The road less traveled to Casco Bay

After the exciting swim in Muscongus Bay, the peace and quiet of Linekin Bay was just what we needed. This deep anchorage allows access to Boothbay Harbor without all the craziness and boat traffic of being right in the harbor. We were socked in with fog for two nights, but we took the opportunity to make a provisioning (and thrifting!) run into town. 

As we made our way back to Casco Bay we decided to try a few new places off the beaten path on the eastern edge. First up—The Basin. The entrance to The Basin off the New Meadows River is narrow (not Great Harbour Cay narrow, but still narrow!) and littered with pots that get sucked under as the current rips through, but the reward once inside is worth the white-knuckle navigation. We saw one spot that was only 9’ deep, but then we were in! It was flat calm and we shared the anchorage with one other boat that we’d seen a few other times while in Maine. At night, stirring the water brought it to life with bioluminescence. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, we went ashore for a nice morning hike. This stop was just absolutely lovely.

The Basin

Leaving the Basin we had plenty of options nearby for the prevailing winds. We rounded Rogue Island and headed for Ridley Cove, but finding lots of floats and just not feeling it, we continued up Quahog Bay to Snow Island. Though there is a big marina just north of the island, we found this spot much more picturesque and peaceful, and we dropped the hook east of Little Snow Island. We hadn’t even been here an hour when the Quahog Bay Conservancy pump-out boat came along to see if we needed a pump! This group offers free pump-outs (though happily accepts donations) and has an oyster fishery to help keep Quahog Bay clean. I love their mission and the work they are doing! We are settled in with about a half dozen other boats for a breezy night.

Snow Island

For folks heading to Casco Bay from Boothbay, it’s easy to skip these little spots and end up in Freeport or Portland, but I’m glad we were able to take it slow. From here we are off to hide out from strong winds that are forecast to flip-flip from northerly to southerly almost every day. We also have a part to fix the grill getting shipped to a friend in the area, so we will be working on a meet-up!

An (Essential) Oily Boat, Part 1: The Clean Team

This is an oily boat. Not in the "belching yuck into the bilge" sort of way, but in the now popular "use of essential oils for health and well-being" sort of way. A few years ago my friend Jess (Zest and Well-Being Oils) turned me onto dōTERRA Essential Oils and they quickly became a part of our boat's load-out. My gateway oil, the one that got me hooked, was their Breathe Respiratory Blend. More on that one later.

Today it's all about keeping the boat clean, which means it's mostly about the OnGuard Protective Blend! The OnGuard collection uses wild orange peel, clove bud, cinnamon leaf, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus leaf, and rosemary leaf/flower essential oils in everything from toothpaste to laundry detergent to internal supplements. Yep, you can ingest it! Since the cleaning products we use got straight into the water, we only use all-natural products. Even the Captain likes the cinnamon/citrusy scent of this oil! On Lehe Paine we mostly use the blend for:
- toothpaste
- multi-purpose cleaner spray (from the dōTERRA concentrate, great for kitchen, bathroom, bulkheads, the bilge...everywhere!)
- laundry detergent
- foaming hand soap (2T Dr. Bronner's, 1T fractionated coconut oil, 20 drops EO, 1C water)
- diffusing (if we are tied to a dock/power)

Another oil that sees use in the cleaning department is Lemon! It's a super versatile oil and we use it in food as well, but for cleaning it can be used on wood, metal, countertops, leather, just about any surface. It really comes in handy when we have goopy sticker residue that needs to come off--lemon oil cuts rights through it. Tea Tree oil also comes into play as a surface cleaner (mixed as a spray with water and a little vinegar) as I've had some success using it to clean/inhibit mold growth on the bulkheads.

And finally, there's "any purifying, yummy smelling oil" for our room spray! There is some controversy here as the Captain disagrees with my use of the vodka stores, but a 50/50 mix of vodka and water with essential oils in a fine mist spray bottle makes a great room spray! Purify Cleansing Blend is my go-to for this one, but I'll usually add lavender or some citrus oil to it.

 The Clean Team

That about covers our use of oils to clean on the boat. Simple, concentrated, space-saving, and gentle on the environment!

We also use oils in the kitchen, the bar, and the medicine cabinet—more to follow!