[Maryanne]I know we have not posted for a few days (just a splurge today), but that is because this last week I had mostly been busy with dull chores (yes life cruising on a sail boat is not all glamorous); I had to get a propane tank filled at a store over a mile away (thank goodness for my little hand cart); tend to our dinghy rudder problem; lots and lots of little jobs that just take time.
This next week I hope to do a little bit of sightseeing in Portland, so you can expect a few posts with pictures to show you of this wonderful city, with its active working waterfront (local and international ferries, lobster men, etc), cobbled streets and great history.
Today I had originally planned to help with some beach/island clean up, but it was canceled at the last minute. I briefly thought about a grocery run, or some sightseeing - but the weather is very rainy, with lightning and thunder to boot - so I'm staying on the cozy, warm boat to do "house" work.
[Maryanne]Ever since I stepped off the conveyor belt of "normal" life, and started to make my own choices in life (about age 30) I have found I like to volunteer my skills and services. I don't do anything, but I find something I can do, and an organization I like and help out. This has always been easy when I have had a base, and I didn't want to stop doing it now we are cruising and only spending days or weeks in any area. It is a great way to meet people, know an area better, and of course gives you that warm feel good factor.
I generally try and find something that I will learn from, or that I will enjoy, as much as something that is needed (I'm not totally altruistic!) - so what to find in Portland? In the past I have designed databases and systems for historical/archaeological organizations (both for documenting church buildings and protecting historic wreck sites of the UK with the ADU, now the ADUS); for several years I monitored water quality in the Elizabeth River (well I did LIVE on the river!); I taught SCUBA diving at St Andrews University, even worked for a short while as a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT / ambulance driver). These things are simpler to do when you actually LIVE somewhere.
We knew we would be spending a full 12 days in Portland, ME so in advance I researched for something I might do. A fellow Gemini owner had mentioned the Main Island Trail Association was based in Portland, and then before we arrived, MITA came up again and again in books we were reading - so that seemed an obvious choice. I contacted them in advance of our arrival, we bumped into them when we were in Jewell Island, and I finally popped into their office to volunteer my services this week! Yes I was back in an office; but on my own terms and hours and quite happy to help out. The MITA team are incredibly enthusiastic and friendly; a great group to do this wonderfully valuable job. I'm glad to be able to do my little bit to help.
[Maryanne]I have had two folks say they posted comments but were frustrated/confused at having to enter a friend's email.
It turns out they used the "email a post" icon, and were not posting a comment at all! And we never received the comment. What a shame; we would hate to miss a comment.
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Remember you don't have to register or sign in to post a comment, we have left the anonymous feature available - if you use that, please just end the comment with your name so we know who you are.
[Maryanne]Tuesday was to be a our one day together to explore Portland... given the events of the previous day, that changed, instead we hiked/trawled the malls, looking for new glasses and to swap over Kyle's now defunct (waterlogged) phone - all so he can be functional at work tomorrow! Nothing like a deadline!
We did get to see one of Maine's National Historic Monuments - not one that was originally on our schedule - and not really terribly exciting; while navigating on foot between Malls, we crossed over the Maine Turnpike, and a sign that revealed itself to be a - National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Now I wonder just how many people have come to Portland to see that!
I'm hoping that the rest of our stay in Portland is a little less expensive, and a lot safer!
[Kyle] The next morning, after sleeping in a little too long, we left Jewell Island for Portland. There is no direct route between most places in Maine, so we got to weave among the islands on a beautiful clear morning with plenty of wind. We are finally starting to see other boats. This gorgeous Memorial Day weekend has been perfect for everyone to start this boating season.
We topped up our fuel and water and picked up a mooring right downtown from Portland Yacht Services for about a zillion dollars. I had been to Portland a few times at work and always thought the place was really cool. I couldn't believe we had just sailed here in our own boat. It's been 973 nautical miles since we left Norfolk.
We had a day planned of unglamorous stuff: showers, tons of laundry, cleaning, etc. We took a walk along the waterfront during a drying cycle and decided we were hungry enough to get dinner as well. We had a nice meal (they don't skimp on the lobster!) at a crowded little place with plenty of local flavor called J's Oyster. There were lobstermen and boat crews at the bar exchanging sea stories. The place looked like it hadn't changed since 1975.
We got back to the marina and changed our laundry over. I offered to take the current finished load to the boat and make the bed while Maryanne tended the rest. She helped me carry stuff to the dinghy and was standing on the dock as I loaded up. The harbor is very busy and there is a lot of swell and wakes. When I finally went to get in the dinghy, the dock went up and the dinghy went down. I had originally planned to make the ungainly plop down to the center of the dinghy and then just keep low until the painter (the line to the dock) came taught. What really happened was that I built up a little momentum with the longer drop, then I landed slightly off center, then the painter (which was tied shorter than usual) pulled the dinghy short before I could get my weight low. What it looked like was that I got one foot in the dinghy and then just rolled over it into the water on the other side. I managed to get a hold of the grab line on the side before I went in so I didn't go all the way under or anything. The force of me on the grab line, however, rolled the dinghy toward me with enough force to launch one of the oar handles directly into my face. The thing came straight at me and the end of the handle hit me directly between the eyes, adding injury to insult. I assume it must have broken my glasses but I never did see them again and - AND my cell phone was in my pocket. Everything else fortunately stayed in the dinghy. It was also getting cold and windy outside. Maryanne and I were washing all of our warm clothes so we were already getting cold in our shorts and t-shirts before I had to row to the boat in wet stuff - brrr! I am really glad we have heat on the boat. Looks like instead of sightseeing tomorrow, we'll be spending a bunch of money we hadn't planned replacing all of that stuff.
So, what did I learn? Always, always get in the dinghy slowly and carefully because you never know what's behind you and always carry a cell phone in a ziploc bag until too far from the water to throw it in.
[Kyle]From Quahog Bay, we sailed the short distance to Jewell Island, arriving by mid-day. We anchored as close to the head of the cove as the tidal range allowed, although there were a few power boats that had arrived at high tide, and were now high and dry on the beach.
The anchorage is a long horseshoe-shaped cove, which becomes two separate islands at high tide. We anchored in the shelter of both sides of the horseshoe. We were met by the summer caretaker for the Island (Ross), who had a team of people collecting trash from the island. He was very friendly and handed us a map showing the island trails. The island is one of the many managed by the Maine Island Trail association, and what a great job they do. They keep the islands and trails open for visitors, campers, etc, all from voluntary donations. This was the same organization that managed Little Snow Island in Quahog Bay, a place we had earlier explored.
As it was the start of the Memorial Day weekend, and the weather was great, we found ourselves for the first time in ages in an anchorage with other boats (about 3 when we arrived, and over the weekend as many as 20). The place was very active with lots of people dinghying back and forth to the beach to see the trails and set up camp. There were sea kayakers exploring too, the weather was so good. We rowed ashore and dragged the dinghy high up the beach in anticipation of the rising tide, tied it to a tree and set off on a hike across the island (which is just about a mile long).
Jewell Island was used as a lookout post in both WW1 and WW2, (housing about 400 troops) so it is littered with old army buildings, including lookout towers and gun turrets. We could not resist climbing the towers for a spectacular view of Casco bay, probably stretching 30 miles or more. We also got our first introduction to Maine's notorious mosquitoes; voracious, but luckily only in a few windless patches of the interior of the island. The trail took us over the island, past the old battery ruins, where, along with two 6" guns and four 90mm anti-aircraft guns, officers' quarters and barracks sat in an underground bunker, which we had come prepared with a flashlight to explore.
From there, we descended to the other side of the island to beaches offering yet more beautiful views of Maine through a crystal clear sky - and great camp sites from which to enjoy them. Sea views and the sound of surf crashing - perfect. We briefly considered packing our camping equipment for the night, but as the forecast was for rain, we thought better of it. By the time we returned to our dinghy, we noticed most of the campsites (particularly the more accessible ones in the cove) were getting full. One group of about a dozen said they were celebrating a bachelor party and spent most of the day hauling enormous amounts of camping supplies and equipment up 30' of cliff, bucket brigade style.
On returning to the boat we rowed around the now separated Little Jewell Island and ended the evening enjoying a splendid sunset from Footprint.
The next day (Sunday) after sleeping in and catching up with household chores, we found ourselves in just over 3 feet of crystal clear water, and could see the bottom clearly all the way to the anchor (still no fish). We rowed to shore and hiked the remaining trails of the island. In the afternoon, I had planned to sail to a nearby archipelago to get a better view of the wild birds. There was plenty of wind, so we anticipated a great afternoon of sailing in the dinghy. Partway out, however, our rudder cracked and was in danger of breaking altogether. We decided to return to Footprint, and our only option was to row back. We pulled down the mast and sails. We were only about 0.8 miles out. By then, the wind had increased, and the tide was starting to ebb - we had to work against both to get back. Our GPS estimated a 2-hour row. During gusts and heavy waves, our progress would stop, but then we would make progress during the lulls. I hunkered down for the long row back, and after about 30 minutes (0.2 miles) a powerboat offered us a tow - which I was very grateful to accept! Even though we had not met the residents of the power boat, they knew which was our boat, and towed us all the way back to Footprint. This was no easy task in a crowded anchorage at slow speeds, towing two fools in a dinghy. All the boaters we had waved to on the way out under sail seemed surprised to see us returning under tow! Lost some sea-cred, but glad to be safe!
A big thank you to our new heroes on Booked Off, that rescued us!
Once back at Footprint, we decided it would be prudent to spend a quite afternoon aboard, with no further adventure nor chance of drama.
[Kyle]After the morning excitement, and Maryanne was dried off (see previous post) we went out to explore the many islands and inlets of southern Quahog Bay. Rowing upwind and sailing downwind. We landed on the south side of one island, walked to its northern tip and had a picnic lunch. Later, Maryanne went up to see a lighthouse on Snow Island, although I must confess, even though Maine is lousy with lighthouses (like Rhode Island), they just don't seem nearly as impressive
Since I had noticed that the seals liked to come on beach/rocks at low tide, I decided we would get up very early the next day to try and observe them on the next low tide. There was a little bit of wind, so we setup the sailing kit in the dingy and sailed all over the bay hoping to find seals. We did have one guy who kept popping his head up out of the water from a safe distance to look at us, but other than that - no luck. So we spent the rest of the afternoon tacking in and out of all the remaining inlets of the bay, before returning to Footprint for our next trip.
[Maryanne]Early does not begin to describe it! We must have spent 10 hours in the dingy this day... I didn't agree with Kyle's sleuthing about seals and low tide, so I was resistant at climbing in the dinghy at 6:30 am - but off we went. I had to amuse myself through the day - but paid for it on the way back! Oops - I guess Kyle doesn't like my jokes!
Our first morning in Quahog Bay, I had a fit of industry and decided to clean the windows to better enjoy the view. Maryanne, in her own fit of industry, decided to ready the dinghy for a tour of the bay. The scene opens like this....
I hear a barely audible, cute English-sounding squeak. It says "help!". "Oh!" I think to myself, "Maryanne must need me to help her with the dinghy, I'll finish what I'm doing and get right there". One window later, I hear another slightly more audible (but still weak) "Ummm... Help!" "Yes dear", I say, "I'll be right there". I think to myself, "I'll go after this window". Halfway through that window, I hear "Help..... now". Exasperated, I say "OK, I'm on my way", and speed up finishing the window I was cleaning. Next I hear "A bit faster than that, please!" "I KNOW!" I bark. Jeez, I think to myself, "I'm almost done. What is her problem?".
"I've actually fallen in the water... I'm not completely in, but I'm still quite a bit in the water". "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know - I said I'm coming".
"One of my legs is getting very numb, and I think something might be gnawing on it". "Alright already! I told you I'll be right there!" - Darn, another smudge I have to attend to...
"Ummm, I'm feeling a bit lightheaded, and I think I can see a light". "LOOK, I told you I'm on the way. I'm busy doing something, Just wait!".
"My", I think to myself, "It says streak-free on the bottle, but it really isn't, is it?".
"Honey", comes a little voice, "should I go to the light?". "Whatever! I'm kind of busy right now".
This whole thing didn't actually happen. I got to the dinghy after, "A bit faster than that please", and found Maryanne hanging face down, over the side of the dinghy, with one leg in the water. I grabbed the dinghy with one hand and Maryanne in the other, and shoved her into the dinghy. She flopped over and looked at me and said, "Where were you?".. "I was cleaning the windows, If you needed help, why didn't you scream, HELP?".
It turns out that Maryanne has a little trouble with expression of surprise and alarm. On more than one occasion, when sailing along, Maryanne will go inside the boat and let out a blood-curdling scream. Expecting to find her come running up and telling me there is 2 feet of water inside, or something is on fire, I scream, "What's wrong?" Then she will say "I dropped a box of tissues and it nearly hit my foot". Or she will come outside and look behind me, and with an expression of complete horror, scream "Holy Shit". I'll whirl around, expecting to see a ship about to run us down, find nothing, and say, "What? What's wrong?" She will say, "You're not wearing a hat. Aren't your ears cold?".
So, the problem is that she scares the crap out of me over nothing, and not when she should. She says, "Well, you're supposed to stay calm in an emergency". Poor wife.
[Maryanne]What actually happened here was that I was stepping from the main boat into the dinghy and found myself with a foot in each boat, quickly separating from each other. I dove for the dinghy, but didn't fully make it, and my balance was such I could not pull myself into the dingy! Kyle and I are now working on a more urgent call for help!
Kyle has found this whole incident incredibly funny, and continues to crack up for a full 5 minutes whenever he even thinks about my call for help.
[Maryanne]Kyle and I share most of the work pretty evenly, but I do need to say how wonderfully he has been looking after me while gunkholing! He hauls the dinghy ashore, he does the rowing, and he even gives me a piggyback from time to time to save the need for me to get my feet wet. I know I'm capable, but it is sooo nice to be spoilt also. I love my husband!
The picture is of Kyle re-launching the dinghy after we had landed for some exploring in the Basin and returned to find it high and dry. Even once the dinghy was back in the water, it still needed to be dragged over a very shallow patch, before he brought it round to a ledge for me to board - my feet were still dry (can't say the same for Kyle).
[Kyle] After leaving the Basin, we had planned to go to the little harbor at Sebasco, just a little bit south. when we came out of our sheltered inlet, however, we were hit with a strong headwind and heavy chop. We bashed our way down to Sebasco and found the harbor so crowded with lobster pots and moorings that it would have been tough to squeeze an anchor in. Also, it was exposed to the predicted wind, and the chop would have been uncomfortable to anchor the night. We decided to move on to the next planned anchorage in Quahog Bay.
We had an additional problem. Our fresh water supply, that we had filled in the expensive Nantucket marina, was bad. It had huge globules of white particulate floating around! So I had dumped all the fresh water, expecting to fill that day. Sebasco Harbor Resort had a dock with services that appeared to be closed, so we turned around and headed up river to Cundy Harbor (almost all the way back to where we started), but found the marinas there were either closed (too early in the season) or without water. We then headed back to Sebasco and wandered into the empty restaurant, where we asked a surprised looking fellow where we could get service at the dock? He called around and eventually sent us to the front desk. At the reception, they could not find any help (season still not started, all the staff are on short hours), but were kind enough to tell us to go ahead and use any spigot (tap) we can find.
On the way back to the boat, we took a leisurely tour of the resort. It is full of really pretty waterfront views - so naturally we took pictures; what a great place to vacation in Maine! Once we got back to the dock, we found water, but the supply was turned off. I worked my way up the line, turning on valves, but the mains at the building source was turned off, so still no water. We were just resigning ourselves to having to carry jugs of water to and from the restaurant, when a caretaker turned up and offered to turn on the water for us.. EXCELLENT! We then decided to flush the bad water out of the tank before refilling. Just about half way through flushing the bad water out, the pressure stopped and a leak appeared at the top of the dock that was spraying water everywhere. By then, of course, the caretaker had left, and we were worried we would still have no water. Maryanne shut off the valve to stop the water flow, and I identified the problem (by hanging upside down under the dock). A connection in the dock line was missing a hose clamp and had blown apart. Maryanne went to the boat and found the right size hose clamp from our spares. I installed it (still hanging upside down), fixing the resort hose. We filled our tanks and were VERY grateful.
The trip from Sebasco to Snow Island was (of course) beautiful (no really!). The problem with Maine is that it is so pretty everywhere it is hard to find a spot to like best. As we rounded the corner into our anchorage, we were amidst dozens of little islands that are sprinkled throughout the bay, some of which had seals enjoying a rest. We managed to anchor in a tiny little spot between islands that just had enough room for Footprint to swing.
[Maryanne]In Quahog Bay, we had intended to anchor at Snow Island, but a tip from our trusty Maine cruising guidebook suggested we poke around a little more. The tide was low, so there were islands and rocks everywhere - any route from A to B could be taken via any number of these rocks and islands... We eventually anchored by Ben Island.. Pretty, pretty, pretty - to get a view try these coordinates in Google/mapquest 43 49.2'N 069 54.2'W.
[Kyle] On our next day in The Basin, we decided to have a little row around in the dingy and explore. The tidal range in the area is about 9 feet, which increases by maybe 50% the available area to explore at high tide versus low tide. We left on the rising tide near high tide and rowed our way far up into the various inlets. We landed the dinghy in several different places and hiked up into the forest to places that had beautiful, expansive views of the anchorage. Footprint was the only boat in the little bay (we're still beating the crowds!). Most of the land surrounding The Basin was given by anonymous donation to The Nature Conservancy and there were trails crisscrossing the various peninsulas and even a few benches put out at scenic spots. This place is absolutely stunning and peaceful. The pine-scented air and the soft, needle-covered ground make me feel like I could just as well be at a remote lake in Colorado at 8,000 feet, except that the red-tailed hawks are ospreys and there are clam shells in the dirt everywhere.
[Maryanne] This was our first real gunkholing of the trip, and we were terribly excited. While in the Basin, we both rowed and sailed, and really got to know our dinghy. More great wildlife; on this excursion (in Basin Island) we unfortunately disturbed an Eider Duck nest - it was in a tree trunk, and as we walked by, the poor female flew out and made us jump! Leaving behind (temporarily) a nest with 9 eggs. Eider ducks seem common around here. Learning about the wildlife, as well as enjoying the scenery, is EXACTLY what is making this part of our trip so magical. Our binoculars and guide books are essential equipment.
[Maryanne]We need to say a BIG THANK You to those posting comments on the blog. It turns it from a diary into a conversation and we both get really excited to read the comments.
Note you DON'T have to register to post a comment - you can post "anonymously" but then just add your name at the end of the text so we know who you are.
Kate - we guess the movie is Captain Ron, but have no idea (you win in the movie quotes for today!) Oh and the carousel is still there, but we didn't find it.
Angie - WOW - from not following any blog to posting comments - a true convert :-)
