Down East Shakedown Sail

Not yet ready for prime time but happy to be in the water!!!!

Soon to have good meals!

Leaving the harraseekette River in the sun!

A few hours before on Strouts marina dock

David preparing the best dinghy, a PortaboatDavid planning thesailto BoothBay

fog is about to lift on entry to Casco bay from Freeport LL BEAN

Holly at the helm

Mark at the helm

It makes every one happy

leaving Casco Bay

Seals on the way to BoothBay

Entrance to BoothBay

Cape Point Southport Island Boothbay this is now a private home

two choices with a 30 knot wind and a broken drive belt. Go to see or take a Boat US tow to a nice comfy mooring.

Noah gets a shower from dad Brian camping at Boothbay

lunch at boothbay SHACK

Patricia, Tyler Bobby-jo jeremy Kysa reagan Max Zack Tiya in serial lunches

Tiya likes her PB&J

Zack did not like jail Joan and John off Pemaquid point

Pemaquid point

Getting ready to return Joan's John, John's dad to the sea

John takes his last voyage after many boats and cruises with Joan.

Scooner near Penobscot bay

Forest Gump's lighthouse at Marshal point , now a museum

Heather dons shoes at th Vinylhaven dock. We rowed in from the boat , quite a current

I do not reccommend going here it is very commmercial and they do not seem to like private pleasure boats. While we were in town someone rammed my boat three times in three different places causing dents and a small hole. John getting ready for a drink at Jill's bar This ramp is flat at high tide

Mark David and Holly test out the waters with Whats up Doc after 22 months on the hard. She was happy to be in the water. After a day on the mooring trying to get things ready and somewhat organized on the Harraseekette River in Freeport Maine and a lenghty 5 hour shuttle drop to Booth bay ( 75 minute drive without trafic), we left Friday morning 8/6/2010 at 9 am for Boothbay in very light winds and had a reech to the bay arriving about 14:00 at anchor. However the holding was not good with the CQR and only 60 feet of chain in 15 feeet of water ( space too tight) as soon as i said ' we are in trouble if the wind shifts' the wind not only shifted but started to blow in gusts to 30k. We lost our 20 year old winalss finally - it gave good reliable service for a long time. and the stbd drive belt broke - 4 years old. so we limped around the bay in circles trying to beat up wind with one prop. could not do it so the choice was to sail downwind out to sea or get towed by boat US to a mooring. It was nice to get on the mooring at Boothbay Shipyard.

Mark and Holly return to their home and I shuttle back from Freeport arriving at 00:30! so much for an early entrance! After 2 days of camping with Tyler Bobbijo, Tiya, Zack, Max, Reagan, Kysa, Jeremy, Missy Aiden Noah Brian and my love Patricia. No boat rides of course except two dinghy rides. BUT, very sucessful shopping for Paulines aniversary.

Back on the boat for 2 days waiting for Boothbay region Boatyard to find a winlass and John to track down some belts. John arrives on Tuesday August with 6 drive belts for the electric engines! they fit except we can't replace the port belt due to the way it had been installed this year.

Joan gets her first ride on a catamaran around Boothbay to test the new belt. She is several decade coastal cruiser and is impressed with the space, view and stability on the cat. The next day 8/10/2010 John and I rig the schreecher and we head out in almost no wind to pemaquid point to cast the ashes of Joan's John (John's dad) to sea where they had been over 50 years earlier before John was born. After a mid ocean rerig of the screecher it was on to Eastern Egg Rock Island where there is a 75 pair Puffin colony reestablished in 1973. Then on through the gutt with the red NUN to Forerst Gumps light house on Marshal point. A wave to Chief Justice Roberts and on the Tennants harbor for a very vicious buggy encounter.

The next days brings some wind and we sail out to Matinicus rock and in to Vinylhaven, lobster boats, a swim for John for a wrapped prop, a good black Russian by Jill, long dinghy row up a real current and a good grilled steak!

Friday brings a downwind sail into Camden and more troubles for the Scheecher, could not furl correctly.

May 2008

May 25 2008, time for Greg and Sean to leave they were impressed that we have jets in Maine. We are mighty proud to have so many wicked smart jet people in Maine.
Sunset off Popum beach. On our way into the Kennebeck River the port drive shaft broke. probably from over tensioning the drive belt. So we had to go outside and make our way to Casco bay wince the starboard throttle was unreliable. Seatow did a great job meeting us at 23:00 at half way rock and taking us to Walter Green's mooring on the Harraseeket river in South Freeport, 2 miles from L.L.Bean's. We were here for 6 weeks.
Greg at light near Kennnebec river.

Same lighthouse, Greg at the helm.
We left Penobscot bay and proceeded to the Kennebec river This is along the way.
Warm water needed for David to shower after the swim
Knife that was not needed to cut the line that was not wrapped
Local Color Brookline, Maine

David swimming to cut free the prop free that had no line wrapped on it: 55 degree water
Iroquois Indian lacrosse player with Greg as defense. Blue Hill, Maine
Sunset in Bucks harbor

Farm at Bucks harbor low tide.
May 19 Bucks harbor Maine Some say the best harbor. not much for facilities but great sailing and views. Had to get dinghy engine repaired. Sara Cox helped a lot.
Off Bass Head light
To The southest Cranberry islands
To the east Sommes Sound

Greg with the west behind. Penobscot bay and Bucks harbor
To the south, the Cranberry islands

Southwest Eggemogin Reach
South west harbor Maine where we spent the night. Great diner in a corner cafe. Red Sox won.

Whats Up Doc starting to drag.
Raven or crow? waiting for what? click to see
Whats Up Doc in Valley Cove - Sommes Sound- David on Board - click to see.
the entrance to Sommes sound

The view toward NE harbor

After a nice rocky anchor that did not hold ( OK because I stayed on the boat), Sean and Greg climbed Flying mountain and falcon nest mountain and back to the .

The Entrance to Sommes sound MT Desert Island. this is the largest fiord in the US. Cadillac Mt in the distance the first place the sun hits the US.
A site we all love to see. These lobster traps caused me to swim 3 times this summer. We wrapped 6 in all.

May 18 Sean McGowan near NE harbor Mt Desert island. May 18 We had a warm and gentle sail through the harbor under full main.

May 17th was not too pleasant. We ran out of power because the starter battery ran dead. The blower pulled 7.5 amps with the charger ran 5 amps. So we had the Bass Harbor harbor Master come out with a new battery and motored to the town dock. Greg and Sean took a walk and got a free lobster diner. David of Solar marine elecric came out and diagnosed the problem . We disconnected the blower, kept the cover off the engine room and all was ok but noisy for the rest of the trip.

MAY 16; We are about to leave Blue Hill Bay, an ideal harbor with church, store, restaurant, hospital, Golf, yatch club, boatyard, and cemetery all on the water of a small town and harbor .