"Something's not right...ALL STOP!"

It was bound to happen, I guess...we hit a sinker!

We are heading towards a rendezvous with friends so were we compelled to get underway. With only 3 kts of wind on the nose, we motored (I can hear the sailing purists squawking now!). Two of us were on deck, looking out for pots and watching for lobster boats when we felt a shudder--something wasn't right. Frank immediately stopped the engine and we looked around for a pot. He cranked it up again and it still didn't sound right. After a few seconds, a banged up pot floated away astern of us. Uh oh. It looked like it had been hit before and was likely underwater when we hit it. I grabbed the GoPro to take a quick look--we had line wrapped on the prop. The line looked loose and we grabbed one end that was floating alongside the boat to try to free it by pulling. We put the engine in reverse for a split second to see if that would help, but it was still stuck. SWIM TIME!

The kids came on deck to help with lookout while Frank checked the charts against our drift, I grabbed our heaviest wetsuit out of the bilge and started suiting up. The water wasn't super cold at 65F, but just in case it took a while to cut free I wanted to be warm. I donned a wetsuit, hood (I hate cold!), boots, fins, mask, gloves, and a weight belt, and jumped in with my trusty knife. I'm a decent free diver and polypropylene line is pretty easy to cut so I opted to go without a tank (we have one onboard for emergencies like this!). Thankfully, it was a quick job! One loop of line was hooked on one of the blades of our folding prop, but otherwise it pulled right off. I was done in two dives and didn't even have to cut it!

What went right?

We stopped almost immediately.

We had room to drift, swells weren’t bad, and seas were not rough.

We had the GoPro charged! We were able to quickly get a peek before getting wet.

Even though the gear is tucked away in the bilge, it only took a few minutes to go from diagnosis to the 1st Mate being ready to swim. Always be ready to swim!

The line was loosely wrapped, but hung up on our folding prop. Didn’t even have to cut it!

The kid crew stopped school and became lookouts in a hot minute. One was looking out for sharks because he thought momma looked like a tasty seal!

With a little more wind we would have tried to sail/fold the prop to slide it off, though I'm not sure it would have worked given the one loop around a prop blade. Also, that wetsuit was awesome in the PacNorWest, but it was a little overkill here--it was way more than I needed and made me too buoyant (but I was warm!). What we really want to know is why was there a pot out here without weighted line??? It must have been a really old pot or something.

All is well now--Frank checked the shaft seal when we got underway and everything is as it should be, and the vibration is gone! We made it to Linekin Bay for some well-earned adult beverages!

Southern Muscongus Bay

As we departed Penobscot Bay, our sights were set on a return to Muscongus Bay. Despite the crazy amount of lobster pots we encountered last time we were there, we loved it! And while it was very tempting to revisit the puffin colony and Round Pond, we opted for some new adventures.

First stop—Burnt Island. Based on mixed reviews of the holding here, we weren’t sure a stop here would work. We approached and only saw one small boat on a mooring and after driving around a bit managed to settle into a spot that kept us clear of the many pots. Holding was good, so we headed ashore for a hike. I LOVED it! There is a 2.5-mile trail around the perimeter of the island that takes you through shaded woods and along stunning rocky shores. It was a perfect afternoon. And when we returned to the boat we decided conditions were good enough to stay the night.

Burnt Island

After a night in Maple Juice Cove to avoid some southerlies we headed to Harbor Island in hopes of some more good hiking. This is another spot with mixed holding reviews and it took us about 25 minutes to set to our liking (we back down hard!). I’m glad it set because the fog was rolling in! We decided to head ashore to hike, but we couldn’t even see the beach! We made it, met another boater who pointed us to the trails, and we were off! This island’s trails can take you to cliffs, caves, and fairy gardens. We had a blast goofing off on the rocks and exploring the caves. The fog did not lift while we were ashore—in fact, we couldn’t see the boat as we tried to return! 

Harbor Island

We have decided to stay out for the night. We are tucked in between Hall and Harbor Islands, yet can’t  see either! We’ve lit up the boat as best we can so others can see us and are hoping it clears tomorrow so we can move along.

“What’s your plan?”

“What’s your plan? Where to next?”

Even in the most normal of cruising times, these weren’t easy questions for us to answer! We despise being locked in by hard commitments if for no other reason than it can force you into poor decisions with regards to weather. But we generally had a plan like, “in this area for another few weeks, then heading towards this other area...Bahamas for a few months in winter...”—you get the point. We have always said that we are just going to follow nice weather! 

Throw in a global pandemic and answering these questions gets a little more complicated. We wanted to head to Canada this summer, but that was a no-go. We want to return to the Bahamas (or further south?), but ever-changing entry and lockdown rules may increase the stress/decrease the fun factor enough to wave off. There is plenty to explore in the U.S., but being somewhere remote sounds kind of nice right now. Oh, and our oldest is seeking a foreign exchange program next year so our time cruising with her may be coming to a quicker end than I had anticipated. Gah!

For the short term, we have made the turn south and have left our beloved Penobscot Bay. We love autumn on the Chesapeake so this wasn’t a super tough decision to make! We are hoping to see friends one last time while we are in Maine, then will perhaps cruise Long Island Sound on our return. Where will we head in November? No clue! But for now, we are happy to be right where we are.

Repairs in Rockland

We hit up Rockland for a fun working port! Hamilton Marine for parts, Hannaford’s for groceries, CGEX to refill the liquor locker, and a cheap mooring with easy trash, laundry, fuel, and water at the Landings Marina—let’s do it! (And of course, yummy food options galore!)

So...the freshwater pump. It’s sounded like it wants to die for some time, running well past when we shut off the faucet. A few interim fixes kept it going, but it was time. Like any good boat project, almost the entire salon was emptied to access the pump. Fortunately we had all the right connectors for the new pump and it went in pretty easily. The result? WHY DID WE WAIT? Holy smokes, this new pump is so quiet! She purrs instead of thundering along the port side. I. Love. It. Frank will rebuild the old one and keep it as a spare.

The pump wasn’t the only awesome boat project! While in town we went ahead and completed the replacement of our genoa. Yes, yes, the new sail has been up for a bit, but yesterday we took the old sail to Sea Bags Maine for recycling. How did that go? We had pre-coordinated via email so we just walked the two blocks up from the marina and dropped it off. They weighed it and offered us a trade—a new bag! We got to pick from a wide variety and went with this cute, functional souvenir to mark our trip to Maine. We love it so much, and already put it to work on the grocery run!

🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞

Lazy days in Penobscot Bay—Islesboro and Vinalhaven

The days on the water and the nights are getting cool, so we are pointing the bow somewhat south. We made a slow pass through Islesboro, visiting Warren Island State Park and hunkering down for two days of strong winds. The park looks awesome for camping, and while the trails were nice, we had to do them twice just to get a good bit of exercise in.

Brrrr!

And we finally made it to Vinalhaven! Perry Creek was an absolute delight with its serene atmosphere, abundant hiking trails, and the sweet man that provides moorings to visiting yachts. All he asks is that we consider a donation to the Vinalhaven Land Trust (considered and done!). The hiking was so good that the dinghy was high and dry when we came back, even though we pushed it way out when we left.

Exploring Perry Creek from the “Roddy” mooring.

Next we spent a few days in Seal Bay. We didn’t see a ton of seals, but the birding, hiking, and dinghy beaching was just as fun here! We also had a brush with famous YouTube sailors (said hello, but continued on our way—I didn’t want to interrupt their enjoyment of this place) and a birthday celebration complete with Maine blueberry pancakes, fresh lobster alfredo (thanks, Lady J!), and Maine chocolate (Bixby) brownies. Such a great day and another awesome stop!

Seal Bay

As we rounded the south side of Vinalhaven we made a quick, rolly stop at Brimstone Island—the smooth, black cobble beach is unlike anything we’ve seen! From there, we headed to Hurricane Island for an afternoon stroll along the many trails there—its a cool, old granite quarry.

Brimstone Island

Hurricane Island

Alas, a failing water pump and empty cupboards are pushing us back to Rockland. But Vinalhaven is solidly on our “must return to” list! School also started this week so we have to play a little less and work a little more going forward, but the kids seem to have jumped right back into it!