May 2014

It’s Sunday morning on Memorial Day weekend.  Actually, I can’t believe that I am on dry land on a MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, and don’t really mind.  Well, I don’t mind too much.  Old habits die hard, though.

For the 30+ years that we owned boats prior to my retiring, Memorial Day weekend was the official beginning of summer here in New England and it was took a “cold day in hell” to keep us at the dock or on the mooring, as it were, on this, the first long weekend of summer.

Actually prior to my “new life” of semi-leisure (I did cut the grass yesterday, and trim the roses and the cherry tree…), I can only recall a single memorial day weekend that we weren’t able to head out onto the water and that was years ago and a result of insurmountable mechanical “issues”.  No, I can’t recall the year and the exact problem, however.  And that is just as well as it was no doubt so traumatic that I repressed the memory.  To miss a long weekend…

However, it’s sufficient to say that it was a BIG DEAL.  Yes, there were rainy Memorial Day weekends but that generally wasn’t enough of a deterrent to keep us from heading out.  Sorry Brenda…   Well, now times are different.  At the very least, I just returned from several months in the Bahamas, but that’s another story and one that I have prattled on endlessly about in this blog.

So, what’s to talk about?   Maine!  Yes, Maine, where we will likely be heading later in the summer, after I complete my list of upgrades and repairs on Pandora.  However, it’s a holiday weekend and I don’t want to talk about things I have to do to get Pandora “ready” just now.

So, I’d prefer to talk about one of  my favorite spots in Maine and they are really great spots.  We have cruised to Maine many times, about 15 actually, not to put too fine a point on it. However, the last time we’ve been there was back in 2011.  Wow, that seems like a lifetime ago, alas I digress.

So, what are my favorite places to visit in Maine?   Glad you asked…  For now, I am going to just focus on one.  I’ll cover others in future posts, pretty soon, actually.  

So, Booth Bay Harbor:  This is a wonderful spot to begin a cruise “down east” as it’s in the mid coast part of well, “mid-coast” Maine.   There are some fun events scheduled according to the local chamber of commerce including an antique Lyman boat parade and viewing on Sunday August 10th.  There’s also a town wide celebration on August 22nd through the 24th in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of Boothbay.  Sounds like fun.

One of our favorite ways to visit Boothbay is to take a mooring right down town from the Tugboat Inn.  The moorings are very close to town, a few hundred feet actually, and are protected by a tiny and very picturesque island.  I love the home that’s perched on it.   Not a bad view to enjoy coffee with in the cool mornings. This harbor is well protected and has most everything you might need including a good grocery about a 15 minute walk outside of town.    Of course, there’s plenty of “T shirt” shops but I wouldn’t hold that against them if I were you.

There are plenty of places to eat in town.  Two of our favorite are The Boat House Bistro.  We enjoy the third floor open air area with it’s great view of the harbor. We also enjoy a special meal at The Thistle Inn, just outside of town.   It has a very historic feel and the food is quite good. 

Of course, there’s lots more to do in Booth Bay Harbor but a simple Google search will give you more than I can in a single post.  For now, it’s sufficient to say that it’s a great place to visit.

However, one problem with this spot is that it’s a hard place to swap crew as there isn’t a car rental spot very close.   However, if you aren’t swapping crew.  Not a problem.  When I have to take on or relieve crew, my choice hands down, is Rockland.  Stay tuned for a post on that.

This is in no way a complete overview of Boothbay harbor but it will have to be enough for now as I have to get on with my day.  It is, after all, Memorial Day weekend.

That’s all for now.

It’s Friday morning and it’s been a week since I returned home from the Bahamas.  Aside from cutting the lawn, planting gardens, setting mouse traps (a few moved in while we were away).  And, if you’re wondering, one down…

Anyway, in spite of a long “honey-do” list, I can’t help thinking about “what’s next” for us and Pandora.

As I have mentioned many times, being home during New England winters doesn’t hold a lot of attraction to me so one given for the 2014-15 winter is that we will be somewhere WARM.  Beyond that, nothing is certain.

One thing I am sure about is that I’d love to visit Maine again as it’s been several years since our last visit, 2011 actually, not to put too fine a point on it.

For many years, about 15 actually, we did visit Maine each summer and loved it. While I really enjoy the Bahamas, I might have to say that in a “shoot-out” I’d likely choose Maine.   I am in now way saying that I don’t like the Bahamas but Maine is just so magnificent.

No, you can’t swim in Maine unless you have the fortitude of a polar bear, but it’s just so, well, green.   There is nothing that compares with the water of the Bahamas but once you step ashore it’s pretty arid and I did miss the lovely shades of green that we have in the northeast.

So, what next?

One option we are thinking about is to make a run north to Maine this summer for perhaps a month and then we’d put Pandora up for the winter and fly somewhere.  As Brenda and I are splitting our time ashore and afloat, the options are winters afloat or summers afloat, with the balance of our time spent here on land.

However, it’s a tough call as the Bahamas are so beautiful… Although not too many places to eat out there and those nasty cold fronts that I wrote so much about last winter.

Maine, beautiful scenery, great spots to eat out.  But…the water is SO COLD.   No swimming in Maine.

Decisions, decisions…

So, the blue waters and secluded beaches of the Bahamas…Water so clear…. Yes, really clear.  Perfect scenery in Maine.   Camden, one of our favorite spots.  How’s this for a great view from the cockpit.  And a view from the Camden Hills of the harbor.  Pandora’s there in this shot.  She’s the white one.  Well, she’s there, trust me.  Besides, perhaps we’ll see Tenacious, owned by Dr. Bosarge, the guy who’s island, Over Yonder Cay, we visited in the Bahamas this winter.   I have written about this fabulous spot several times.  Most recently, following our visit in April of this year.  And last June when I found out about this wonderful island and its owner, Dr. Bosarge. 

While I didn’t know that we’d be visiting Dr. Bosarge’s spot in the Bahamas when I took this shot of Tenacious back in 2011 in Booth Bay Harbor Maine,  I just liked the boat, or should I say “yacht”.   Of course, the definition of a yacht is a boat used for pleasure that is bigger than yours.  Well, Tenacious, at 115′ certainly qualifies.  Besides, I was particularly struck by the cannons on board.   Now I know a bit about Dr. Bosarge and his love of antique weapons.  Cannons,  better than “blowing the conch” at sunset, at least in Maine. Who knows, perhaps he’ll be there again.  Maine it is… for sure, perhaps.  Well, we’ll see…

Of course, what does Brenda think.   Time will tell.

It’s Saturday morning and Pandora will soon be on the hard again for some upgrades and repairs.  It seems like the process of keeping a boat “ship shape” is a never ending process.

Returning to the Essex Yacht Club a few days ago was fun and exciting as it closes a loop that began for me way back in September when I headed out for Annapolis.   Brenda was there to greet me as she had flown home from Nassau last week.

Approaching the dock.Back on dry land.  The run north from Nassau was uneventful if a bit light on the wind.  We had pretty good wind from Nassau to Cape Hatteras but from that point on, not enough. I had decided to head through NYC, as opposed to heading around Montauk,with the belief that we would have a better angle to the expected wind.  However, the winds were lighter than I had anticipated so that didn’t really help.  Actually, we motored most of the way from Hatteras to Essex and I ended up motoring into a pretty good easterly wind down Long Island Sound.  Perhaps it might have been better to go the other way past Montauk.  Alas, enough of that as I covered the trip in nauseating detail in posts last week.   

In any event, I am back and Pandora is about ready to be “decommissioned” for a bit after being underway for nearly a year.  It’s funny how “gremlins” take over on a boat as the months roll by.  In Pandora’s case, some of these issues cropped up and then mysteriously, resolved themselves.  Unfortunately, more often than not, most “issues” do not go away on their own.  Wishful thinking.

One thing that I was not counting on for this spring is hauling Pandora out of the water so soon.   As I have mentioned in past posts, perhaps in excessive detail, are the “issues” associated with my MaxProp and vibration in the drive train under power.  After sending the prop back for a rebuild last summer, I STILL have problems and am at a bit of a loss as to what do to.  Fortunately, the folks at MaxProp seem open to working with me but at this time I am inclined to just get a new prop and get rid of the old one that has caused so much annoyance.   The cost of a new prop is just part of the answer as the cost of putting Pandora on the hard is a significant expense as well.  Hope that gets resolved, once and for all.  

Even though Pandora will be out of commission or a while, I will continue to post regularly.  What I’ll write about is a mystery for me but I expect that I will be inspired as I go along.  I hope that you will be too and continue to come along with me over the coming months.

So, with just a few days at home since arriving here earlier in the week, I am already thinking about next winter and where Pandora will take us.  There are a number of options but for now I’ll leave that topic for a future post.

Today my son Christopher and his girlfriend Mercedes will join me aboard Pandora for the short run up the river from the Essex Yacht Club to a marina in Deep River where Pandora will sit while work is done on her.    It’s funny, as others are scrambling to put their boats in the water for Memorial Day weekend, Pandora’s about to take a rest ashore.

Speaking of resting, I have to say that after a week of disrupted sleep aboard Pandora as we made our way up from the Bahamas,  I am finding myself a bit “boat lagged”, if  such a condition is possible.   One way or the other, it seems that I have been working hard to catch up on the lost sleep over the last week.   Perhaps voyaging on small boats should carry warning.   “Do not operate heavy equipment while using this product.”   No wait, Pandora is a piece of heavy equipment.  Hmm…

Perhaps it’s not the lost sleep at all but more a issue of being on dry land with so many more chores to do that has me dragging.  It’s harder being on dry land. Aboard Pandora it seems that not much takes place before noon.  I am afraid that shoreside living is much more like work.

Work!!!  Work, now that’s a scary concept.    I am so glad I don’t have that to contend with.   

On dry land….  All is not lost as we live close to the water so “aquatics” will never be far from us.  I look forward to enjoying lovely views along the CT River over the next few months.  It’s great to be home, indeed.

It’s Wednesday morning and I awoke to a view of the lighthouse at the entrance of the CT River and the estate of the late Katherine Hepburn.   If you are wondering, it’s still for sale.  Interested?  Not sure?  Check it out here.   Perhaps I’ll make a run down there later in the week to see if the place would be worth the $30,000,000 they are asking.   Looks pretty nice from my vantage point.And a nice view of the lighthouse at the entrance to the CT River. You might be wondering how I found myself anchored off of the entrance of the CT River so early in the morning.  Well, after spending the yesterday tied up at the dock at the Norwalk Yacht Club, I decided that I would take advantage of the outgoing tide and make the run down last night toward Essex and home.   Besides, I took a long nap at the dock yesterday afternoon and felt quite rested. Well, as rested as one can be after being underway for the last week from Nassau. 

After nearly 1,200 miles I couldn’t stand the fact that I was a mere 50 miles from my goal and sitting on a dock.   So, I dropped the lines and got underway.

The primary reason I was waiting at Norwalk YC was for the strong easterly winds to die down and as evening approached that’s exactly what began to happen.   While the winds were pushing to twenty, with higher gusts, during the day, they began to drop prior to dark.  Unfortunately, they didn’t end up dropping as much as I had hoped but did so enough for me to make progress.

As the ebb tide gained steam, my speed over the bottom increased so I was able to make good progress with peak current pushing me along at over 2.5kts.   That might not sound very fast but the 5.5kts that Pandora was moving, combined with the push of the current, we were tooling along at nearly 8kts, in the dark… And, I was alone onboard as I had said goodbye to my crew earlier in the day.

Believe me, as I threaded my way past shoals and reefs, in the wee hours of this morning, I felt like I was on a runaway train.

So, at around 03:15 this morning I dropped the hook just behind the breakwater for the CT River and headed right for bed.

I awoke to a brisk 54 degree cabin at 07:00 to the sound of Pandora’s boom creaking in the cross swell coming around the breakwater.   No, it might have been the feeling of my cheek hitting a 50 degree pillow.   Anyway, I woke up.

It’s very calm now and I could have waited till today when the wind was lower to make the final run to the CT River but I would not have had a fair tide as I did earlier this morning.  And, in this area the tide really runs hard.

By leaving last night, I was able to enjoy the push of the ebb and now I can catch the morning tide flood up the river and on to Essex.

Well, the tide is running  up the river now so I’d better get going.  I also have to check into Cruiseheimers SSB radio net and let them know I have arrived home safely.

And yes, Brenda’s going to meet me at the club to give me and Pandora  a proper welcome home.Yup, time to go as  time and tide wait for no man.   It will be good to be home.  

First, good by to my new neighbor Kate H.  Bye Kate!

 

It’s Tuesday and I am sitting on a dock at Norwalk Yacht Club in Darien CT.  Oops, I was supposed to be in Essex today.  Last night we stopped here around to drop Jim so he could take a cab to a train to deliver him home to VA.

The plan was to let him off and immediately continue east toward the Connecticut River and home.  However, As you can imagine, after being underway for a week, we were pretty tired.  So, I decided to anchor and catch some rest and head out in the morning to go the last 50 miles to Essex.  As we motored down the sound from New York, it was glassy calm so how much different could it be in a few hours?

Feeling pretty good about a nap, and an early start on Wednesday we dropped the hook for the night.  Well, at 04:00 I was awakened by the sound of wind rattling the rigging and the wind blowing about 20kts from the east, THE EAST, exactly where we would need to go.    What happened?   I thought that we had listened to the NOAA weather report and they said the south with a shift to the east but not right away.  Somehow I missed the shift to the east thing. 

Well, just in case it wasn’t as bad as I feared, we got going by 05:30 and motored out around the point only to see, first hand, that we could make little progress motoring into 20+ apparent wind.   I should note that the forecast called for 5-10 from the east,  a lot different than 20 with gusts.  What do do?  After a week of moving toward our destination, I was very reluctant to stop and ditch the boat for a few days and take a train home.

Besides, after making great progress for 1,000+ miles, to abandon Pandora so close to the “finish line”  didn’t set well with me.

As we motored up the Sound from New York last evening it didn’t even occur to me that the expected front would be felt here so quickly.  Last time I “looked” it wasn’t coming till tonight or later.  Oh well, as they say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait an hour”.  Let’s hope that applies in a good way too.

As Wednesday’s weather calls for light easterly winds, perhaps I’ll just hang out here and clean up Pandora a bit from months away from a dock in the Bahamas and, not to forget, a week of sailing offshore.

Perhaps a nap first?   Quick, call 911 Bob’s taking a nap in the middle of the day.  So much for my Protestant, New England upbringing.  It’s practically a “school day”.

Before I break, I’ll include a shot of the NYC newly renovated clubhouse.   From our 15 years of membership, I know that these improvements were a long time coming.  Nice result…Perhaps if I wait an hour, the wind will calm down.  Ever hopeful…

Oh yeah, it’s not even a little bit “Bahamas Balmy”  How about low 60s?  Now that’s going to take a bit of getting used to.