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peteplatt2000
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« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2010, 10:26:02 PM » |
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Hi Tammi,
Just about 2 weeks. It really was a spectacular trip. The weather can make such a difference on any cruise but particularly in Maine where you can get fog & serious open ocean swells. We really lucked out. Had one day of fog - just enough to really appreciate not having it the rest of the time. Also a couple of run ins with some 5-6 foot seas (Sean was not real happy about those). Quite a bit of the time, you're protected from the ocean swells when you are up in the rivers, bays, etc. but as you go downeast, there are times that you have to go around a point that extends into open water. We were out in open water quite a bit but it was only rough a couple of times.
We packed in quite a bit. It would have been great to have had a full month to just hit the same harbors that we visited & had more time to really explore each of them. Some, we just cruised into to see what they looked like & then moved on. I'm glad we didn't miss any of them & wish we had time for more!
Here's the list with a few comments - all days included cruising around the harbors in the dinghy, usually mornings & evenings:
8/6/10 - Weymouth, MA to Little Harbor, Portsmouth, NH - anchored outside mooring field
8/7 - Visited Biddeford Pool YC in ME, then Jewel Island, Baily's Island (cribstone bridge), Cundy's Hbr for lunch & fuel (cash only), then anchored by Snow Island in Quahog Bay (home of Dodge Morgan of Points East magazine fame).
8/8 - Five Islands YC in Sheepscott River (they have 4 free guest moorings).
8/9 - Robinhood Cove then anchored in Mill Cove & walked to Maine Botanical Gardens - outstanding! You can dinghy around to the back of Hodgdon Island to public ramp & dock & it's about a half mile walk. Then anchored in Love Cove for night.
8/10 - Townsend Gut to Boothbay Hbr for breakfast at Ebb Tide. Left for Muscle Ridge Channel to North Haven Hbr, then Perry Creek & anchored in Seal Bay in Vinalhaven. That's where we met Peter & Cathy Buckley on their RF-246 "Tinker" who had trailered from Ohio I believe. They were cruising with 2 sailboats.
8/11 - Frenchboro on Long Island then to Northeast Hbr. on Mt Desert Island (where Acadia National Park is). You could spend a whole week just on Mt Desert Island. No anchoring in Northeast Hbr. but it's only $25/night for a mooring. They have a great system - 200 series moorings for 20-30ft. boats, 300 series for 30-40ft. boats, on up to 600 series for 60-70ft boats. This is a great way to vacation here for only $25/night! Interestingly, they said 200 series moorings are almost always available - most cruisers visiting here are on much larger boats - and are they beautiful! What a collection of gorgeous yachts, at least when we were there.
8/12 - Stayed in Northeast Hbr. Beautiful gardens at Thyula Lodge @ Asticou Terraces & great views of hbr on way up.
8/13 - Friday the 13th!! Southwest Hbr (home of Hinckley Yachts). We met Jarvis Newman on dock of Claremont hotel. He's been building beautiful downeats yachts for over 60 years - sold Hinckley the hulls for their first "Picnick Boats). What a character - he particularly liked the RF-246! Eggemoggin Reach to Center Hbr and Bucks Hbr & then anchored in Pulpit Hbr in North Haven. After anchoring in one of the coves, I saw at least 7 C-Dorys cruise out from another cove - I may not have seen the first ones but I did count 7. Beautiful sunset behind Camden's hills.
8/14 - Camden, Rockport, Port Clyde, Maple Juice Cove & then Christmas Cove for excellent lunch at the Coveside Marina. When we went to leave in late afternoon, our motor would not start! Spent night on their mooring while we tried to get in touch with Ocean Point Marina (a Mercury Dealer) in East Boothbay, just up river from Christmas Cove.
8/15 - Sunday morning, got towed by Tow BoatUS (we have unlimited coverage) to Ocean Point Marina. They had a mechanic in but he could not locate problem so we had to wait until Monday when he could call the Mecury Tech line.
8/16 - Turned out to be a failed Power relay switch. Took until about 1pm to figure it out. All in all, we lost about 2 days but considered ourselves incredibly lucky that this happened here so close to a Mercury dealer instead of some of the obscure, isolated places that we had just been! Returned to Boothbay Hbr but had to come out of the mouth of the Damariscotta River to get there. Got pretty hammered by rough seas but for a relatively short distance. Spent night at the Tug Boat Marina.
8/17 - Woke to our first fog. Left Boothbay to head toward Small Point Hbr in fog & pretty rough seas. We had planned to see Small Point Hbr, the Basin and the Harraseeket River but we had lost lost 2 days & the going was slow in the fog & rough seas. Off Cape Small we were at a closer point toward home, so we decided to start making our way back. Cruised back to Biddeford Pool in patchy fog and somewhat calmer seas 2-4ft instead of 3-5ft. Had lunch & then pushed on to Kittery. Anchored in Pepperrell Cove. Great dinghy ride up Chauncy Creek to Lobster shack for dinner. Then we had the most incredible sunset & sunrise - Maine giving us a grand farewell!
8/18 - Cruised to the Annisquam River (Cape Anne, MA) for lunch & then Manchester by the Sea to anchor for the night (where we are as I write this). About 2 hours to get home tomorrow.
That's the outline of the trip. I'm happy to add more details to anyone interested.
Pete "Sooner"
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