|
Captain's Log
JUNE 1, 2009 1st day of the sailing season!
Oh boy, it looks like a great sailing day, lots of sun and a really nice southwest by west wind.
Typical for us, it takes awhile to get organized and underway. First day the crew has to remember the sequence of things: lines, fenders, power cord, water hose, boarding ramp and a host of other details. All of the crew members have crewed with us before except Alec. He has sailing experience on schooners though so he's catching on quickly. Finally Capt. Linda hooks up the yawl boat and we ease out of the berth. Used the donkey engine to hoist the sails--not into the hard work of hoisting those big sails. With the yawl boat hoisted on the stern we sail out by the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse as well as the Owls Head Lighthouse. Headed right offshore, down around the ends of all the bay islands, sailing at 8 to 9 and sometimes 10 knots 'Down East'. Anchored in Bar Harbor off the Nova Scotia ferry dock by sunset. We sailed 79 miles -- that's a record! Great first day! Great meals (Thanks Cook Morgan).
TUESDAY
Very quiet morning. After breakfast we got underway and pushed with the yawl boat out of Frenchman's Bay. When a breeze sprang up in the Western Way off Southwest Harbor, we hoisted the yawl boat and sailed the rest of the day.
Late in the afternoon we anchored off Folly Island in Blue Hill Bay for our lobster cookout on the beach. Yum! Nice to have lobsters again as well as a hamburger.
Later, at sunset, we moved the schooner a short way over to Pretty Marsh for the night. Now we've spent a night on both the east and west sides of Acadia National Park. Saw a couple of bald eagles today and heard loons this evening.
37 miles, pretty good for a lobster bake day.
Another sunny day; pushed out in the calm morning but after a short time enough wind sprang up to let us hoist the yawl boat and sail away. Beat down Blue Hill and Jericho Bays to Swans Island. Sailed past Hockamock Head Lighthouse into Burnt Coat Harbor for the night. Shore trips and a walk to the lighthouse before supper.
31 miles
THURSDAY
Mostly sunny. Fog at times. Wind, then no wind at times. Josh Joyce, an island lobsterman, and his sister Emmie joined us for breakfast aboard. Sailed out of the harbor under sail only, then westward across to Merchant Row into the thick fog. Later it lifted for our sail up the bay past Dice Head Lighthouse to Smith Cove at Castine.
34 miles
FRIDAY
After breakfast we moved the schooner from Smith Cove to the Castine town wharf so everyone could step ashore for a couple of hours. Left before lunch and spent the day beating down the bay with the tide, a total of sixteen tacks. Sailed into Pulpit Harbor on North Haven Island for the night. The osprey was in residence in her nest atop Pulpit Rock at the entrance to the harbor.
36 miles.
A little overcast today and a light northeast wind. We got underway early and sailed home across Penobscot Bay as the sun came out. The perfect end to a perfect week.
11 miles.
We saw 11 different light houses this trip:
- Rockland Breakwater
- Owls Head
- Saddleback Ledge
- Great Duck
- Egg Rock in Frenchman's Bay
- Bear Island
- Bass Harbor Head
- Blue Hill Bay
- Hockamock Head
- Eagle Island
- Dice Head
We've seen seals, porpoise, bald eagles, lots of terns, guillemots, cormorants, loons, as well as several varieties of gulls: herring, greater black back and laughing.
The schooner logged 228 miles this trip, the most ever in our 27 seasons. | 
