Skip to main content

Crescendo

Image
By

Good morning everyone. We had an amazing day yesterday. Anchored at Isle Au Haut for the morning we were able to get ashore for a good
long walk. Isle Au Haut is a magical place for me. I have camped
there on several occasions. I have hiked and sailed around almost all
of nooks and crannies. The first pencil sketch I ever made was of the
Robinson Point Light. We saw several bald eagles while we were
anchored and a coyote (we had heard them yipping away during the
night) swam across the Thorofare and shook itself on the Kimball Island shore before disappearing into the woods.

Underway we started the sunny day with a deep reef in the main which
we shook out after about an hour of going 2 knots with nothing more
than 5 knots of wind. The forecast was for gusts to 30 knots but
that sure wasn't what we found when we peaked out from behind Kimball Island. With all sails set flying we beat our way up to Eagle Island
before we took in the topsails and began to beat into a stiff NNW
wind up to Hog Island and then across to our final anchorage in
Islesboro Harbor. We have put down 100 great miles in these last few
days. We really have seen it all. We saw dozens of migrating hawks,
a lone goose, as well as flocks of white winged scoters arriving for
winter.

Sunrise this morning was just stunning and their is even a touch of
maple foliage in this quiet cove. Today will be a very busy day. By
days end we should have sails and mattresses, life jackets and
blankets all dry and safely stowed in mothball back at home. I am
sorry to see the sailing season come to an end. I will miss the bay
and all that it is about. I will miss the focus and intensity of the
crew (you should have seen them yesterday as we were tearing around
the bay!). I will especially miss the diversity of guests that make
this schooner come to life. But a winters rest is well deserved by
all and by evening this captain will be having a toast to the season,
the guests, the crew, the bay.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

By
My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...
28 comments
Read more

Swimming Anyone?

By
Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return. Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time. There se...
6 comments
Read more

Fall Maintenance

By
Good morning everyone. The sun has been kind to us these past few days and the crew has been spending much time aloft prepping and painting the mast heads and tarring the rig as part of our annual fall maintenance schedule. They were a little silly on tar fumes by the end of the day hence the rat board dance moves. Am I the only one who is reminded of Willy Wonka's little friends at the sight of the crew in their tyvek suits? Schoona-loompas? The smell of tar, after all, is what we sailors live for. Extracted from the stumps and roots of pine trees through dry distillation pine tar will cure what ails you especially some skin conditions and any emotional maladies from being too long away from the sea. All we know for sure is that Mary Day’s rigging is kept hail and hearty by coats of tar mixed with boiled linseed oil. Notice that I specified boiled linseed oil and not raw linseed oil. Tar mix with raw linseed oil will not “kick”. Don’t ask me how I know this… just take my wo...
5 comments
Read more