Memorial Mooring Balls

August 6

Replaced the generator's fuel pump fairly quickly and did some other maintenance yesterday, filled the water tanks, showered, shaved and gave Bella a new haircut which she barely tolerated.  Had a rare dinner onshore for once which was OK, and not overpriced.  As I have said, the small things mean more out here.

We pulled out of Northeast Harbor this morning and turned left.  12 miles later, as we passed by Schoodic Point we set a new eastern mark for ourselves as we have not been this far east in any of our prior cruises.  And all the pundits say that until you pass this point you are not truly Downeast.  The compass read 97 degrees which is just the heading you want to reach Canada from here.

My girls in Bar Harbor looking for a ride.

We made our first harbor on Trafton Island along with 8 other boats and will spend only one night here.    It is very, very pretty, but privately owned and so we can't explore it.  Most likely tomorrow we will head off to Jonesport and then Rocque Island.

I like both leaving a harbor and entering one.  Making a passage between them is part of the adventure, but discovering then for the first time never seems to grow old.  Many times it is challenging to find the entrance to the harbor and I like that, but I like a lot of silly things out here that most people don't relate to at all.

We have still not found a buddy boat.  The number of cruising boats this year is very small compared to other years; everyone agrees on that.  Now that we have been in many harbors we do see the same boats and I would say that number is less than 30.  So the economy has hit this lifestyle as well.  On shore the merchants are all saying last year was their worst year ever and this year is worse.  Bar Harbor hotels all seemed to have vacancies and this is the height of the season.


August 10

We have gone due east to Trafton and Rocque Islands and now the Mud Hole.  The Rocque archipelago is the crown jewel of the Maine coast with its stunning white beaches.  Did some serious fog for part of these legs.  Did not hit anything and just as important we did not snag a lobster pot line on our props.  That's one folly I hope to never report in these pages.

Milly on the beach at Rocque Island.

Enjoyed a big gam onboard an Oyster 50 with 25 sailors in Trafton.  A gam is a way to not cook for dinner.  Instead you invite over as many people as your boat will handle and proceed to drink and munch.  This one lasted 2.5 hours.  You tell each other innocent lies because these are people you don't know and will never see again so everyone has outrageous stories.  From this I learned there are a few mooring balls in Maine Harbors that are Memorials to the deceased owner whose family maintains it for the free use of any boater.  This seems to me the perfect way to live on as a boater.  I would have my ashes placed inside the mooring ball and my image would be etched with a laser on the outside of the ball.  So when people pick up the mooring they say "Hey, Herk is here".  Note to self: file patent.

Part of the Gam crowd.  Milly is in there somewhere.

Not sure where we are going next.  But we have taken a couple of decisions.  First, we are not returning CODA to Newport this year; she will be in Rockland, Me. for the winter.  We have enjoyed this season a great deal and want to do more without making the trip to this area from Newport.  Second we are saving Canada for next year.  Third, we will rent our Newport home again next year and have our first inquiry for the month of August 2013.

Milly has just finished 50 Shades of Gray.  I have just finished the autobiography of Walter Cronkite.  Her excerpts are a little more interesting, but doubt I will read it.  At my age what would I do with all that new information?  But when Mil's book club discusses this one I sure wish I could be a fly on the wall.  Whooee girls!

I'll leave you with this.  If you live on a remote island and order heating oil this is how you get it.  A lobster boat ties a small barge to his bow so a truck can drive onto it.  Then they go out to the island and drive it off for the delivery.  Now get this.  Heating oil up here is currently $3.20 a gallon.  Our Newport supplier was way over $4 last I checked.

Oil Barge on its way to Great Cranberry Island.