Season end - hellos and goodbyes

No doubt, dear Readers, you have been waiting with bated breath (?) for the next instalment in the Follyfin Saga... apologies for long delay. Skipper and I have been a bit busy over the past 3 weeks, first busily engaged in putting FF to bed for the winter, then welcoming our latest grandchild, Celeste, into the world. 

Her timing was perfect, arriving last Saturday evening a few days after we arrived back in UK and only a couple of days earlier than expected. She weighed in at 9lb 5oz, and mother and baby are both doing well. Of course we are all delighted!

Winterising Follyfin was made significantly easier by the wonderful helpers we had. First there was Ivor, who helped get the sails off on his last day with us. Then there were our new friends Lee and Deborah - met only recently in Maine at the OCC Rally (see previous post) -  who invited us to stay in their house a short drive away from Captain’s Cove Seaport, Blackrock, near Bridgeport in Connecticut. This is where we have decided to store Follyfin over winter. It is not an extremely smart or modern Marina but the facilities and expertise amongst the staff are excellent. This is not the word we would use to describe the company who we used to service our life raft. It shall remain nameless for the present; suffice to say that from here it has been returned to them for a third time (the first two times from Boston whilst we were temporarily berthed there earlier this summer) because of substandard service and treatment of this essential and expensive item. The photo below shows the mark up done by Skipper prior to its collection from Captain’s Cove.

Lifts to chandlers and US Customs and Border Agencies, a nice comfortable bed, hot showers, washing machine, flush toilet and above all their company, help and advice made the daily toil of denuding, clearing and prepping Follyfin for the winter so much more pleasant. We were all rewarded with a visit to Brewport - home to a local craft brewery - on Ivor’s last night. Flights of beer and pizza: what more could a chap need to speed him on his travels?

Anyway, back to the winterising process... Skipper (Bosun/Engineer), having serviced the engine and dosed the engine, shower and head pipes with antifreeze (amongst numerous other winterising tasks) pronounced Follyfin ready for hauling out onto dry land (aka ‘the hard’ in nauticospeak). This was duly done first thing on Thursday 20 September. We were a little anxious during this process since the haul-out bay was barely wider than Follyfin herself. But like the secret passenger who fell out of the keel area once out of the water, we need not have worried. That evening we all celebrated by taking a Clam Crawl (raw ‘on the half shell’, steamed and fried) with our friends in two very different establishments.

By Friday evening the work was finished and we said goodbye to Follyfin until the Spring. The next morning we also bade a fond farewell to Lee and Deborah as we boarded the train to Grand Central Station in New York City. So this is the other silver lining about Hurricane Florence messing up our original plan to winter Follyfin further south: she and we are only a couple of hours by train from Warren and family in Jersey City. So we spent the rest of the weekend with them before catching our train down to Baltimore to fly home overnight on Monday 24th. Happy times with our JC grandchildren!

So, dear Readers, that’s all from Follyfin and her crew for this season. We plan to rejoin her in April 2019. Seems a very long time since we were planning to cross the Atlantic east to west; almost 3 years to be exact (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJWMdmZTqf8 ) for an amusing cinematic reminder!). Will 2019 be the year to cross back in the opposite direction? Who knows...watch this space!

Plan A, plan B, plan A2, plan C... and Florence

A quick post to reassure you, dear readers, that Follyfin and her crew are safe and sound. Now we are sheltering in harbour on north shore of Long Island Sound; discretion is the better part of valour! Our original plan to winter the boat in the Chesapeake Bay further south has been well and truly scuppered by Hurricane Florence. From the title of this post, it is clear that plans changed several times as we watched Florence mature into a full-blown hurricane during her progress North from the SW Atlantic. We took advice from Lee - a seasoned sailor who we met on the OCC Rally a month ago and to whom these waters and this NE coast of USA are very familiar. So here we are in his local marina, Captains Cove Seaport.

Ivor duly arrived here from UK last Monday morning expecting to help us sail south to Baltimore and the Chesapeake. Instead he has enjoyed (we hope!) a short overnight sail across the Sound to Port Jefferson and a day out in NYC yesterday when we met with Warren for lunch. The silver lining to Florence, for us anyway, is that we get to spend some more time with Warren and family, and see our friends Lee and Deborah whose local knowledge is invaluable. Next week we will be fully occupied with winterising Follyfin.

Turning south

The end of our sailing season is approaching. Last weekend was action-packed as dear friend Midge took us to the Maine Maritime Museum, showed us the hallowed halls of Bowdoin University, shared pizza and beer and introduced us to ‘steamers’ (clams). 

On last Monday, 27 August, Follyfin’s bow turned south. Highlight of the overnight passage from Jewell Island to Buzzard’s Bay was the feathered friend, a tiny nuthatch, who hitched a ride on Follyfin. He/she was with us for about 14 hours. Not so nice was the plague of little biting flies which travelled with us all day. Despite the crew becoming very adept at swatting them, they seemed to multiply as the temperature rose during the day. A rough ride greeted us on the far side of the Cape Cod Canal as a strong wind blew against a strong tide making for very choppy waters. It happened that friends Lee and Deborah, whom we met in Maine a couple of weeks back, traversed the canal at the same time as us. That night Follyfin ended up in the same sheltered anchorage of Hadley Harbour as their boat North Star V, the only difference being that North Star got there much quicker than Follyfin. Their lovely invitation to join them for supper quickly dispelled any tiredness and discomfort sustained from our 36 hour passage. Also Lee’s extensive knowledge of this sailing area was a great help in figuring out future ports of call.

The next three days were spent sailing on through Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and into Long Island Sound; first we were tacking upwind to Point Judith Harbour of Refuge, then broad reaching in calm water to Duck Island Roads, and finally a roller coaster downwind sail to Oyster Bay on the north shore of Long Island itself. A rendezvous had been planned here with son Warren and his two older children for the following day: very relieved to have made it in time. Oyster Bay is at the eastern end of the Long Island Railroad, so very convenient for travelling in and out of New York and Jersey City where Warren and family live. And this last weekend being Labour Day weekend meant that Warren was able to bring them aboard Follyfin for Saturday, and we were able to spend Sunday and Monday with them in Jersey City, unfortunately without Lara and baby Amelia as they are visiting UK at present. Though having a 43/4 year old and a 31/4 year old for crew does not make for the most relaxing of passages, it was nevertheless a fun time with swimming, ‘driving’ the boat, dinghy rides and meals in the cockpit; above all, no one fell in the water!

Skipper and I return to Follyfin tomorrow, Tuesday, where we will stay put for the next week to wait for son Ivor to join us for the next long passage south to Follyfin’s winter quarters.

Round Pond: an ambition fulfilled

This morning, Thursday 23 August, we had a wildlife treat: not only seals, ospreys and bald eagles fishing around our boat but also a multitude of fishes jumping in the water all round Follyfin and further out. The surface of the sea was literally boiling, and this phenomenon was not a temporary thing as it continued before, during and after our breakfast right up until we weighed anchor at 10:30. Perhaps the name of the cove in which we had dropped anchor last evening provides the clue: Fish House Cove.

A different kind of treat came on Monday evening when Follyfin sailed into Round Pond, a full 35 years after that ambition was born. In 1983 we visited friends Vic and Midge in their very small recently acquired ‘cottage’ here. It had no electricity and was really very basic. In the intervening years they completely renovated and extended this cottage and made it into a wonderful family home to where they retired about 30 years ago. 

The wind and the weather the next day cooperated fully for our planned excursion on the water with Midge, her daughter Linda and her friend Laura (unfortunately Vic was not well enough to join us). After transferring them all to Follyfin by dinghy, we enjoyed a leisurely downwind sail in sunshine from Round Pond north up Muscongus Sound to Greenland Cove. The anchor was dropped and lunch was served on board. A good time was had by all until, just before the return passage back to Round Pond, Linda accidentally tripped and fell in the saloon of the boat (that b@#£*y step!). Despite hurting considerably we are sure, she put on a brave face once safely back on land. Hopefully her bruises will not entirely expunge any good memories of her excursion on the water.

A small beach near Greenland Cove had been the scene of Follyfin’s long awaited beaching the day before. After the 6 weeks she spent in the water in Boston, we wanted to check the underside of the hull and especially the propellor. Just as well we did!

Before (left) and after (right) cleaning

We had checked out the beach on land the day before, when we arrived in the area, to ensure there were no rocks that would damage Follyfin’s hull when the tide went down and left her on the beach. Skipper got up to his old beach combing tricks whilst I found some fascinating evidence of non-human visitors to this beach.

Now Follyfin is back on a mooring at the Dolphin Marina, near Harpswell, for another couple of nights on a mooring to allow us a final visit to our old friends Vic and Midge. Sparky the cat is entertaining us.

The Maine Rally and mini cruise

Indeed there were over 100 people present at the OCC meeting on Sunday last, 12 August. It was held in the Camden Yacht Club, a solid, venerable building with basic facilities plus an impressive display of souvenir burgees from all over the world. The meeting began with a very entertaining talk from a couple who had completed both the European Loop and the American Loop on their 37ft catamaran, something very few other people have managed. This was followed by refreshments: everyone had been asked to bring an ‘appetiser’. I had assumed these would be the prelude to lunch but no: veterans of this annual event started tucking in almost immediately upon arrival at 10a.m.! Of our own contribution - 24 curried eggs - only two remained when we emerged from the talk at 11:30! Of course I was secretly delighted that I would be saved the embarrassment of having to take them home! The Skipper forgot altogether about the main course for lunch (lobster rolls plus selection of four salads followed by blueberry pie), such was the amazing array and volume of appetisers on offer!

The Rally boats, of which there were 17, set off North the following day, Monday. One of the boats, a small motor launch named Ancient Mariners, is crewed by Herb, who will be 100 in a few weeks time, and his wife Ruth, who is 93. They only went over to ‘the dark side’ from sailing 4 years ago: quite a couple of role models! As the get-together that evening was for drinks and more appetisers at the Stockton Yacht Club, we could not resist a golden opportunity to deviate slightly off our route towards a stationary lobster boat... needles to say, the appetisers were pretty substantial. We did find room for the lobster later though, but no carbs required!

Tuesday: a short ‘sail’ - actually a ‘motor as there was no wind, nor any yesterday either - to the town of Castine, established by the British in 1629. Since then it has changed hands frequently between the British, French and Dutch. The US acquired it at the end of the American Revolution but it was recaptured by the British in 1812 and only finally handed back in 1815. Lunch in a harbourside restaurant was followed by an interesting walking tour round the beautiful town, which has so much history.

That evening we were welcomed aboard another boat for, yes, more appetisers, drinks and talk, which was most convivial and an opportunity to get to know and compare notes with some of the other people on the rally.

On Wednesday, Follyfin set off at 06:00 to catch the current but unknowingly went AWOL because the early start meant we missed the daily briefing on VHF radio. Having only seen fog and drizzle in the forecast, we assumed all the other boats would follow later to the appointed lunchtime and nighttime anchorages. No one turned up at either! As we later discovered, the fleet had decided to stay put for another day in Castine because some suspicious weather ‘cells’ had been spotted in the forecast. As it happened we were pleased to have missed that broadcast since it allowed us to visit lovely Butter Island for brunch and walk up Montserrat Hill. Fog obligingly cleared and sun came out when we arrived on top but the view was only of the tops of surrounding islands. Still beautiful!

And spiders again provided a photo opportunity:

The appointed anchorage for that night was in Seal Bay, which has a tricky entrance with many hidden rocky ledges which are only visible at low water. It was well worth making the effort as this was, in our opinion, the most beautiful anchorage we have experienced in Maine. We were the only boat to venture right into Inner Inner Seal Bay so we only had ospreys and seals for company. The sun was shining as we arrived in good time for a swim in the warm(ish) water and sundowners on deck. Wonderful! Being so secluded, there was no mobile signal at all so it was impossible to discover what had happened to the rest of the fleet until the next day.

Determined to catch up with the fleet for the last night of the cruise, Thursday morning saw Follyfin motoring through Fox Islands Thorofare aiming for the previously arranged meeting point. We passed an unusual craft on the way; it was clear that none of the oarsmen had been trained in the art of rowing...

Luckily, as soon as we returned to the more populated part of Penobscot Bay, we were able to communicate with the cruise organisers and discover another change of plan. Just in time, we turned north instead of south, and safely met up with the rest of the fleet in Cradle Cove on Islesboro Island. For the final night, all of us were invited to land our dinghies on a nearby private island belonging to two of the participants. Appropriately armed with our contribution for the pot luck supper, we joined the party on a sunlit evening to exchange contact details and plans with new friends. What a delightful way to end a sociable few days, feeling very well nourished from all the appetisers and having visited some beautiful anchorages.

The locals tell us that the season here in Maine has now ended. The weather has certainly taken a foggier and colder turn, with a north-easterly blow forecast for tonight. We are safely tucked up in sheltered Long Cove again, next to Tenants Harbour. When weather permits, we will be heading south and west again, hoping to beach Follyfin somewhere soon to clean her bottom (so to speak) and fulfil a long-held ambition to sail into Round Pond, up Muscongus Sound - following in Joshua Slocum’s wake who sailed in here in 1895 on his circumnavigation. It also happens to be where our friends Vic and Midge had a home for 40 years until 2014, and where we have visited them many times.

Note added when finally got WiFi today, 21 August: (no mobile signal for past week or so!), this post was composed 4 days ago. Now we are in Round Pond having taken our old friend Midge out for a sail today. Will be moving on tomorrow, Wednesday 22 August, travelling south-west.

South and West

Having beaten a foggy path to the door of Lunt’s Dockside Deli, in Frenchboro, where the flavour of the lobster is famed, profound disappointment overwhelmed us to find none available: by 14:00 on Wednesday they had run out! Had to be content with a crab roll and crab chowder instead. However, the very remoteness of Long Island and the town of Frenchboro made it worth the visit, despite the lack of lobsters. Frenchboro consists of a church, a museum and a school with 3 ‘scholars’ enrolled, plus houses for the entire community of about 70 year-round inhabitants who depend on the lobster industry. A walk through woodland to Little Beach and a swim in freezing cold water were achieved before heavy rain set in.

The following morning, Thursday 9 August, it was raining and we were enveloped in fog. Radar on, fog horn at the ready, dressed in full wet weather gear, we set off through the islands bound for Little Deer Isle in East Penobscot Bay. The passage was planned to take in Eggemogin Reach, said to be a wonderful sail in either direction because of its orientation in relation to the prevailing southwesterly wind. It was neither clear nor windy for our passage northeast along this (purportedly) beautiful 10nm stretch of water, bounded on both sides by pine-clad islands. But after a huge thunderstorm passed over us, the fog began to clear and for the last couple of hours of the passage we could appreciate why so many people return to sail these waters year after year.

Follyfin’s berth for that night on the coast of Little Deer Isle was kindly provided by fellow OCC members, Linda and Phil, who allowed us to tie alongside their yacht Antara. It is kept on a permanent mooring just off shore from their home. Having been cruisers themselves, they offered the use of their laundry facilities which we gladly accepted. This also gave us the opportunity to compare notes on places visited, discuss all matters nautical and admire the superb view they have from the deck of their home.

Yesterday, Friday, dawned bright and breezy. Maybe we would get to sail the boat instead of motor! And so it came to pass: our passage took us into Penobscot Bay proper, through the islands, sailing most of the way, with only occasional engine help. Anchored overnight off the southeast coast of Seven Hundred Acre Island, the only boat in a sandy bay. Skipper decided to see what the creel would catch overnight...

This morning there were about 25 crabs in there, a mixture of the invasive green variety and the native reddy-brown one, mostly too small to eat. But four of the native ones did make it onto our plates as a small starter this evening.

We are now moored on a buoy belonging to the Camden Yacht Club, in Camden, sailing capital of Maine. Masses of boats in here from the very large to the very small. Tomorrow, Sunday 12 August, is the start of the OCC Rally which we are joining. After a talk and a lunch and general chat, there is a jazz concert in the evening in Rockport just down the coast. From Monday to Thursday we will be sailing in company with about 20 other OCC boats, exploring Penobscot Bay. This will be a highlight of our trip: apparently the two best cruising grounds in the world are (1) Bay of Islands, New Zealand and (2) Penobscot Bay, Maine. At least we have the opportunity to try one of them.

Socialising in Acadia

Anchored safely right at the north end of Somes Sound - beautiful Sound it is yes, but not as spectacular as some of the Scottish sea lochs, or indeed the Scandinavian or New Zealand fjords. On the way a beautiful small classic yacht sailed round us, a joy to behold and no doubt to sail in. This is only one of many classic yachts we have seen, some much bigger than this one and with many more sails aloft. Whatever the size, they are all beautiful to look at.

There are a few other boats anchored in here with us, one of which is another Southerly yacht, but a different, slightly older model, owned by a British couple, Simon and Nancy. With so much common ground between us, conversation flowed easily over GnTs at sundown. We have also shared sundowners with a Swedish couple, Magnus and Charlotte, now American citizens, who have their motor launch anchored close to Follyfin. Having been invited over to ‘the dark side’ (as we sailboaters call the motorboaters), we were very favourably impressed by the build and the interior of their 36ft “Swede Dreams”, not to mention the hospitality provided.

Most of Mount Desert (pronounced dezurt as in pudding) Island and a couple of smaller islands nearby, including Isle au Haut (see previous post), comprise Acadia National Park. It covers 45,000 acres and has some of the most spectacular scenery in Maine. Yesterday we decided to see a small part of it, but the high temperature and the experience of our walk to Duck Harbour a few days ago determined our decision to use the free Island Explorer bus service to do so. 

The hub for the free buses, visitor information, shops, restaurants and bars is in Bar Harbour, the ‘capital’ of Mount Desert Island. I have visited here before ... 50 years ago, and my word, how it’s changed! At the end of my first year as a student, I had itchy feet. I had spotted an amazing deal: a Greyhound bus ticket for $99 valid for 99 days. This would allow me to go anywhere in North America, including Canada. My mother, also having an adventurous spirit (and/or wanting to keep an eye on her 19-year-old daughter I suspect) decided she would come along too. Together we would visit some of her old school friends as well as cousins in Vancouver. Our itinerary began in Boston and ended in Vancouver, taking in many places along the way, one of which was Bar Harbour. We stayed at the YWCA, which is still there but everything else looks different.

Whilst waiting to get on the bus, a spider provided an unusual photo opportunity.

Of course there were many others besides us who wanted to use this excellent bus service, which allows people to go all over the Park to hike, bike or just view, like us. It transpires that we have picked the two busiest weeks in the year to visit Acadia National Park. But having seen it for ourselves, it’s no wonder that people want to come here, and it is school holidays. A wonderful place to bring the family. 

We ate our picnic on the shore of Jordan Pond, an inland lake somewhat reminiscent of Buttermere in the Lake District. Like Buttermere, it has a trail around the perimeter, about 6 miles long. We felt that even that was too far for us in the heat, so were content to go a short distance from the crowds - never far away - along the track for our lunch.

Then it was back to Bar Harbour on the bus, standing room only, for a much needed supermarket provisioning run. By the time we had done that, quaffed a couple of craft beers to refresh us, caught another bus back to Somesville, the village nearest to our anchorage, and then trudged back to the dinghy loaded with shopping, we were pretty well bushed...but nothing that a swim and a sundowner with new-found friends couldn’t put right.

Being such a beautiful sheltered anchorage, we decided to spend 3 nights here. On Wednesday we move south again, aiming for Frenchboro, a year-round lobstering village on Long Island, where the lobster is purported to be the sweetest tasting in all of Maine. We will see if we agree!

In search of a view

As forecast, a glassy calm and bright sunshine greeted us as we emerged from below. Just the right conditions to tackle the 0.75nm dinghy trip to ‘town’ and an 8 mile round trip walking along one of the several trails ashore on Isle au Haut. We chose the Duck Harbour trail since it promised ‘great views’ across Penobscot Bay. Armed with ‘deli-style’ sandwiches from the Maine Lobster Lady's van parked strategically just outside the General Store, we set off on the well marked and maintained trail through the pine forest. 

The trail was somewhat uneven, with raised roots and rocks to negotiate but mainly slight inclines and descents, with occasional pine-needle strewn level sections; no problem. But after the first hour or so, we could see mist was rolling in from the coast over the tops of the trees, so the sunshine became patchy. A little further on, the sky became quite overcast and we reached a section of the path running close along the shore. There we met a group of three elderly gentlemen walking in the opposite direction. “How much further is Duck Harbour?” “Oh, about 3 miles” came the reply. This meant we had at least another hour’s walking; not a welcome revelation as we were already flagging a little. Never mind, we thought, we’ll be there about lunch time and we’ll eat our sandwiches, admire the view and hopefully find a friendly car driver from whom to hitch a lift back to town. So on we trudged. The path was nice until it ended and we found ourselves on a gravel track leading right inland to the head of Duck Harbour and back down the other side, so another 30 minutes walking for us. The sandwiches were really ‘deli’ (in every sense) and most welcome after two and three quarter hours fastish walk. Wild raspberries and blueberries served as dessert. Lovely.

Now, that view: where was it? The trail map showed that another short walk to the point was required. Just as we were about to embark on this final leg of the hike, a friendly face appeared on the path. It was Homer, closely followed by Dee (fellow mariners) who had sailed their boat Cinderella from Laundry Cove anchorage (see previous post - Lobsters and Ospreys) this morning down to Duck Harbour for a hike up Duck Harbour Mountain. A quick comparison of experience revealed that all of us were tired and we were not relishing the 3 hour walk back to our dinghy tied at the town dock. Also it quickly became clear that there were no cars in the vicinity from whom to catch a lift and the only other hope of a ‘lift’ was from the Mail Boat which calls into Duck Harbour twice a day - but it would be travelling in the opposite direction for our purpose. Cinderella to the rescue! Homer and Dee would be sailing back up the passage, to ‘town’, and kindly offered a lift on board, which we gladly accepted. As Cinderella emerged from Duck Harbour, the ‘view’ should have appeared, but...

only grey fog occupied the area where pine-clad islands and blue water should have been. As Cinderella left the shore behind, the fog became thicker; the lighthouse was only just visible.

About half an hour later, we stepped ashore at the Town landing where we had left our dinghy 4 hours earlier. Walking back would have been so much more unpleasant and we wouldn’t have had the good company. Thanks to Homer and Dee and their trusty sailing vessel Cinderella for rescuing us!

Now in Southwest Harbour to reprovision etc. Moving up into Somes Sound -  technically the only fjord on the eastern Atlantic seaboard - this afternoon (Sunday) to Somes Harbour at the head. From there we will be well placed to explore and enjoy the Acadia National Park.