Saturday, August 19

17.5 Nautical Miles | Bucks Harbor

With rain in the forecast for the entire day on Sunday, it was time for us to get back to Bucks Harbor. NOAA was calling for strong winds out of the southwest, and since it was still blowing at 15 knots in Mackerel Cove, and had done so all night, we were inclined to believe them.

Come On, NOAA

After breakfast, and of course, coffee, we got the boat ready to go. I tucked a reef into the main and by 0910 the anchor was up and we were on our way. The wind was strong in Mackerel Cove and out through York Narrows. The breeze was cold, and a bit of a chop was running through the Narrows. I needed my foul weather gear against the spray.

As we exited the Narrows, we made off for Eggemoggin Reach. This put us on a beam reach and we shut down the engine and unfurled the jib. We enjoyed a nice fast reach across Jericho Bay--for about 10 minutes. As we got further into the bay, the wind continued to lighten. Soon we were making 3.2 knots and I was at the mast shaking the reef. Our speed increased to around 4.5 knots for a few minutes, but the wind continued to ease.

We managed to maintain about 3 knots across Jericho Bay despite the foul current, but as we approached the mouth of the Reach, our speed contined to drop with virtually no wind and a foul current. Finally I gave in and fired up the engine. After about 10 minutes of motoring however, the wind seemed to be filling in a bit and I shut her down again.

We were able to sail up the reach at an average speed of about 3 knots--sometimes down as low as 2, and sometimes as high as 4.5--with only one or two brief bouts of motoring to get us through a couple of holes.

Finally, as we approached the bridge from the mainland to Deer Isle, the wind started to build. First a solid 10 knots, and soon a piping 15-20 which provided us with a screaming reach up under the bridge and along the last stretch of Eggemoggin Reach. As we closed in on Bucks Harbor the wind eased a bit again and we dropped the main to motor into the harbor.

How Do I Love Thee?

Heather has been making noise for a couple of years now about how she wants me to build her a small power boat. So throughout the cruise we kept our eyes out for suitable candidates from which to draw inspiration. We found many boats that had aspects we liked, but Heather's eye kept being drawn to the numereous Hinckley Picnic Launches that ply the waters in this region.

I hardly think that qualifies as a "small" power boat!

As if to put an exclamation point on Heather's infatuation with the Picnic Launch, on this last day of family sailing we saw four. Plus two of the Ellis versions. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways: One jet-drive picnic launch, two jet-drive picnic launches, three jet-drive....

Fortunately Heather Likes Football Too

We arrived at Bucks Harbor at 1315 and picked up the yacht club mooring. I've been on this mooring so many times, I'm starting to think of it as my mooring. After putting the boat away, we headed up to the market for ice cubes. I then brought Heather and Gavin back to the boat so that he could nap and buzzed over to Bucks Harbor Marine to replenish our dinghy gas.

Heather and Gavin both napped and I'm sure that by now you can guess what I did. Around 1730 Dawn Arbo came by via dinghy to say hello. Dawn and her husband Mike keep their boat in Bucks Harbor and kindly let us use it during our 2005 cruise since they were off cruising themselves at the time. The Arbos are friends of Heather's parents, and despite using their mooring, we hadn't previously met them. We chatted for a while before she returned to her boat for dinner and I turned my attention to the same.

After a nice low key dinner of homemade sausages and artisinal cheese, Gavin began to get ready for bed. I flipped on the radio and we discovered Patriots' pre-game! That is to say, while I was scanning through the stations Heather heard Geno Capiletti say "Falcons" and made me back up to see what he was talking about.

Should I find it disturbing that my wife recognizes Geno's voice that quickly?

Gavin "read" out of the cruising guide for a while, explaining about whales and showing us where we went on the various charts in the book. Soon it was time for him to go to bed, and Heather and I spent the rest of the evening listening to the Pats paste the Cardinals. Go team!