Having arrived so late we decided there wasn’t much risk in picking one of these up.  We had dinner on shore and came back to the boat and crashed.  The harbor is not well protected from SW winds and we rocked a bit during the night.

Saturday July 13:Departed Pemaquid Harbor at 9am for the Damariscotta River.  Took narrow passage just north of Christmas Cove connecting Johns Bay to Damariscotta River passing through the swing bridge at South Bristol Gut.  No one answered on Channel 9 nor does the bridge attendant have a view to the south so a horn is required.  Planned the river trip with a rising tide.  Real estate tour was good and then the river becomes very remote.  Total time to New Castle/Damariscotta was 3 hours.  Schooner Landing never answered on Channel 9 nor did the docks look big enough for Whirlwind.  We called Riverside Boat Yard instead and got their only available mooring.  This is not a destination for many cruising boats, rather, it attracts many small power boats on day trips.  The town had many nice shops but nothing for provisioning; they’re just not used to visiting yachts.  We managed to get ice at the fish market along with some fresh halibut.  This was our first day to really hang out, reading and playing cribbage-which I won!  Seal Cove would be a better destination next time.

Sunday,  July 14:Left mooring at 6:05am to catch the outbound tide.  The current was very strong as the GPS would attest to; over 8 knots.  We reached the head of the Damariscotta River in 2 ¼ hours.  There were swells outside the river mouth created by tide meeting tide.  We headed into Boothbay to get diesel at Carousel Marina.  As is typical, we had to wait for a huge boat to refuel but it provided me with time to get a Sunday paper (the NY Times was sold out) and some ice.  The closest market was too far to walk while fueling so we left with no provisions.  Leaving Boothbay we passed through the Townsend Gut swing bridge passing a kayaker with his dog on the bow.  As we approached Five Islands an hour later we spotted Free Again and Stardust entering just ahead of us.  Moorings were tight; they picked up the only two remaining blue moorings that belonged to Five Islands Yacht Club.  We picked up a mooring ball just off their dock and  finally reached Susie McPhearson (207-371-2147), a friend of Jack Currans at Five Islands Yacht Club.  She was very helpful and indicated that the mooring, though not theirs, was probably available.  As it turned out, it only had a 150 lb. mushroom but the winds were light so we decided we were okay.  Rusty, the commodore, came out later in the afternoon to greet us.  After lunch, the six of us set off for Harmon Harbor, a walk of approximately 1 ½ miles.  No public road leads to the harbor but we discovered the Grey Havens Inn.  The inn had a covered porch with rocking chairs and sweeping views of the harbor below.  I could come stay here in a heartbeat! (greyhavens.com)  A new vegetable/flower shop is open approximately ¼ mile from Five Islands and we bought fresh vegetables for dinner.  Upon our return Dave successfully attacked mechanical breakdown #2: the water pump switch.  

Monday, July 15: After a rollercoaster night at the mooring, we all departed Five Islands at 7am. Winds were unusually strong for that hour of the morning (22 apparent) and we immediately hit large swells that made the cruise very uncomfortable.  The swells increased in size as we passed the entrance to the Kennebec River and everyone was feeling seasick.  We finally turned the corner around Cape Small after 3 hours and sailed downwind toward the Basin.  Free Again was in need of diesel and we badly needed provisioning so we stopped in Cundys Harbor.  Holbrooks Market was out of business so we continued down the harbor to Watson’s General Store.  It is the oldest family owned market in Maine, having been established in 1817.  Upon entering, I met at least 4 generations.  The great-grandfather looked to be close to 100 and his granddaughter was behind the cash register along with her young son.  Max the cocker spaniel was also hanging out.  The only provisions in their refrigerator included milk, eggs, butter, and a huge bag of hotdogs. She put the  4 dogs I asked for in a little paper bag.  The saltines we bought tasted as though they could have been on the shelves for 10 years.  The market was a true piece of Americana.

We continued across the bay to the Basin passing a hawks nest on the way.  We later spotted two more nests.  After rafting off at anchor we all took naps to recover from our harrowing voyage.  I took the dink for a row down the cove.   At 6pm a big thunderstorm came through and the weather quickly cleared out.  

Tuesday, July 16: Departed the Basin at 5am at high tide and had favorable tides all the way to York Harbor.  Winds were light out the northwest and we motor-sailed in flat seas for 9 hours. I had brought a book on CD that helped make the long sail less boring.  York Harbor has very strong currents entering the harbor.  Dave Cleverly called ahead to reserve two moorings and the harbormaster showed us to our moorings. ($20).  We dinghyed ashore and found only one small store open (that would leave the other two closed on Tuesdays).  With no provisioning in sight and our icebox looking pretty bare we scoped out the restaurant situation.  Dave and Sue joined us for a walk on shore and we discovered the “Wiggly Bridge”, the smallest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge led to a wooded park with walking trails.  We also discovered a trail along the harbor called “Fisherman’s Walk” that went from Wiggly Bridge back to the yacht club along the harbor’s edge. We returned to town for dinner at the York Harbor Inn.   Dinner was great; we ate at the pub rather than the formal dining room.

Wednesday, July 17: Departed York Harbor at 6am headed for Manchester by the Sea.  Once again we had light northwest winds and flat seas.  We motor-sailed to the head of the Annisquam which took about 4  ½ hours.  The tide was very low in the Annisquam and Free Again reported a few bumps along the way.  We arrived in Manchester by the Sea at 1:30.  Hingham Yacht Club has reciprocal privileges so they set us up with moorings.  We all took a walk around town, checking out the shops and doing a reprovision for our last dinner aboard.  We also had a chance to see the infamous “This Old House” project that faces the harbor near the Yacht Club.

Thursday, July 18: Departed Manchester at 7:35 am for home (Hull Yacht Club).  Once again the winds were on our nose and we had to fight strong currents so the trip took over 4 hours.  It was a great trip but I was happy to be home.  At 5:30 pm I left for Maine by car to pick up Hooly.  Despite being spoiled by Dad and Freela she was very happy to go home to her own house.