Allura sails again!

Posted on July 5th, 2008 at 0:25 by John Dick

Allura was launched the week of July 4th and we celebrated with a day sail from Tenants Harbor around Port Clyde to Maple Juice Cove.  We dinghied up to the head of the cove and had a refreshing early summer swim!  We hope to come back for a short cruise in August

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Thursday, August 30 - The end of an adventure

Posted on August 30th, 2007 at 23:00 by John Dick

The last two weeks in Maine have been fantastic.  I’ve been coming here my whole life, and can remember but a couple of times that the weather has been so consistently wonderful.  There have been a few days it was overcast and cool, but otherwise the sun has been out, there’s been a nice breeze, and any fog has burned off by mid-morning.

The nights have been cool and crystal clear.  Great “sleeping” weather.  To top it off we had a full moon rise between the islands a couple of nights ago, and you could make out Two Bush Light off in the distance.

Maine is certainly not for everyone, but I have a real passion for this part of the world. 

Some of you that know me may think that is driven by heritage.  After all, my maternal Grandmother was born here, and that side of the family tree has lived in the Friendship and St. Georges areas of mid-coast Maine for generations.

We drive by the house in St. Georges in which my Grandmother was born over a century ago almost every day, and occasionally pass another in Friendship that my Great Great Grandfather built over a century and a half ago.

My Mother spent her summers in Friendship as a young girl, and my parents brought my sister and me to Maine every summer for our family vacation.  I spent two summers teaching sailing on Chebeague Island, in Casco Bay, and in addition to at least one trip to Maine every year since I was in High School, have taken hundreds of day trips up and down the coast over the years.  Clearly, I thought I “knew” Maine.

Given that background, you might be surprised to hear that only in the past week have I felt like I’ve just scratched the surface.  This is an area I hardly know.

Traveling off the shore, rather than over a road, or down a trail blazed by others gives you a totally different perspective.  Stonnington, North Haven, Isleboro, Deer Isle.  Places I’d always heard of, but had never visited.  That was certainly due in part to their remoteness, but also due to our tendency to run down the same beaten path.  Tenants Harbor, Camden, Rockland, Bar Harbor - wonderful places as well, but very familiar.

What I found in the last week as we sailed “down east” was a different side of Maine.  Thousands of islands and ledges, occupied not by man, but by other life.  An eagle, perched high in a tree overlooking us as we sailed down Somes Sound.  A seal, circling Allura in the middle of their cove, peeking above the surface every so often to see what might happen next.  Forests of firs and pines, too thick to walk through, running down to the waters edge.

And then there were the places we stopped where there were people - Pulpit Harbor, Somesville, and Southwest Harbor.  ”Boat” people sharing common bonds - relaxing in the cockpit or helping one another out, and “land” people going about their busy lives.

We sailed by cottages, shacks and mansions, peeking at life through the backyard rather than from the curb. And then once in harbor, re-entered civilization from a boat and a dock - almost certainly accompanied by the feeling we were coming to town through the back door rather than the front.

Although the landscape and people have changed, this last week has seemed a reprise of our entire voyage from Seattle. 

Whether docked among the fishing boats of Crescent City, anchored in jungle solitude off Isla del Cano, swimming in the turquoise waters of Coiba, exiting the locks at Gatun into the Atlantic, bartering with the San Blas Indians, or slogging across the Gulf of Mexico, experiencing life from Allura has been a unique and satisfying adventure.  A once in a lifetime opportunity to experience a spot on our planet from the backyard and enter town through the back door.

Last winter I had visions of continuing the Allura adventure for 12 to 18 months, and have been trying to determine what to do next with the boat.  The most likely course was to sail back to Charleston this fall and leave the boat there for the winter, or after a short break, continue on to the Caribbean.

However, during the last couple of weeks I’ve decided it’s time to end the adventure for now.  It’s important to me to maintain my family, and believe it or not, I miss working!

So, today, David Ford, my parents neighbor, and I took Allura on a twenty-one mile jaunt to Rockport Harbor where she will be hauled ashore.  The sun shone through a deep blue sky, the water shimmered behind us like silver, and we had the perfect reach east, down the coast. 

 

What better place to leave Allura and this grand adventure than in an area I hardly know.

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Saturday, August 25 - Return to Tenants Harbor

Posted on August 30th, 2007 at 18:42 by John Dick

I didn’t sleep too well last night, probably due to some extent to concerns about the fouled prop.  I finally rolled out of my bunk a little before 7:00 and waited for the rest of the crew to rouse.

Once everyone was up, I cooked bacon and eggs for part of the crew, and the other kids ate their usual bowl of cereal. 

Two seals nosed their way around Allura, no doubt wondering what this strange craft was doing in their territory, and  what was going to happen next.  The next was making like a seal and diving into the water to work on the prop.

I found my old diving “skin”, and put it and some fins, mask and snorkel on.  A skin is a one piece nylon suit used to keep the chill off in usually warmer water where a wet suit isn’t required (like the Caribbean!).  For a tool, Jim sharpened several knives and we tied a retaining line on the multi-tool that had a nice serrated blade.

In the water I went.  You never quite get used to that first shock of cold water.  This was no different, the water about 58 degrees, but I was anxious to see in good light how big the mess was, and swam quickly over to the side of the boat.  Bad.  A large ball of line, probably 18 inches in diameter around the shaft and prop.

Jim and I had earlier dropped a line overboard and worked it back behind the keel to the approximate location of the propellor, and then tied it tight on either side of the boat.  The idea was to provide something to use to pull myself under the boat to the prop, hold onto as I worked, and then have a hand hold by the boat when I surfaced.

That worked well and I started cutting away at the line.  The skin seemed to be keeping me warmer as I worked, and I found I could cut through one piece each time I dove.  Based on that progress, I figured it would take about an hour and a half.  Thirty minutes, forty five, and then an hour passed.  I was to the point that I could pull off large pieces at a time.  With a boathook above, Jim was hooking what line floated and pulled it up on the boat.  After a little over an hour, with the remainer either melted around the shaft, or so lodged into the folding prop I couldn’t remove it, I declared victory.

I got out of the water and then realized how cold I really was, shivering violently for about 30 minutes.  Jen warmed up some coffee in a mug, but I couldn’t get it in my mouth.  She poured it into sippy cup, and I still had trouble getting any out.

Fortunately it was a nice sunny day, and I slowly warmed up as we made our way back out the small channel and then turned left to Fox Island Thoroughfare.

Fox Island Thoroughfare

Not enough wind to sail, we motored through the channel, and as we came out the other side of the island, unfurled the main and jib, bore off and sailed.  One of the kids favorite diversions this trip has been sitting up to leeward on the bow and playing “chicken” with the waves, squealing with delight when one slaps their legs, or better yet, soaks the person next to them!  

 

The wind was out of the southeast, coming right up Penobscot Bay, and there was some fog, but being the last day of our trip, it just seemed like the right thing to not worry too much about the time, and enjoy ourselves.

Jim and Aine relax on the aft deck

Our first tack took us all the way across the Bay to the islands that flank Muscle Ridge Channel.  We tacked back out, and then, as a large ship loomed out of the fog, we short tacked back to the right, tacking again at a ledge.

The wind began to drop, we cranked on the engine and motored out to the head of Penobscot.  Then, turning right for Tenants Harbor, we had enough of an angle and breeze to cut the engine again and sail, first past Two Bush Light and then across to the mouth of Tenants Harbor. 

 

Two Bush Light

We sailed into the tenants Harbor channel, took a right into Long Cove, and then sailed up to Allura’s mooring, furling the jib and drifting up to the mooring ball for a final time.

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Friday, August 24 - Winter Harbor, Vinalhaven, Maine

Posted on August 26th, 2007 at 16:39 by John Dick

It rained hard at times overnight and we woke to a rather dreary, foggy day.  Allura weighed anchor around 9:30 and we headed out Somes Sound the couple of miles to Southwest Harbor.  There we picked up a mooring and went ashore.

Southwest Harbor is home to Hinckley Yachts, an established, highly respected builder of quality sailboats, and more recently, small to medium size motorboats in the “down east” style.

Hinckley “Picnic” boats on Somes Sound

Hinckley’s least expensive boats run in the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars, and are prized by their owners for their construction and good looks.  One way of identifying a Hinckley is the distinctive oval shaped ports they sport.  Mount Desert Island is filled with these craft, providing one gauge of the continued wealth of the area.  (Even Martha Stewart who maintains a home in nearby Seal Harbor has one!)

Mount Desert Island and many of the other towns such as Northeast Harbor, and certainly Bar Harbor, have served as the summer playground for the rich and famous for well over a century.  Southwest Harbor has traditionally been more of a boatbuilding town, but over the past 10-15 years has also come into it’s own with wonderful restaurants, shops and other businesses catering to an increasingly elite crowd of residents and tourists.

Southwest Harbor

We found Southwest Harbor to be a nice stop.  A small farmers market was underway where we bought vegetables and jams, we strolled through a number of the shops, visited the town’s great little library, and then walked back toward the town dock where we stopped at Beal’s Dock for lunch. 

 

Lobsters, clams, crabmeat and other sea crustaceans provided a satisfying mix of seafood for our palettes, and then we headed back to the boat to continue our journey.

Turning right out of the harbor we re-entered the channel between Mount Desert and Cranberry Islands, now completely socked in fog.  We continued on around the point and developed enough of an angle to the wind to sail, passing another sailboat reaching toward us.

The current carried us briskly across the Bass Harbor bar, which shoals to about 10 feet, and on the other side, the fog largely disappeared.  It was eerie looking back from where we had just come - thick fog marking a clear line across the water. 

 

An older wooden boat passed us and then disappeared into the fog line.

We had originally discussed anchoring at Isle of Haut for the night.  Like Mount Desert, much of the island is also part of Acadia National park, and has the reputation for being a remote and largely untouched piece of Maine. 

However, as we drew closer to Isle of Haut, the wind suddenly picked up on the nose to over 30 knots, we wrapped a lobster pot line around our prop, and the fog threatened to close in on us.   We continued on, with reefed main, and decided to make for Winter Harbor, across eastern Penobscot Bay on Vinalhaven.  That was more inline with our route and would leave us an hour closer to Tenants Harbor.

Almost on queue, on the western side of Isle of Haut, the wind backed enough to the south for us to reach across the bay to our destination.  Someone certainly seems to be teasing us each evening to come back for more!

We dropped sail and motored slowly up the right fork of the cove, passing a trawler and a couple of small docks, the only other observable sources of civilization, and then weaved through rocks far up into the long, narrow waterway.

 

With our anchor scope out, the bottom showed only 12 feet under the keel, certainly not enough to accomodate us and a 9 foot tide.  We retrieved the anchor and moved toward the middle where we anchored in 20 feet, but swung to over 60 feet when all was done.  The prop also seized up completely in both gears, obviously completely entwined by the lobster pot line.   

Diving on the prop in the fading light, sure enough, the nightmare of the rats nest we had became evident.  20 or 30 feet of line balled up in multiple layers on the shaft and entertwined around all 3 blades.  Cold, exhausted and with no light left, I gave up for the evening, we made dinner and watched The Hunt for Red October.  I went to bed dreading the task ahead.

Setting sun in Winter Harbor

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Thursday, August 23 - Somes Sound, Mount Desert Island, Me

Posted on August 23rd, 2007 at 23:29 by John Dick

This morning we left Mackeral Cove under sail in a light southerly breeze.  We sailed by Bass Harbor, turned left through the channel between Mount Desert and Great Cranberry Islands,  and then entered Somes Sound.

Allura entering Somes Sound

There’s some debate of whether the Hudson River Valley qualifies as the only other fjord on the eastern seaboard.  However, with steep, parallel walls of granite rising to 700 or so feet and an entrance to the south where the last ice sheet deposited boulders, sand and mud some 14,000 years ago, there is no questioning the origin of Somes.  The sound is 4 miles long and up to 150 feet deep.  You can quite literally sail in 80 feet of water right up to the shoreline in most places.

The wind freshened and we sailed up to the head of the sound.  There, we went ashore and did a little exploration of the small town of Somesville that consists largely of a museum, church and a small bookstore.  Afterward, we motored back several miles on the western shore to an area known as Valley Cove where one of the many trails in this area comes down to a small beach.  On the way a bald eagle watched our progress.

 

Bald eagle overlooking Allura on Somes Sound

We anchored, went ashore and turned right, following the trail up and over some steep, large areas of boulders.  The trail eventually evened out on the other side of the cove, and we then took a second trail up to the top of Acadia Mountain. 

 

Looking southwest from Acadia Mountain out the entrance to Somes Sound

At 680 feet above sea level, and in spite of the overcast sky, we still had a magnificent view from the top, Allura safely nestled in the cove below.

  

Allura anchored in Valley Cove We hiked the two miles back down and to Allura, arriving back at the boat around 7:00.

Pizza, popcorn and “The Family Man” made up for the rest of the evening.   

 

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Wednesday, August 22 - Mackeral Cove, Swan’s Island, Me

Posted on August 22nd, 2007 at 17:23 by John Dick

This morning we motored from Pulpit Harbor on North Haven to Camden to pick up some medicine, fuel and ice cream.

Pulpit Harbor, North Haven

On the way in to Camden we passed the Hallberg Rassy 53 Destiny on a mooring, owned by friends from Richmond. We proceeded in and did our shopping and refueling, leaving Camden around 11:30.

Camden

Similar to yesterday, there was little or no wind, but otherwise it was a delightful, sunny day. We motorsailed through the Fox Thoroughfare that separates North Haven from Vinalhaven, and then the Deer Isle Thoroughfare that runs by the town of Stonington. Both interesting channels, with the Fox Thoroughfare home to a number of beautiful old Maine summer homes, and the Deer Isle channel leading by the largely commercial port of Stonnington.

Fox Island Thoroughfare

Both are also dividing lines - Vinalhaven between West and East Penobscot Bay, and Deer Isle between the Penobscot and Jericho Bays. There are large numbers of islands and ledges - extremely interesting terrain and vistas in every direction.

Around three we were within a few miles of our destination, and with the wind up to about 8 knots we turned the engine off and sailed slowly into Mackeral Cove where we dropped the hook under saiL, only one other boat in the cove ahead of us.

Jim and Fiona jumped in the water, several kids took off in the dinghy to fish, and I settled into “The Path Between the Seas”, a book about the history of the Panama Canal that Tom Smith had graciously sent my way after his time on Allura.

Last night in Pulpit Harbor with the two schooners, the Heritage and the Issac H. Evans anchored just to starboard of us, we had them, Pulpit Rock and the Camden Hills in the distance to frame a near perfect sunset. That was punctuated by loud cannon shots from the schooners at sundown with the lowering of their colors.

Tonight we are alone with a wonderful big cove spread out in front of us, and Mount Cadillac and Acadia National Park about 5 miles astern. Spectacular is the only word for it.

In a few minutes the wispy clouds to our west will fill with a changing array of color and the mountains behind will shift through blue to purple to dark. Another incredible day behind us.

Tomorrow we head to Mount Desert Island and a sail down Somes Sound. How does it get any better? Oh we’re on a sailboat - a little more wind, that’s what!

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Tuesday, August 21 - Pulpit Harbor, North Haven Island, Me

Posted on August 21st, 2007 at 22:35 by John Dick

We left Tenants Harbor after lunch, and although it was a beautiful day, there was not enough wind to sail.  So, we motored the 20 and so miles to Pulpit Harbor, which is located on North Haven Island, eight miles east of the mainland town of Camden.

Pulpit is well protected, and was the area of North Haven originally settled.  There is a large rock at the entrance to the harbor that reminds one of the pulpit in a church, and thus its name.

 

Pulpit Rock

The primary port on North Haven is now around on the south of the island where the ferry from the mainland lands.

The harbor was almost full when we arrived in late afternoon, a variety of boats, mostly sail powered.  We anchored next to the schooner Issac H. Evans, and watched as another, the Heritage, sailed into the harbor and anchored just abeam.

Jennifer, Fiona and I took off exploring in the dinghy.  The water at the head of the harbor goes under a bridge, and you can go quite a ways further at high tide.

We returned and watched a most beautiful sunset as we enjoyed “italian night” in the cockpit.

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Monday, August 20 - Captain Bryan pays a visit and Allura is headed “down east”!

Posted on August 20th, 2007 at 21:23 by John Dick

I flew back to Maine last Thursday, in part thinking the New York YC summer cruise was going to be in Tenants Harbor over the weekend and to see friends on the cruise.  Unfortunately the dates I had were wrong.

For those of you unfamiliar with this annual trek, each summer the NYYC heads up from Newport for a couple of weeks of racing and cruising.  It’s quite a spectacle as a large number of 40-70′+ foot sailing yachts race from point to point and then tie up at night next to their owner’s 100′+ motor yachts for a good nights rest.  They literally fill the harbor everywhere they go.  This year the cruise started in Boothbay Harbor and after some round the bouys races they headed east, albeit on a different schedule than I had!

The weekend was not lost though, as Friday I received a surprise call from Captain Bryan, who, indicated that he and his lovely wife Deborah were headed up to their boat for the weekend, and wondered if we might get together somewhere.  Absolutely!

So, late Saturday afternoon, after a arduous beat, and close and beam reach at times, in gusty wind up to 30 some knots, I received a hail on the VHF that Wasabi had arrived in Tenants Harbor.  I motored out in the dinghy to guide Bryan and Deborah in close to Allura’s mooring in Long Cove.

Wasabi is a 44′ Swan and is a beautiful boat.  Her bow and stern overhangs are steep by today’s standards and are symmetric, giving her the look of a thoroughbred ready to canter down the track.  After a quick beer and catching up we headed ashore to my parents cottage.

Once there, Deborah took on women’s talk and a bottle of wine with Mom in the living room, and Bryan, Dad and I withdrew to the deck.  Twilight was drawing closer and the last rays of the sun cast a golden glow on Allura, Wasabi and the lobster boats anchored just offshore. 

 

Bryan and I both grabbed our cameras and took pictures of the scene, as well as a huge, probably 140 foot ketch that had pulled into Tenants Harbor.

Around 7:00 my sister Jennifer and her family (the O’Donnells) arrived from Connecticut.  We shared a few laughs and then Deborah, Bryan and I headed to the Craignair Inn, located a couple of miles east of Tenants Harbor on Clark Island.  We had a good dinner and then dinghied out to our boats for the night.

Wasabi and the Treadwells left late Sunday morning for their return to Boothbay Harbor, I put another coat of varnish on Snark, our Cape Dory Typhoon, and then the O’Donnells and I went for a late afternoon sail on Allura.  We first sailed up the coast, northeast, toward Spruce Head, then back west to Mosquito Harbor, and returned to Tenants Harbor - a nice 10 or so mile sail in light west to northwesterly wind. 

Hurricane Island is a rather famous survival and outdoor exploration camp.  Their land base is near Clark Island, and while we were out, we ran across one of their rather strange looking open boats, out for what must have been an overnight expedition. 

 

Their boats are about 25 feet long, with fore and aft sails.  They also have long oars for propulsion.  The campers reportedly spend at least one night while at camp alone on an island, and they also put them to sea in groups of about 8 aboard these boats to “survive” for a period of time.  Numerous times over the years my parents and others have helped tow them in or given them refuge from fog, cold and storm. 

We left the campers off Mosquito Head as they were furling sail and breaking out the oars.  I don’t know if I would be especially keen on camping in that area - Mosquito Head, Mosquito Harbor and Mosquito Island!

Another challenge in these waters is avoiding all of the lobster bouys.  You can almost walk across them here.  It requires constant vigilance, and the penalty for hitting one dead on can be a fouled prop, or if just sailing, a pot line hung up on the keel or rudder.  We certainly had a good afternoon of practice as my brother in law Jim drove the boat most of our trip. 

This morning my parents neighbor, David Ford, a friend of his, David Sprafkin, and I went for a short sail in Snark, and then I spent the rest of the day on Allura’s maintenance list.  New oil, filters, and belts, finding and fixing a small water leak, cleaning up the engine room, and then sanding and varnishing teak made for a long day.

However, tomorrow is the reward.  The O’Donnell’s with their five children and I are headed “downeast”.  Bryan and Deborah suggesting some of their favorite anchorages for us to sample, and we hope to make it as far as Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, near Bar Harbor.  One of the two fjords in North America, Somes Sound is located there and it is considered by many to be one of the prettiest places in the world.  Depending on the weather we will likely be gone for four to five days.  I’ll try to upload an update and pictures from this scenic part of the Maine coast at least once during the trip. 

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Tuesday, August 14 - Back to School

Posted on August 14th, 2007 at 9:16 by John Dick

  Greg's first day of second grade

Yesterday Gregory attended his first day of second grade, and this morning I took Evan to his first day of kindergarten.  So, that makes today a landmark of sorts, with both of our kids now in school.

Evan's first day of kindergarten

The other landmark is the “changing of the guard” in help with Greg and Evan.  We have been so fortunate to have had Andrea with us for four years, since Evan was just one year old.  The first couple of years Andrea lived in our home, and after she was married two years ago, she continued to live in Liberty Park with her husband T and help us every day (and many nights!).

Andrea, Gregory and Evan (12)

We have been truly blessed with an exceptional person who has given our children the additional love and guidance to ensure a great start in life.  We are all going to miss Andrea and T, and certainly wish them the best life has to offer as they move to Arizona!

With Andrea leaving for Phoenix, Andy Jackson is joining us.  Andy is a rising junior at Samford, majoring in education, and will be living with us this year.  Saturday morning Andy arrived from his home in Fargo, North Dakota, and without warning we whisked him down to Lake Martin for the weekend.  From his initial interaction with the boys, it’s obvious we will continue to be privileged with fine assistance.  Andy has already achieved much in his young life, and we look forward to him being a part of our family and our kid’s lives this year.

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Sunday, August 5 - Home in Birmingham and next plans

Posted on August 5th, 2007 at 12:24 by John Dick

Greg, Evan and I were scheduled to fly home to Birmingham Thursday afternoon, but the plane from Rockland to Boston was delayed long enough that there some question whether we would make our connections.  So, we were rebooked on flights Friday, called my parents, and returned to Tenants Harbor for the night.

Friday our morning flight was again delayed, but by moving a connection back, we made it to Birmingham by around 4:30.  After almost a month away, we were all glad to see Mary and home.

Greg and Evan start school Monday, August 13, so coming home allows them time to settle back into the neighborhood and a week of play with their friends.  It also gives me time to spend with the honey and honeydo list.

My plans are to return to Maine around the middle of the month.  The annual New York Yacht Club cruise stops in Tenants Harbor the 17th, so I hope to be there to see several friends, and then my sister and her family will be coming up to cruise with me on Allura for a week or so.  

If the weather cooperates we hope to go further “downeast”, to the Acadia National Park area and beyond.  I’ve been to Acadia and Bar Harbor many times by car, but have never been by sea.  It’s supposed to be absolutely gorgeous and a tremendous cruising area - beautiful scenery and increasingly less numbers of people and boats to contend with. 

After our trip I’ll probably return to Alabama for a number of weeks before going back up to pick the boat up and take it south in advance of the winter.

One side note for those of you who know, or have gotten to know Cap’n Bryan through the Blog.  He’s in the middle of a deal to purchase a 77 foot Swan for owners for which he would serve as their captain.  Keep your fingers crossed that everything works out for him.

Given our interlude away from Allura, it may be a week or more before I update the blog with more text and pictures, but a lot more interesting things to report about to come…

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