The boat is loaded, work is under control, and I'm ready to leave. Departure is scheduled for 0630 tomorrow morning. As in recent years, I'll be delivering the boat up to Penobscot Bay where I'll be joined by the rest of my family. This year Heather and Gavin are planning to be aboard for 2 full weeks, and I'm scheduled to return on or about the 17 of August.

I'll see you on the other side with pictures and cruise logs!

July 8 | approx 21 Nautical Miles

We awoke to steady rain in the morning. NOAA's forecast steadfastly refused to mention the rain we were seeing. Worthless, they. Eventually the rain eased and at about 1030 under heavy overcast we prepared to depart. Outside there was zero wind so we powered down the river and along the inside route past Orrs-Bailey Island.

Along the way it occured to me that I hadn't topped up the diesel tank for a while and we decided to put in at Potts Harbor to fill up the tank. We added 10 gallons to the tank and were soon on our way. As we left the Harbor and headed for Broad Sound we encountered a solid, dense bank of fog. After stalling in the mouth of the harbor while Heather fired up the chartplotter, we continued on our way.

The fog remained dense at times, with visibility of less than 0.15 nautical miles at times. But at other times it scaled back and we could see up to a mile or so. Other times it was incredibly dense right at water level, but looking up you could see the tops of the trees on the nearby islands. Heather kept a lookout on the bow for the whole trip with a fog horn in hand, and we proceded carefully back home. The route was familiar and between the occasional glances of nearby islands combined with our electronics we had an uneventful trip home, arriving back at PYC at about 1530.

July 7 | approx 19 Nautical Miles

Heather was keen to get out for an overnight one last time before the—as Gavin is calling it—"Big, Big Sailing" after she finishes the Bar Exam. So we decided to head out up to the Basin on the New Meadows River where Heather's parents were also spending the night.

We left around 1100 and had a really nice sail most of the way up there, with speeds varying between 3.5 and 5.5 knots. We arrived around 1600 and Heather and Gavin, along with Bear and Jere immediately headed off to Sheep Island in their dinghy to visit with some old family friends while I put the boat away and relaxed. Soon a light but persistant rain began to fall. I put up the awning and spent a couple of hours reading.

Eventually Heather and company returned, and we retired to New Directions for dinner. The rain broke for a while, and we returned to Dasein where we were serenaded throughout the evening by an amusing selection of music from a wedding reception taking place ashore. The bride was even accompanied by a bagpiper as she walked serenely down the hill to the reception!

Our shakedown cruise came to a soggy conclusion as we arrived in Falmouth at the same time as a thunderstorm. But despite that, the shakedown cruise was an unqualified success!

We had made plans for a shakedown cruise to Snow Island with Heather's parents for Father's Day Weekend. Heather's parents had just taken deliver of a Nonsuch 30 that they were boat-sitting for friends for the summer and were looking forward to taking her out for a shakedown of their own.