Nassau

Our original plan was to clear into the Bahamas in Bimini, rest there, and then continue on to Nassau for a brief stop before entering the Exuma chain. The weather windows to cross have been few and brief. Our window would only stay open for a couple of days, and knowing that if we did not continue on, we would be held up in Bimini, we decided to bypass Bimini and continue on to Nassau. We passed just north of Bimini, crossed the bank, and then entered the Northwest Channel and then on to Nassau. We arrived at Nassau just a few hours before the window closed again. This is our first time in Nassau, and we are glad we have the opportunity to see what it is all about. We are anchored in the middle of the harbor formed between Paradise Island and the city of Nassau on New Providence Island. We are at a position east of the cruise ship docks and south of Atlantis, and west of the bridges that connect to Paradise Island. Three or four cruise ships arrive daily, sometimes as many as five. They stay just one day. We ventured to the cruise ship dock at the end of town, but didn't find anything of interest to us. It was mostly luxury goods for the cruise ship crowd.

We spent an afternoon at Atlantis. We had permission to land our dinghy at a small dock in front of the Dockmaster's office. The marina caters to the very large luxury yachts. The aquarium is fascinating. We walked through the casino and past all the shops. We concluded with a walk on the beach, which was packed with vacationers.

The end of town east of the bridges is where most of the marinas are, and it is an area we like. It is where the locals shop. We needed just a couple of items at the grocery store and found the supermarket to be as well-stocked as is typical in the US.

We met a lot of cruisers at a weekly luncheon organized by BASRA (Bahamian Air Sea Rescue Association). It was at the Green Parrot, an extremely cruiser-friendly restaurant. They provide a dinghy dock and free WiFi. BASRA also runs a radio net in the mornings to provide a weather update and a chance for cruisers to connect.

Fantasy Island (Windchaser in foreground)

Aquarium

Brian and Jan

A Fast Run To Miami

Upon returning to Fernandina Beach after three weeks away, we found Ariel in good condition, meaning the birds had not made too big a mess. The very next day, we were on our way south again. Our buddy boat, Wind Chaser, had left the same marina a full week ahead of us, so we were determined to do our best to catch up or at least not have them wait too long in Miami for us.

Along the way, we visited with Barry and Susan on Swan while anchored in Cocoa Beach and with Iain and Jan on Jocks Lodge while anchored in North Palm Beach.

After leaving the Palm Beaches area, the waterway was all new to us since we did not go any further south last year. The stretch between the Palm Beaches and Port Everglades has 21 bridges that have to open to pass through. Almost all of them are on a fixed schedule, so timing is very important. We found the bridge tenders to be very pleasant, and the schedules worked out to be very accommodating. We would do this stretch again without hesitation. We went outside for the last leg, going out at Port Everglades and coming back in at Government Cut in Miami. There is one fixed bridge in this stretch that we cannot get under.

Miami is an exciting place. There is abundant room to anchor, and everything is easily accessible with the dinghy, with the extensive system of waterways and canals. It is just amazing to watch the cruise ships arrive and depart. They come in at around 4 am and depart the same day at around 5 to 6 pm. We spent an afternoon at South Beach, having found a canal that took us all the way there. This is a place we both wanted to visit.

Next stop - Bahamas

Miami Skyline

One of many cruise ships

Holding Up In Fernandina Beach

We went on a mooring at Fernandina Beach and then, for the weekend, rented a car. Enterprise has great weekend rates, which are 1/2 the normal weekday rate. We had a great visit with Linda's sister, Dale, and her husband Steve in Palatka, Florida. We also made our last major provisioning for the winter months in the Bahamas. We had to take inventory and begin keeping records of our food stores in each compartment. They are not always visible, so it is good to know what is actually available.

We met up with Brian and Jan from Wind Chaser. We also met their son Cory. He is stationed at the Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia, and has an apartment in Fernandina Beach. We compared plans with Brian and Jan, and we all agreed to do some traveling together this winter. We will visit the Exumas, but also explore some of the islands between the Exumas and the Turks and Caicos. Brian and Jan will keep Wind Chaser in Fernandina Beach until after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Iain and Jan from Jocks Lodge arrived a week later at Cumberland Island, so we took Ariel to Cumberland Island after dropping our mooring. It was extremely windy, but we all made it in for a walk. We had quite an international group for our island touring. Jocks Lodge is Canadian. We were joined by a couple from a New Zealand boat, Long White Cloud, several years into their circumnavigation. They are extremely interesting and have so many wonderful experiences to share. We were also joined by a couple from an Australian boat, Tacu Tori. They purchased the boat in the US and are now traveling with Jocks Lodge. They will visit Cuba with Jocks Lodge and then continue on to Panama to cross to the Pacific Ocean and onto Australia.

Our plans have changed. We put Ariel in a slip at Fernandina Harbor Marina so we could go north to attend to some personal matters and to spend Thanksgiving with family. We expect to be away for three weeks, and then after returning, we will move quickly to Miami to rejoin Wind Chaser for our crossing to Bimini.

Submarine leaving Kings Bay as we were returning from Cumberland Island to Fernandina Beach.

A Different Experience

This year's journey south is so much different than our first trip last year. Our plan was to go outside (along the coast) most of the way, but the wind conditions, both direction and strength has kept us inside on the ICW most of the way. We are now in Fernandina Beach, having finally gone outside at Charleston and re-entered at the St. Marys River.

We also experienced the skinniest water ever in a stretch of South Carolina. We knew it would be a potential problem since we would be passing this known problem spot at an absolute low tide. For a 1/2 mile stretch, we had continuous depths less than 5 feet. We soon ran aground, and for the first time ever, we could not get ourselves off on our own. We were resigned to wait on the rising tide to lift us off, but almost immediately, a local guy out checking his crab traps offered to try and pull us off. Not only did he pull us off, with some difficulty, but he gave us guidance on deeper water. In this case, the deeper water was 3 additional inches, but enough to keep going. It was extremely nerve-racking as, occasionally, we could feel Ariel being bogged down as the keel ran along the bottom.

We were extremely happy to go outside and hope to continue on with more outside travel along the Florida coast. The windows for outside travel have been short. As it was, the seas were building rapidly with strong east to northeast winds as we entered St. Mary's.

Dewees Creek - one of our favorite places to anchor - north of Charleston

Fort Sumter

 

Ready For The Push South

High winds were forecast, so after leaving Elizabeth City, we selected South Lake just off the Alligator River as our secure anchorage. It is a very desolate place with the only visible sign of human development being a flashing white light atop a tower in the very far distance. No other boats joined us, so we were indeed isolated. The winds picked up just as it got dark, increasing quickly to a sustained 30 - 35 knots with higher gusts. Without lights or moonlight, it was not possible to see the shoreline. We both monitored our GPS position for a couple of hours to ensure we were not dragging our anchor. We were held in this location for three nights and two days with consistently high winds. When we finally retrieved our anchor, it was confirmed that it had buried itself quite deeply.

Our next stop was Belhaven, NC. We like this town a lot. It is really made up of working folks, but offers the basic essentials we need. We find everyone extremely friendly. We stayed a day to pick up our mail, do laundry, and fill our propane tank. and pick up a few groceries. At the post office, they already had our package out front just waiting for us to stop in. What a treat compared to our experience in West Palm Beach last year.

Our insurance held us back until November to keep us out of the hurricane area, but now we are free to go, so we are serious about moving south as quickly as possible.

Dismal Swamp Canal

Last year, we were disappointed to find the Dismal Swamp route closed due to low water levels. At mile 7.3 on the Intercoastal Waterway, there is usually a choice between the Virginia Cut route and the Dismal Swamp route. We called ahead and were delighted to find the water level was at least 6.3 feet and the locks were back on four openings each day. The Dismal Swamp route is slower (no wake zone), much more scenic, and has more free docks available. There is no commercial traffic, and most powerboats avoid it due to the slower pace. The Dismal Swamp Canal has locks at both ends. Entering the canal, you are raised up to the level of the canal and at the other end lowered back down again. We were lowered 8 feet when we exited the canal at the South Mills lock. Immediately after clearing the Deep Creek lock at the north end, we tied up to a free dock that has room for about five boats. We stayed three nights and got to know our dock neighbors. One night, when we had five boats staying, we had a Happy Hour on the dock. The small town of Deep Creek has good shopping from a boater's perspective. Linda made big additions to our provisioning by shopping at the Dollar General store. The last day before leaving, three of us worked together to move our boats close to the one available water tap, and we each then filled our tanks and washed down our boats by connecting our hoses together. We timed our departure from Deep Creek to the first lock opening. We were actually trapped between the lock and the bridge, which operates in conjunction with the lock. The trip down the canal was everything we could have hoped for. It was a beautifully clear day, and the canal was very scenic. The pace was purposefully slow to arrive at the lock on the far end at exactly the scheduled opening. We ran over three deadheads along the way. These are logs that have sunk to the bottom or near the bottom. They just bump along the bottom of the keel and do no harm.

Exiting the South Mills lock after being lowered eight feet, we hurried on to Elizabeth City to arrive during daylight. Our big disappointment was to find all fourteen of the free city docks filled. Elizabeth City is famous for its Rose Buddies. Friends of ours who went through about a week ahead of us confirmed the tradition is still going, even though its founder, Fred Fearing, died last year. The Rose Buddies greet the boaters and invite them to a wine and cheese party. The city mayor attended the wine and cheese party that our friends had attended. We anchored out for the night with a few other boats caught in the same circumstances. It was probably just as well, as we planned to leave at dawn to get across the Albemarle Sound before expected high winds and to find a secure anchorage.

The Dismal Swamp Canal is the oldest continually operating man-made canal in the United States. Both George Washington and Governor Patrick Henry of Virginia felt that canals were the easiest answer for an efficient means of internal transportation. In 1784, the Dismal Swamp Canal Company was created. Digging began in 1793 and progressed slowly since the canal had to be dug completely by hand. Most of the labor was done by slaves hired from nearby landowners. It took approximately 12 years of back-breaking construction under highly unfavorable conditions to complete the 22-mile-long waterway. By 1805, flat-bottomed vessels could be admitted into the canal, where tolls were charged to allay the continual expense of improvements and maintenance.
By 1820, the Canal was recognized as an important part of commercial traffic between Virginia and North Carolina. In 1829, improvements to the waterway made it possible to accommodate deeper drafts. The 1860's and the onset of the Civil War put the canal in an important strategic position for Union and Confederate forces. Wartime activity, however, left the canal in a terrible state of repair. The repairs and maintenance needed for the canal made travel difficult.  A new era for the canal came in 1892 when the Lake Drummond Canal and Water Company launched rehabilitation efforts in 1896. Once again, a steady stream of vessels carrying lumber, shingles, farm products, and passengers made the canal a bustling interstate thoroughfare.  With the 20th century, however, improvements in modes of transportation meant another downturn for the canal. By the 1920's, commercial traffic had subsided except for passenger vessels. In 1929, it was sold to the federal government for $500,000, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains it.

Back Together Again In Spa Creek

After returning from visiting family, we moved Ariel out of the marina and anchored nearby, still in the downtown Baltimore area. The next day, we moved to Annapolis and anchored off the Naval Academy. The sailboat show had just ended, and they were setting up for the powerboat show in the harbor, so it was busy. With all of the boat traffic, it was pretty lumpy, so the next day we moved into Spa Creek and took a mooring. Iain and Jan from Jock's Lodge, our cruising partners from last season, have been anchored in Spa Creek while Jan is working at both of the boat shows. We had dinner on their boat our first night in Annapolis, and had them over on Ariel a couple of nights later for dinner. They are leaving for Cuba as soon as the boat shows are over. Their plans will take them to Mexico, Belize, and then Guatemala. Ted and Alice from Windsong, also our cruising partners from last winter, had prepared for and hoped to cruise again this season, but Ted developed some medical problems that will keep them grounded for a while. The six of us got together for dinner on Thursday evening, which was wonderful. Ted looked good and seemed to be on the road to a good recovery. We were so happy to see them and will miss having them out there with us. We are on our way now, having had a very fast sail from Annapolis to Solomons. A strong north-northeast wind pushed us along at 7 knots.
The anchorage is extremely crowded, and we had to squeeze in.

Camryn's First Birthday

Our weekend trip to Ohio for Camryn's first birthday could not have been nicer. Ariel was very secure at Inner Harbor East Marina, and the car rental was only a couple of blocks away. The leaves were at peak or near peak as we passed through the hills in Pennsylvania and New York.

The party, which was a brunch, was really nice, and afterward we all were all invited to spend the afternoon together at Scott and Pamela's home. We got to spend time with all of our grandchildren. It was a very quick trip, and we were sad to leave, especially knowing we would not see them again until next June.

Back On The Chesapeake

Our plan after Linda's medical procedure on Thursday was to immediately begin our trip to Baltimore. We need to secure Ariel for a few days so we can go to Ohio for Camryn's first birthday party. We began with heavy rain and the passing of Kyle, which delayed our departure from Onset until Monday, September 29. We planned our departure to maximize the use of favorable currents. We left Onset at 8:45 am to time the favorable current, which carried us all the way out of Buzzards Bay and most of the way to the Harbor of Refuge at Point Judith. We have passed this man-made shelter many times, but we never gone in. We decided to stay there to save the time it would require to go into a more protected anchorage. The swell had been running high all day from the weekend storms, and we found the break wall at Point Judith insufficient to keep the waves from breaking over the top. We had a bouncy night, and we were happy to get underway at 6:30 am to catch a favorable current in Long Island Sound. We decided to stop at East Haven, which this time around was very calm and comfortable. We were on our way again the next morning at 7:30 am to catch the favorable current. We stopped at Port Washington, one of our favorites. The next day was extremely windy, so we stayed but did not go ashore. The following day was still windy, and we knew New York Harbor would be rough, but we wanted to stage at Sandy Hook for forecasted good conditions for the weekend. We timed our departure to arrive at Hells Gate at near slack. It was rough going right from the start, and it became a very rough ride in New York Harbor as we expected. We arrived at Atlantic Highlands in a very crowded anchorage, as we are now back in the pack of boats migrating south. Our departure the next morning was timed to arrive at the entrance of Delaware Bay at 8 am the following morning to catch the favorable current up the bay and through the C&D canal. After topping off our fuel, we left at 8:15 am. It was a very smooth trip down the coast, and the wind was in our favor as we had hoped. The wind was only about 10 knots, so we had to motor sail the entire trip. We were pretty much alone the entire way. While a lot of other boats left as well, we think they were probably making stops along the coast. We arrived at the entrance of the Delaware Bay 20 minutes early, not bad after 128 miles. Our average speed was 5.5 knots as planned. To some, this may seem slow, but we have slowed down this year to reduce our use of diesel fuel. The wind was on the nose going up the bay, so it was a little slower than we would have liked. We stopped at the Bohemia River, which is just past the Chesapeake side of the C&D canal. Our goal was the Sassafras River, but we would have arrived after dark if we kept going. The Bohemia River takes a bit of nerve. It is silted in about two feet over the depths reported on the charts. We gingerly looked for a spot as the actual depths were 4.9 - 6.0 feet. Our draft is now 4.9 feet, so we know we were at our limit and maybe pushing through some silt. The next day, we decided to go straight to the inner harbor in Baltimore, which was a day ahead of our plan. We are now at the Inner Harbor East Marina, which is in the center city and a great facility. When we stepped off in Baltimore, we realized we had not been off Ariel for 11 days. This trip was so much different from a year ago, but most of the difference is with us. We are much more patient and more focused on using favorable wind and current to help us.

Starting Our Trip South

We had some really great days for travel, returning from downeast Maine. We were able to enjoy some good sailing on clear, sunny days. The only unusual day was going from Biddeford Pool to our intended destination of Salem. It was clear and sunny with a light wind. As soon as we left the protection of the harbor, we encountered very large, steep waves, which, given our direction of travel, were on the beam. The problem was an Atlantic storm well out to sea that was generating very large seas. It was the roughest ride we have ever experienced on Ariel. We decided to stop in Gloucester and hope for improved seas the next day. The seas improved, and we moved on to Plymouth to stage for a favorable current through the Cape Cod Canal.

We really enjoyed the fast trip through the canal. The canal has bike and walking paths on both sides. We used to take our bikes there and ride along the canal, even though it was 50 miles from our home. We went through on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, so there were many people out enjoying the day.

We knew we would be in Onset through Thursday for a doctor appointment that day that Linda had scheduled. We decided to use the opportunity to do a major re-provisioning, so we rented a car for a couple of days. This was the largest food provisioning we have done since our initial provisioning over a year ago. We have started getting ready for the Bahamas.

We are now hunkered down, still at Onset, for heavy rain and occasional high winds in the northeast, including the passing of Kyle well offshore with the highest winds on the east side of the storm.

Our plan when the weather improves is to then push hard until we get to the Chesapeake.

Hats Off To Blue Sky Energy

The output from solar panels (photovoltaic) or PV panels, like any other electrical energy source, needs to be regulated to protect the batteries and the electrical systems. For our charge controller, we selected a product (2512i) made by Blue Sky Energy. We were impressed by their technology to obtain more charge current (amps) when stepping down from the PV voltage output of 17 volts to the battery input of 12 volts. They also use multi-step charging, which basically provides a higher charge current when the batteries are more depleted, which is tapered off as the batteries come up toward full charge.

Soon after we installed the PV panels and the charge controller, and while the systems performed as promised, we noticed radio interference on some of our marine channels, including channel 16, which is the hailing and distress channel. I took several corrective steps, including grounding the PV panels and the controller, moving the controller deeper in the hull away from the radios and antennas, and adding ferrites to the electrical cables. I was able to reduce but not totally eliminate the RFI.

I sent an email to Blue Sky Energy to report my problem and to ask for their advice. To my surprise, Rick Cullen at Blue Sky admitted they had a problem with RFI, that they did not yet have a solution, but were working on it and would keep me informed. We exchanged some emails as they were interested in the steps I had taken, many of which they were recommending.

Several months passed, and then Rick Cullen contacted me with an offer. He would send me a new controller with a correction for the RFI issue if I agreed to report the test results. We received our new controller, which was custom modified by their engineering department, and our testing is complete. They completely corrected the RFI issue. A job well done and a great way to take care of a customer.

Rockland Breakwater And Light

As you approach Rockland from the sea, you are immediately struck by the impressive breakwater with a lighthouse at the end of it. Impressive indeed, as we have passed the breakwater on both sides, and the water is around 50 feet MLW for most of the breakwater.

In the 1850s, several severe nor'easters caused considerable damage to many Rockland waterfront installations, businesses, and shipping in the harbor. Lack of a protective breakwater clearly prevented the harbor from realizing its potential as a commercial port and as a harbor of refuge for coastal shipping. However, in spite of citizen petitions and the intervention by a local Senator, Congress did not approve the construction of a breakwater until 1880. Construction began almost immediately.

Construction of the single-breakwater design was completed on November 24, 1899, but severe winter storms during the winter of 1899-1900 proved that the height needed to be increased. The four-foot-high cap was completed on October 15, 1901, including the base at the end of the lighthouse.  A total of 768,774 tons of stone were used for the project, and the total expenditures up to that point was $880,093.

On September 19, 1902, the W.H. Glover Company completed work on the lighthouse, and on October 20, 1902, it was equipped with a fourth-order flashing white light. On October 30, 1902, the Rockland Breakwater Light was officially operational

I was very curious as to how they were able to move these massive stones into place. The lighthouse is open on weekends, and they were able to explain that sailing sloops were used to transport and then lower the stones into place.

Castine

We added a day at Castine to allow time to visit the town after the weather settled. It is a small town but very interesting. It is home to the Maine Maritime Academy, and the campus occupies a large portion of the town. On the waterfront is the State of Maine, a training ship used by the MMA. We also found the Wilson Museum, which has an incredible collection of artifacts to show the antiquity of man and his cultural stages from the earliest geologic times. On leaving Castine, we encountered a tug boat with a barge in tow, which kept changing direction. We always give wide berth to working boats, so we were a little confused. They called us on the radio to explain. It was the tug Pentagoet, also part of MMA, doing figure eight training exercises around some markers. Once we knew that, we were able to set our course accordingly. Thursday evening, we took a free mooring at Warren Island State Park. Anyone who likes tent camping in more isolated locations would love this place. Touring the park, we met a couple from Martha's Vineyard that comes back to camp there each year. They showed us their campsite, and the interesting aspect is that the firewood is provided, and also provided is a large bag of fine wood chips to put under the tent. Some sites were set up with lean-to shelters for those who prefer that. Getting to the island is a challenge, requiring a ferry ride to Islesboro Island and then finding a boat ride to Warren Island, which is what the couple we met did.

Safe Harbor

The forecast for Tuesday was for another cold front to pass, this one with thunderstorms and higher wind gusts. We decided on Smith Cove near Castine as a good, safe place to anchor and planned to stay there until Wednesday after the bad weather passed. Monday evening was beautiful, and we had the place to ourselves. As promised, on Tuesday, around noon, it began to darken, and we could hear the rumble of the thunder. Just before and as the first of the rain hit, we were joined in our anchorage by three windjammers. The fact that they decided on the same location gave us confidence that we are getting pretty good at selecting anchorages. We were joined by Victory Chimes. Built in 1900 in Bethel, Delaware, to carry lumber up and down the shallow bays and rivers of the Chesapeake, the 132' Victory Chimes is the last three-masted schooner on the East coast, and the largest passenger sailing vessel under U.S. flag.

Victory Chimes can accommodate 40 guests. When they raised anchor Wednesday morning to leave, we could hear the engine powering the windlass. The original anchor windlass is mounted behind the bowsprit heel forward and is powered by an ancient engine in the forward part of the deckhouse. The original four-horsepower donkey engine soon proved inadequate; it was replaced with a six-horsepower Sea Gear engine made in 1906 by Olds in Lansing, Michigan. This is still in use. Donkey engines were a prominent feature of schooners from the end of commercial sail, when crews were kept to a minimum through the use of such mechanical aids.

Also joining us was the 92' schooner American Eagle, which was built in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1930. For 53 years, she was a working member of the famed Gloucester fishing fleet. She's also a National Historic Landmark. American Eagle left early Wednesday morning before I could get a picture.

Another schooner, J. & E. Riggin, was built on the Maurice River in Dorchester, New Jersey, in 1927. Charles Riggin had her built for his oyster dredging fleet and named her after his sons, Jacob and Edward. They all captained her at one time or another on the Delaware Bay. She was always known as a quick, light air vessel, and her speed was proven in 1929 when she handily won the only official Oyster Dredging Race in the Delaware Bay. She was used for oyster-dredging until the 1940's, when the fishing regulations changed. The Riggin family sold her, and she was converted to power to begin fishing for groundfish and mackerel in Cape Cod and Long Island Sound. In the early 1970s, she was bought by Dave and Sue Allen and converted from a fishing vessel to a passenger-carrying vessel, which is what she remains. Her engine was removed, and cabins were added below to create space for guests. The current owners bought her from the Allens in 1998. We watched the guest pitch in to operate the manual windlass.

Since both Victory Chimes and J. & E. Riggin are engineless, they are aided by powered launches, which attach to the stern. To leave the anchorage, they had to go directly into the wind, which is not possible under sail.

Victory Chimes

J. & E. Riggin

Tidal Change

We are in the inner harbor in Blue Bay, Maine. Pictured is the town dock where we land our dinghy. The actual dinghy float is lying on the mud bottom at low tide. We can only go to town a couple of hours before and after high tide. The entrance to this inner harbor has these same shallow areas, which have to be navigated, making this an excellent hurricane hole, and with Hanna on the way, this is working out well. We are on a mooring. We were anchored between the mooring area and the rocks pictured, but Linda met a couple of women who were out in their kayaks, and as it happens, they both owned vacant moorings which they offered to us. One also offered their car and the use of their laundry in the guest house. We were happy just to take the mooring as the laundromat was close by and we really didn't need a car. We sure do appreciate the kindness of people like this that we meet along the way.

High Tide

Low Tide

Mount Desert Island

It is somewhat frustrating that we cannot capture either in words or pictures the beauty and magnificence of Mount Desert Island and the surrounding area. We have been enjoying every single part of it. Acadia National Park encompasses a large part of Mount Desert Island, but not all of it. Acadia is one of the smaller national parks, but also one of the most popular, attracting over three million visitors a year. We think the vast majority do not venture off the main roadways and carriage roads, as we have met very few people on the hiking trails. We very much enjoy walking and hiking, and are anxious each day to get back to it. We had one particularly interesting day of hiking. We had the bus drop us at Bubble Pond and planned to hike to the Jordon Pond House for lunch and then probably catch the bus to return. We had hiked several miles, some of it moderately difficult, but after lunch with a great view of Jordon Pond with North and South Bubble Rocks in the distance, we felt refreshed and ready for more hiking. We decided to hike back to Bubble Pond via a different, slightly longer route, which would take us by Eagle Lake. Little did we know the route we selected would take us to the summit of North Bubble Rock, which we had been admiring during our lunch. Many of the mountains are sparse of plant life near the top, becoming all bare granite. After reaching the summit, the trail followed the ridge line for quite a distance as it was too steep to descend. It is very important to find and follow the trail markers as there is no obvious trail across the smooth granite surface. While there are small blue marks painted, it is really the cairns (small rock piles) that we sighted on to find our way. We are enjoying the wildlife. We have seen at least one harbor seal most days. Our most interesting encounter was with one swimming perpendicular to Ariel to intersect our path. We were under sail, and when we didn't stop, he turned to apparently chase us down, but we were soon out of range. Our favorite place is Somes Sound. Somes Sound is the only fjord on the eastern Atlantic seaboard. After getting settled on our anchor in Somes Harbor at the head of Somes Sound, we heard the distinctive sound of eagles nearby. We found one in a tree top very nearby and a second on a rock across the harbor. Occasionally, we hear and see a loon. Getting around could not be easier. There is a free bus system that covers the entire Mount Desert area. There are designated bus stops, but they will stop anywhere if you flag them down. The main transfer area is at Village Green in Bar Harbor, and since there is good shopping in Bar Harbor, this is very convenient.

Seals (in Somes Sound)

Loon

Eagle

South Bubble Rock

Jordon Pond House at the far end

Taken from North Bubble Rock (near summit)

Near Summit North Bubble Rock

Windjammers

One of the common sights along the coast of Maine is the windjammer. These are historic vessels which were once fishing schooners, coasting freighters, oyster dredgers, and pilot schooners. Today, there are about 20 windjammers that take paying passengers out. At Swans Island, we had a couple of windjammers spend the night at anchor with us. The one pictured close by Ariel is the Nathaniel Bowditch. Designed by William Hand, the Schooner Nathaniel Bowditch was built in 1922 in East Boothbay, Maine, as a private racing yacht. In 1923, she entered the Bermuda Cup under her original name, Ladona. She won the race in 1927. Her second owner renamed her Jane Dore after his daughter.

In 1942, she was commissioned by the US Coast Guard and assigned to Offshore Patrol to search for German submarines off New York Harbor. During this time, she received two citations by the Commander of the Eastern Sea Frontier US Coast Guard for seaworthiness in poor weather.
After the war, she got into the fishing industry as a commercial dragger out of Stonington, CT.
This schooner has a captain and a crew of five. They looked to have about 20 guest onboard, spending almost all of their time on deck. Below deck are sleeping accommodations and the heads. The meals were served up on the main deck.

It was very interesting watching them come into the anchorage. They sailed in, turned into the wind to slow the boat, and at the right moment let the anchor go. We enjoyed watching the guests get involved in activities on board, jumping in for a swim, or climbing the rigging.

Cruising Maine

We are in our cruising region now, namely Penobscot Bay and the Mount Desert Island area. We are making very short daily trips to our new locations, which we are doing under leisurely sail with light generally southwest winds. This gives us plenty of time to explore and still move on to a new site. This morning, we went hiking on Isle au Haut (pictures from the trail) before sailing to our current location in Burnt Cove Harbor on Swans Island. Isle au Haut has a large area, which is actually part of Acadia National Park. It is remote, so it gets very few visitors. We hiked the Duck Pond trail and had it all to ourselves.

This part of Maine is broken up by hundreds of islands and inlets. The shores are generally bold with smooth granite and a very distinct tidal zone in the 10 - 13 foot range. The islands are blanketed with spruce trees interspersed with fields of grass. The anchorages vary from busy working harbors to uninhabited coves. The weather is also varied. It can be bright and sunny with distant mountains as a backdrop, or completely fogged in when our world shrinks to just about the size of Ariel.

Weather Not Spoiling Our Time Here

The jet stream has been in a more winter-like position since mid-July. The effect in New England has been a series of cold fronts and low-pressure systems with very few sunny days. There has been a threat of rain and thunderstorms most days. We have been fortunate and have only experienced one thunderstorm, which was while we were anchored at Block Island. We have had plenty of rain, but with very little wind. It has altered our plans. We had originally planned two nights at Boothbay Harbor, but extended it to four, waiting for better weather to travel. It has not dampened our enthusiasm for Maine. We had only experienced fog on one day, and we decided to travel anyway, partly because we hoped it would lift before we reached our destination, the busy Rockland harbor, and also to build experience in case we got caught unexpectedly. We relied heavily on the radar and the chart plotter. It remained a thick fog and did not clear before we arrived. We knew we were approaching a mooring area from the radar display, and as luck would have it, we found an empty mooring right away and took it, not worrying about who owned it. As it turned out, it belonged to a bareboat charter company that was more than happy to rent it to us.

We visited the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland. It is neither a lighthouse nor near a lighthouse, so we were intrigued. It proved to be extremely interesting and maybe not well named. It did have a lot of lighthouse artifacts, but also a good history of the US Lighthouse Service and a lot about lighthouse keepers. The museum also had a lot about the US Coast Guard, particularly about lightships and buoy tenders, and a good section on the US Lifesaving Service. They had a nice selection of buoys and fog horns from different eras.

Over the past few months, we have kept saying we were going to Maine for the lobster and blueberries. Well, we are keeping our word, maybe not so much lobster, although we have done that, but we are definitely enjoying the blueberries as well as other fresh fruit and vegetables from the farm stands.

Whale Watching

Our plan was to sail directly from Provincetown to Penobscot Bay, but we decided to move up the coast with day trips, with the threat of storms, particularly thunderstorms, daily. We hoped to have some whale sightings as we crossed Cape Cod Bay going from Provincetown to Cape Ann. It wasn't long before we had our first sighting, and our good fortune continued throughout the day. Later in the day, we came upon a pod that seemed to be spending a lot of time near the surface. We stopped and drifted to take pictures. It is unlawful to approach within 500 yards of whales, so we stayed well off and tried to get pictures with a telephoto lens. This was proving difficult as our drifting boat bopped on the waves. We suddenly realized that the whales had changed direction and were heading directly at us, approaching the port side and swimming on or near the surface. A bit or a lot of panic set in, but we decided it was best to let them avoid us, and so we continued to drift. They approached quickly and, at the very last second, slid under Ariel, resurfacing just on the other side. We were breathing a sigh of relief when we heard a loud noise behind us. We hadn't noticed, but one had paused just off our stern, no more than six feet away, and the noise was a rush of air from the blowhole. They continued on their way, as did we. It was a wonderful and unexpected experience. Unfortunately, we did not get any close-up pictures as we had a telephoto lens on the camera. These were Humpback whales.

The humpback whale is a baleen whale and a rorqual whale that sings amazing songs. It performs complex and cooperative feeding techniques. The humpback has a bulky head with bumpy protuberances (tubercles), each with a bristle. Humpbacks are the acrobats of the ocean, breaching and slapping the water. They live in pods and have 2 blowholes. The name humpback describes the motion it makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive.

Sharing Cuttyhunk With Wind Chaser

Brain and Jan joined us for a visit to Cuttyhunk. This wasn't a planned stop for them, so we were so happy they changed their plans so we could show it off. They also like to walk, and Cuttyhunk is a great place for walking. It was very crowded in the mooring field, so we anchored in the outer harbor, which worked out well. As soon as the anchors were safely set, we went into the town docks and began to explore the island. We ended with ice cream on the pier and made plans for breakfast the next morning. If on Cuttyhunk, be sure to have breakfast at the Cuttyhunk Fishing Club, now a Bed and Breakfast. It is outdoor dining looking across the water toward Martha's Vineyard. It is reached by walking across a lawn area next to the coast. The menu is extensive, the portions large, and the food fabulous. After a hearty breakfast, we did some more walking and island exploring. We had plans to leave at noon, so we said goodbye at the town dock, and we were soon on our way. Our next stop was Onset Bay, which is just next to the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. Onset is a wonderful small Cape Cod town. It is a picture-perfect bay looking in all directions. The people were friendly, with so many on vacation or at their summer homes. We stayed two nights, and it is a place we will return to.

On the way to the Cuttyhunk Fishing Club

Onset Bay

Block Island - Still Our Favorite

We are back at Block Island, and it feels like home. We stayed in East Haven until Saturday. Friday night, we had a very nice evening with Dave and Alice Droller. We took them out to Ariel for drinks, and then we went out for a very nice Italian dinner. It was so much fun spending time together. We know Dave from when I worked at Bayer, and just met his wonderful wife Alice for the first time.

We arrived at Block on the weekend at a very crowded Great Salt Pond. We anchored in 32 feet, a much deeper area than we are used to at Block. The next morning, we called Wind Chaser to see where they were and discovered they were also at Block and actually very close by. They were on the opposite side of the big tug that has become a fixture here. With hundreds of boats, they were lost in the crowd. Sunday was a day of storms, so we stayed on the boat. (Wind Chaser is boat-centered in the picture)

New York, New York

We had a very fast trip up the East River and through Hell Gate. We picked up a favorable current at times exceeding 4 knots, just before the Narrows, which carried us all the way into Long Island Sound. We returned to Port Washington to pick up a free mooring for the night. It was too hot and humid to do much, so we just picked up a few groceries. We continued on the next day to New Haven, Connecticut. We had the wind and the current against us all day. We felt the anchorage areas in New Haven were too exposed with expected rain and possible thunderstorms forecast for the next couple of days, so we backtracked to East Haven, which is only slightly better. About an hour after we settled in on our anchor, we recognized Wind Chaser approaching. We had not seen Brian and Jan since Florida. Like us, this was not their original destination. We spent much of the next day with them walking and having a great pizza lunch at a local deli. It was raining hard at times, so we spent several hours at the deli catching up. We are both heading for Block Island next, so we expect to spend more time with them there.

Delaware Bay And The New Jersey Coast

We stayed overnight at the Chesapeake Inn and Marina in Chesapeake City on the C&D canal, which connects the Chesapeake Bay with Delaware Bay. This was to position ourselves to travel down the Delaware Bay. The current on the Delaware Bay changes direction progressively, moving up the bay such that there is a 2 1/2 hour difference with the change at the mouth of the bay and at the point where the C&D canal intersects. This was to our advantage last fall when we traveled up the bay, giving us favorable current all the way up the bay and through the C&D canal. Of course, this works the opposite, going the other direction, where it is only possible to get about 3 1/2 hours of favorable current, and the rest of the time it is against you. We left Chesapeake City at 10:30 am to reach the Delaware Bay at the optimum point for the trip down the bay. We decided to skip a stop in Cape May and just round the corner and head up the coast of New Jersey. Last fall, when we were just starting out, we never would have considered this option. We just cleared the shoals around Cape May when the sun dipped below the horizon. The moon was soon up, very red at first, but later a real advantage as we could see the waves, which was really nice. We pretty much had the open waters to ourselves through the night. We saw the lights of a couple of tugs with their tows, but none closer than two miles away. The only excitement was caused by a very large commercial fishing boat returning to port. I locked it in on radar a couple of miles away, and as he approached, the radar sounded the alarm that he would be too close as he crossed our bow. I changed course in plenty of time to pass behind him. We were both able to sleep well on our off shifts. This is a big improvement over our previous overnight trips and a sign we are getting more comfortable with night travel. We arrived at Atlantic Highlands behind Sandy Hook at 3:45 pm the next day. We had covered 185 miles (per GPS) in 29.3 hours. As it turned out, our knot meter, which records the boat speed through the water, read 183 miles, so the overall impact of the current was negligible. We like Atlantic Highlands as the town is very convenient. We decided to stay for a day to rest up before moving on. We did laundry, bought a few groceries, and went to a movie (Mamma Mia). We both liked the movie and the air conditioning very much.

Time Off For Family And Friends

We are in Chesapeake City on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on our way to Maine. Ariel was on a mooring in Annapolis for a full month. Between the five weeks last fall and four plus weeks this spring, Annapolis seems like our new home port. This time we were away most of the time, enjoying time visiting family and friends. We returned to Ariel for a few days with the car to do major restocking and a couple of maintenance projects. We were in Annapolis for the Independence Day weekend and had a great spot to watch the fireworks from our mooring. We also saw our doctors and dentist for our checkups while we were back in Massachusetts, so we should be good to go for a while.

Family gathering at Mohegan Resort at Mohegan State Park in Ohio

Family Fun Day - canoeing near Mohegan at Loudenville

Kim, Michael, and Evelyn at Bay Science Center

Karns Family Reunion

Our good friend Ellie

(from our former neighborhood in Franklin, Massachusetts)