monhegan island

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Jenny

When we departed Jewell Island, we really didn’t know where we were going to end up. We only knew that we were headed east. I had looked at the charts and picked a harbor at Damariscove Island. We set out early enough in the day, so that if we couldn’t find a good anchorage for the night, we would have time to reach the next harbor or island before sunset. For us, a good anchorage is defined by protection from prevailing winds and swell, no mooring requirements, good anchor holding, and enough swinging room for our size boat.

As we were approaching Damariscove Island, we realized that Monhegan Island was within our reach with time to scout for anchorages, so we continued on.

Nearing Monhegan, we began to doubt if there would be a spot for us. It’s steep, rocky shoreline quickly disappeared into the water, and the main harbor, not only faced the southwest swell, but also had many moorings. We aimed for a cove on the northwest side of the island. There we found the ferry wharf where supplies were being offloaded for the quaint little fishing village that sits on this island. While we were doing our usual first pass, there were some people sitting on their converted fishing trawler, so we asked them if there was a place to anchor. We were in luck. There was a small cove right between the rocks. We wondered why this cove was named Deadman Cove! (Note: After the anchor was set, that’s when we realized we were anchored in a cable area . . . Oops!)

Monhegan Island is about 10 miles from the nearest mainland and accessible only by boat. The island is barely one square mile with no cars or paved roads. The island inhabitants live completely off the grid and are responsible for obtaining their own power to their homes. Water is the only resource supplied by the town. Long before explorer John Smith visited this island in 1614, this area was prime fishing grounds for the Native Americans. In addition to being a fishing and lobstering community, it also became an escape mecca for artists and those who long for isolation.

quaint lobstering & fishing village

We dropped the hook and enjoyed the beautiful sunset and rainbow that nature presented to us. Wil went for a quick paddle on the SUP before dinner, while I planned an escape route just in case the wind picked up and switched to a northerly direction.

 

houses on the rocks

sunset & rainbow at Deadman Cove

looking out from Deadman Cove

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wil chatted with the couple from the fishing trawler. In conversation, he learned that puffins reside on Eastern Egg Rock just to the north of Monhegan. Apparently, years ago puffin chicks were brought to the rock from Canada for protection, and now they’ve flourished over time. During nesting time, a caretaker lives on the island to protect the eggs from seagulls. Puffins had been sighted just the previous week, so there was a chance they could still be there.

That’s exactly where we were going next!

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jewell island

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Jenny

Jewell Island is exactly that. A jewel. Especially for the crew of the Full Monty. After having been at a marina for 2 weeks, and then a day in Portland, we were craving to be anchored with nature. Jewell Island was that first bit of nature and the quiet anchorage that we’d been longing for. And, what was even better? We actually got to sail there without any motors running!

It was overcast and rainy while we were still on the mooring in Portland. However, there was wind, so we decided to go anyway. We put on the warm clothes and foul weather gear and hoisted the sails. It was exhilarating! We actually hit 8.4 knots! The fastest we’ve gone under sails alone since we bought the boat over 3 years ago. We sailed right up to the harbor entrance before dropping sails. We wanted to hang onto that feeling for as long as possible.

Once at anchor, we noticed the vacant campsites at the edge of the woods near the top of the rocky cliffs. These campsites are free to anyone who wants to enjoy Jewell Island.

anchored at Jewell Island

We spent the better part of a day exploring this little island. A good pair of hiking shoes and a flashlight are recommended. For some amazing views of Casco Bay, we climbed to the top of two old watch towers at the southern end of the island. During both WWI and WWII, Jewell Island was used as a lookout post. In addition to the watch towers, there are remains of gun turrets and underground bunkers.

Casco Bay from WWI watch tower

Wil, Colin & Justine ~ top of the WWI tower

steps to the top levels of the watch tower

Wil and the kids eagerly explored an old bunker. We didn’t have a flashlight, so Wil was using the flash from his camera to light the way. They followed the bunker through to the other side. I chose to take the path around. However, the thorns were too thick and I had to return to the bunker. Fortunately, there were some other people going into the bunker, so I walked through with them. However, they didn’t have any light whatsoever. It was somewhat spooky to be walking in darkness between musty, damp, concrete walls lined with spider webs. We had to shuffle our feet in order to make sure we weren’t going to fall in any holes, but then we’d still manage to step in puddles created by old, clogged drains. The whole scenario reminded of the Indiana Jones movies. Afterwards, I learned that the bunkers are said to be haunted by soldiers. No wonder they made me shiver!

locked up!

maybe we should leave her there

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

old Meyers well pump

top floor of WWI watch tower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hmmm . . . should we go in?

bunker hallway ~ now imagine it completely dark!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continued our journey to the northeast side of the island to wade in the Punchbowl, a large tidal pool that’s home to many mussels and small lobster, as well as a variety of other sea creatures. The cool water was a relief to the feet after an afternoon of hiking.

southern end of Jewell Island ~ topped with poison ivy

anchorage at Jewell Island

Our day at Jewell Island didn’t end there. Once we returned to the boat and had dinner, the skies began darkening to our west. A line of storms was approaching. Not knowing how the evening would turn out, we kept our foul weather gear at our finger tips. Sure enough, the wind kicked up and the rain poured.

It wasn’t long before we heard a voice next to us. A small sailboat had dragged anchor, and then the anchor dug in somewhere under our boat. That meant he was stuck there until the wind subsided. Everytime the wind gusted, he had to motor his boat away from our port side in order to keep from hitting us. We couldn’t motor forward because we couldn’t risk catching his anchor line in our props. When we could finally pinpoint the exact location of his line, we were able to motor forward and keep ourselves there until the storm blew over.

While we were busy with our problems, there were several other boaters scrambling to their decks as they floated down the anchorage. One larger sailboat caught a mooring in their rudder while they were dragging anchor. They continued to drag, pulling the mooring with them, until they finally stopped across from us. After witnessing the mooring relocation, we had confirmation that we will do our best to avoid usage of moorings. And, we continue to be quite pleased with our anchor and chain, as well as our choice of scope to leave out.

The next day we continued our northeastward journey.

can't forget about the tide

these boats didn't survive the storm too well

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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plymouth to portland

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Jenny

After our big day of whale watching, we settled in for the night with plans to make a mid-morning landfall in the Portland area. As seems to be the case lately, we were again motorsailing. The Gulf of Maine was a glassy flat with barely a breeze.

During my first watch of the night, a strong fish smell touched my nose. Moments later, I heard two whale spouts break the water’s surface quite close to the boat. In the dark of night, and only the senses of sound and smell, I froze. I recognized that burst of air from earlier in the day. Were the whales only passing by? Or were they checking out the boat? I only relaxed when I didn’t hear them again.

We were making good time, and it looked like our landfall in the Portland area would be at the hour of dawn. So, around midnight, we shut down the engines and left the boat to drift on a northwesterly course. The mainsail remained up just in case a puff of wind decided to come our direction.

During our drift, our watches consisted of sitting at the nav table reading a book or updating navigation, while monitoring the radar and AIS. Every so often, we would personally scan the horizon with the binoculars just to make sure there was nothing out there.

On Wil’s drift watch, what seemed to be a fishing boat, approached and spot lighted us. Wil turned on our deck light to let them know our presence. They spot lighted us again, and then went back to what they were doing. That puts a person on high alert!

My drift watch wasn’t without a fair share of excitement, as well. The glow of Boston was on the horizon, and there were many planes flying in that direction. However, there was some type of aircraft that would fly so low, that I could see the reflection of their navigation lights on the water. They were bright enough to play with my night vision, and added a dose of confusion while trying to watch the horizon for ships.

As dawn approached, I could feel a bit of breeze on my face. Without cranking the engines, I adjusted the main and prepared to pull out the genaker. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a whale spout in the air again. The whale was obviously approaching the boat. I couldn’t see it, but I could definitely hear it. So much for the quiet of the morning, I had to turn on the engines. I had to let the whale know our presence. As soon as the engines came alive, the whale disappeared. Whew! I could breathe again.

As we neared the Portland area, we had our first views of Maine’s rocky coastline, lighthouses, and lobster pots. Breathtakingly beautiful!

entering the Portland area

 

 

very tall markers at low tide!

watch towers from the world wars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our stay in Portland was only for one overnight. We pulled up to the dock at Portland Yacht Services for an appointment with a refrigerator service person. We had thought there was a blockage in the system, but it turned out only to be undercharged. Since our refrigerator control board was also nonfuntional, he was also able to get a new refrigerator control board delivered the very next day.

While we waited for the part, we stayed on our very first mooring ever! Our anchor bridle wouldn’t work with the mooring, so we used two dock lines with bowlines tied to the mooring line. I wish we could say we slept like babies, but the anchorage was far too rolly. Although, after watching all the monohulls tossing about, we were so happy to be on a catamaran!

The next day, we headed for Jewell Island.

adjusting to the cooler climate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Categories: boat improvement & maintenance, nature & wildlife, passages | Tags: , | 2 Comments

whoa whales!

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Jenny

map of Stellwagen Bank

Stellwagen Bank is marine sanctuary located in the southwest corner of the Gulf of Maine, between Cape Ann and Cape Cod Bay. After talking to several boaters from the New England area about Stellwagen Bank and whale watching, we knew exactly where we would be headed next.

As we departed Plymouth, we were all extremely excited. We were free of the marina, we were going to look for whales, and we were headed for Maine. We knew it would be about 5 hours before we reached any whales, and then the plan was to sail all night to arrive in Portland the next morning.

At almost exactly 5 hours into the trip, Colin starting asking when we would see any whales. Wil and I had already spent quite a bit of time on deck with binoculars in hand, keeping our eyes peeled for whale spouts, and we were beginning to wonder if we would find any whales.

Moments after Colin came on deck, the first whale appeared. It was similar to the fin whales we’d seen on our way to Cape Cod, but we couldn’t tell what it was. Shortly after, a few more whales appeared and then moved on, but none came close to the boat.

THEN, we saw a very large whale surface in the distance, and we recognized the humpback tail. This whale moved very quickly towards us, and as it got closer, we realized just how monsterous it was. Not knowing the whale’s intent, we all braced for impact. The whale dove and there was a lull. We watched and waited with racing hearts. Suddenly, the whale surfaced directly at our bow. Everything about the whale was enormous! It slowly moved through its motions of blowing its spout and arching its body as it gradually dove again. It was difficult to tell if the whale went under the boat. Swirling bubbles from where the whale had been, drifted under the trampolines and bridgedeck to our stern. We were staring at the mass of bubbles when the whale re-surfaced just off the starboard side of our stern. We stared in amazement, as we tried to settle our beating hearts.

humpback surfacing near our bow

still too close for comfort!

Following the up-close and personal experience with the one humpback whale, we saw many more. Everytime we saw a whale spout or tail, we sailed in that direction. Later, we discovered that our track had followed the southern edge of the bank where it drops off into deeper water. The whales were obviously feeding along this ledge.

humpback whale tail

humpback whale

humpback whale

mom & babe

 

so beautiful

humpback tail

humpback tail

humpback whale tail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our boat wasn’t the only boat on the bank. There were plenty of fishing boats, another sailboat, and a couple of whale watching boats. Prior to heading to the bank, we had read the rules of ocean etiquette for whale watching. Don’t approach a whale head-on. It’s unlawful to approach the protected Right Whale at anytime. Only one boat at a time is permitted within a 100-foot radius of a whale. If a whale is close, keep your engines in neutral. At one point, over the VHF radio we heard one whale watching boat captain accuse another boat captain of cutting off a whale’s path. It was quite the serious argument!

Needless to say, we were on an adrenaline high during the whole whale watching experience. Memories of humpback whales will stick with us for a lifetime.

See our whale video!

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farewell, Plymouth

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Jenny

This morning, we will finally throw off the dock lines and be on our way. The plan is to sail out to Stellwagen Bank in search of whales. Then, we will continue overnight, arriving in the Portland area sometime tomorrow. Check out our new link to my radio position reports. While we’re away from internet, you can keep up with our daily position. I will continue with the SPOT locations, as well.

In the meantime, here are some last views from Plymouth.

launch boat returning from the mooring field

 

foggy morning

a pair of swans arrived in the area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

such a beautiful bird

 

 

monument to the forefathers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Pilgrims departing England

the Pilgrims landing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lawmaking

meeting with the natives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sunset over the Mayflower II

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odd jobs

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Jenny

a new seat for dolphin watching

forward port lazarette hatch in its final stages

While we’ve been sitting at a marina waiting on parts, regular boat projects have continued. With the shore power amenity, it has been convenient to bring out a few power tools. A few final installations also help get some extra weight off the boat.

While we were still on the hard at Jarrett Bay, Wil’s dad had made a set of new bow seats for us. The old ones were falling apart and we really needed to replace them. When we received the new ones, they were too pretty to install. We were afraid they would become too weathered by the time we’d get to use them, so we stowed them away. As of this week, the new teak bow seats are finally where they belong, and they are beautiful. We can’t wait to use them!

We can also thank Wil’s dad for squaring up our teak propane locker door. It was also falling apart and needed some TLC. The fresh door is now re-hung.

Wil spent one whole day compounding and polishing the cockpit area and transoms. Waxing of these areas still needs to be done, but the shine is already there.

We’ve been carrying replacement glass for the last two hatches that had not been completed yet. Prior to leaving Jarrett Bay, Wil cut the glass to spec with intent of installing it at a later date. That later date arrived and the “forever project” is complete. That was worth some celebration.

I have spent a great deal of time at the computer and ham radio. I needed a USB to 9-pin serial port adaptor (with driver) in order to connect the laptop to the Pactor (an SCS PTC-II pro). This system allows me to send email via the ham radio, an Icom IC-M710. Using the Pactor, I can also receive weather reports which I can overlay on top of electronic charts for navigational planning. I can also receive weather reports in text form. Firmware needed updating, as well as a once a month frequency update. I owe a big thank you to a good friend for putting me in the right direction!

Other jobs that have been completed: the transom shower has a new cover for the shower head, the manual bilge pumps for the engine rooms have new deck seals and covers, and the battery charger has been re-programmed to accommodate the lack of voltage drop with the new cables.

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Justine’s update

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Jenny

Check out Justine’s update to her page.

We have heard through the grapevine that a seventh grade classroom will be following us. Justine is very eager to share with other kids her age just what it’s like to live and cruise on a sailboat. She will start blogging at least once a week, and she hopes to answer any questions that other students may have. So, feel free to send her a message!

You can either leave a comment through the Reply Form, or send a private message through the Send Message button at the bottom right-hand side of every page.

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gender change

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Jenny

female side of the new coupler

male side of the new coupler

This is our new drive shaft coupler for the starboard prop shaft. It was ordered, and we waited for it to arrive. Once it arrived, Wil compared the old one with the new one. The new one has a male and a female side. Our old one is female on both sides.

The new coupler was immediately sent to a machinist to convert the male side to female. We were supposed to have received the revised part by now, but it could possibly be Monday (or later).

Concerning other repair issues, we are still waiting on the rudder reference unit for the autopilot. When it arrived, it was the wrong one. Now we’re waiting for the correct part. We continue to be at the mercy of others.

On the brighter side, the generator is running again. After much frustration, the water temperature sensor was the only culprit. We won’t talk about the other parts that were ordered and installed, only to find out, there was only a simple wire reconnection that needed to be made to the remote switch (Wil had questioned this earlier in the game). Fortunately, Wil installed the parts himself and took the time to reconnect the wires, so that portion wasn’t on the paid professional’s time.

With the hit we’re taking on our budget, at least Wil has gotten some electrical schooling under his belt. Due to his diligence with the electrician, he has learned many troubleshooting techniques, as well as improved his electrical diagram reading capabilities.

We were also able to borrow a boat yard truck to drive to the grocery store. It’s amazing how quickly you can get around town when you don’t have to walk!

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first boat bread

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Jenny

nice to see fresh bread on the counter

 

Even though I had perfected my bread baking techniques prior to moving aboard (thanks to my mother-in-law!), I had not tried making any bread on the boat yet. During our move, the task seemed daunting. Then, we dealt with the adjustment of living onboard. Now life is finding its way, and I was finally ready to give it a shot.

I usually make the dough from scratch starting with grinding the wheat berries for flour. (Remember the grain grinder and wheat berries that were packed amidst one of those 4 truck loads a few months ago?) Although, I admit that this time around, I already had some wheat pre-ground, so I was able to skip the grinding process for this batch of bread.

This recipe doesn’t require any kneading by hand. The electric mixer with a dough hook does all the hard work. However, if we are ever short on power, I can do everything by hand . . . including the grinding. (That’s when I’ll enlist the kids!) In order to create the loaves, I flatten the dough on an oiled cookie sheet, and then roll it up and tuck the ends.

I placed two loaves in bread pans for the oven method, as well as one loaf in the pressure cooker for the stove-top method. Success! They all rose, and the smell of fresh baked bread was out of this world! We all had warm bread with butter for lunch.

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honoring the natives

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Jenny

Thanksgiving is a day of mourning

 

Massasoit of the Wampanoags

protector of the Pilgrims

 

A touching way for Plymouth to recognize how the arrival of the Pilgrims affected the Native Americans. Reading the plaque brought tears to my eyes.

Massasoit was of the Wampanoag Tribe who forged political and personal ties with the Pilgrims.

 

 

 

 

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