Tag: Southwest Harbor

Southwest Harbor and Family Time

Tuesday, July 10 – Saturday, August 18, 2018 

Hugh’s cousins were in residence in both the farm house and the Pigeon House, so we stayed aboard KATIE MACK, and enjoyed taking various cousins and their children and grandchildren for “toots” up Somes Sound or around Suttons.  Hugh rigged the BOB, our North Haven Dinghy, and eventually bent the sails on RESOLUTE, so we could all mess about in boats.  This is an ideal spot for day sails because we can go so many different ways, depending on which way the wind is blowing.

“There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats.” ~ Ratty, The Wind in the Willows
Mt Lassen in the Background

After dropping Annie at the kennel, we drove down to Yarmouth on July 12 in our car that friends had driven up for us on their way to meet family at Acadia.  The next morning we flew out to sunny California for our biannual Dakin Family reunion at Drakesbad in Lassen Volcanic National Park. 

We returned to Maine on the 23rd, and moved back aboard.  What a wonderful visit with all my side of the family, but we never slept as well in California, on the hard, as we did on KATIE MACK!  Also, while the mosquitoes were bad on land, we didn’t have them aboard, thank goodness.

Once Hugh’s cousins departed and his siblings, their kids and grandkids, and our sons arrived in early August, we moved into the Pigeon House, and placed Annie in the kennel.  On the first Saturday in August, we tried to get over to Brooklin for the annual Eggemoggin Reach Regatta hosted by WoodenBoat, but the fog was simply too thick and we turned around before we made it out of the Western Way.

Pam, Hugh, Bobby, Charlie, and Kyle

On a brighter morning we headed out the Western Way with Charlie’s fiancee, Kyle, to the east side of Gotts Island to connect with Time from DroneOn who wanted to film KATIE MACK from his drone.  We circled the cove several times and then headed back to SWH.  A few days later, Hugh noticed some fine metal “dust” under the engine.  Hugh checked in with John Spofford, who couldn’t find anything wrong.  He referred us to an expert mechanic in Pt Judith, RI.  These 6-71 diesel engines are outliving the mechanics who know how to work on them.

Once our kids left, we moved back aboard KATIE MACK to make room for more family members arriving.  At one point, we met Todd and Linda who keep their pretty little m/v TORTUGA in a slip at Great Harbor.  Another day we took the Island Explorer bus to Bar Harbor to  do a major provisioning at Hannafords to prepare for our next adventure.

The Final Leg to Our Home Port of Southwest Harbor

Thursday, July 5 – Monday, July 9, 2018 

“This day brings. . . ” is how Captain Rodman Swift began his daily entries in the diaries we found in the Martha’s Vineyard Museum archives, so THIS day brought hazy skies and 70’s as we moved east out of Casco Bay. 

Workboat in Casco Bay

Our passage moved through Chandler’s Cove, around Hope Island, across Luckse and Broad Sounds, past Cape Small, and south of Sequin Island towards Linekin Neck.  Early on we snagged some potwarp, but it cleared itself.  More worrisome was we again experienced a “slowdown” of power with no indication of fuel clogs, etc.  We stop and start up again, and off we go with no other problem.  Hmmmm. 

Our first stop was at Christmas Cove, where we met Thelma and Wilson of s/v CHRISTINA, who we first met and enjoyed hanging out with at the WoodenBoat Show.  They had stopped in for a nap before moving on — something we may end up doing on occasion.

We were assigned mooring #3 by Coveside Marina, but that night we gently bumped transoms with the sailboat next to us as both vessels were “sailing” in the wind and current.  Hugh shortened the mooring line and we added fenders.  No more bumping, but we requested a move to #1 the next morning.  That night’s rain eventually cleared out as the wind shifted to the NW — great for drying out; enjoying a walk to the Post Office (to mail a check to Crossroads Coffeebeans), walking to “the gut” and its nifty bridge; eating ice cream; and better sleeping that night.

The lift bridge at “the gut”

By Saturday morning, the wind shifted to the SW.  It was crisp and clear: Glorious!  We left Christmas Cove at 7 and made our way through the Thread of Life, past Pemaquid Point,  below Western Egg Rock, followed the marks past Port Clyde and Mosquito Island, and tucked into Tenants Harbor by 10:15. 

Southern Island at the entrance to Tenants Harbor

We picked up a Tenants Harbor Boat Yard mooring (first come, first serve — that’s the advantage of getting an early start and arriving early at our destination).  After a short nap, it was time to explore the village and enjoy a lobster roll and warm blueberry pie a la mode on the deck overlooking the harbor at Luke’s.

Tenants Harbor Boat Yard. DREADNOUGHT is center left

THBY was established in 1605 (before Jamestown, VA!), and is currently  owned by Jamie Wyeth.  His cruiser, DREADNOUGHT, black with bright trim (very cool!) was tied at the dock.  Wyeth is based on Monhegan and also lives on Southern Island at the mouth of Tenants Harbor.

At one point that evening a man rowed up for a chat about wooden boats and rowing peapods vs. towing dories.  He told us how much he enjoyed watching KATIE MACK come around Southern Island and into the harbor.  Turns out this was Jamie Wyeth himself!

Sunday, and it was another early start after a quick stop at the dock to walk Annie.  We transited the Mussel Ridge Channel in no time, compared to 2014’s sail into the wind aboard RESOLUTE.  We cruised through the Fox Island Thorofare where we saw a lovely double-ended ketch, black hulled EVELYN in North Haven. 

Lots of Herreshoff 12’s, but surprisingly only one North Haven Dinghy!  We spied our first bald eagles over North Haven.  Out in East Penobscot Bay the winds were light and breezy — where were all the sailboats?  Once we neared Eggemoggin Reach, we finally saw sailboats.  Lots of sailboats, and some especially lovely wooden ones, including a sweet little double-ended gaff-rigged schooner AEGUS (ARGUS?). 

Cruising down the Eggemoggin Reach towards the Deer Isle Bridge

The wind picked up as Windy predicted, and by 1;15 we picked up a WoodenBoat mooring in Brooklin.  After a nap, we walked around the WoodenBoat School.  Bob and Mary of s/v DOG STAR sent us photos and a video of us returning on SAMARIA to KATIE MACK.  Early dinner and bed.

The next morning, we again walked around WoodenBoat and stopped into the store to pick up a few  WB T-shirts. 

Bass Harbor Head Light as we crossed the bar

We departed Brooklin, entered Jericho Bay, transited Casco Passage and Blue Hill Bay, crossed the bar at Bass Harbor Head, and rounded our way into the Western Way and home to Southwest Harbor!  We topped up water and fuel at Hinckley’s and pumped out at Dysart’s Great Harbor Marina and finally picked up our mooring off the farmhouse dock at 12:20.  Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

The “circus elephant” hills of Mount Desert Island