Sunday, July 31, 2011

Day 15- Tenants Harbor, ME

It was hard to leave Seal Cove this morning.  We spent the morning exploring and swimming before heading out.  The only other sailboat had already left, we had the entire cove to ourselves.  We were only sharing with the seals now. We had a beautiful sail along the coast in 10-15 knot winds.  Tenants Harbor is a bustling place compared to Seal Cove, but everything is relative, as we learned.    When I asked about an ATM, I was told "there used to be one in Port Clyde (about 1/2 hour by boat) but not anymore".  We found great fresh produce at the General Store and crab at Cods End.  The crab, at $1 each, were a great treat for dinner.  Pablo and Remi just met a cruising couple from Stow.  They live in Harvard Acres and retired from the laboratory that Pablo works at! What are the chances?






Saturday, July 30, 2011

Day 14- Seal Cove, ME

We left Love Cove with grey skies and headed for Townsend Gut.  This is a short cut from the Sheepscot River to Boothbay Harbor.  Pablo was hopeful that the issues with swing bridge had been resolved but it seems not.  When we radioed the bridge operator he said they are opening under test conditions but couldn't tell us if it would be in minutes, hours or days.  We decided to go back around through Ebencook Harbor and out the Sheepscot River, the way we came in.  At the mouth of the river we were greeted by several dolphins as we started to head east along the coast.  We entered the Damariscotta River and a little later Seal Cove.  It seems Seal Cove is appropriately named as we've seen many seals.  The waters are clean but cold (low 60's)which did not deter the kids and Pablo from taking a swim (truth be told Pablo's was a quick in and out).  We are exploring the inlet and enjoying having plenty of swinging room at anchor and seeing more seals than people.  Kids getting along well, so parents are getting along well.  As a treat we are getting ready for our first "Movie Night" a Planet Earth DVD that a friend gave us for the trip (Thanks James!). Sorry about the poor quality pictures; seems we need to clean the lens...








Friday, July 29, 2011

Day 13- Boothbay, ME

We decided to spend another day in the Boothbay area after Pablo's uncle, Nick, generously offered to give us a tour of the Sheepscot and Kennebeck rivers in his powerboat.  We were able to scope out prospective anchorages and peek at areas that would of taken us days to explore on Borealis.  It was topped off by a nice lunch at a waterfront restaurant in the Townsend Gut.  It is great to be in an area where the primary transport is by boat. 

In the afternoon we went to the fuel dock at Boothbay Region Boat Yard to top off with diesel and water before heading out.  As the fuel dock was full we had to squeeze into a slip next to the boat Liberty, an immaculate, over-cared for (we watched them wipe off the morning dew) luxury yacht.  Even after Pablo's amazing docking into a spot with a few feet between Borealis and Liberty the crew was on high alert when our dingy strayed within their zone of protection.  I was very happy to be done and away safely.  I'm not sure our comprehensive insurance policy would of been comprehensive enough to cover damage to Liberty.

We're anchored in Love Cove for tonight and plan to head northeast early tomorrow morning.










Thursday, July 28, 2011

Day 12- Boothbay, ME

We've spent the past couple of days in the Boothbay area, specifically in Southport.  We were anchored in a beautiful little cove, Love Cove but the holding was not great.  OK if we're hanging out on the boat and able to keep and eye on things but not good enough to leave the boat unattended.  So we moved the boat to a mooring at Boothbay Region Boat Yard.  We spent yesterday with the Auber and Hurd families, Pablo's uncle, cousin and her family.  We got a tour of Southport, went to the incredible botanical gardens, and attended an ice cream social at their yacht club.  Lots of fun!










Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Day 10 -Boothbay, ME

We left Newburyport yesterday at 3:15 pm and saw our first whale shortly after.  I spotted it and everyone else was able to get on deck quickly enough to see it break the surface two more times.  Remi thought it went by in "slow motion".  I was so excited that I didn't even think of taking a picture, even though my camera was right next to me.

We had rain squalls periodically all night, some heavy, but kept dry under the dodger and bimini.  Pablo and I are still figuring out the best night watch schedule.  Last night I went to bed early, after dinner and then was on watch 11pm-4am.  It seemed to work well.  Pablo was fresh for the approach, sailing into the Sheepscot River around 6am.  We anchored in Love Cove at 8am, had a great breakfast and a little down time.  We are finally in Maine!  We only traveled about 80 miles last night but there is no doubt the scenery and temperatures have changed substantially.



Monday, July 25, 2011

Day 9-Newburyport, MA

We spent the day picking up the last items we needed before heading to more remote anchorages.  I think every nook and cranny is filled with food.  I'm slowly starting to get a sense of how much fresh food to buy.  There is a fine balance between not being able to eat it all before it goes bad and amount of space in the fridge.

Pablo drove to East Boston to pick up our life raft that was being re-packed (for the past 3 months).  What an ordeal!  Even though it still isn't exactly how it was ordered, it fits and will work for now.  The Avon life raft came with the boat but was packed in a soft case that was stored in the lazarette.  It took up a lot of valuable space and was hard to deploy so we decided to have it repacked in a hard case that could be stored on deck.  Avon has pulled out of the US market and it became a nightmare to get the necessary parts.

We're planning to head out late afternoon for an overnight sail to the Boothbay area of Maine.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Day 8- Newburyport, MA -Taste of the High Life

We've spent the past two days in Newburyport, MA visiting with great friends.  Chris and Eileen are unbelievably patient and generous!   I feel utterly spoiled by their luxurious house, delicious food and wine and endless hospitality. As newly minted cruisers we are still coming to terms with needing and accepting other peoples hospitality.  We have become the house guests from hell:  We come hot, sweaty and un-showered with our smelly laundry, prop our TV deprived kids in front of the big screen TV, use your address as receiving department for all of the boat paraphernalia ordered since last port and temporarily take possession of vehicles since we don't have one of those either.....  THANK YOU Chris and Eileen!

Newburyport is a great town.  The farmers market was a great place to provision the boat with more fresh produce, unrefrigerated eggs and bagels.  We had a blast at the beach in nearby Plum Island with the Ferriolo's and Schlehrs, where Mia and Remi learned the finer points of floating on beach tubes and body surfing from Chris and the Schlehr kids.









Friday, July 22, 2011

Day 6- Rockport, MA

Spent the morning meandering northeast, hugging the coast in 10-15 knot winds.  Saw many amazing mansions along the coast.  Entered Rockport Harbor about 11:30 am.  Rockport is a small quintessential New England harbor with 10 ft tides.  The harbor is so small that there is no room to anchor, so we requested a mooring.  None were available but we were offered a floating slip, sounded even better.  We pulled up to a small dock at the back of the harbor.  The back end of Borealis was hanging off but we were able to secure her well.  Only to be told that we belonged on the even smaller dock floating in the middle of the harbor.  After tying up in the proper place, it looked like there was a piece of driftwood attached to Borealis.  Really enjoyed walking around Rockport.  We found a beach and the kids took a refreshing dip fully dressed.  Did I mention it is HOT?  The boat thermometer indicates 99 F.  REALLY starting to look forward to Maine.







Thursday, July 21, 2011

Day 5- Salem, MA

We had an uneventful broad reach sail through Massachusetts Bay in 20 knot winds, flat seas, to Salem, MA.  It started blowing 30 knots when we entered the harbor.  You would think that 30 knots would have a cooling effect but not in this 90 degree plus heat.  The wind generator is buzzing again.  Pablo is starting to offer excess power to neighboring boats.