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