Skip to main content

Distant Lights

Image
By

Good morning everyone. We had a another wild and wooly sail yesterday. After a walk ashore we left Bar Harbor with a reef in the mainsail. The wind had come NW and was gusty at times, maybe blowing as much as 20 knots. Our sail of Frenchman Bay took us quite close to Egg Rock. The once painted red roof was faded by the elements. A lone bald eagle was keeper of the ledges.

I had grand hopes of getting out to Mt Desert Rock but alas the wind and tide had other ideas. So we tacked offshore as far as I dared in the confused swell caused by the previous day's SW wind. We did get a not-too far-off look at Great Duck light and a a very distant glimpse of Mt Desert, 13 miles away! The cold air next to the horizon was bending the light in just the right way that we could see the tower and keepers house. Once again gannets were everywhere.

I feel like the lighthouses are more elusive this week just because this is a lighthouse cruise. The wind and tide are what they are making for great sailing but challenging to easily get to the 22 possible lighthouses in our area. But as I told folks Monday morning before we departed, we are going to see lights the way they are meant to be seen, from the deck of a vessel under sail.

Last night we sat in the calm harbor called Burnt Coat under Hockamock Head Light on Swans Island, its beacon plainly visible between the spruce trees. This morning we will be going up to tour the lighthouse restoration project currently under way.



Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Photos by Barry & Jen.

Comments

Unknown said…
I'm only guessing here but was Jim Dugan on this trip? He really likes to take his camera to places most mere mortals and amateur photographers fear to go. The shot taken from overhead is an example. Also the arty shot of the sun filled window looks "Duganesque" to coin a word. The great picture of the French looks like it was taken from the mainmast cross trees. Great work even if it wasn't Jim.

Save some of the good wind for Sarah and me. We'll be there in less than two weeks.

Ed
September 9, 2007 at 8:56 PM
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

We are Nuts

By
Good morning everyone. Well I just had to say it before you did. Yes, we are truly nuts. Now we have gone and added one more adventure to our already full lives. As you can see she is some cunnin'. We have named her Colby. We had a sign... literally. We were in the car brainstorming names on the way to get her at WalMart (yes, you heard it right) and there at the Waterville exit was a sign for Colby College. Colby just happens to be dear Mary's alma mater. It is also the name of one of my favorite ledges in Jericho Bay, the Colby Pup. It just seemed to fit just like the way she came to us. Nothing about our Sunday was going to be different than any other except that I just happened to be helping a friend get her generator back in the barn while Jen and the kids met her new puppy Sherman. They fell in love... so easy to do. We called and there were had two pups from the same litter available... no commitments yet. We had been having the long family debate for weeks about the k...
11 comments
Read more

Galley Gadgets

By
Good morning everyone. As any of you who have sailed with me know I love gadgets. Creating new and easy ways of doing things is a fun challenge for me even if I am slow on the uptake. So here is a gadget I have tried before that I felt I should share with the universe. I am sure I am not the first person to think of this but, hey, this works slicker than greased owl droppings and it reeks just enough of red neck that the devil in me just has to laugh. We buy our peanut butter by the 9 lb. tub. The stuff we buy is that organic, all natural stuff with the hefty layer of oil on top when you open the lid. I have tried inverting the tub every few days to get the oil to work its way through but getting even consistency is still a challenge. Who hasn't got to the bottom of this kind of a peanut butter tub to find a layer of peanut butter cement? The mother of invention was not necessity. It was laziness as any of you who have tried to hand stir peanut butter will know. If you do not own a...
7 comments
Read more