Wednesday August 31st.

We mostly sailed back to Boothbay Harbor, but had to resort to the engines for the last, windless hour.  We packed up Gloria and Mikes stuff then returned to Jay for the last week of their vacation.

Tuesday August 30th.

We had a very pleasant sail to Linekin bay and dropped the hook.  Gloria and Ron took a refreshing swim, and then Mike and Ron tried their hand at fishing.  After about 15 minutes, we had caught 4 mackerel, and since there were only 3 of us, we threw the least huge one back. 

Mackerel appetizer was followed by happy hour and dinner aboard. 

Monday August 29th.

We visited the Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens by dinghy.  Unfortunately, we missed the last guided tour of the day, so Ron, (who had been to the gardens previously), acted as guide.   Despite this, Gloria and Mike who are both keen gardeners enjoyed the trip. 

We returned to Boothbay Harbor for the evening. 

Sunday August 28th.

We set off with a fair tide back down the Sheepscot River.  After a short trip under motor, the wind picked up and we beat through the minefield of lobster pots to Indiantown Island.  We took the walk around the island and then sailed to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens mooring off Hodgdons Island where we had another happy hour (and dinner).

Saturday August 27th.

Wiscasset has a “Museum in the Streets”.  A set of historical buildings, each with a plaque describing their history, and a few that offer tours.  We took tours of “Castle Tucker”, “Nickell Sortwell’s Home” and the “Jail”.  All very interesting.  And we visited all the other building during the course of the day. 

Happy Hour was preceded by ice-cream and a jolly good time was had by all. 

Friday August 26th.

We tried sailing along the Sheepscot River up to Wiscasset, but were unsuccessful due to lack of wind.  We motored instead, arrived just after 3pm and picked up the town mooring.  Despite the ‘captain’ assuring the crew that no dolphins would be seen in the river, we saw several seals and a couple of dolphins.

We went ashore, supported the local economy by buying ice-cream and returned to the boat for happy hour and dinner. 

Ships Log: 6051.4, Todays Log: 7, Seasons Total: 356.2

Thursday August 25th.

Ron, Gloria and Mike drove to Boothbay Harbor.  We moved the boat from the Tugboat Inn mooring to the DEYC dock, loaded the luggage, re-provisioned the boat and went out to dinner. 

Wednesday August 24th.

Teresa was still visiting her mom.  Ron picked up his sister, Gloria and brother-in-law Mike at Logan Airport.  We had a choice:  drive another 3.5 ours to Boothbay (after a 7 hour flight from Blighty), or spend the night in an hotel.  We chose the latter option and had a delicious dinner at the Metropolis on Tremont Street in Boston.

Wednesday August 17th – Tuesday August 23rd

Vacation in CT!

Tuesday August 16th.

Teresa was planning to visit her mom today, so, with no wind, and not much in the forecast, we set of early and motored back to Boothbay Harbor. 

Teresa cycled over to Hodgons to pick up Ron’s car while Ron tidied the boat.  Then we both drove to Newington, NH, where we had cunningly left her car a couple of weeks ago.  Of well, the plan seemed good at the time.

Ships Log: 6044.4, Todays Log: 5.2, Seasons Total: 349.2

Monday August 15th.

There is a beautiful, rugged island just outside Boothbay Harbor which our cruising guide gives 5 stars, and so we decided to explore.  We were moored in the outer harbor, with few obstacles nearby, and a nice fresh N wind so we dropped the mooring under sail, which was very nice and peaceful. 

A broad reach took us all the way to Damariscove Island, 43 45.30N 069 36.88W.  We sailed into the harbor but when we found out how small and crowded it was, we chickened out, dropped sails and motored in to find  mooring.  They were all taken however, but when we returned to the outer harbor to find somewhere to anchor, a boats crew told us they would be leaving in 15 minutes, so we picked up the mooring that they vacated. 

We went for a walk around the island which was very rugged and natural.  And full of biting flies!

We returned to Quinita, and watched as a sailboat a little larger than ours sailed calmly into the harbor, went right into the inner harbor under sail, rounded up and picked up a mooring.  They certainly put us to shame – we didn’t even think they had room to turn their boat!

We swam to cool off – the water was certainly cool – cleaned the log impellor which hadn’t been working, and rinsed off with sun showers. 

Ships Log: 6039.2, Todays Log: 0.1, Seasons Total: 344

Sunday August 14th.

The heat and humidity are back, together with threats of rain showers.  After breakfast, we all went for a walk around town, then Marc and Dee headed back to Jay. 

We put the boat on the DEYC dock, defrosted the fridge, did some laundry, shopping  and catching up on the blog then went out to the outer harbor to pick up the DEYC mooring, where we swam and took sun showers while watching the sun set – beautiful!

Ships Log: 6039.1, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 343.9

Saturday August 13th.

The heat has gone, it’s overcast, threatening rain and actually a little cool. 

A leisurely breakfast was followed by a walk to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, where we spent a very pleasant few hours.  We returned to the boat just in time to dodge another rain shower, and had a late lunch. 

We then motored the 4nm back to Boothbay Harbor and picked up a DEYC mooring. 

The ladies were put in charge of cocktails and provided champagne.  Nice!  Afterwards we had dinner ashore in the Boat House Bistro. 

Ships Log: 6039.1, Todays Log: 4.5, Seasons Total: 343.9

Friday August 12th

Some of us woke with a reminder of just how strong those Gins and Tonic were last night.  However, after breakfast and a refreshing swim, we all seemed to be in good health and set off in the afternoon for Indiantown Island, where we planned to hike.  We had a great sail as far as Townsend Gut, where we needed to motor through the opening bridge. 

We picked up a guest mooring off the island, and after a look at the dark sky, we decided to wait and see what was in store for us.  We soon found out – the forecasted thunderstorm arrived and dumped a lot of rain, but fortunately no lightening.  After the thunderstorm we were treated to a surreal spectacle of what looked like steam on the water’s surface accompanied by extreme heat and humidity.  We went for a walk on Indiantown Island anyway and found some respite in the shade under the trees. 

After the walk, we motored the small distance to a guest mooring provided by the Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens where we spent the night, 43 52.78N 069 40.34W.  We also just managed to dodge another heavy bout of rainfall. 

Marc was banned from making cocktails and entertained us with is guitar instead; Vice Admiral Ron made some much lighter Rum Punches – Pineapple Juice, Cranberry Juice and Rum.   

Ships Log: 6039.1, Todays Log: 4.5, Seasons Total: 343.9

Thursday August 11th

We moved to the DEYC dock, filled up with water and hosed the boat down.  Teresa did laundry and Marc and Dee arrived just after midday. 

Lunch on the dock was followed by a beat out of Boothbay, and a slow, sedate screecher run down Linekin bay where we dropped anchor in the same spot that we anchored in on June 30^th.  It was still a lovely spot!

Marc put himself in charge of cocktails, and produced some gins and tonic that later in the evening we were to discover were VERY strong.  

Teresa was presented with an Admirals cap, and Ron was presented with a Vice Admirals cap.  I guess we now know who’s who!

Ships Log: 6026.1, Todays Log: 5.9, Seasons Total: 330.9

Wednesday August 10th.

We had a very nice sail back to Boothbay harbor.  We hoisted our screecher for the first time since ‘the incident’, and tried out a new furling technique which worked well, albeit in only 12 knot winds.  By motoring dead downwind and letting the sheets fly, the pressure of the wind on the sail is reduced.  This relies, of course, on having sea room to motor downwind, but it may well be useful next time we find ourselves furling the screecher in high winds. 

We picked up a DEYC mooring and started cleaning the boat up in preparation for our guests Marc and Dee who arrive tomorrow. 

Ships Log: 6020.2, Todays Log: 9.1, Seasons Total: 325

Tuesday August 9th.

Our cruising guide suggested a dinghy ride around the harbor at low tide.  So we did.  Its usually more interesting seeing harbors at low water and this harbor was no exception.  The guide also mentions that cormorants do not have oils in their feathers as other sea birds do.  So when they dive, the cormorants wings get soggy and need drying out.  Here’s how they do that.

Probably our shortest voyage yet!  We sailed for 5 minutes then motored to Love Cove, 43 49.94N 069 40.24W.  On the way we stuck our nose in Pierce Cove, 43 50.06N 69 40.56W just to take a look.  We have cycled past these coves many times on the way from Hodgdons to Boothbay harbor and were interested to look at them from seaward.  With our centerboard up we have a draft of 3’, so we explored these coves up to a depth of 7’.  (However, the next day we noticed that we hadn’t raised our centerboard, so we were exploring with a draft of 6’!)

Ships Log: 6011.1, Todays Log: 2.1, Seasons Total: 315.9

Monday August 8th.

Yesterday, we left our bikes at Hodgdons Boothbay dock so that today, when we docked for fuel we could pick them up more easily. 

After refueling, we set sail for Five Islands, 43 49.39N 069 42.51W.  We had a glorious sail, beating out towards the southern tip of Southport Island in winds between 12 and 15 knots.  We rounded the tip and started a broad reach towards Five Islands just as the wind increased up to 20 knots.  Perfect - 20 knots is fine for a broad reach, but less desirable for a beat.

We picked up a Five Islands Yacht Club mooring, (which they offer free for the first 2 nights, thank you very much), and went ashore for a bike ride.  A hike in the Reid State Park was followed with a swim in the beautiful, warm, freshwater swimming hole, Charles Pond. 

We returned to the boat for pasta primavera, followed by cocoanut ice cream and rum!  Life is tough.

Ships Log: 6009, Todays Log: 9, Seasons Total: 313.8

Sunday August 7th.

We putzed around on the boat most of the day.  Teresa went grocery shopping, Ron did a few more jobs, and then we took the car back to Hodgdons and cycled back to the boat. 

DEYC have a mooring on the outer harbor, at 43 50.81N 069 38.06W, so we decided try it out.  It’s probably a bit rolly out there with prevailing SW winds, but we had NW winds through the evening and a lot of the night, and were very comfortable.  And the mooring was great – it was outside the busy part of Boothbay harbor and gave a totally different perspective.  We didn’t have any near neighbours, swam off the boat and took sun showers in the cockpit.  Nice!  

And the sunset was not bad either.

Ships Log: 6000, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 304.8

Saturday August 6th.

Ron moved the boat to a mooring at Browns since no one would be on the boat most of the day.  He finished up a few boat jobs, then cycled to Southport, picked up the car and drove to Great Bay Marina in Newington, NH.  We’re planning on wintering Quinita there.  Teresa drove there from CT, and we left her car there so that we’d have a car available to us when we laid up. 

We drove back to Boothbay, via Lewiston, which happens to be the home of Baxters Brewing Company, Ron’s new favourite brewery.  He took in a growler or 2, but was informed that Maine law prohibits breweries from filling other breweries growlers.  This is stupid!  Please write to your senators!!!  To make matters worse, they didn’t have any growlers of their own so Ron was out of luck.  Having driven perhaps 40 miles out of our way, we were only able to pick up a few cans! 

It was not all bad though.  Lewiston has a fine Indian restaurant where we dined before returning to the boat. 

Ships Log: 6000, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 304.8

Wednesday August 3rd – Friday August 5th.

The hot sunny weather continues as we set about a few jobs on Quinita.  We docked for a few hours to do laundry, refill water tanks and clean the hulls and then returned to a DEYC mooring. 

We cycled to Hodgdons at Southport to pick up Teresa’s car and discuss our screecher problem with their rigging guys.  It seems that replacement furlers start at $1,000!  We’ll see.  Unbeknown to us at the time, Brenda and Vin and other friends from the Corinthiian Cruise were at Hodgdons marina for the night.  We found out via text, and met up with them for dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants at Robinsons’s Wharf.

On Thursday, Teresa left for CT to visit her mom.  Ron continued working on the to-do list. 

Ships Log: 6000.00, Todays Log: 0.00, Seasons Total: 304.8

Tuesday August 2nd.

The tides we not favourable to sail to Boothbay Harbor until midday, so we went ashore and took the walk we didn’t manage yesterday.  A very nice, peaceful area. 

Winds were promising for a sail to Boothbay Harbor and we set off just before noon and we were soon enjoying a sedate sail towards Boothbay.  The winds were light however, and eventually we had a boat speed of 0, so the engines went on.  Better than nothing though! 

Whenever we anchor or pick up a mooring, we record the ships log and GPS position for this very blog.  Today, on arrival at Boothbay, the log read exactly 6000.00nm. 

We cleaned up the boat and went for a short bike ride before dinner. 

Ships Log: 6000.00, Todays Log: 8.9, Seasons Total: 304.8

Tuesday August 2nd.

The tides we not favourable to sail to Boothbay Harbor until midday, so we went ashore and took the walk we didn’t manage yesterday.  A very nice, peaceful area. 

Winds were promising for a sail to Boothbay Harbor and we set off just before noon and we were soon enjoying a sedate sail towards Boothbay.  The winds were light however, and eventually we had a boat speed of 0, so the engines went on.  Better than nothing though! 

Whenever we anchor or pick up a mooring, we record the ships log and GPS position for this very blog.  Today, on arrival at Boothbay, the log read exactly 6000.00nm. 

We cleaned up the boat and went for a short bike ride before dinner. 

Ships Log: 6000.00, Todays Log: 8.9, Seasons Total: 304.8

Monday August 1st.

For the first time in several days, we had enough wind to sail and so we did.  It lasted 11 minutes L.

And then we motored to Pemaquid Harbor, 43 52.99N 069 30.93W.  We had planned to anchor, and did in fact drop the hook, but soon realized we were too close to the many moored boated.  So we headed up the harbour in search of a favourable anchoring spot.  Then we had a better idea – we checked the DEYC mooring share system, found a free mooring and picked it up. 

We went ashore for a walk and found a ranger giving a guided tour around the Pemaquid Fort and 17^th century settlement, so we joined in with the group and enjoyed the informative talk. 

Dinner back on Quinita was preceded by a delicious mackerel appetizer, although there was way too much for an appetizer, so we kept some for lunch tomorrow. 

Ships Log: 5991.1, Todays Log: 14.7, Seasons Total: 295.9

Sunday July 31st.

We haven’t seen any wind for several days and there’s none in the forecast for the next few days.  So we motored to Port Clyde, 43 55.41N 069 15.68W.  We did have 2-5 knots of following wind, and a fair tide all day, so we made good time to our destination. 

We took a short walk to the local lighthouse.  Then a longer walk to the other side of town.  It’s a pretty town and very quiet.

Ron tried his hand at fishing and struck gold – 6 mackerel, 1 got away, 1 thrown back and 4 keepers.

Ships Log: 5976.4, Todays Log: 20.2, Seasons Total: 281.2

Saturday July 30th.

Another hot and windless day.  We went to a wonderful farmer’s market in the morning and stocked up on fresh vegetables.  We got back to Quinita just in time to watch the parade of sail through the harbour.  Most of the boats were beautiful,  some were huge and very expensive.  Here’s a link to Belle Aventure. 

After the parade we took a bike ride to Rockport, 44 11.07N 69 04.57W.  Ron then continued riding south to Owls Head Transportation Museum, while Teresa headed back north to hike the Camden Hills. 

The Transportation Museum was well worth the visit, with cars, motor cycles and aeroplanes dating back to the beginnings of their respective histories. 

And the views from the Camden Hills were spectacular. 

In the evening we had one of the best meals ever at a restaurant called Fresh.  Highly recommended!

Ships Log: 5956.2, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 261

Friday July 29th.

Yippee, Microsoft will stop offering me the free upgrade to Windows 10 at midnight tonight!

The day dawned foggy and damp.  We had planned to leave around 10am anyway to minimize the foul tides we would otherwise get.  As it happened, the fog burned off around that time and so we set off.  There was no wind, and we motored all the way to Camden, 44 12.40N, 069 03.55W. 

We picked up a nice mooring, close to the town center, and went ashore to explore.  They have ice cream shops here!  They also have an Opera House which was playing Casablanca as a play later in the evening.   The play was entertaining – performed by only 5 actors doubling up on many roles – despite the fact that the movie has 70 or so speaking parts. 

Ships Log: 5956.2, Todays Log: 16.8, Seasons Total: 261

Thursday July 28th.

We set off early to catch the tide to Seal Bay on Vinal Haven, 44 05.89N 068 48.07W with a nice close reach and 8-10 knot winds.  Twice throughout the day the winds died in between the several island we were passing though, and we found ourselves with no wind, plenty of lobster pots and ½ knot currents.  So reluctantly, the engines went on, but we only needed them for 7 minutes and then 4 minutes to get us back to clear air and good sailing breezes.  So all in all it was a very nice sail. 

On the way we passed Halibut Ledge, 44 06.56N 68 41.59W, and saw a hundred or so seals basking in the sunshine. 

We arrived at Seal Bay just in time to drop the hook, clean up the boat and have lunch.  This is another beautiful harbour, and so far we have it to ourselves.  We took a little dinghy tour, then had a relaxing afternoon. 

We almost had the bay to ourselves, but 2 very expensive looking powerboats dropped anchor in the bay late in the afternoon.  Fortunately, they were a distance away from us. 

Ships Log: 5939.4, Todays Log: 15.8, Seasons Total: 244.2

Wednesday July 27th.

We had a nice breeze when we left the mooring at 10:30 for Burnt Coat Island, 44 08.46N 068 26.85W, however it didn’t last and we ended up motoring for 1½ hours, sailing for 1½ and then motoring for 2 hours L. 

We tried dropping the hook in the harbour, but it fouled on weed and since the guide book suggested that weed was a problem, we decided to pick up a visitor mooring instead.  The line on the mooring was about 1½” in diameter, so we felt pretty secure!  We went ashore to pay for the mooring, but couldn’t find anyone.  So we had a nice walk to the lighthouse on Hockamock Head, 44 08.00N 068 26.75W.  There are lovely hiking trails through the woods around the lighthouse.

There’s a green navigation buoy just off the head and about 6 young guys were having a great time playing on it.  These buoys are huge, although sometimes when looking for them at sea, you wouldn’t think so.  The boys on the buoy were probably 16 or 17 years old, but when standing on the base of the buoy, only came half way to the top of it.  Their favorite game seemed to be to leave one guy on the top, while the other 5 rocked the buoy back and forth, eventually weighing it down to almost horizontal.  Then the 5 ‘ballast’ guys would let go and catapult the guy on the top off.  I wish that game had been invented when I was 16!

Ron went fishing with his new mackerel lure and caught a huge mackerel.  If he catches another tomorrow, there’ll be enough for an appetizer!

In the evening, we were treated to another sight of the 120’ (or so) schooner “Heritage”.  This was the same ship we described dropping anchor under sail in Boothbay harbor on their windjammer days.  

When we entered the harbor, we took the tickle channel, which our book described as tricky.  We entered very cautiously, using  engines, and with Ron on the bow looking for rocks and lobster pots and eresa at the helm.  “Heritage”, on the other hand, came in very sedately, with all sails set and calmly gave us another demonstration of anchoring under sail.  Nice!

Ships Log: 5923.6, Todays Log: 17.5, Seasons Total: 228.4

Tuesday July 26th.

We took a bus to the South Ridge hiking trail over Cadillac Mountain.  It was a beautiful hike to the summit where there was a parking lot and hundreds of ‘tourists’.  We continued the hike down the other side (with stunning views of Frenchman’s Bay) to where we were expecting to pick up a bus to take us home.  The buses run very much to schedule, so after waiting for ½ hour and the bus was 10 minutes late, we called the bus company who informed us we were waiting at the wrong place.  By now we had missed the last bus, so started hitch hiking.  A park ranger stopped, (didn’t arrest us for illegal hitch hiking), and dropped us at the welcome center where we picked up a bus to Bar Harbor, then another to NE harbor and Quinita.  We picked up some take out lobster rolls in Bar Harbor, got back to the boat at around 8:30pm, had a quick and much needed shower, and dined aboard. 

Ships Log: 5906.1, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 210.9

Monday July 25th

No wind, so we motored from Somes to NE Harbour, 44 17.74N 068 16.90W.  We hadn’t been in a grocery friendly town for 6 nights, so went grocery shopping.  We had been warned that it was very expensive here, and confirmed that it was.  Laundry followed in the very nice Yachtsman’s Lounge. 

In the afternoon we visited 2 beautiful gardens,  Asticou and Thuya by bicycle then returned to the boat and dinghied over to Asticou hotel for a very nice dinner overlooking the harbor as the fog rolled in and out.

Ships Log: 5906.1, Todays Log: 5.5, Seasons Total: 210.9

Sunday July 24th.

We had a lay day today which is supposed to be a day of rest and relaxation.  It was far from that! 

The day started with a bike ride to North East harbor.  A beautiful ride along the fjord we sailed up yesterday.  At North East Harbor we parked the bikes and took one of the free busses to Jordan’s Pond, which we walked around before having lunch at the pond.  This was followed by another bus ride around Mt. Desert to see views of the island, then a bike ride back to Somes pond – a beautiful, warm, freshwater pond just outside Somes Harbor.  After swimming in the pond, we returned to the boat, changed clothes and dinghied a mile or so to a restaurant on the north eastern shore – Abel’s Lobster Pound where we had a delicious dinner. 

On the dinghy ride home we saw a seal basking on a rock that appeared since it was low tide.  It was the picture perfect pose with him in an arc – all that was missing was the beach ball balancing on his nose, oh yes and our camera!

Ships Log: 5900.6, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 205.4.

Human Log: Bike: 22 miles, Hike: 3.5 miles, Swim: 0.5 miles, Bus: 40+ miles, Dinghy: 2 miles.

Saturday July 23rd.

Happy birthday Rome!

We woke up to another hot sunny day.  Winds were light so we dilly dallied around in the morning.  

Eventually it was time to set off towards North East harbor or Sommes Harbor, despite the lack of wind.  We motored for 3 hours and then the wind picked up and we beat through the lobster pots until we got to the entrance to North East Harbor, 44 16.80N 68 16.44W.  The sailing was great now and having motored for so long, we decided to continue sailing up Somes  Sound, 44 18.90N 68 18.63W.  Somes Sound is billed as a fjord in the sailing guides.  It was beautiful, but nothing like the fjords in Newfoundland.  We arrived at Somes Harbor, 44 21.62N 68 19.63W and dropped the hook next to several other like-minded sailboats.  It is a beautiful harbor, albeit crowded with moorings. 

We planned to take our bikes ashore for an exploratory ride, but thunder and lightning reared their ugly heads in the distance and we decided to stay put.  As it turned out we didn’t get any storms in the evening. 

We put the mosquito nets up and dined on lamb chops, asparagus, potatoes and carrots, washed down with red wind.  Life is tough on the high seas!

After dinner Ron tried his hand at fishing again, but returned fishless with tales of the multitude of mosquitos out there.  It seems our mosquito nets work quite well!

Ships Log: 5900.6, Todays Log: 22.5, Seasons Total: 205.4

Friday July 22nd.

Another beautiful day, with 10-15 knot winds in the forecast gusting to 20.  The winds put us on a broad reach to run all day.  We couldn’t use the screecher since we hadn’t sorted it out yet, but the genoa did just fine.  With 15 knot winds we were sailing at 6-7 knots, and when the wind got up to 30+ knots, we rolled most of the genoa away and were sailing at 8-9 knots.  Quite exciting sailing through lobster pots at 8 knots.  We had planned to either sail to North East Harbor or Sorrento, but with these winds the decision was easy.  We continued to Sorento across beautiful Frenchman Bay, 44 26.45N 68 11.68W. 

We dropped anchor in Sorrento, 44 28.35N 068 11.00W, next to the many moored boats and went ashore for a walk.  The views from Sorrento are stunning, looking out over the boat towards Mount Desert Island.  Sorrento, apparently, was initially a resort town, but now there are no stores, or tourist facilities, (not even an ice-cream shop!), but there are many beautiful and expensive looking large homes in an idyllic setting.  

We had a relaxing evening on the boat.  Ron did a little fishing, to no avail and Teresa spied on a deer feeding along the shoreline.

Ships Log: 5878.1, Todays Log: 23.4, Seasons Total: 182.9

Thursday July 21st

Yesterday, a couple rowing past our boat in their dinghy asked me if our boat was as much fun as she looked.  I responded “sometimes”, and they both said they knew exactly what I meant.  Today might have been an example.  The weather was gorgeous once again with SW winds between 8 and 15 knots.  We were sailing under screecher alone, and with no mainsail to interfere with it, we were sailing at up to 8.5 knots. 

Then things got interesting.  The wind picked up and we decided we’d had enough fun with the screecher so decided to furl it and unroll the Genoa – a much smaller sail.  Unfortunately, the roller mechanism on the screecher decided not to co-operate.  We got it half rolled, then had to pull it down manually, (in rising winds).  Teresa had to cope with steering, lobster pots, and the screecher halyard, while Ron was on the tramp trying to pull the sail down.  Well, (obviously since you’re reading this), we succeeded, but not without some bruises. 

Apart from that, it was a great day’s sailing.  We now have a project to figure out how to drop the screecher  more easily without furling it.

We arrived at Frenchboro, 44 07.53N 068 21.74W and picked up a mooring in the small harbour.  After stowing the screecher a little more securely, and planning our next few days, we went ashore to the Lunt Dockside Deli where we had crab pasta, washed down with a BYO of Rhubarb wine, courtesy of Melanie, our new friend from the DEYC.

All’s well that ends well!

Ships Log: 5854.7, Todays Log: 23.2, Seasons Total: 159.5

Wednesday July 20th

We sailed to North Haven, 44 07.51N 068 52.28W.  We had a great sail, winds between 10 and 20 knots and mostly behind us.  However the lobster pots seem to be getting more prolific, meaning that we had to keep a constant lookout for them.  At one point, we encountered 2 that were less than 16’ apart, which is a shame since Quinita is 16’ wide.  So we sailed over one pot, but didn’t snag it, thank goodness.  It seems that the lobstermen in Maine are required to use sinking (as opposed to floating lines), which helps somewhat.  But there are still plenty of stories of people getting snagged. 

The navigational marks are often used by the local birds to hold their nests. 

We picked up a mooring in the crowded thorofare of North Haven and took our bikes ashore for a ride. 

Ships Log: 5831.5, Todays Log: 28.9, Seasons Total: 136.3

Tuesday July 19th.

We finally set off to do some real cruising.  The forecast promised a great sail, but they lied.  We sailed out of Boothbay at 2-3 knots, waiting for the forecasted winds, but after an hour resorted to motoring.  The engines were on and off several times during the day, which was frustrating, and we arrived at Maple Juice Cove in the George River, 43 58.53N 069 16.89W at 4pm. 

Maple Juice Cove must have the easiest anchorage ever - a wide cove with a flat bottom at 10’ depth with nice mud everywhere.  It’s very pretty.

We went ashore in the dinghy, and walked to a famous house that had been painted by a famous painter.  It was open for visitors tomorrow!

The sunset was spectacular, followed after ½ hour or so by a spectacular moonrise. 

Ships Log: 5802.6, Todays Log: 24.2, Seasons Total: 107.4

Monday July 18th

The plan was to head for Maple Juice Cove today, but there was thick fog in the morning and thuderstorms with ‘Damaging Winds” forecast in the afternoon.  That didn’t sound too inviting so we stayed put in Boothbay.   Not a bad place to spend an extra day.

Ships Log: 5778.4, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 83.2

Sunday July 17th

Mac & Barb from DEYC had contacted us earlier, since they were thinking of switching from mono-hull to catamaran sailing.  So we invited them for a sail and showed off our boat.  Very light winds to start with but they picked up later in the afternoon and we had a nice sail.  And what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than to have a captive audience while you talk about your boat!

Ships Log: 5778.4, Todays Log: 5.2, Seasons Total: 83.2

Saturday July 16th

The good weather continues.  We took Paul and Ana for a sail.  Went to Linekin Bay, picked up a mooring for lunch and had our first swim of the season before sailing to Burnt Island where we picked up another mooring and went ashore to explore.  The former lighthouse keepers who lived on Burnt Island  from 1980 - 1983 were visiting the island and took us on a guided tour of the former residence.  It was interesting to hear about their time there and to think of living on the island year round.  After that we sailed back to Boothbay Harbor.  It was a perfect sailing day – sunshine and winds of 8 – 12 knots. 

In the evening Paul and Ana treated us to dinner in the Boat House Bistro.

Ships Log: 5773.2, Todays Log: 10.1, Seasons Total: 78

Friday July 15th

Another blistering hot day.  Paul and Ana were due to arrive in the evening to spend the weekend in Boothbay, and so we stayed put for the day.  We went ashore and found some shade to do some bicycle tune-ups, then went for a very pleasant and shady ride between Boothbay harbor and Linekin bay. 

We got back to the boat, and took the floor out of the dinghy to clean it on the dock.  That gave us a better workout that the bike ride. 

Paul and Ana arrived at 7pm and we had dinner with them on the boat.

Ships Log: 5763.1, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 67.9

Thursday July 14th

Anyone notice any cool boats of the cover of this magazine?

Brenda and Vin arrived in Boothbay Harbor on Dragonfly with Mike and Barbara, so we invited them for dinner. 

It was a hot, hot and windy day.  At one point, our wind generator was producing 12 amps of electricity and the 2 solar panels were producing 4 each for a total of 20 amps.  Of course, the whole problem with renewable energy sources is what to do with the excess energy when the batteries are full.  We used the excess to cool some more beers in the fridge!

Ed and Marlene (from the DEYC) were on Moon Shadow on the next mooring to us, so we invited them aboard for happy hour along with Vin, Brenda, Mike and Barbara.  It turns out that Ed’s jokes are just as bad as Mikes!  Ed and Marlene left to eat ashore and Teresa made a scrumptious pasta primavera for the rest of us. 

The Dragonfly crew returned to their boat just before the heavens opened (we think). 

Ships Log: 5763.1, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 67.9

Friday 8th July – Wednesday 13th.

The Newport Jazz Festival took place this weekend (Newport, VT that is!).  So we left Quinita on a Tugboat Inn mooring and headed home to enjoy the Jazz.  Our friends Gene and Cynthia organized most of it (Gene is a professional Sax player).  The weather was a little damp on Saturday, but the music was fantastic.  Star of the show for us was Stanley Jordan.  Half way through the YouTube video he’s playing 2 guitars at once.  He didn’t do that in Newport, but his playing was fantastic!

Teresa visited her mum in CT on Monday and Tuesday and Ron returned to the boat on Tuesday and finished off some more jobs. 

On Wednesday, Ron took Quinita to Hodgdens dock ‘cause one of the engines had not been running well.  Sean arrived, did some magic (we hope) and it’s now running much better.  Teresa rejoined the ship in the late afternoon.

Ships Log: 5763.1, Todays Log: 1.2, Seasons Total: 67.9

Thursday 7th July.

Did I mention Lobster pots?  They were sprinkled liberally amongst the moorings and half way through the night we heard a tap, tap, tap on the hull.  It turned out that we had a lobster buoy snagged on our centerboard.  Not a job we were going to deal with at midnight.  We were tired enough to sleep and figured we’d deal with it in the morning. 

Fortunately, by the morning, the lobster pot had freed itself, but we spent an hour hoisting up the mooring buoy and freeing our lines and the mooring pennant. 

The tides weren’t good for returning to Boothbay until 1pm, so we took a walk around town.  Wiscasset has an interesting “Museum in the Streets”.  You pick up a pamphlet which has 29 historical buildings on a map, and walk around to visit them.  Each building has a plaque with information outside, which makes for a nice outdoor museum.    It’s a very picturesque town.

After having a delicious Maine lobster roll and buying some Maine Jam, we returned to the boat and set off for Boothbay.  The winds were very light, but 3 classic Friendship sailboats had set off just before us and were sailing.  With their large gaff rigged mainsails, they were making slow progress.  We tried to sail with our screecher but, in 3-4 knot winds dead astern we were even slower and had to resort to the engines if we were going to make Boothbay on the tide. 

The bridge at Townsend Gut was now operational, and we tied up at the DEYC dock by 5:30pm. 

Ships Log: 5761.9, Todays Log: 11.4, Seasons Total: 66.7

Wednesday 6th July.

We were destined to have a foul tide through the narrows back out to the Sheepscot river, if we were to have a fair tide up to Wiscasset, so we left early (ish) before the tide through the narrows was too strong.  Another hot day, but no wind, so we motored to Wiscasset, 43 59.88N 69 39.95W. 

At Wiscasset we popped into Wiscasset Yacht Club where they were very friendly, allowed us to use their dinghy dock and pointed out the town moorings, one of which we picked up.  The mooring pennant was thoroughly wrapped around the mooring chain, which at the time didn’t worry too much, since we usually rig our own lines because, unlike a monohull, we need a bridle. 

After mooring we jumped on our bikes and set off for a ride.  The ride was billed as a 55 miler, but given that the temps were forecast to be in the mid 80s, we worked out a shortcut.  As it happened, we should have worked out a shorter shortcut – we were both exhausted when we got back from a 45 mile ride. 

Arriving back at the boat, we discovered that one of our bridle lines was thoroughly wrapped around the mooring chain.  We didn’t have time or energy to fix it, so we dropped that line and used a different one for the night.

The kind folk at the Yacht Club allowed us to use their showers, (perhaps because they were downwind of us), after which we had dinner at Le Garage followed by an early night.

Ships Log: 5750.5, Todays Log: 5.9, Seasons Total: 55.3

Tuesday 5th July

We woke up to a boat covered in ash from last night’s fireworks.  So we headed over to the DEYC dock to wash the boat. 

Our plan for today was good;  we’d leave Boothbay by 10am in order to catch the flood tide up the Sheepscot River and spend the night in Wiscasset.  After washing the boat, we even left ahead of schedule.  However, when we arrived at the Townsend Gut bridge, which is supposed to operate 24hrs/day, 365 days a year, the bridge was not operational.  So we had to beat south against the tide to round Southport island.  We did then have a nice, fair tide run up the river, but couldn’t make Wiscasset on that tide.  So we stopped in Oven Mouth, 43 56.23N 069 38.21W and anchored. 

We took a dinghy ride to explore this area and on the way back to Quinita, we noticed three seals sunbathing on rocks.  We stopped our engine and dropped the dinghy anchor upwind of them, hoping to quietly drift down for a better view.  We did get some photos, but however quiet we were, the seals didn’t seem to like us much.  Just as we were about to leave, something large broke the surface of the water right next to the dinghy and alarmed us.  We still don’t know whether it was a brave seal trying to frighten us off, or a seal coming up from a dive and being startled to find us there, or the loch Ness monster …  Anyway, we guessed we might be disturbing the seals, so left. 

The area where we are anchored gets mud flats around the edges during low tide.  With a tide of 10 – 12 feet this dramatically changes the setting.  At low tide many birds come in to walk the mud flats in what looks like a search for clams, crabs and other food.

Ships Log: 5744.6, Todays Log: 16.9, Seasons Total: 49.4

Saturday 2nd – Monday 4th July.

The whole weekend was hot and sunny. 

Teresa’s sister Rome was visiting for a couple of days and their cousins Laurie and Darcy would be staying in Boothbay for the weekend, so we moved to a TBI mooring in the morning.  Rome joined us in the afternoon.  We lunched on board, and Teresa and Rome went for a drive around town trying to find a parking lot with spaces.  Tough job on July 4^th weekend! 

Teresa and Rome returned to the boat just in time for happy hour. 

On Sunday Debbie, Laurie, Darcy, Doug and their daughter Kasey arrived and we all took a boat trip to Cabbage Island for a Lobster bake.  This consisted of a pile of clams, 2 lobsters, baked potato,  onion,  sweetcorn, a hard baked egg (which acts as a clam/lobster timer) and blueberry cake.  Enough food to feed an army.  We then waddled around to explore the island before returning to Boothbay Harbour for another happy hour on Quinita. 

We spent most of Monday (4^th) in Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens which was very impressive.  

Rome returned to CT, Debbie returned to Union, ME  and we had dinner with Laurie, Darcy and Doug. 

Quinita was in a prime position for watching the July 4^th fireworks.  It was a little chilly after the sun set so we bundled up, and positioned ourselves on the tramp for a great view of the fireworks.  

Friday 1st July.

Little wind today so we motored back to Boothbay Harbour and picked up a DEYC mooring.  We did a few jobs – wired in a 2^nd Solar panel regulator.  Our batteries were a little low and we noticed the DEYC dock was empty so we moved to the dock and plugged into shore power.  Teresa took to opportunity of doing some laundry without needing the dinghy.

Ships Log: 5727.7, Todays Log: 4, Seasons Total: 32.5

Thursday 30th June.

The rain has gone and it’s another beautiful day.  We started out with a bike ride to Ocean Point 43 48.92N 69 35.81W which is the other side of Linekin Bay, where we were planning to spend the night.  The ride was gorgeous and we covered 14 miles. 

Winds were forecast light, so we anticipated a very leisurely sail to Linekin Bay.  As it turned out the winds were perfect at between 8 and 15 knots.  On the way out, we saw a couple of the Windjammer ships in outer Boothbay harbor.  They were heading back in, and a little too late we decided to follow them and see if we could catch them.  On a reach we may have had a chance, but pretty soon they headed downwind, and with their massive gaff sails spread out before the wind, we couldn’t catch them.  Oh well, it was fun trying, and we were now almost back in Boothbay harbour and had a very pleasant beat out for the 2^nd time. 

Linekin Bay is a great bay to sail in.  Wide open, not too many lobster pots, and the hazards are well marked.  We anchored in the NW corner, 43 51.44N 069 36.19W, and very nice it was too!  As the crow flies we’re about 1.5 miles from Boothbay Harbor but it’s so different here.  Very peaceful, no tourists, just a few houses and moorings and no razzamatazz. 

Ships Log: 5723.7, Todays Log: 8.3, Seasons Total: 28.5

Wednesday 29th June.

Today was mostly damp, drizzly and rainy.  It had rained during the night, so the cockpit and decks were wet and stayed wet for most of the day. 

Teresa did some laundry and Ron returned the car to Hodgdons, since the town parade was scheduled for later in the day and there was to be no street parking. 

In the afternoon, 7 Windjammers sailed into the harbour.  The weather had cleared up a little and they all looked beautiful under sail.  The first and largest dropped anchor under sail which was pretty impressive given the number of boats on moorings.  I’ve often wondered how we would drop anchor under sail if we had engine problems.  (We always use the engines to back the boat on to the anchor to ensure it’s dug in well).  Here’s how Windjammers do it.  They approach the anchoragerunning downwind with some way on and drop the anchor off the port (in this case) bow.  The ship continues making way as cable is let out.  At some point, the cable is made off and the momentum of the ship digs the anchor in.  At the same time the ship is steered to port (around the anchor) and comes head to wind.  It looks very easy when done well, but might not be in practice!)

The street parade took place mostly in the rain, which stopped just in time for the DEYC party on the dock.

Ships Log: 5715.4, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 20.2

Tuesday 28th June.

Spent the day on the mooring.  It was another beautiful day, and local artists displayed their wares on the street.  Teresa checked out their stuff.  Our replacement water heater had arrived at Hodgdons, so we both cycled back there to pick it up.  Ron returned with the car and Teresa cycled back and went food shopping.  Ron installed the new water heater.

Half way through this project, the antique boat parade took place, so we stopped work to view the boats.  The last boat was Dave Quist on Capn Howard, a 32’ Nordic tug. 

Ron was just about to return to work on the water heater when he saw 2 skiing friends from Sunapee, NH sailing by.  We called over and they were as surprised as we were to see us.  They were heading out to Townsend Gut to anchor, so we arranged to meet at Robinsons Wharf for dinner.  Small world!

Monday 27th June

Our first sail of the season.  We woke up intending to motor through Townsend Gut to Boothbay Harbor where we would pick up a mooring, shop and get sorted out ready to receive guests.  However, the wind was blowing and the tides looked good for sailing around Southport Island to Boothbay Harbor.  So that’s what we did. 

We beat out of Sheepscot River with an ebb tide, and  when we reached the tip of the island, the tide turned and carried us into Boothbay on a run.  Perfect.  Well almost perfect – the wind instruments stopped working as soon as we set off, which made the beat more interesting.  Nevertheless we had a great first sail.   Let’s hope all our sails work out that well!

We picked up a DEYC mooring in Boothbay, 43 50.96N 069 37.65W, and had lunch. 

Teresa went shopping and Ron fixed the wind instruments and the wifi Bullet. 

Ships Log: 5715.4, Todays Log: 9.9, Seasons Total: 20.2

Sunday 26th June.

Another beautiful day.  The winds were light, we were on a mooring so always head to wind and we bent on the 3 sails.  We finished about 2pm after Ron lost the reefing lines in the boom, TWICE!  That’s what you get for hurrying. 

Hodgdens, the yard where Quinita wintered, had a customer appreciation party this afternoon, and we felt it would be rude not to attend.  So we did – it was very nice – BBQ, beer, wine and live music.  

We cycled there from Dave and Genie’s mooring and after the party took a detour to cycle around Southport Island. 

Ships Log: 5705.5, Todays Log: 0, Seasons Total: 10.3

Saturday 25th June.

The DEYC had a Day Tripper event today.  Boats met up at Burnt Island, 43 49.61N 69 38.50W, for lunch and to explore the island.  We had 7 boats rafted up on a single mooring.  Luckily the wind was light! 

We were the 6^th boat to arrive, and Melanie on Windependence arrived shortly after us.  She was sailing single handed and rafted to us.  We all had lunch, Melanie had to leave shortly afterwards, and soon after that everyone else left.  We returned to the mooring to explore the island. 

Just before we set off in the dinghy, we had a call from Melanie who had snagged a lobster pot.  (Did I mention that there are lots of lobster pots in Maine?)  It’s hard enough getting free of a lobster pot when you have a crew, let alone when you’re single handed, so we jumped into our dinghy and set off on a rescue mission!  She wasn’t too far away, and between us, after an hour of struggling to free the pot wrapped around her rudder, we cut the line, tied a plastic milk bottle to the lobster pot line (so the lobsterman could retrieve the pot), and Melanie was able to sail home. 

We returned to Quinita and went ashore to explore the island.

We returned to Dave and Genie’s mooring, had dinner aboard, and joined Dave at his campfire. 

Ships Log: 5705.5, Todays Log: 9.3, Seasons Total: 10.3

Friday 24th June.

Tidied the boat up and did a few more jobs.  Teresa went for a bike ride.  Then we went into the dock to fill with water.  Our friends from DEYC, Dave and Genie had invited us to use their mooring after we launched, so we motored over to take them up on their offer - 43 50.46N 69 40.33W.  Dave was home alone, so we invited him for dinner aboard and had a very pleasant evening. 

Thursday 23rd June.

Launch day – yippee.  Everything came together today.  A VHF connector arrived, this morning.  Hodgdens stepped the mast at midday.  Midcoast Marine Electronics tested out the VHF at 1pm, and we launched at 3pm.  I’ve said it before, but the boat feels so much happier when she’s in the water. 

We still have a few jobs to do, but we’re really happy to be afloat and master of our own destiny. 

Spent the night on a Hodgdon mooring, 43 49.98N 69 40.75W. 

Wednesday 22nd June.

Another good day.  The sheaves arrived and Ron fitted them to the top of the mast and replaced the mast head fittings.  Unfortunately the VHF connector did not arrive, so we may have to step the mast without the VHF antenna and send someone (I wonder who) up the mast when the VHF connector arrives.  Oh well, not a disaster and we’re hopeful to get the mast up and launch tomorrow.

This evening we went out to the Carousel Dinner Theater.  Dinner and a show performed by aspiring theatre actors.  It was very good.  For the first part of the evening, each of the 4 actors took turns in singing a song, while the others took our orders and waited on table for us.  Then when dinner was over, all 4 put on a very enjoyable show. 

Tuesday 21st June.

A good day.  Sean turned up to service the engines.  We usually service them ourselves but last season they were both running rough, implying that the carbs needed cleaning, which is difficult without a workshop.  We’re suspicious that the fuel in the US has more ethanol than the fuel in Canada, which is bad for marine engines in their high moisture environment.  So, while Sean cleaned the carbs, Ron installed fuel filters and cleaned up the wiring in both engine wells to make room.  The engines are now running much better and hopefully will continue that way.  Teresa scrubbed the cockpit and did some more polishing.

Thursday 16th – Monday 20th June.

Life has been frustrating trying to line up various contractors to fix our VHF, service our engines and then we discovered on Friday evening that the sheaves at the top of the mast need replacing.  Of course noone was working the weekend so had to wait until Monday to find out if we could even find the replacement parts.  Things came together on Monday however and we’ve now ordered the replacement parts, Hodgens have started work on the engines.  So, fingers crossed, we’ll hopefully launch on Thursday, a little later than we had hoped.    Southport, where Quinita is stored, is a beautiful island just outside Booth Bay Harbor.  Teresa has been enjoying the peaceful nature and beautiful scenery  biking around the island.

Monday 13th – Wednesday 15th June.

Returned to Jay to deal with some condo business (leaking underground water pipe!)

Friday 10th – Sunday 12th June.

Set about the long job list.  One of the not so fun jobs was replacing the window that Ron broke last year.  We managed to remove the old window and were relieved when it came out intact without dumping shards of glass everywhere.  However we chose too cool a day to install the new one.  It didn’t feel particularly cold. But at 60°F the adhesive was too cold to flow from the tube easily.  It took way longer than it should have, but eventually we got the new window in.  Thank goodness. 

We discovered that the water heater had developed a leak over the winter which prevented us from running our pressurized water system.  So we bypassed it and at least now have cold water plumbing. 

Teresa cleaned the boat inside and cleaned and polished outside.  Great job Teresa!

Thursday 9th June.

Teresa was in CT this morning and Ron in VT, so we drove both cars to ME and met on the boat.  Quinita was in great shape and a lot cleaner that she had been the past 2 winters in PEI.  (PEI had a lot more commercial activity).  We installed the batteries, hooked up the charger, commissioned our bunk and went out for dinner.  Then we spent a very comfortable night aboard.