Month: September 2019 (Page 1 of 2)

When we first bought Kalyra, 10 years ago, we did something really stupid. We were in Block Island and agreed to meet our friend Jen in Newport on a certain day. It’s only 20 miles, a distance we could normally cover in 4 hours with a decent wind. However, the day we set off we were battling winds on our nose and stacked seas. What should have been a sunny 4 hour run turned into 7 hours of hobby horsing (picture a boat rocking back and forth like a kid’s play horse – you get the idea) misery and the only happy ending was a hot shower and Jen patiently waiting at the bar with appetizers and our favorite cocktails.

Fast forward 10 years and we’re on our way back to Newport. Just as crazy of a day with stacked and breaking seas, high winds, and rain – at least it was coming from behind this time and we could sail. And what a sail! Two days of the wind behind us, jib only (sometimes half a jib) and still averaging 6.5 knots! We made it through the Cape Cod Canal the first day and decided to anchor just west of New Bedford in a quiet cove for an easy in and easy out. We made it to Newport the next afternoon in slightly milder conditions (we were still averaging 6 knots, jib only). Lawrence had already let us know that the southern anchorage was much too crowded, there were no moorings available, so he opted for the anchorage between Goat Island and the bridge. Not nearly as crowded, the only downside was the wind and the fetch – though I expect they were facing that in the other anchorage too.

Anchoring up north gave us access to the Newport Ship Yard and Bella’s Café. The shipyard is home to the biggest mega yachts in the area and your jaw will drop as you dinghy by these monstrosities. We tucked into the dinghy dock and went to Bella’s Café (conveniently located right in the shipyard). The docks just off Bella’s were host to boats for sale as part of the Newport Boat Show, so we did a little shopping. I liked the sailboat with the built-in hot tub, but Trip wasn’t interested….

The Newport Boat Show is always fun to visit, especially since it isn’t as big as Annapolis. We wandered around looking at boats and gear and happily didn’t spend a dime beyond the entrance fee (dreaming of new equipment doesn’t cost anything, yet).

Since we were back in Newport for our wedding anniversary, we had to head back to our favorite Mexican restaurant – Perro Salado. Nothing like continuing a good tradition….

After an uncomfortably rolly night in the outer harbor of Gloucester (I forgot the commercial boats in MA are very different from the lobster boats in Maine – they’re fishermen instead of lobstermen and are in and out at all hours of the night – the lobstermen go out early in the morning), we set sail for Provincetown. I was afraid we were in for a bit of motoring, but other than the wind shifting a bit, we had a lovely sail down.

We passed through Stellwagon Bank and were treated to the views of a lifetime – humpback whales surfacing everywhere around us! It turns out that autumn is when they gorge on food supplies before they run south to the Bahamas & Dominican Republic to give birth in winter. We were continuously spinning in circles on the boat to take it all in, so magical.

Lawrence had already gotten to Provincetown that morning and had a chance to nap after his overnight sail, so we dropped anchor next to him and caught up over cocktails. He was off to the Cape Cod Canal the next morning, while we headed ashore to explore again. We were happy to know that decent anchoring possibilities exist in Provincetown, because moorings have now gone to $75-$130 a night, depending on the facility and season (high enough to otherwise keep us away). We stopped by our favorite hardware store (which has a remarkable kitchen supply) and 60s clothing shop, enjoyed a bit of lunch, hit up the grocery store, and then it was back to the boat.

The next day the wind picked up considerably and we opted to stay onboard, and instead watched other boats coming in to take shelter from the high winds and seas. Happy to report that the hook from Race Point provides just the right amount of protection.

All but one of the boats got up and left Isles of Shoals just after first light. All heading south to tuck in somewhere safe before the storm arrived. We only had 28 miles to go, and the winds were brisk easterlies, so we knew we could easily make it to Gloucester with plenty of time. Trip called the Harbormaster, who said there were plenty of inner moorings available, and to book online. Unfortunately when we tried we got a denial in response (uh oh). While I started studying the outer harbor of Gloucester for anchoring possibilities (wouldn’t be pleasant but would still have basic wind and some sea protection, we’re a heavy boat and have ridden out storms before at anchor), Trip called the Harbormaster again. It turns out all the inner harbor moorings had been booked unbeknownst to him, but he put us on hold and called a local boatyard that owned one other mooring in the same area. He told us it was available but to call them immediately to book it which we did. Whew.

The weather was great, cloudy/sunny skies, good wind, seas just beginning to build a bit, so we had a great sail – reefed main and jib. Still doing over 6 knots, and we came into Gloucester just after noon. The mooring was easy to find and we settled in quickly. I had feared that we were going to arrive and then conditions deteriorate quickly, but the inner harbor provided quite the protection. The winds were holding off and there were no waves inside this little area. The launch picked us up and delivered us to Brown’s Yacht Yard. A no frills working yacht yard, it had everything we needed. Clean hot showers, wifi, storm mooring, launch service, and great local advice. We were only a 20 minute walk away from a CVS and Stop and Shop, so I was able to refill some prescriptions, get some cold medicine (pesky head colds were manageable but annoying), and some provisions. Our great surprise was on our way to the stores, we walked by the condo (an old converted church) where Trip’s cousins used to live. We had no idea we were in their old neighborhood and Trip immediately texted Mark.

The weather was still holding when we got back late afternoon, so we decided to risk doing dinner ashore. Val & Deanna from Browns had recommended The Studio over in Rocky Neck. Conveniently located on the water, the launch picked us up at the boat yard, stopped at the boat so we could unload the provisions, and then took us straight to the restaurant (passing one of the boats from Wicked Tuna on the way). The restaurant was an old converted artists studio, and we sat at the bar for an early dinner under what was the original lofted ceiling with a fair amount of light pouring in. Needing to stretch our legs a bit more, and the weather still holding out, we walked back through the artists colony (a lot of the galleries stay open on Friday nights) to the boat yard where the launch picked us up again and dropped us off at the boat.

We checked in with sailing friends to make sure everyone was tucked into good hurricane holes for the passing storm, and then settled in. The winds didn’t start till well after midnight, but there was no fetch to build. Comfortable as it was, I didn’t really sleep. The one problem with being on a boat during high winds is the creaking noise that mooring lines (or bridle if we’re at anchor) make while stretching to accomodate the boat swinging back and forth. I drifted in and out but that creaking kept waking me up.

By morning the winds were blowing in the high teens/low twenties and gusting higher, but there was still no wave action. We had spotty rainshowers, but nothing substantial. Everything started to ease mid morning so we caught the launch back ashore. Turns out there was a laundromat just a block away from the boat yard, and though we didn’t have much, I desperately wanted to wash the sheets now that we were feeling better (there’s nothing better than sleeping on clean sheets after feeling sick). We put the laundry in and wandered down the street to a vintage store (another Deanna recommendation). I managed to find a beautiful wool sweater for only $30 dollars, Trip found a great old linen shirt, and he discovered in chatting with the owners that they used to live across the street from Trip’s cousins. Small world.

We finished the laundry, dropped everything at the boat, and then took the launch across the harbor to the main side of town. By now the sun was out, the winds were dropping, and you would have never guessed that a major hurricane had just passed off the coast, racing north for Nova Scotia. We stopped at a liquor store to pick up Baileys (we’ve discovered that nothing is better on a cold night than hot chocolate and Baileys) and then popped in and out of shops. We wound up at Machacas (thanks yet again, Deana) for an early dinner of Mexican food while watching Serena Williams go down in defeat at the US Open.

We left Maine at first light. The northwest winds were fabulous and we were doing 6.5 knots steadily. Our goal was to make it down to Gloucester, the only downside would be getting in after the sunset. Unfortunately the winds decided not to cooperate and pretty much died altogether by noon. While we could have motored all the way to Gloucester, we had an out and opted to stop in Isles of Shoals for the night. Normally a crowded summer mooring field, we were one of only four sailboats for the night. There was barely any wind, and the islands nicely blocked any seas. After an incredible sunset (it turns out everyone up and down the east coast was experiencing something similar pre-Dorian), we tucked in some dinner (boxed mac & cheese with turkey chili – as both of us had come down with head colds and needed some comfort food even if it was out of a box and can) and went to bed.

We had a leisurely banana pancake breakfast on board that Emily helped me make, then we brought the boat over to the dock to top off water and fuel. It’s amazing how much easier docking is with extra sets of hands – especially Emily who’s turning out to be a perfect shipmate. We said goodbye to the Keats and headed north again. James had called the night before and not only told us they were sailing for the weekend (we thought they would be hiking instead), but that they were heading to Dolphin Marina in Harpswell. We called Lawrence (Viviane had just arrived for a long weekend and they were heading back from Rockland), and they decided to join us. We all managed to get moorings, lucky for us on the last busy holiday weekend of the summer. After cocktails onboard Kalyra, we all went in for a hearty dinner at the restaurant.

The next morning, without fail, the launch came out just after 8:00, bearing coffee and their famous blueberry muffins…….yum.

James and Jenny were heading back to Portland that afternoon, but we followed Lawrence and Viviane further up in Harpswell, dropping anchor in a secluded anchorage. We had drinks onboard Tanqueray and got caught up with Viviane before retiring for the night.

Lawrence and Viviane left early the next morning, as she had a flight to catch. We opted to listen to the OCC SSB net and then Chris Parker’s forecast before leaving. Unfortunately that meant leaving at dead low tide. And running aground. In lots of mud and sea grass. In a spot where the charts said we still had some water to clear at low tide and our depth sounder was three feet off. We tried swinging Trip out the boom to heel the boat and give us a little clearance, but we had no luck whatsoever. So we settled in for about an hour, enjoyed the view, and left when the waters came up and we had clearance under the keel.

We were now looking for a weather window to leave Portland and head south. Of course, Hurricane Dorian was now making its way over from the Bahamas and up the US east coast. All our sailing friends were much further south and were racing to hole up for the storm, but being further north we had a little time to play with. On Thursday there would be a 36-hour window of good northerly winds to play with and we decided to take it. We moved down to Cliff Island and anchored there for two nights waiting for the southerly wind to swing north.

We had a day to kill before Jeff, Leslie & Emile Keats came up from Boston for the weekend, so we motored just a few miles over to Wildwood Park (north of Falmouth) along the shore to tuck out of westerly winds. A nice open anchorage with no one else around, it’s only downside was the long dinghy ride to shore. To be precise – a mile and a half of a wet choppy dinghy ride to shore (oh for an inflatable with a 10 hp engine that would allow us to plane). After a wet ride into the Falmouth town landing, the Harbormaster was good with us leaving the dinghy at his dock while we caught the bus to town for provisioning. We hit the ATM for cash, the bank for quarters (laundry), and the grocery store for a little bit of everything. Then it was back to the dinghy for a much calmer downwind ride back to the boat.

The Keats brought fabulous weather with them. They picked us up at the Handy Boat Yard where we had grabbed a mooring for the night. Then it was off to Portland to take in some good beer and food. Downtown Portland tends to be packed with tourists, but there’s an area just outside the city with all the up and coming breweries and eateries that we headed for. We started at Duckfat with a smorgasboard of charcuterie, and of course their famous poutine and vanilla milkshakes. Well, the milkshake was for Emily, while we sampled the local beer from Oxbow Brewery, which conveniently shared a courtyard.

After lunch, Leslie, Emily and I headed over to a local knitting store where we all got some cool yarn. Meanwhile, Jeff and Trip went down to the Maine Distillery to get some special whiskey for a Boston friend (as well as sampling some of the local rums). After that we met up again and headed down to Austin Street, one of the new up and coming breweries, for yet more beer, as well as some sushi to tide Emilie over till dinner.

Since we were close, and the Keats had a car, we made a quick stop at Trader Joes so I could stock up with enough of my canned/boxed favorites to tide us over till we got home (Trader Joes really is one of the best stores for stocking a boat). Then we went into downtown Portland to get some ice cream, stroll around with all the tourists, and more importantly grab lobster rolls and lobster mac and cheese takeout. I love the Portland Lobster Company, but the crowds are crazy, so we did takeout and brought it back to the boat for an al fresco dinner as the sun set behind us.

Bob and Carolyn Knott had graciously invited us to dinner whenever we were back in the Portland area, but we didn’t want them to go through the trouble of cooking, so we picked up a mooring off Chebeague Island which is just across the way from Littlejohn Island where they live. They took the ferry over, and the four of us met up at the Inn on Chebeague, a lovely old 100-year old mansion that’s been carefully preserved yet beautifully updated with modern conveniences. Our timing was perfect – Thursday nights aren’t busy, but they were gearing up for busy crowds for Labor Day weekend as well as a wedding. A fabulous meal and great company.

We had skipped the Basin on our way up to Penobscot Bay, so decided to take a couple of days and decompress there on our way back to Portland. Fiscal Stray was back on the water, changed their plans once they radioed to see what we were up to and followed us over to the Basin. What a sail. Jib only run and we were surfing over 7 knots at times. The waves were stacked so the roll was noticeable for the middle hour, but what a sail. Especially after all these days of motoring or motorsailing at best.

We tucked into the Basin and invited Anne & Tod over for cocktails. Once again, we had met them through the mini-cruise, but spent little time getting to know them because of the volume of people, so it was fun to have them aboard. That night we happened to go outside after dinner – the clear sky was filled with stars that were reflecting perfectly on the water that was as still as a mirror. Absolutely spectacular.

The next morning we were visited by the owners of Tatiana, another Tayana 37 anchored in the Basin. It turns out we had met them in Seal Bay 2 years ago but had not talked much because they were sick at the time. They came aboard to inspect and we traded Tayana stories. After that Trip went sailing in the dinghy, I settled in to catch up on knitting and managed to make some foccacia (hard to bake when you’re moving all the time). Then Five & Dime sailed in (yet another OCC boat) and it was time for cocktails on Fiscal Stray for all six of us.

Most of the anchorage emptied out the final day but another familiar boat sailed in – Bunny and Bill Bailey on Onset. We all met on Five and Dime for cocktails, where I learned an amazingly simple recipe for homemade kettle corn, and I also had the chance to drink cocktails out of hand blown glassware that Curt and Kathy had watched being made during one of their many visits to a glassblower in Nova Scotia (one more reason for us to make the visit). Of course we waited just a tad too long and it started to rain. Kathy was kind enough to give me a trash bag, I made Trip strip off his handknit sweater (didn’t want him smelling like a wet dog) and we rowed back to the boat.

James and Jenny had been in the general area on vacation while we were doing the mini-cruise, but we were able to meet up on their way home. (The winds were still blowing from the east and north, which made sense for us to start heading toward Portland as well.) They caught up to us under way, just as we hoisted our spinnaker for the first time this season. Spinnaker runs are fantastic – the sail is beautiful, and James was able to circle the boat and get pictures as well as video. Looma IV sailed past on their way to Massachusetts and even Fiscal Stray called out to us on the radio, enjoying the view.

It was a slow run (3 knots at best), but it was fun. Then we headed up to Christmas Cove where James had managed to get a mooring for themselves and dockspace for us (they were down a mooring and gave us the dock for the same price). After heavenly long hot showers, and a starter cocktail on board, we caught up with them over a tasty dinner at the restaurant. We managed to have an hour of good conversation to ourselves before the band started playing, but we didn’t mind because they were quite good. Holy Mackerels – all covers of oldies but goodies. The fiddle was a nice bonus. The best part was that we could hear them from the boat after we left – it was a great lullaby that night.

It was only a 3.3 mile run down the St Georges River to Port Clyde from Maple Juice Cove, and we were able to do it under jib. Slow, but it was nice to sail for a change. Us, Looma IV and Saphir dropped the hook in the northern anchorage and we dinghied ashore.

Port Clyde isn’t worth more than a day’s visit, but what a charming town. The general store had pretty much all the groceries you’d need for a basic provisioning run, so we did a walk through to assess before wandering around town. We walked out to the Marshall Point Lighthouse and visited the museum there, then rounded our way back to town for ice cream. I found a blueberry pie to bring along for dessert to Saphir later that night.

We picked up groceries and sat at the store counter for a bite of lunch. We went back to the boat to store groceries and rest, then came back to town to visit the Barn Bar (per James’ recommendation). An old red barn decorated in a shabby chic style, we bellied up to the bar to begin celebrating Klaus’ birthday. Locals came in and insisted on buying us shots of Screech – an infamous Newfoundland rum (think Jagermeister). Klaus insisted on oysters on the half shell, so it was a good start to the evening. Then we all headed over to Saphir, where Katrin had prepared a traditional Sunday roast for the birthday boy, complete with homemade spaetzel. Mads had brought the Cuban rum and we sat around the table for hours telling stories and enjoying each others’ company for the last time before we all headed south at different paces.