End of season 2022

 Blueberry pie

The quiet, sunny and practically windless morning provided an opportunity to swim. It also provided a chance for David and Peter to make a blueberry pie. We had plenty of berries left over, so David devised a brilliant plan to eat them all. The oven on the boat is not nearly as powerful as the oven at home, so it took quite a bit of time, which David used to go for a swim.

Margot and Mabry took the dinghy around the cove, Irina unsuccessfully tried to fish while chatting with Alla. When the pie was ready, we ate it for lunch. 

Jewell Island

Despite the promise of wind inside the cove and discernible wind along a narrow passage toward the open water, Poseidon went on a long break 5 minutes after we turned the engine off. We even swapped the genoa to code-0 to see if the boat speed would go up, but at 1.5 knots there was no way we could cover the  6 miles to our destination in a reasonable time. So we had to motor again.

We dropped the anchor at low tide, so David took Irina and Alla to Little Jewell to search for mussels. The rest of the crew got ready for a walk to the bunker and making fire. With enough mussels in a bucket, Irina and I set out to the island in search of a fire pit. There was a large group of boys with adult chaperons, so we couldn’t use the closest fire pit, but when I discovered that I forgot a lighter, they lent us one to start the fire.

One of the things we wanted to do was to burn a birch log that Irina bought when we still had the old boat to have a romantic fire somewhere on a shoreline. After 6 hours of salty drying, the log finally was used the way it was intended. It took a while to get it started, but ultimately when the flames started breaking through the slits in the middle it was fun to watch.

I looked periodically at the rising tide and realised that the dinghy was by now floating. It was tied to a big rock, so it couldn’t go anywhere, but the shape of the shore (a flat beach that abruptly ends with a steep rock) meant that I’d have to wade in water to get it. Indeed the water was above my knees, but at least I didn’t have to swim.

Mark and the kids were in the first party. It was dark and the fog set in. The first significant fog in almost a a month of cruising Maine! Salty Ginger did not have any lights on, and nothing aboard was reflecting our light, but when we got closer we saw an eerie outline of the hull and the standing rigging which was getting crisper and clearer as we approached the boat. When we got back again with Irina, Alla and David the masthead light and the lights in the cabin provided a very different look, but made it a lot easier to find the boat.

Mark cooked a black bean Mexican-inspired soup, and even though we weren’t that hungry all of it was eaten before we headed to bed.

Good bye, Salty Ginger

All adventures have to come to an end. And in order to have a good start to next season, Salty Ginger needed to get cleaned up for the winter on the hard. We left the cove at 8. Irina and Alla prepared breakfast while we were motoring towards Maine Yacht Center in Portland. After a fumbled attempt at pulling into the slip, which was saved by the owner of the neighbouring boat (thank you, Stephen!), we quickly ate and set to work. In the next 5 hours a lot of things happened: sheets and towels got washed, the sails got taken down, dinghy washed and folded, hydrogenerator and wind vane taken down, everything inside got washed, water system prepared for winterisation, and so on. Needless to say, we will be grateful at the beginning of next season that the boat is in such a clean state!

The most painful pat of this exercise was Irina getting stung by a wasp on her foot. A few of them were circling the boat and Irina accidentally stepped onto one that flew into the cabin.

Much later than desired, we pulled into the driveway of Irina’s brother’s house. Sergey and Masha prepared a feast which we complimented with the seafood that Irina harvested in the previous 2 days.

It’s a bittersweet moment, stepping off the boat after it served as such a wonderful means of enabling us to explore the coast. We all learned something, we all disliked some things and loved many other things. We made mistakes and yet did most planning right. I had a fulfilling vacation, having completely forgotten about work and most everything that is happening in Zurich. What sort of cruising we can do next year? Time will tell…

From bay to bay

Indiantown island

Yesterday’s forecast called for no wind, so we figured that we should find a place to explore and stretch our legs. Water temperature in Love cove was not even 17C, so not really conducive to swimming. So after a slow breakfast we left the mooring and motored north to Indiantown island. It is privately owned, but the north part of the island has a trail that is maintained by Boothbay Region Land Trust.

There is even a mooring and a courtesy dinghy for day use. The problem with the mooring was its location: at low tide there was a danger that we would end up sitting on the ground, and the tide was going out. To avoid getting stuck waiting for the next high tide to lift us, we anchored and went ashore.

The trail was nice and soft, it was pleasant to walk, chat and observe the nature.

Along the path we found a tree that was perfect for climbing, which provided great entertainment for all. Margot climbed higher than everyone else and at some point scared us when a branch broke under her weight. Luckily nobody got hurt.

When the end of the loop was almost in sight, Mark, Alla and David who were walking in the front got stung by wasps. They tried to run away quickly and David got stung again. Ooops! Irina’s suggestion was to walk the trail in the opposite direction to avoid getting stung. I decided to try to sprint past the nest in the ground and that was successful. Margot, Peter and Mabry followed and got through unhurt. Irina however, ended up with 3 stings on her thighs. Now we had half of our company who were not thrilled about the end of the walk on what Irina earlier called a “friendly island”.

David decided to swim back. So did Mabry. I knew that the water was more than refreshing, but they made it to Salty Ginger pretty quickly and took warm showers. David said that the cold water made the stings feel less acute. Irina took a plunge into the 16.5C water and was out very quickly. All stings got attention and we were ready to get the anchor and motor south, out of the Sheepscot river.

Up the Quahog Bay

While we motored, Irina and Alla made quesadillas. It’s much easier to cook when the boat is not heeling! At the mouth of the river I saw a returning lobster boat and intercepted it to get crustaceans for dinner. The guys on the boat saw us and sold us 6 lobsters for $40. Perfect! Dinner plans all set!

Typical lovely Maine scenery was all around. Rocks, lighthouses and tons of lobster pots.

In the open water the ocean waves were on the beam and there was a bit of a side component of the wind. Not enough to sail, but enough to heel the boat a bit and provide for a less rolly ride. In the bay water temperature was 20C. Aha! Swimming water! We passed Big Hen island which has a large open area for anchorage, but also a number of houses.and decided to check the northernmost part of the bay close to Snow Island. There were a few boats there, but the consensus was to not to go back to Big Hen.

Water temperature: 23.8C! Two minutes after the anchor set I was in the water. Mark and David followed me shortly. The sun was coming out and then hiding behind the clouds. A little wind was cooling us off, so it felt warmer in the water than being on deck.

Irina and Peter took the dinghy and rowed ashore to Little Snow island which has a MITA-curated campsite. The tide was already rising, but they succeeded in finding a few mussels and a couple of oysters. Margot and Mabry woke up after their afternoon beauty nap and started looking around for birds in the cove. I tried to fish without success. Then we heard a loud splash: an osprey was successful at fishing and shaking the water off its body as it was gaining height, flew towards its nest in the trees on the edge of the forest.

Lobster and grilled corn for dinner hit the spot! And after clean up, Mark and the kids played games while the rest of us chatted in the cockpit watching the darkness surround us with moon glowing through the clouds.

Relaxing morning

I woke up at 6:30 and went into the cockpit to enjoy the fresh morning air. Everyone else was sound asleep, so I didn’t even start making coffee. At 8 Irina and Peter started stirring. Peter really wanted to sleep together with his mom, so I spent the night in the aft cabin with Mark.

When Margot came out, she said

— Mark, sorry about knocking on the wall last night, but you were snoring so loudly that we couldn’t fall asleep.

— That wasn’t me! That was your dad! And thanks for doing it, by the way. He turned over and stopped snoring after that.

What?! Me snoring? But the evidence was overwhelming. Alla and David heard me too! I did not hear the knocking nor myself. Totally out in my sleep.

The excitement of the morning was Margot’s finding a bald eagle sitting on a branch. A bit far, especially for the camera lens that we have aboard, but unmistakeable: majestic and beautiful.

Cloudy weather

Harbor Island

The cove we went into on Monday was very peaceful. There were 3 other boats who spent the night at anchor. Seals were popping their heads every now and then, cormorants and guillemots made regular appearances.

One issue that gave me a pause was the forecasted wind shift from NE to SW. That would mean that the anchor would have to reset in the middle of the night. The potential issue was that once the boat would be swung around the anchor could slide down to greater depth and put us in potential peril of hitting the rocks on the smaller Hall island. I warned the crew that we may have to reanchor in the middle of the night, set the anchor alarm and we went to sleep.

The alarm went off at 1:30. The wind shifted, but was more easterly rather than northeasterly. I heard something scrape the bottom of the hull. Must be a lobster pot that we drifted over. Oh well, that’s Maine, we’ll deal with that in the morning. A couple of hours later the alarm went off again. This time the boat started to drift because there was practically no wind. No more scraping of the bottom of the hull. Presumably a good development.

The wind never shifted to SW, so we didn’t have to move the anchor. After the previous rocky night, everyone was happy with a solid night of sleep. The rain was on and off, but inside in the cabins it was warm and dry.

The 8am forecast called for the rain to stop for 3 hours and then for the drizzle or rain to restart and last until the end of the day. I called Sasha to help me find the rubber boots, so at least one crew member would be able to move around the boat when it rained. In the meantime, we got a quick breakfast and rushed to the Harbor island to explore

The owners have a huge house overlooking the cove, but they allow visitors to explore a part of the island. We’re grateful to the family for that opportunity! The path towards the cliffs was weaving between fern and raspberry bushes. Many raspberries were dry, but some were juicy and yummy. In the middle of the island we saw remainders of a bird’s wing. The rest was eaten by some creature.

The cliffs had a lovely view and the path continued further towards a little cave. It’d be better described as a narrow path under the cover of huge boulders, so going through required taking the backpack off and being careful not to hit a boulder with the head. Peter had a much easier time with that!

We then got back to the cliffs to enjoy the view and take a few pictures. David went off on a cliff with a jumping rope. Ultimately, everyone did a few jumps just because we could.

Rain cancelled

As we were on the dinghy on the way to Salty Ginger we felt a few drops of rain, but then the updated forecast was no longer calling for rain, but rather cloudy skies! Good news. Must be thanks to the fact that I found the rubber boots. Why would rain get cancelled otherwise?

We finished lunch, used the lull in the wind to roll the code-0 back onto itself (after its unintended swim it was unceremoniously stuffed into the bag), and then we set off. Away from the wind shadow of the island, we felt a nice northeasterly wind. Perfect for our intended sail to the Sheepscot river. Ultimately code-0 had to be rolled and the spinnaker was flown instead. Mark yielded the helm to David and went down below to play games with Peter. Unfortunately that made him a bit seasick and he fell asleep.

Sailing was a lot of fun! While we had the wind behind us the waves were actually rolling towards us, indicating the presence of a big weather system way south that was generating the big oceanic rollers. I don’t remember having to do so many jibes on one day except when we intentionally were jibing on our sail from the Isles of Shoals to Portsmouth. We even managed to jibe once without dousing the spinnaker into the sock. At least we know that it works! We also now know that wing and wing with the asymmetric also works. Kind of an unintended and unexpected sail setup, but why not!

When we entered the Sheepscot river, the wind started to decrease and with a mile or so left we switched to the engine to get us into Love Cove. The scenery, so typical of coastal Maine, was delightful. David was the only one who couldn’t appreciate it, being fully focused on avoiding lobster pots.

In the cove

We picked up a guest mooring maintained by the Winslow family. There is not much room to swing in the cove, so it’s hugely appreciated. One of the reviews on Active Captain said that there is (or used to be) a tradition to leave a poem as appreciation for the mooring. Our creative company will be put to good use!

Since Frank caught all those fish on Monhegan our fishing luck was zero. The only thing that bit yesterday was a little fish the size of my thumb.

Irina was determined to change that, so once the dinghy was on the water she took a bucket and a fishing rod and rowed away in search of fish. She didn’t have luck with the fish, but observed seals and a couple of dolphins.

Margot was asleep for the second part of the journey. When she woke up she took the binoculars out and started to look for birds. Margot could recognise an osprey call, and soon found one sitting on one of the tall trees. The cove is very calm and peaceful. The wind died down. The boat was barely moving.

I decided to use my time to make a soft shackle to be able to attach the swim ladder with something simpler and faster than a knot. My new little fid made that so easy! Last week I tried to fiddle splicing the line with a piece of wire and nothing came out of that. In less than 20 minutes I had a shackle and started to make a second one to provide a better attachment for the line that secures the hydrogenerator while we’re underway.

Lovely evening with fireworks in the distance was rather fresh, so we moved into the cabin to play games before hitting the sack.

Ospreys

In the morning we continued to watch the ospreys. It seemed as if the parents were trying to get the fledgling to fly. One bird was actively flapping its wings in the nest. Two more would periodically fly above and cry.

Blueberry pancakes for breakfast got everyone enough energy to continue to explore the coastal islands. What a lovely place to stay!

Rolly rolly

Hot Sunday

A heat wave hit the Northeast and the forecast temperature for Portland on Sunday was 33C! That’s Maine? Ok, first 24.5C waters and then sweltering heat. Luckily it came with a fair amount of wind, so on the dock things were tolerable. By the dock house it was HOT!

I left Mark and Peter on the boat to go pick up groceries. Alla and David were driving. Irina was supposed to get on the road with Mabry and Margot, so we needed to get food aboard and stowed away so that we could take off as soon as possible. It seems to be my luck this year to a) have access to courtesy cars; b) somethings goes wrong. The key to the car was not there. It took 15 minutes for the crew to figure out that the car was there, so they gave the me the spare keys and off I went. I looked at the list of products that Alla and David were bringing and got the things that seemed to be missing. They brought a bit more than I expected and so did I. Overprovisioning is a problem, but a good one to have. At least if we decide to sail to Canada, we’ll have food to eat.

By the time everyone was aboard it was hot and windy. Quite nice under the bimini (which Leo appropriately called canopy and then asked why everything on the boat has to have a special name) with the wind blowing the heat off us. Peter really wanted to cast us off, but once I saw the forces on the lines that were holding SG, there was no way I would allow him to do so. He got very upset and stormed downstairs. Other than that, casting off went smoothly. David held the bow while standing there until we started moving, I held the stern on the dock, and Mark put the boat in reverse, giving the boat some speed, allowing me to jump aboard and take over.

It was clearly sailing weather, so I gave Salty Ginger just enough throttle to be able to bring the dingy aft (Leo’s complaint about back vs aft) where it should be stowed for a passage, raise the mainsail and point the bow south. Luckily, we were half way up the tide, so a shallow place where we could have run aground read 1 foot under the keel. Oops. Captain made a forgivable mistake.

The sail

Initially we were doing really well, easy sailing with the genoa and main at 7 knots. Mark was steering. Then at the narrows at the exit from Portland harbor the wind began to do wild things. From being on the beam, the wind was in our face. Mark does not have much sailing experience, so I saw surprise on his face, “what’s going on?” Ok, we can’t clear the rocks out of the channel, so let’s tack. Mark takes us through the tack, David and I handle the sails. As we reach the other side of the channel we tack again, and then I ask to take the wheel from Mark. What a surprise! S.G. was close-hauled, then the wind shifts 30 degrees so we’re totally head to wind, then it shifts back, then it shifts in the other direction. And there are other vessels heading our way. Good time to take the helm from a less experienced crew member.

Out of the harbor, the wind was as forecasted: 15 knots out of SW, which is why I wanted to go east. Easily, Salty Ginger shoots to 8 knots and off we go. Once we cleared dangerous rocks, we could bear off and put the wind on our beam, making for a much more comfortable ride for everyone. Still making 7-8 knots on the right course.

The total proposed sail was 42 miles, so once our speed dropped below 7 knots I thought it was time to fly the spinnaker. Especially since the wind shifted to the aft quarter. Given that the crew are not experienced and it was still blowing, we had to do everything right. Mark was a bit seasick and was sleeping down below. Alla and the girls were not particularly interested in taking part. Irina was on the wheel and was instructed to keep course. David and Peter were my line handlers.

1. Hoist “the beast” while it’s still int he sock;
2. Wait for us to clear shallows to leeward so that if we have to go off the wind, we have sea room;
3. David tightens the tack line;
4. Peter (having gotten instructions from Alice) is ready on the sheet;
5. I pull the sock up;
6. Peter tightens the sheet.

We’re flying! Irina is tired on the steering, so I take over. Our speed went up to 8-9 knots, surfing to 10 on the waves, we’re headed on the right course. All is great! Until… 

The wind drops. We’re doing 5 knots. And then we get jibed. All of a sudden the wind changed direction by 30 degrees if not more. The spinnaker is pressed against the standing rigging. Shit! David and Peter help me pull the sock over the spinnaker by feeding the lines. Looks like we’re safe on the port tack. We wait a bit, all seems ok. Bam! We get jibed. Same course, but the wind comes back to what it used to be. Bam! We get jibed back. Luckily the wind is light, so we were not in danger of bringing the mast down with our mainsail, but it’s definitely not great.

The wind gets steadier, so we remove the sock again. Before too long, the spinnaker is jibed! We’re essentially wing and wing with the mainsail on the port side and the asymmetrical spinnaker on the starboard. What? I didn’t know one could fly sails in this configuration!

Our speed drops to 5 knots. Oops. We still have 16 miles to go and it’s 6pm. No go. We’re not sailing through lobster pots in the dark. Let’s check the forecast. Wind is supposed to drop. The waves are already much lower than they used to be. Monhegan island is 8 miles away, I know there are few traps there; Burnt island 12 miles away and I know there are lots of them there.

Thoughts going through my head:

1. If we go to Burnt, we risk wrapping the keel or worse the prop in a lobster trap line in the dusk. We risk dropping anchor in the dark with traps around us. No good.
2. If we go to Monhegan, and the updated forecast is true, the waves should drop over the next few hours and we should be ok spending the night on the mooring. Chances of all moorings getting take is zero because of the forecast (anchoring there is out of question).

Decision: we go to Monhegan.

The island

In the morning, Irina told me “art requires sacrifices”, a play on a Russian saying «красота требует жертв» (beauty requires sacrifices). The island is lovely, but one of the reason Peter and I though it’d be interesting to come to the island is the large number of art galleries.

We pick up the mooring, of course all guest moorings are available. The wind is still out of the south, the waves are tolerable. Not nice, but tolerable. We start cooking the dinner, all is ok. One has to brace every now and then, but it’s tolerable. We start cleaning up as the wind starts to die down. The current turns us beam to wind and the boats swings 20 degrees to port, then 20 degrees to starboard. Things fly, but nothing gets broken. BIG OOPS! The captain made another mistake!

We play a game, but then at 10:30 everyone is tired, it’s bumpy, so we all go to bed. I can’t fall asleep feeling guilty, waking up periodically due to the mooring hitting the side of the boat. I see the dawn break, I hear Irina’s breath: she is not sleeping. Oh, boy! This is a terrible start to the trip!

At 5:15 the boat turns beam to waves and gets rolled violently again. David was in the galley trying to prevent the cutlery from making noise. Too late. Everyone is awake.

Of all the people who complained the least was Peter. He probably got a bit seasick before we pulled into the harbor and fell asleep at around 7:30. Everyone else got maybe 5 hours of sleep. Irina, surprisingly giddy, says: “I don’t know what everyone else is doing, but I’m going ashore.” I was pretty sure that David was up for that too. Mark, who usually sleeps in overhears the suggestion and says, “I’m in.”

The four of us row ashore. I row back to pick up the kids and Alla. Everyone wants to abandon the ship. Oh, boy! In haste, the kids throw pencils and notebooks into the backpack. I realise we’ll need sunscreen. Alla too. In case we’ll have internet I take the iPad and the camera. With 5 sleepy people aboard, the engine will be much easier. With the waves still on the beam of SG, I successfully place the engine in its place. Everyone aboard. Off we go.

By 6:00 all of us are on the island. Sunrise is beautiful, everyone is sleepy, no breakfast before 8. Peter, who didn’t have anything to eat since lunch the day before is hungry. I feel bad for a decision that was in hindsight absolutely wrong. The waves take a LONG time to calm down after 20 knots of wind. Not a few hours. MANY hours. The tidal current between the islands WILL turn the boats around unless there is enough wind to resist it. WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Everyone is in good spirits. That’s a plus. We walk up to the lighthouse, find benches and grass where we lay down and take short naps. 8 o’clock we descend into the village, have breakfast. At 9 we’re at the bakery, talking and playing cornhole (throwing sacks into holes in the boards).

After a while, we get organized and depart on the walk on the southern tip of the island, the same walk we did with Frank, Sasha and Pasha 2 weeks ago. The weather is no longer sunny and warm, a layer of fog settled so it’s no longer hot. Kids sort of rebel at the Lobster Cove: they stay there to draw.

We slowly process along the coast, frequently stopping to take pictures, to eat raspberries and the now ripe blackberries. By the time we reached the cliffs, Irina is worried because the kids are not catching up. 

We turn towards the village and as we reach the houses, we see birds running around. Turns out, some time ago one of the locals brought pheasants onto the island and they roam around. In the winter a few of them get eaten.

The agreement with the kids was to meet up at the brewery at 1pm. As we turned up the road to get there, we see the three walking towards us. Turns out, adults did not follow the directions we gave the kids: instead of taking every left, we took a few rights and mostly lefts. The kids already checked in on us at the brewery and were happy, even if a bit surprised to see us.

Lunch on the hard as opposed on the swinging mast (we saw SG from the hill) was a nice treat. We had sandwiches and some beer and then went to the town to check out the art. It wasn’t particularly inspiring, so at 3 we were on the boat.

Fishing: no success. I was the only one swimming. It was not warm. It was windy!

Quiet cove

The wind was piping from the east. We wanted to go almost north, so we were all good to go. Main went up while we were still on the mooring. David cast us off and we headed downwind to get out of the passage between the Monhegan and Manana islands. We jibe, and point north. 5 knots under mainsail alone. With a partially rolled genoa, we’re off at 8 knots.

5 miles later at the Eastern Egg Rock we glance guillemots, but spot no puffins and continue sailing through the labyrinth of lobster pots. At 6 we’re at anchor in a quiet cove between Harbor and Hall island. The boat is steady, cooking is easy and the wind is still piping. Time for games after dinner!