Life out here and the little things

Written while lying in Biddeford Pool, Me. just south of Portland.

This little place is, in Milly's words, bucolic.  I think it is charming, and Bella thinks its great because she got a great run and swim on the low-tide sand bars.   Bella and I just drove the dinghy up on the bar and out we go. Play time.  No pictures, you'll have to work with me on this.The bars are a couple of miles long and just perfect sand.  It is a remote little place and therefore sweet and entirely likable.  Little things that work are important out here.  Cooking peppers on a grill is a little thing, but out here it is special when it works.  

We have always stopped here because it is well protected from the Atlantic and indeed does offer a lot of old village atmosphere.  I doubt there are 500 residents now and less in winter.  It is so special I paid $6 for a baguette that was pedestrian at best.  One cut above wonder bread.  I registered my disappointment the next day with the shop owner who replied that she was surprised as "everyone raves about it".  My feeling is that if you have the audacity to charge $6 for a baguette it should be screaming wow...this bread is out of this world.  You could also question my wisdom in paying the price to begin with.  I do.

An estate on the edge of Biddeford Pool

Tonight we are moored with a few other boats and sitting through some major rain and thunder storms. Milly, in her wisdom, prepared (weeks ago) a classic french cassoulet for us and then froze it in containers for two portions.  So with some snow peas and that charming local bread we had a wonderful dinner during the deluge.  Mil is very good at this.  Our freezer holds many of these treats.  Milly is very good at most things out here.  I am a lucky man.

Little things come into the fore when there is no TV or internet, and just the two of us to entertain each other.  For example today I cleaned the head.  A little thing, but Milly was thrilled.  It is gleaming white and fresh again.    I do this at home also to no applause and often a comment about "its about time", but out here it takes on new import and I am a hero.  I have a special technique, but it is a little secret.

And two days ago I finally cleaned all the port lites.  Now we can actually see out of our stateroom (that's boatese for bedroom).  Before all you could see was old salt caked on the lite.  This is a big deal. Now I will know if the sun is up or not.  I wish I could clean something that tells me what day it is.

I severed my Achilles heel two years ago.  While doing the sand bar thing with Bella, I tried to run.  And for the first time in two years I actually did something resembling running.  Well, more like a jerky jog that looked like a very old man avoiding a cab on 7th Avenue while jaywalking.  So another little thing that is magnified by doing it on a sand bar in Biddeford Pool.

We have just done a lot of study of the Maine Coast up to Campobello and the Canadian border.  It is challenging to choose which harbors to bypass and which to enter.  So many choices....so little time.  Our plan is taking shape and oops....be right back....small gale/squall just blew through....a not so little thing.  Anyway, a few parameters are in place.  We will spend the next couple of weeks gunkholing (I love that word...it means meandering between harbors with no particular destination or serious intent of purpose)  from here to Bar Harbor.  Beyond that, who knows.  Such as weather, crew happiness, and the little things will determine how far downeast we go.

On to Portland to provision...then out to the little harbors with all their charm.

Oh, Rockport

The famous "Motif 1" built in 1848 and rebuilt 3 times.

One of the reasons we do this is to discover harbors, waterfront towns and the people who live and work in them.  They are usually quite different from inland cities.  Cape Ann sits out to sea off the Massachusetts coastline and is often bypassed by many cruisers who come up from southern Massachusetts and duck into the Anisquam River at Gloucester to save the time of rounding Cape Ann.  We have done just that in the past, but not this time and boy were we rewarded.

The tide out in the inner harbor at Rockport.

It was an easy choice as it is only a scant 11 nautical miles from Gloucester ands positioned us nicely to turn sharply north for Maine with nothing but blue and deep water in front of us.  So in we went and picked up a float in the tiny, really tiny, harbor.  The greeting was very warm from all and we soon settled in right in front of the Sandy Bay Yacht Club.  We shared the float with two other boats and made their quick aquaintance.  Bella walked and swam more than she has in two weeks so she was very very happy if not also a tired puppy.   

To sum up Rockport we intended to stay one night, but eventually left after 4 wonderful days.  Rockport is almost unique in that it has no bars or package stores.  To get a glass of wine you must order a meal first.  And even that became a norm only 5 years ago.  The result is a town that markets its famous arts and sailing scene to families instead of party crowds (as we do in Newport).  There must be over 15 art galleries, and many upscale and locally owned shops.  Do not miss the cinnamon donuts at Brothers Brew.  

We walked a lot and took in the quaint neighborhoods.  The local lobster fleet is something to behold.  Out at 5am and in at noon with huge harvests that were unloaded about 200 feet from our rear deck.  Hundreds of pounds per boat every day.

Chamber group in rehearsal

If I did not love Newport so much I would choose Rockport.  It's that good.  They have a Performance Center that is to just die for if you love contemporary architecture ($20mm all private money).   The stage sits in front of a massive glass two-story wall that looks out on Sandy Bay.  We took in the rehearsal of a chamber music ensemble and sat directly over the stage.  Great fun hearing the musicians carefully nudge each other to make changes.

These guys wanted to share their equipment with everyone...very kewl.

Those of you who are within a drive of Rockport....go.  We think you will really enjoy it.

After finally throwing off the lines in Rockport we set our course for the Isle of Shoals where we stayed for two nights at anchor in a small basin.  These islands are small ledge outcroppings where maybe 25 people live year round. They are situated about 10 miles offshore across from Portsmouth, NH. The Star Island Center is here.  It is a large old hotel used by many for religious (primarily Unitarians) retreats and conferences.  Very old (1895), and very spartan.  Lights out at 11 and that sort of thing.  But when was the last time you saw 10 teenagers playing cards and loving it.  We heard the whole place come alive at 9pm with a medley of Beatles songs.  No internet, or phones.  There were probably 200 people here this weekend.  All meals served in a huge old dining room.  One seating, no menu, just family style eating.

The Atlantic from the porch of the main building at Star Island

Nice sail and power rigs came in during our stay, but thus far we have yet to meet a "buddy" boat crew.  

We are a happy crew and really relaxed after Rockport.  Bella has adapted well at this point and, although a high-maintenance crew member, she is a joy.  Actually we are her crew.

Next up is Biddeford Pool before we go into Portland for supplies and fuel.  

Busted.....in Glosta

Written while lying Isle of Shoals in Maine

A week ago we pulled into Gloucester, Ma after a lovely day cruise up from Scituate.  "Glosta" is a unique harbor for its diverse waterfront and history.  This is where "The Perfect Storm" was filmed and was the home port of the boats lost in that storm.  It is a rough-edges type of scene and remains a fully working fishing port.  All that Gorton stuff comes from here.  They basically own the town.

After picking up a mooring in the inner harbor we took the dinghy out for a "toot" to check out the scene and to look for the "Rudder" a great local eatery.  And that's when we were stopped by the local Environmental Cops.  Our dinghy is brand new and yours truly had not yet applied our registration numbers on the hulls.  The absence of these numbers tends to attract the attention of these kinds of guys.  So with Bella trying to board THEIR boat we we were cited for the followoing:

No life jackets
No registration numbers on the hull
No bailer
No anchor
No registration card aboard
No Kleenexes
No Deodorant
and so on

All this fuss over a 9 foot boat with a four horse engine.  I could be more embarrassed, but I am not sure how.  We are documented, registered, laden with safety equipment, and both of us are CPR trained, I am a licensed Captain, and then this....Made their day I think.

I did my best "oh gosh, did we do that?" routine, and so we got off wtih a warning ticket.  Of course, it was really Bella that saved our bacon.

More to come soon, but the weather, harbors and cruising has all been very good and mostly problem free.

Dinner at the Rudder was really good and really pricey.  The cops came in while we were there...just kidding.

On to Rockportt....

For the little kid in all of us

Since the last post we have visited Plymouth and Scituate Ma and traversed the Cape Cod Canal at 11.6 knots.  That's like doing I95 at 90.  The weather conditions have moderated dramatically and so the crew is feeling really good about things.  Bella has settled into the routine and is really doing well now. The pics in this post are about all the unusual vessels we see. Little boys of all ages will enjoy these shots. Little girls can pretend they don't care.

Fireboat in Plymouth Harbor....the ultimate water gun.

Mayflower II in Plymouth Harbor

 I cannot figure out why this ship does not just fall over on its side.   It's about 10 stories tall and 12 feet wide.  How does that work?

Your basic oil barge headed back to NYC empty.

Coast Guard stealth boats

These rather intimidating boats did not show up on the radar until we were right on top of them.  And on each bow was mounted a 16mm gun.  Very kewl.  We threw a water balloon at them.  It vaporized in mid-air.  

We noticed in Plymouth that people were gathering around what appears to be a shrine of some sort.  All that can be seen is a rock, but people stare and stare at it.  Must be special.  Then we learned it is really a sham.  Not the real deal, but clearly a great marketing tool for the town.  Note to self: tell Newport city fathers that we need a rock thing.  

During the heat wave we whimped out and took a slip so we could use the AC without running the generator.  We slipped in with a group of very well to do local boats.  It demonstrated how we are doing this on the cheap and how others spend small fortunes for the privilege of seating in a lawn chair on a dock.  One couple have just purchased their first boat.  They are retired.  It was a $700,000 beauty with every trick on it.  They took their first ride ever while we were there.  It seemed they bought it on a whim and had "people" to do everything for them.  Wow.  And next to them was a larger $1.2mm version of the same boat.  And then there was... 

So we will head up to Marblehead, Rockport and Newburyport on the next leg.  Hope to pickup our mail in Rockport which daughter Britte is forwarding.  Thanks KB.  

Kudos to the whole crew at Brewers Sakonnet.  CODA systems all running very well.  You guys rock!!!

Forecast? You wanna forecast?

Written while lying in Kingman mooring field, East Falmouth, Ma.

Last Thursday was supposed to be crummy in the early morning, then clear and be sunny and 72.  Right.  By noon we were in 8 foot seas with a cold 61 degrees and overcast skies.  Bella was a very unhappy crew dog.  We had left Portsmouth at o-dark-and-gloomy intending a fuel stop in Pt Judith (where it was only $3.73 insted of $4.96 in Porstmouth) and then on to Cuttyhunk.  That was the plan.  Mother nature rules so we did the fuel thing and then hunkered down in Pt Judith until Friday morning.  There are no pics of this day as it was not worth recording.  Milly was keeping the sharp knives hidden.

Friday morning it was blowing 15 by 7am and that was the lowest all day.  We left about 8:30 and before the short 28 mile trip was done it had been a steady 24 with gusts over that.  Fortunately it was mostly on the bow.  In this pic you can get some idea from the bow wave (sorry about the reflection in the strataglas panel.  Coda likes this stuff on the bow.

Beating into a 5 footer.

We slogged into Cuttyhunk and picked up a mooring with Milster doing the driving and so well.  Bella was not happy, but she recovers immediately and was promptly patrolling the decks and looking for neighbors.  So many yippy little dogs and Bella just ignores them.

ok, so the slogging was not all bad

I'm leaving out all the bad stuff.  This is about cruising and it is part of my job to perpetuate the myth that it is paradise.  Just one thing...the outboard for the dink will not start.  I am not a happy camper.  This means we can't get into shore from a mooring or anchor.  That means Bella is not happy.  That means we are all  stressed.  That means I want to kill the service guy who prepped the outboard.  That will ruin the myth.

Anyway.  We did not make the date with Dick and Maggie for theater in Falmouth Friday evening.  So on Saturday morning we got up to the same scene.   Cool Northerly breezes building to 18 quickly.
NOAA is not predicting this stuff nor is anyone else. We let it play out for a couple of hours and then when it piped down we headed out into Buzzards Bay and had an easy jaunt to Falmouth where we are now.  Jack and Cindy are joining us for dinner, but not on board.  We will find a place in town.  Bella had a good day,  and seemed to be getting the hang of it.  More on that in another post.

The harbor scene on Cuttyhunk.  Population 150.

A young Dad grills for his family on board.  Father's day weekend!!

So we left my Jeep with Daughter Britte.  She, at 40, has informed us that the top and doors are being removed, she will buy a surfboard and go looking for boys.  And if you know her, you know she will really look the part.  No info on how husband Mike is dealing with this.

We will stay until Monday and hope to get the outboard running.  Not sure where to go next.  Just know it will be north of here.  And let's hope there is some real warm weather in store.  Cheers.

Goodbyes and down to the last few tasks

It seems like only ten years ago we started on this new cruise to Maine and hopefully Nova Scotia.  Finally we are about to slip the lines.  If you are bored with the waiting, you have some idea of how impatient we are to have something about cruising to report.  In the last few days we have had visits from Dan, Sara, Marcia, Kristen, Mike, The Ritaccos, and Jemi.  And the mechanics left today for what I hope is the last time.  Tomorrow we go out for a "sea trial" and then Thursday we are going down to Newport and Point Judith on our way to the first stop at old standby Cuttyhunk in the Elizabeth Islands.

Your blogger in the new reading room which Bella has claimed as hers.

Oil Can Herk emerges triumphant with the first 5 (of 8) gallons of used oil.  

Milster and the Ritaccos.

I truly hope my next post is from Cuttyhunk and then on to Falmouth to see Dick and Maggie.  Weather and tides look good for Thursday.  First stop in Pt Judith to feed the engines which will likely need about 300 gallons to get us going.  I just close my eyes and hand over the plastic.

MOVING DAY

May 29.  We moved out of the house and onto CODA.  Ah, the glamour of cruising.  Schlepping takes on new meaning.  The list of lists is getting shorter and the Advil supply is dwindling, but this was a good day.  A good day meaning there were no injuries, nothing dropped into the drink, and Bella got fed on time.  

Semi-chaos...it got to full chaos later

Milly amid the bins and baskets of "essentials"

Bella back on her station

Our temporary new neighborhood, Portsmouth, RI

For the next 10 days or so we will get this boat squared away.  Then we intend to slip the lines and begin our lazy cruise north to who-knows-where.  I'm pretty tired so that's about it for this post.  Oh, congratulations to the crew of Sweet Pea for completing their 9000+ mile loop.  We may slip into Westport on our way up Buzzards Bay.  Or not.  Who knows?!