We have been so lucky with the weather after the initial fog cleared so Maine has really been looking her best in bright, clear, sunny skies. We managed to get a good flavor of the Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island by taking the free LL Bean bus from Southwest Harbor across the island to Bar Harbor and from there to Jordan Pond where we enjoyed a relatively easy.. Read More
From a very foggy approach, mostly in the dark with lobster pots all around and a few fishing boats that suddenly appeared out of nowhere (I.e. they didn’t show up on radar), the ensuing few days have shown us that the challenges of the passage to Maine were worth it. Rockland was a good place to land in the heart of Maine’s cruising waters and far enough from Boston to.. Read More
First Maine lobster consumed!
Our passage to Dutch Harbor, Rhode Island was most enjoyable. The sea state was remarkably calm throughout the passage. The wind slowly clocked from the North (which suited us just fine as we headed down to the mouth of the Chesapeake) to the East, which made for some good reaching, and then South. We had our sails up almost all of the 373 nm passage but motor-sailed some of the.. Read More
The past month or so has not involved much sailing. Instead, we took advantage of good monthly berthing rates in Anchorage Marina in Baltimore harbor which is close to the Johns Hospital where Howard had cataract surgery for both eyes, two weeks apart. We had a pretty hairy sail to the marina from Worton Creek the day before his first surgery in 35-40 knot winds, especially after the sun-damaged mainsail.. Read More
Our first stop after leaving Little Creek was Fishing Bay, Deltaville, some 44 nautical miles away. It was strange to be back to just two of us onboard but we certainly enjoyed the relief from stress associated with being offshore and the required total independence. We had a good sail for the first couple of hours, albeit in dank, damp, grey weather, but then the wind died so we motor-sailed.. Read More
As we approached the Gulf Stream, it was interesting to watch how the water temperature rose in places and was a bit cooler in others, presumably due to eddies. We entered the Gulf Stream around 10:00pm on Friday and would hardly have known it, apart from the curve northward in our track despite keeping a constant heading; the sea was remarkably calm, as, unfortunately was the wind. Still, with relatively.. Read More
Although we managed to do some more sailing on Wednesday, we have been gently motor-sailing for about 46 hours now since Wednesday evening but doing a very respectable 6-7 and sometimes even 8 knots with clear skies, calm seas and a gentle cooling breeze. The wind speed since Wednesday has been mainly in the 3-7 it range, not ideal for sailing or reaching port sooner (see last paragraph). The 6-8.. Read More
Our delayed departure (due to generator issues) has, as Chris Parker predicted, cost us in terms of sailing conditions. Having resolved the generator issues late on Monday, we were loathe to depart Bermuda in the dark so elected to try to leave as early as we could yesterday. By then the rain had cleared up so, unlike the other Salty Dawgs, we departed in sunshine with mainsail up going through.. Read More
From the warm initial welcome when clearing in and from everyone we have encountered during our short stay here in Bermuda, it is with sad hearts that we are departing today, even if the weather hasn’t been most cooperative, I.e., somewhat wet and even chilly! We especially enjoyed spending most of Sunday with my high school friend, Sheila and Steve who showed us where the Americas Cup teams that are.. Read More