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Maine and Canadian coasts

August - September 2018
A 38-day adventure by Sea Fever & David Read more
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  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    Day 10

    Lazy Day

    August 11, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Could any of you tell that David wrote yesterday’s post? I thought the excitement about the water pump might have tipped you off. Today is laundry day and install-water-pump day. Tomorrow we are thinking of heading up to the Goose and Goslings islands. 🐦 Now we are off to do morning yoga on the bow!Read more

  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    Day 11

    Left Falmouth Foreside, moored at Cliff

    August 12, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Around 11 a.m. we cast off from Falmouth and headed east, making our way to the north of Great Diamond Island, then between Long and Peaks Islands, then up the Luckse Sound, approaching the NW side of Cliff Island, and are now moored in that NW corner of its little harbor. About halfway over it started to sprinkle, then rain, and then rain more!! We did see people sailing, but our tack had us heading directly into the wind, so we just motored. We were going to anchor in this little cove, but it was pouring, so we grabbed a mooring and will wait til the rain abates (now it’s raining 🐱 🐱 and 🐶 🐶 ) to set our anchor. Hopefully the mooring owner won’t come back til then...
    I was glad that in Portland I had found a fluorescent yellow slicker that fit me. They don’t seem to make them in women’s sizes, and the men’s small was always too big. Hamilton Marine had an XS that works.

    It’s about 63 degrees or so today, so I am wearing jeans and fleece (but David is still in shorts — that tells you that it’s not that cold). We just finished a game of backgammon (I won!!) (she said modestly) and will be heating up some cocoa momentarily.

    If it clears up the afternoon or tomorrow, we will explore this end of Cliff Island, and then head over to Eagle Island, the site of Adm. Perry’s house, now a national historic site.

    We are booked for Monday and Tuesday at the Dolphin Marina in Potts Harbor (in order to charge our batteries, refill H20, etc). We are hoping to see great blue herons nesting in the trees!!, as Taft’s Guide to the Maine Coast (recommended by Rick and Cheryl) tells us!    Read more

  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    11
    Day 11

    Cliff Island, ME

    August 12, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    The rain stopped around 3, and David noticed that the depth of the mooring was at 12’ and we were only at half tide (with a 6’draft).So we hurried up, got off the mooring, and anchored a little farther off. Once we were sure we had a good hook, we set off to the island in the dinghy. It’s an idyllic place, with lots of apple trees, dirt roads, wildflowers, a one room schoolhouse, and vacationing families who are very friendly. There is a general store at the other end of the island, about a mile away. We might go there in the morning. We are enjoying the sun now, and a nice breeze, on the deck. David is fishing 🎣 !! No luck yet!! Looks like we will get more rain tonight.Read more

  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    Day 11

    More Cliff Island pics

    August 12, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    Day 11

    Cliff Island: First Time Anchoring

    August 12, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    We anchored for the first time which is an interesting challenging in strange waters! There are numerous articles about how much chain you need, how much rode, the ratio of depth to length, etc. I probably read most and came away more confused about how to properly anchor a 43’ sailboat but, what’s the worst that could happen? Turns out lots😩 most stories include how the captain stayed awake all night for fear of the anchor slipping. I did the math and all seemed well, we even decided to go ashore in the dinghy to explore the island, Cliff Island. Every time we got out of site of the boat I would panic thinking it was floating away. The cove we were in was beautiful, serene and calm. We returned to Sea Fever after an hour or so of exploring. We had dinner and set in to relax for the eve. I should mention that we also experienced a significant septic tank failure on this day. Below deck was near unbearable. At this point, sort of satisfied the anchor would hold, the tide was becoming high. Soon the boat began to rock side to side violently at times. I seemed to recall somewhere it said “don’t anchor here if the wind is from the north, the wind was strong from the north. I was sure the anchor would slip during the night. I decided to stand watch through the night😩 I poured a bourbon and said goodnight to Lisa who was grateful I would stand watch as she to was concerned about the violent rocking. I set my cell timer to wake me every 1.5 hours to check the anchor. Eventually I needed to relieve myself and knowing the septic tanks we’re overflowing I went topside. Admitting I had poured a stiff drink but was not prepared for what happened as I let go off the swim platform into the cove. As I watched the meeting off my stream to the cove there was an explosion of iridescence in the water, I was stunned. Then, as I looked over the cove it was alive with sparkles of iridescence, an unbelievable spectacle of nature, phosphorus! To ensure it was not the bourbon or simple exhaustion I grabbed the boat hook and swished it through the water and it immediately excited a trail of phosphate, incredible! You just never know what life will bring you on a tough night, it was surreal. Anyway, the anchor held, the seas calmed and in the morning Lisa made delicious pancakes and fresh coffee and we were off to the next adventure.Read more

  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    1
    Day 12

    Eagle Island, then Potts Harbor

    August 13, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    We waited out the morning fog at Cliff Isl, then lifted anchor around 1:45 and headed out the Eastern side of the cove on our way to Eagle Island. We stopped there and were met —at our boat!! —by John, asst. ranger at the State Historic site of Adm. Matthew Peary’s home. He took us in to shore and we spent the next couple of hours exploring the home (built to resemble a ship, with portholes) and learning more about his discovery of the “geographic” North Pole (not the magnetic one which was found to be in a different place). It is a beautiful island, and I really think it will fit the bill for the one I want. 🤓 We also saw a nest of ospreys. I think the staff there is a little lonely, as they were each very talkative. But at any rate, they also allowed — David — yes, David— to sit and play the player piano that was on the ship the Roosevelt while they took their little jaunt up to the Arctic. I am sure that any day now the curator of the Smithsonian will come by there and will shut that little perk down, especially after they see that David was allowed to do it. The docent had the piano play Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, lots of fun.

    After leaving Eagle Island (there are no eagles there anymore, by the way) we sailed to Dolphin Marina, in Potts Harbor, on the Harpswell Neck (nearest city: Brunswick, Me). We have already made fast friends with Owen, Master Dockhand and bartender, and have met the marina owner and Sean and John, bartender and bar back , respectively. They have bikes and kayaks we can use, and areas to hike. Also, they have the “Reversing Falls,” which we have to check out. David already wants to stay an extra day.    Read more

  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    Day 12

    Eagle Island, more pics

    August 13, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Adm. Peary bought this island for $200 soon after he graduated from Bowdoin College. He had always loved the island since visiting as a boy. He built the original house in 1912, then added on to it after recognition for discovery of the NP. Luckily his wife loved its wild remoteness too. Most often they used it as a summer home, as it only had a wood stove for heat, although they tried living there thru a couple of winters. Also, Adm. Peary raised Angora rabbits on the island after he retired.🐰Read more

  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    Day 14

    Potts Harbor

    August 15, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    This was our second morning at Dolphin Marina in Potts Harbor. They bring fresh, warm blueberry muffins and coffee to each boat every morning!

    It was rainy and foggy yesterday, so we borrowed the marina’s courtesy car and drove into Bowdoin to get some supplies (so, no, we did not sail the boat to Bowdoin like it shows on the map!). David had to spend most of the afternoon tracking down a computer chip for the charts on our MFD; the installer mistakenly kept it after loading the charts, and it will be needed in order to get Canadian charts. We are now having to wait at least til tomorrow (Thursday) for it to arrive.

    This morning was still foggy. We tried to see the Reversing Falls at mid-tide but we were a little too late. We will try again this evening. Instead, we took the dinghy onto the northern side of Basin Pt., (the other side of this bay). David tried fishing, without much success, so we then went to a deserted island where we saw an EAGLE, 🦅 which was very exciting (Cynde, you would have loved seeing that!). We also heard a couple of loons but couldn’t see them. After we came back, we went for a short bike ride, then spied another eagle at the top of a nearby tree, so sat and watched for a half hour, hoping to get a good shot when he flew off. Then he flew off and we couldn’t get the camera in time. Of course.

    This evening we plan to get lobster rolls at a nearby fish shack, where we watch the lobsters being unloaded every day.

    (Later this evening...) fog started rolling in before we could go to the Reversing Falls, so we will try tomorrow morning. The Reversing Falls are a small dam in an estuary. The water reverses at the change of tide direction.    Read more

  • Maine and Canadian coasts
    Day 14

    Potts Harbor, More Pics

    August 15, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Tonight we did eat at Erica’s Seafood and it was everything you want in a lobster shack. Good food, good conversations. Afterwards, we saw the sun desperately trying to peek through the fog, and a heron fishing. I enlarged the picture so that you could see the heron, so it is a little grainy. He is at the lower third of the picture, just left of center.Read more

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