July 2016

You know the old saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait an hour?”  Well, if that sounds about right to  you, you’re in Maine.

After spending months in the Bahamas and Cuba, one can become used to weather that rarely changes, just more of the same… warm, sunny, breezy.  During our two months cruising Cuba I believe that it rained ONCE.  Yup, the weather is pretty predictable!

Not so in Maine.  After only two days here we have experienced just about every type of weather you could possibly expect to have mid-summer.  Yesterday we had light rain, hard rain, bright sunshine, warm temperatures, dense fog and chilly evening, and that was in ONE DAY.  And the weather combined with really dramatic scenery makes it a real winner.  I LOVE IT!!!

Some of the folks we have run into during our travels aboard Pandora have commented on the contrast between the Bahamas and Maine and told us that if they had to choose between the Bahamas or Maine, they’d choose Maine.   Me too.  It’s just beautiful.   Bummer that it’s only a good place to sail in the summer because that’s when I want to be home in CT.

“So Bob, what’s the weather right now?”   Good question.   Wait a moment while I look but I think it’s sunny.  Yup.  Sunny, for the moment anyway.   Satisfied?   Good.

As I write this we are on a mooring in Southwest Harbor, on Mt Desert/Acadia.  It’s a lovely spot.   Yesterday we moved here, in the rain (did I mention that it rained yesterday, and was sunny too?) from Frenchboro where we made landfall in Maine.  What a lovely island.  This is the harbor.   Big tides here.About 60 make their home on this little island, nearly all fishing for lobster.   From the harbor you can see Mt Desert and Acadia in the distance, behind the fog bank.  You will just have to trust me on this.About ¾ of the island is set aside as a nature preserve.   The coastline of the island is very rugged and is nearly all made up of pink granite. There were butterflies doing their butterfly thing everywhere.  Don’t you just love the new camera?Remember the changing weather thing?   Here’s the fog rolling in.  One minute, 10 mile visibility.  The next, well, a lot less.When we arrived in SW Harbor I couldn’t resist taking a walk through the marina.  This boat, and she means business, was designed by Steve Dashew.  He’s known for designing and building easily driven hulls in both sail and power.  To me, this design is a near perfect blend of form and function. Personally, I’d love to see her painted but Steve is insistent about low maintenance.    There’s even a grill built into the aft deck.  This is a real ocean going vessel.   And, she’s as expensive as she is impressive.  I’d just love to have one of these. Well, today the Corinthians cruise begins and it will be rah-rah for the next week with 100 of “my closest friends”.   I wonder what the weather will be like?   No, I can guess but I’ll have to wait a few hours to know if I am right.

So far?  Yep, weather.  Welcome to Maine.

It’s Thursday morning and we are about 10 miles from our destination for today, Frenchboro on the island of Long Island.   No, not the Long Island in NY the one in Maine.  You can tell because the beaches are, well they aren’t beaches at all, there granite and really, really bumpy and hard.  Oh yeah, the water is 55 degrees too.   It’s worth noting that the water temperature dropped from the high 70s overnight as we made our way north of Cape Cod into the cold waters of the Gulf of Maine.

Yesterday Rodney, my crew for this trip, and I headed out of the Cape Cod Canal to make the 200 mile run across the Gulf of Maine to meet up with the Corinthians Cruise this weekend.

I particularly like the “decoration” on this bridge crossing The Canal, an otherwise unremarkable structure, it looks remarkably delicate with this adornment. I decided to time our departure from the canal so we’d be off of Province Town during the day with the hope of seeing some whales.  And see whales we did.  The winds and waves, well there weren’t any of either and it was very calm which made for easy spotting of whales in what seemed like every direction.   And, a few times we saw huge splashes in the distance as they rose out of the water and landed with a thunderous crash.

It was very tempting to head every which way to see these magnificent creatures up close.  As we still had a long way to travel to get to our destination we opted to keep going with one exception.  Not far from us and only about 4 miles north east of the tip of Cape Cod, we spotted two spouts, one small and the other large, rising perhaps a steamy 10’ out of the water,  about a mile off.

We headed toward them and enjoyed watching a mother and calf (daughter?) swimming lazily along.  I cut the engine and drifted nearby.  What a sight.  You could hear the rush of air as mom took a deep breath. Calf or not, they were big and bigger.   You can see her huge “fins?” showing white on either side.  It is easy to imagine how these creatures were hunted to near extinction as it is very easy to see them “blowing” miles away.  If it wasn’t for the timely discovery of oil in Pennsylvania that made whale oil uneconomical, I doubt that there would be a single whale left anywhere.  Doesn’t that make you want to hug an oil company?  Hmm…

While we were enjoying our “whale encounter” there were plenty of SUVs spending time in the “wilderness” at the very tip of The Cape.  I don’t get the whole “let’s drive out to the beach and sit by the truck honey.”   “Don’t worry kids, you won’t have to step in that icky sand, I’ll leave the engine running and windows rolled up so you can stay cool and play video games”.

There was a mile or two of them lined up like birds on a wire.  Go figure.And speaking of going to the beach, this tug, moored in The Canal, looks like business and I can imagine that they have been called upon to keep some stricken ship from finding their own special place on the beach too.As I came on watch last night, I was treated to a rising moon.  Amazingly, the new camera took a photo in such low light.  Don’t you just love image stabilization?

All, and all, it was an unremarkable crossing with some sailing but a lot of hours on the engine.  Today, we’ll enjoy time ashore and go for a walk on Long Island.  Tomorrow, off to South West Harbor to get ready for a week of “rah-rah” with 75 of our closest friends.

That will surely be a contrast to the solitude of mother and daughter humpback enjoying a lazy day on a glassy calm ocean.

Well, I guess I’d better sign off now as I am back in cell range and anxious to talk to Brenda.  Besides, it’s been more than 24 hours since we talked.   Actually, 25 ½ , to be exact, but who’s counting.

However, it’s good to be in Maine again.  It’s been a while.

It’s just after 07:00 and we are underway, making our way toward the Cape Cod Canal.  The current that will carry us through to Cape Cod Bay begins a bit after 10:00 so it’s likely that we will arrive with some adverse current for a while.  The canal, built in the 30s, I think, and is about 10 miles long.   Without that engineering wonder, I doubt that many would make the trip up to Maine.  Heading all the way out to Nantucket, through Pollock Rip and up to Maine would be a pretty painful and long trip.  Besides, the currents and rough conditions that are often east of Chatham, on the “elbow” of the Cape, would dissuade most, me included, from making the trip.  The Canal is a great example of “your tax dollars at work”.  Well, at least the tax dollars of your grandparents.

Our run yesterday was about 70 miles and saw some very nice sailing, likely the only sailing that we will enjoy for the rest of the run.  It is possible that we will be able to sail a bit this afternoon but the winds are forecast to be quite light for the next few days.

The 20kt SW wind that pushed us along so nicely yesterday has died and a slight drift from the North has taken it’s place.  I was greeted by this absolutely beautiful dawn this morning.  What a sight.As we headed out of Cuttyhunk this morning we were greeted by the Loch Ness Monster.    Well, that’s what it looked like to me.  I am sure that you can see it, especially if you squint really, really hard.  Right?OK, OK, it was a family of seals.

The other members of their very extended family were sleeping it off on a nearby sandbar.  I was pleased that the lovely lobster boat cut in front of me as I snapped the photo.  Try to do that twice.Speaking of “snapping shots”.   Our old Olympus camera finally died and after months of limping along with it in Cuba, frustrated by problems with white balance and focusing problems, we bit the bullet, and it was a pretty big bullet, and purchased a shiny new Canon.  What a piece of machinery, with a single lens really really long lens replacing the two that I had on the last camera.  This lens has image stabilization and is a whopping 16mm to 300mm in a single zoom package.   It’s remarkable to see the improved color saturation and clarity, even in rough or low light conditions.

One downside of the new camera though is that the photo files are “ginormous” at 8 megs per shot, about 3x bigger than my last camera.  I had better be pretty selective about which photos I keep on my computer or I’ll have to get a new one.  Actually, my laptop is something like 7 years old (how old is that in dog years exactly?) and was acting up already, even before I started manipulating these new massive photos.

Keping up with this “arms race of megapixels” reminds me of the first time I installed refrigeration on my Tartan 37. The massive draw of electricity that the unit needed meant that I ended up putting in a much larger battery bank and then, against my will, a high output alternator to charge them.  Those ice cubes that I “needed” to chill my gin and tonic ended up costing about $10 a piece or was that $100.  Who knows, but a nice cold G&T, or two, makes for a perfect end to a day.   And views like this one, helped along with a G&T of course, from last night… Priceless.Earlier in the evening, as the sun sunk below the western horizon, the light washed over nearby Nashawena Island giving it a lovely glow.So, I expect that we will be out of cell/Internet range beginning mid-day today although we may regain service briefly as we pass Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, later this afternoon.

After that, Maine.

It’s been five years since my last trip “down east” and this morning I cast off the lines and am on my way.   If you happen to wonder if I got the bathroom finished, the one I wrote about in a few posts of late, I have to confess that the answer is, especially if you ask Brenda, an emphatic, if unfortunate, NO.

Unfortunately, I did WAY underestimate the time it would take and the job is looking, to me at least, more like a major addition on an office building than a simple new vanity and shower enclosure.  Oh well.  I can’t be totally faulted for coming up short (I was supposed to have it done before heading to Maine) as there were myriad distractions that I won’t go into.  It’s sufficient to say, and I cling to this belief, that many of the distractions that got in the way of completing the task were NOT MY FAULT!

Ok, now that I have that off of my chest so back to the task at hand.

As I begin this post Pandora is in Block Island Sound making our way to Cuttyhunk island for the night.  My crewmember Rodney, who I have sailed with for perhaps the last decade, off and on, is with me and we are enjoying a lovely day of sailing.  Well, we were sailing up until I stopped typing to put on the engine again as we still have a good distance to go and I want to get there by dark.   In the morning we will head to the Cape Cod Canal to catch the flood tide around 10:00.  Going against the tide in The Canal is a waste of time as the current runs as much as 4kts which makes the 10 mile run interminable when things are “against you”.  Besides, I believe that it’s actually against the rules for a slow boat to traverse the canal against the current.  With that in mind, “going with the flow” really means something when it comes to the Canal.

We left around 06:30 today, heading down the CT River and had to stop for fuel which cost us nearly an hour but that is certainly better than being stuck with no fuel miles from shore.  Yes, been there, done that at least once years ago off of New Haven and I’d prefer to avoid an encore performance so stop we did.  That was a very good thing as it took nearly 60 gallons and I nominally hold about 150.  I might have made it to Maine (that’s where we are going) with what I had and the 10 gallons in reserve but I wasn’t in the mood to test the theory.

After being “on the hard”, me at least, since mid May, I am very happy to be on board again.   It will be fun to rendezvous with some old friends from The Corinthians, a group that we have been a member of for many years.

So, the plan is to spend tonight at Cuttyhunk and to head out of the Canal and across the Gulf of Maine tomorrow morning.   If all goes well, we will be in Maine on Thursday afternoon.   The actual run across the Gulf of Maine is about 24 hours so we’ll have a few days in Maine to enjoy the sights prior to leaving on the week long cruise that kicks off on Saturday evening.

So, for now, I guess that about covers it.  And don’t forget that we “push the button” every 4 hours or so and you can see where Pandora is by going, incredibly enough, the “Where in the World is Pandora” button on the blog home page.

As we passed New London this morning the Brilliant, the schooner from Mystic Seaport, passed behind us.  Pretty nice digs.So, I guess I’ll close with a shot of one of my favorite sights in Fisher’s Island Sound, the lovely home on “North Dumpling”.   As  Brenda would say, “I would live there”.  Indeed.  Loved the whole “stonehenge” thing on the yard.Tomorrow, the Canal and hopefully, we will see some whales as we cross the Gulf of Maine.

Stay tuned for more scintillating posts.

It’s about a week until my departure for Maine and the Corinthian Cruise and I am pretty excited about spending time with my friends Craig and Rodney, guys that I have sailed with for many years.  Yes, I’m bummed that Brenda won’t be with me but after loosing nearly two months because of her bout with melanoma and the fear of the sun that it has naturally caused, it’s going to be a while till the memory of the surgery and all that led up to it, begins to fade somewhat.

In any event, I am happy that she’s agreed to spend time in the Eastern Caribbean this winter so I guess that I’ll just have to say “details to come”.  Of course, I also cling to the belief that everything will work out.  As Brenda has famously said, “Bob and the dog, ever hopeful”.  Yes, that’s me.  Want to go sailing?

For now though, I thought that I’d share some shots of some beautiful boats that were docked at the CT River Museum last week.  The event, billed as “Mahogany Memories”, put on by the CT Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.  This event has been put on for over three decades and always brings out a healthy crowd of classic boat owners and admirers.

This lovely grand lady was on a trailer on the grounds.  Given the high level of finish on her “wheels” I expect that she’s more of a “trailer queen” than a boat that sees much time on the water.  She came up all the way from VA.    Clearly, she’s perfect in every way.  What a looker. Along with some that don’t often see the water, there were plenty of beauties gracing the docks.   I particularly loved this double cockpit speedster. I’ll bet that she really rips along.  You’d never know that she’s an antique.  Looks brand new.  I guess that’s the whole point.There is nothing quite as elegant as a triple cockpit beauty.
There were also a number of very nice scale models on display.  I was taken by this Chesapeake Bay fishing boat. This model of Aphrodite is based on a 30s vintage commuter of the same name. Her “namesake” is berthed in Watch Hill.  You can even peek into her interior.   I guess the little guy is the “commuter”.  Not a bad way to get to work.  Actually, if I was going to go to work, that’s how I’d like to get there, for sure. And speaking of the yacht Aphrodite, years ago Brenda and I saw her undergoing a major rebuild at Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine.    Check out this link to learn more about the “real Aphrodite“.  Now that’s a real yacht.

Still want more?  I do…  This short video shows how she looks in “real life”.  Amazing.Ok, back to models of great boats.  Of course, who doesn’t love the Sabino?   The actual boat is at Mystic Seaport and is currently undergoing a major rebuild.  Nice model.
Want to see a clip of Sabino herself?  This is a very nice clip from the Mystic Seaport Museum.   If you love steam you owe it to yourself to go on an outing aboard her. However, back to the event at the CT River Museum and my favorite boat of all at the show was the “Osprey” a fairly new addition to the waterfront at the CT River Museum.   After several years of updates and repairs, she’s finally able to show her stuff on the river.  She’s beautiful and a lovely combination of form follows function.  Love her little single cylinder steam engine.    In spite of her diminutive stature, she has a bewildering collection of valves and levers. I have always loved launches and particularly those driven by steam.   Brenda’s goal, when we get out of big boats, is to have a small fantail launch that we can use on the CT River for “cocktail cruises”.

Happily, Chris, the director of the museum, is looking for operators to run the boat so she can be an active member of the waterfront.  “Pick Me, Pick Me!!!”. Yes, I can’t believe it but I am being trained to run her.  How cool is that?

It would be just so great to get out on the river with her.  She even has a steam whistle.   What “kid” doesn’t dream of blowing a steam whistle.  Alas, the Osprey is probably too complicated to operate “under the influence” so my “cocktail cruises” with Brenda will have to wait until we have our own electric launch.   For now, time on the Osprey will have to be fueled by diet Coke I guess.

Of course, that’s in addition to the soft coal that powers her boiler.  Yes, she will have a “carbon footprint” but it’s surely a lovely one and I am excited about piloting her on the river in Essex very soon.

Well, with only a week to go till I head to Maine, I’d better get to work on remodeling the bathroom or there will be Hell to pay with Brenda.  Yikes, still lots to do.