Wednesday, August 9

19.1 Nautical Miles | Pulpit Harbor, North Haven

Despite the fact that I set my alarm for 0530, I slept through till nearly 0700, and had a hard time dragging myself out of bed. I was still pretty worn out from the preceeding day. Still, I didn't want to stay in Long Cove, and wanted a lay day, so after a cup of coffee, I headed off for Pulpit Harbor on North Haven. Pulpit Harbor is considered a must-stop-harbor for any Penobscot Bay cruise, and for one reason or another, I hadn't yet made it there. It seemed like the perfect spot for a lay day.

Unfavorable Winds...That Is, No Winds

I used the first part of the morning to enjoy a cup of coffee and catch up on my log book, which had only the barest of information for the first couple days of the trip noted in it. Then I put the boat together for the passage, checked engine fluids, etc, and was soon on my way.

As I first left Long Cove, it looked like I might be able to sail, as there was still the remenants of that northwesterly breeze. I killed the engine and sailed nicely at 4.5 knots. For about 10 minutes. Soon however, the last of the wind died and I was again motoring. I expected that, as the forecast was for winds switching to SW in the afternoon,and so I had a pleasant, if hot, motor up Mussel Ridge Channel, and across Penobscot Bay. Once I cleared the dense lobster pots of Mussel Ridge Channel, I turned the task of driving over to Otto, the tiller pilot, and enjoyed lunch as Otto and I plodded across the bay.

Otto doesn't say much, so we get on pretty well.

What Is It With Anchoring?

I arrived at Pulpit at 1345 and there were few boats anchored, though there were many occupied moorings further in the cove. I anchored in the second cove on the right as you enter the harbor in about 18 feet at low. I played out about 7:1 scope and backed down to set the anchor. No problem.

I put the boat away, then since I planned to be at Pulpit for two days, I pulled out my brand-new awning that I had finished only the day before I left on the cruise. I hadn't even had a chance to do a final on-the-boat fitting, so I was a little apprehensive about how well it would work out. I needn't have worried. The fit of the awning was just as I had envisioned, and I was extremely pleased with the way it blocked the sun while still allowing good visability and airflow.

Soon, however, the first of several anchoring debacles over the next two days began. This was minor, and barely worth noting, except that it continues the theme of "Why So Damn Close???" that I noted on days one and two of the cruise. A large very nice ketch arrived in the harbor and began scoping out the situation, looking for a spot to anchor. I was moderately close in to the ledges at shore, perhaps 50 yards or so. This ketch after puttering all around decided to anchor between me and the shoreline, probably no more than 15 or 20 yards away. Pulpit is another very large harbor. There just was no need. He then continued to run his engine for over an hour. At that point, I pulled up my anchor and moved closer to the middle of the cove, perhaps another 75 yards away. It wasn't a huge deal, but I was starting to get tired of it.

Next, I had the pleasure of watching a small cruising boat struggle to get its anchor down. This 30 footer spent over an hour dropping and retrieving its way-to-small Danforth because they just couldn't get the hook to set. I counted 6 attempts, and was engrossed in a book the whole time, so I may have missed some!

Turned out to be another cool (OK, COLD!) evening and I had to bundle up with long fleece pants and a heavy wool sweater! I had the warm clothes on board though, so I didn't mind too much. At least I wasn't sweltering at night. I talked to Heather and Gavin on the cell phone, and spent the evening relaxing.