I've posted some of these in Photo of the day... but here is the whole trip. My plan was to visit with my parents, commission my boat for a longish cruise, go for said cruise, return home and visit some more while decommissioning the boat.
I flew to Portland, ME where my brother picked me up and brought me home. We had a lunch with my dad and mum the following day; he has Alzheimer's and she has PLS and my visits are the only time she gets out of the nursing home she lives in.
Shortly thereafter I drove with my friend Paul and my brother to Paul's family camp in western Maine. No power, no other camps on the lake. High clearance 4WD required to get there.
The pond the camp is on.
Eggs, bacon and toast were on the morning menu.
The fireplace was created with many 'imported' rocks and some humor.
This made me laugh.
After returning home from the two nights at camp, I visited some more with my mum and prepped my boat for its first voyage in 10 years. I also visited the Abenaki Encampment that I had been to as a kid. It is in Intervale, NH and was a place where 20 - 30 members of a Canadian tribe would come every summer in the early 20th century. They would make crafts and put on exhibitions of their heritage. When I was a Cub Scout our troop visited and there no longer large encampments, but a descendent of the original chief that would visit still lived on the site.
Many of the artifacts have been lost with just some buildings left as a reminder of times gone by.
My brother and I hauled the boat to South Portland where I launched her.
I was to see many osprey. Bald eagles were in abundance, but I never got a good photo.
This was on the first day leaving South Portland by way of Whitehead Passage.
I spent the first night in Cocktail Cove at Jewell Island.
The following day started with little wind which then picked up and the weather turned to rain and fog. You can see the rain pocked surface of the ocean. Visibility was as bad as 100 yards at times from the fog. This is the approach to Seguin Island. My dead reckoning skills were put to the test and I passed.
The makings for sausage and spinach penne and Dark and Stormies.
The following morning.
Still a bit foggy. I went ashore to try to get an eye on the weather from the summit of the island. I didn't realize that the lighthouse had a museum and caretaker. I got the one-on-one tour of the lighthouse from Rich, who with his wife Jan, managed the museum and lighthouse tours for the summer.
In the old days, they used coal to power the fog horn and light. It took a lot of coal, so they built a railway with a cable system to get the coal up the 185 feet of vertical to the light.
Inside the Fresnel lens. The cable that provided modern power to the light and horn failed last summer so the USCG installed solar panels and converted the incandescent light to an LED. It looked remarkably like the lights I had just installed on my boat except it was 350 watts. Mine were significantly less. The range of the light was reduced from over 20 miles to 14 miles with the conversion.
Rich with the fog horn building in the background.
This rope work on a railing was done 30 - 40 years ago. The Coastie that did it came to visit about 3 weeks before I did and explained to Rich that his buddies thought it would be removed soon after it was installed. He was surprised and pleased to see that it had withstood the test of time.
Near the upper terminal of the railway.
The engine and cables that moved the coal cars.
I decided to head to a hurricane hole with the increasing likelihood of Henri hitting Maine. On my way I stopped for lunch. Most of the time, though, I ate from my own provisions.
At the dock for Anna's Seaside restaurant in Phippsburg.
Some will laugh that I didn't have lobster on my trip. I came for the fresh fried seafood. In this case haddock.
You walked through a fisherman's shed to get from the dock to the restaurant. It was a shame that the photos were illegible. They would tell a story for sure.
My hurricane hole for 4 nights and 3 days.
Rosa Rugosa (my boat) has a 2 foot draft and isn't afraid to sit on mud. I didn't touch bottom but no one else could join me in this section of the Basin.
They were all over there.
Rosebud waited patiently while I went for a walk in a Nature Conservancy area.
My brother visited me on day two in the Basin. I rowed to shore and we drove to Fort Popham to see Henri. This interesting pattern in the sand caught my eye. The winds at the fort were 16 knots gusting to 20 or more. In the Basin I hardly knew it other than some spells of rain. I replenished my ice (I need a much better cooler) and water while I had easy access to what I needed. Another meal at Anna's, too. It was their closing day so cash got you half price dinner. Woohoo! More haddock for me, please.
After my last night I led the parade of boats out of the Basin. This one was a junk rigged schooner.
I headed back past Seguin and ended up at Damariscove Island. Along the way I had a Zoom call with my mother since I missed our usual call on Sunday. The sailing started out calm and got brisk as the day went on.
The swells were the only remnant of Henri, seen here breaking on Bald Head ledge. The day beacon was interesting.
Little Damariscove on Damariscove Island.
The island is a magical place, another Nature Conservancy location and also managed by the Boothbay Region Land Trust. The BRLT had guest moorings of which I took advantage.
The dark blob left of center, top, is a 4 - 5 inch lobster.
The flying object is a massive dragonfly. They were all over the trails and happy on the island with plenty to feed on.
The water in the foreground is fresh, although not sweet. Beyond was a rocky beach and the ocean.
I left Damariscove for Harbor Island in Muscongus Bay. It was recommended by a guest of the privately owned life saving station that lives nearby on the mainland.
Harbor Island.
A heron intently fishing nearby.
At this point I had reached the apex of my journey and was beginning to head back to Portland. To and from Harbor I. gave me some good sailing. There was a moment on my way to Harbor I. that I was unable to find the buoy marking a ledge and had to feel my way around it with the depth sounder. On my way back, I was unexpectedly becalmed and the tide forced me to power up to escape another close call.
Upon departing Harbor I. I made for parts unknown ending up at Little River, south of East Boothbay on Linekin Neck.
I was again nestled in shallow water at low tide with a fine look down the harbor.
A mill pond with a fall that provided a nice relaxing ambiance. There is a huge, beautiful house behind the trees to the right.
Life's little pleasures.
The guide book I had wasn't up to date so when I stopped at a marina to get ice I found there was none to be had. Someone that was working on their boat did offer me a ride to the general store for which I'm grateful.
You only see about 1/3 of the house in this frame.
The entrance to Little River was snug with this ledge on your left going in followed by a sharp right turn and a need to hang to the left to avoid a ledge that bisected the narrow harbor. I was making my way on a pleasant and cool north wind when the breeze went all wonky. I eventually made it Damariscove Island after many changes of wind direction and a pantload of biting flies.
Being a Friday, the harbor was a bit busier in anticipation of the weekend. I spent hours that afternoon just diving, swimming and enjoying frosty cold lagers.
Idyllic Maine at its best.
This lobsterman had set up a large kitchen on his boat and float for a party the following day.
I left the following morning under sail on a north breeze and course due south. This Sidney Herreschoff Seafarer named 'Sensei' was a beauty. The jib could use to be stored better, though.
Autumn is on its way.
The wind gradually moved around to the south during the day with excellent way made in the morning and sketchy winds after noon. Another close call came at the mouth of the Kennebec River as I passed Seguin as the tide and river current combined to nearly push me onto a ledge. I finished up the day back at my usual first and last night's location of Jewell Island.
As with Damariscove I. things were a bit busier. I had two anchors out to keep me off the shore and away from the boats.
Casco Bay was my stomping ground for 12 years so this was a familiar, if bittersweet, sight. Portland Head Light.
Rosa put away for another winter.
My family's dog Aurora. I was unfortunately unable to visit with my mother in person upon returning to NH. A staff person at the nursing home had tested positive for Covid-19 so they were under lockdown. (I just found out today that everyone tested negative, so that is a relief.)
This dragonfly was unafraid. Taken during my last day in NH while boating on Conway Lake with my brother and Paul.
I flew to Portland, ME where my brother picked me up and brought me home. We had a lunch with my dad and mum the following day; he has Alzheimer's and she has PLS and my visits are the only time she gets out of the nursing home she lives in.
Shortly thereafter I drove with my friend Paul and my brother to Paul's family camp in western Maine. No power, no other camps on the lake. High clearance 4WD required to get there.
The pond the camp is on.
Eggs, bacon and toast were on the morning menu.
The fireplace was created with many 'imported' rocks and some humor.
This made me laugh.
After returning home from the two nights at camp, I visited some more with my mum and prepped my boat for its first voyage in 10 years. I also visited the Abenaki Encampment that I had been to as a kid. It is in Intervale, NH and was a place where 20 - 30 members of a Canadian tribe would come every summer in the early 20th century. They would make crafts and put on exhibitions of their heritage. When I was a Cub Scout our troop visited and there no longer large encampments, but a descendent of the original chief that would visit still lived on the site.
Many of the artifacts have been lost with just some buildings left as a reminder of times gone by.
My brother and I hauled the boat to South Portland where I launched her.
I was to see many osprey. Bald eagles were in abundance, but I never got a good photo.
This was on the first day leaving South Portland by way of Whitehead Passage.
I spent the first night in Cocktail Cove at Jewell Island.
The following day started with little wind which then picked up and the weather turned to rain and fog. You can see the rain pocked surface of the ocean. Visibility was as bad as 100 yards at times from the fog. This is the approach to Seguin Island. My dead reckoning skills were put to the test and I passed.
The makings for sausage and spinach penne and Dark and Stormies.
The following morning.
Still a bit foggy. I went ashore to try to get an eye on the weather from the summit of the island. I didn't realize that the lighthouse had a museum and caretaker. I got the one-on-one tour of the lighthouse from Rich, who with his wife Jan, managed the museum and lighthouse tours for the summer.
In the old days, they used coal to power the fog horn and light. It took a lot of coal, so they built a railway with a cable system to get the coal up the 185 feet of vertical to the light.
Inside the Fresnel lens. The cable that provided modern power to the light and horn failed last summer so the USCG installed solar panels and converted the incandescent light to an LED. It looked remarkably like the lights I had just installed on my boat except it was 350 watts. Mine were significantly less. The range of the light was reduced from over 20 miles to 14 miles with the conversion.
Rich with the fog horn building in the background.
This rope work on a railing was done 30 - 40 years ago. The Coastie that did it came to visit about 3 weeks before I did and explained to Rich that his buddies thought it would be removed soon after it was installed. He was surprised and pleased to see that it had withstood the test of time.
Near the upper terminal of the railway.
The engine and cables that moved the coal cars.
I decided to head to a hurricane hole with the increasing likelihood of Henri hitting Maine. On my way I stopped for lunch. Most of the time, though, I ate from my own provisions.
At the dock for Anna's Seaside restaurant in Phippsburg.
Some will laugh that I didn't have lobster on my trip. I came for the fresh fried seafood. In this case haddock.
You walked through a fisherman's shed to get from the dock to the restaurant. It was a shame that the photos were illegible. They would tell a story for sure.
My hurricane hole for 4 nights and 3 days.
Rosa Rugosa (my boat) has a 2 foot draft and isn't afraid to sit on mud. I didn't touch bottom but no one else could join me in this section of the Basin.
They were all over there.
Rosebud waited patiently while I went for a walk in a Nature Conservancy area.
My brother visited me on day two in the Basin. I rowed to shore and we drove to Fort Popham to see Henri. This interesting pattern in the sand caught my eye. The winds at the fort were 16 knots gusting to 20 or more. In the Basin I hardly knew it other than some spells of rain. I replenished my ice (I need a much better cooler) and water while I had easy access to what I needed. Another meal at Anna's, too. It was their closing day so cash got you half price dinner. Woohoo! More haddock for me, please.
After my last night I led the parade of boats out of the Basin. This one was a junk rigged schooner.
I headed back past Seguin and ended up at Damariscove Island. Along the way I had a Zoom call with my mother since I missed our usual call on Sunday. The sailing started out calm and got brisk as the day went on.
The swells were the only remnant of Henri, seen here breaking on Bald Head ledge. The day beacon was interesting.
Little Damariscove on Damariscove Island.
The island is a magical place, another Nature Conservancy location and also managed by the Boothbay Region Land Trust. The BRLT had guest moorings of which I took advantage.
The dark blob left of center, top, is a 4 - 5 inch lobster.
The flying object is a massive dragonfly. They were all over the trails and happy on the island with plenty to feed on.
The water in the foreground is fresh, although not sweet. Beyond was a rocky beach and the ocean.
I left Damariscove for Harbor Island in Muscongus Bay. It was recommended by a guest of the privately owned life saving station that lives nearby on the mainland.
Harbor Island.
A heron intently fishing nearby.
At this point I had reached the apex of my journey and was beginning to head back to Portland. To and from Harbor I. gave me some good sailing. There was a moment on my way to Harbor I. that I was unable to find the buoy marking a ledge and had to feel my way around it with the depth sounder. On my way back, I was unexpectedly becalmed and the tide forced me to power up to escape another close call.
Upon departing Harbor I. I made for parts unknown ending up at Little River, south of East Boothbay on Linekin Neck.
I was again nestled in shallow water at low tide with a fine look down the harbor.
A mill pond with a fall that provided a nice relaxing ambiance. There is a huge, beautiful house behind the trees to the right.
Life's little pleasures.
The guide book I had wasn't up to date so when I stopped at a marina to get ice I found there was none to be had. Someone that was working on their boat did offer me a ride to the general store for which I'm grateful.
You only see about 1/3 of the house in this frame.
The entrance to Little River was snug with this ledge on your left going in followed by a sharp right turn and a need to hang to the left to avoid a ledge that bisected the narrow harbor. I was making my way on a pleasant and cool north wind when the breeze went all wonky. I eventually made it Damariscove Island after many changes of wind direction and a pantload of biting flies.
Being a Friday, the harbor was a bit busier in anticipation of the weekend. I spent hours that afternoon just diving, swimming and enjoying frosty cold lagers.
Idyllic Maine at its best.
This lobsterman had set up a large kitchen on his boat and float for a party the following day.
I left the following morning under sail on a north breeze and course due south. This Sidney Herreschoff Seafarer named 'Sensei' was a beauty. The jib could use to be stored better, though.
The wind gradually moved around to the south during the day with excellent way made in the morning and sketchy winds after noon. Another close call came at the mouth of the Kennebec River as I passed Seguin as the tide and river current combined to nearly push me onto a ledge. I finished up the day back at my usual first and last night's location of Jewell Island.
As with Damariscove I. things were a bit busier. I had two anchors out to keep me off the shore and away from the boats.
Casco Bay was my stomping ground for 12 years so this was a familiar, if bittersweet, sight. Portland Head Light.
Rosa put away for another winter.
My family's dog Aurora. I was unfortunately unable to visit with my mother in person upon returning to NH. A staff person at the nursing home had tested positive for Covid-19 so they were under lockdown. (I just found out today that everyone tested negative, so that is a relief.)
This dragonfly was unafraid. Taken during my last day in NH while boating on Conway Lake with my brother and Paul.
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