Foggy Fall Windjammers

Good morning everyone. Nothing can be stranger than the weather around Camden. Temperatures have been extremely warm these past few days. Fog was hanging heavy on the harbor on Saturday morning and I just couldn’t resist getting my camera out to photograph the windjammers and the ducks that were hunkering down at the head of the harbor. We had a strong blow on Saturday night that took down a long deceased wolf pine here in the dooryard. Oddly enough we slept right through it never hearing the crash over the howl of the wind in the trees. Thankfully the leaf reefing process is done and the windage on the limbs has mostly been alleviated.

We had a spring tide on the fourteenth that was quite a phenomenon with water lapping at the flukes. The moon was at perigee and also full (the full Beaver Moon) within a day of each other causing the tide to rise high above the wall as the leaf line tells.

I am amused to see duck heads bobbing along at eye level with the wall and to see the docks all uphill. The jump up on to the wall is an easy one.

A lone gull stood watch on a now isolated piling that supports summer docks that rest quietly ashore.

Today is supposed to be the last warm one we will see for a while so Jen and I will be aboard painting the off-white trim in the galley. This next week will be spent tearing apart the very tired old paint floats and securing the last of the schooner’s systems. Deckhand Rob has moved on for the time being. With luck we may be seeing his smiling face gracing the decks again in the spring.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Comments

salim said…

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

November 17, 2008 at 6:13 AM

Unknown said…

It is a rare oddity for the air temperature in Camden to be higher than in Birmingham but as I check my on-line weather site it's 41 in Camden and 32 in Birmingham. Ya gotta love it.

November 17, 2008 at 6:58 AM

Hail Mary

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...

Swimming Anyone?

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...

Black Dots Make Me Smile

Good morning everyone. Happy Ground Hogs Day to all. If today’s forecast comes true folklore tells us we will see an early spring here in our neighborhood. What does the groundhog say about your weather forecast? We start a new month, albeit a short one but a month in which we gain an emotionally crucial 1 hour and 13 minutes of light. By months end the sunrise will be at 0620, a full 37 minutes ahead of this morning. Jen and I were shocked how light it was so early yesterday even though it was overcast. So while the weather is one thing we spend much time talking about the light is what really makes the psychic difference here. One of the things you will find me talking about in blogs, especially in summer, is seals. We have more lousy, unfocused pictures of little black dots on the ledges and every one of them makes me smile. Each picture reminds us how delighted we are to see seals. Harbor seals (phoca vitulina) are the most common seal here in Maine and their numbers have gr...

Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Search This Blog

Foggy Fall Windjammers