The Rain in Maine

Just returned from our first trip "on our own", without returning crew volunteers etc. Everything went well, we successfully avoided breaking anything important! This trip was full of two things: rain and fog. Both of which were not a problem, we continue to sail no matter what the weather here it seems. The first day out we had clear skies for the first couple hours, but as we were returning from our lobster bake, the fog set in. Overnight it rained, the next day it continued to rain on and off, with thick fog. I have never been in fog like that, as it was impossible to see 100 yards in any direction at some points. I usually have a decent sense of direction, but I had no idea where we were. Andrew (the other deckhand) and I took turns running the foghorn from the bow as we literally "ghosted" along, there was not much wind. We sailed past the Mary Day, another windjammer, in the fog and it was an eerie sight to first hear her foghorn, and then slowly see her come into view, then slip away. The next day was glorious, probably a steady 15-20 knots and sunshine, and we were tacking up West Penobscot Bay at 7-8 knots, with everything but that missing mizzen-top set (apparently it was just finished, a brand new sail).

We anchored that night in Pulpit Harbor, after some sweet maneuvering by Captain Mike. It's amazing to see how he knows his boat, crew, and the area. We took people in for a shore trip, and had a nice little walk. It was nice to stretch the legs off the boat. The next morning we woke up to thunderstorms, torrential rain, and more fog. It was a quick hour or so long hop to Camden, and we did so under power of the twin diesels, for lack of wind. The only thing more eerie than fog is rain, fog, and lightning. It was amazing to look out from under the hood of my foulies and see the sky flashing. We made it back to Camden safely, disembarked passengers, washed the boat and now are off for a week. I still have no decided what I want to do this week, but I am sure I will come up with something!

I saw Delvon yesterday, as he is currently Engineer on Lynx which is in Rockport for the day (about a 5 minute drive south of Camden). We traded tours of our respective boats, and now he is on his way to the lakes for the tall ships festival.

Life is good, despite the rain!