Spring Sail to Bass Harbor

The great thing about Deer Isle is that it is within striking distance of so many very beautiful islands and harbors along the Maine coast. After fixing the spreaders, Jennifer and I talked about where we might go. I really thought Mt. Desert Island was within two, and maybe only one, nights range. I gathered up the various necessary components for the Wayfarer, such as the paddle, rudder, anchors, sails, tools and buckets. I also loaded the forward compartment with the sleeping bags and pads, extra water, and clothes. We packed a cooler with beverages and snacks, plus our standard shipboard fare, which was a big cold dish cooked the night before, in this case, sesame noodles.

We drove Mary's 1992 Toyota down to the shore with Juliet in tow. It is a very beautiful drive, though only a half mile.



At the Beach at Old Ferry Landing, I disconnected the trailer and wheeled it down the sandy beach to the water's edge and checked the plugs, then launched Juliet by hand. Then Jennifer helped me drag the Pamco trailer back up to the grass in Gerald and Jean's yard.

Gerald and Jean's Inn at Ferry Landing



We carried the sails and heavy gear down to the boat and rigged her up. We used low plastic tote boxes that slide under the seats for easy access. Maps and rain gear, snacks, sandals, the camera, and other day use items are best stored in these totes, and in Ziplocs if sensitive to moisture. Ziplocs are handy. The sails were raised, the rudder installed, we donned our life vests, and Jennifer boarded the sailboat first. The water was cold, and I was careful to give a little shove out and step over the transom, quickly pushing the rudder down and steering away from a known rocky bar at the ferry landing. Jennifer grabbed the mainsheet to power the Wayfarer forward. Then the wind and calm take over. I got out of the way and Jennifer took the helm. We headed south toward Brooklin and Swan's Island.

Minor repair for the Wayfarer

Raising and lowering the mast on the Wayfarer can cause a lot of wear-and-tear. Trailering her along bumpy frost-heaved Maine roads doesn't help the situation much. The mast and spreaders receive much of that abuse. Last year as I put Juliet away for the winter, one of the spreaders cracked and broke into two. I looked closely at the spreader, and resolved to bring the needed repair parts with me in the spring when Jennifer and I returned to Deer Isle. On our drive north from North Carolina, I collected a few things I thought might come in handy. First I stopped at Hamilton Marine in Searsport, Maine. I thought I would be able to just buy a spreader arm or set. I only found some Taylor brand boots to put over the spreaders. So on to the next stop, the hardware store in Bucksport. There I found 3/4 inch electrical conduit that seemed like it might be a good backup plan.

Juliet had waited all winter on Deer Isle, way down at the bottom of Mary's backyard. Usually we stash the boat around a bend in the trees but last year we tried putting her in the old boathouse at the bottom of the yard. I found the boat and trailer stuck axle deep in mud. Instead of struggling against the mud, I used a couple of old boards under the trailer wheels and Juliet followed along like an obedient puppy, all the way up the grass yard.



In the driveway I got another look at the broken spreader. Now, how to fix the damage? It seemed like Juliet needed another spreader, and the conduit was going to be it. I measured the length of the spreader, and cut a piece of conduit to match.

Then I realized that I really wanted a splint for the broken outside end of the spreader. I cut the replacement spreader down by about four inches, so that it would act as a sleeve. I flattened and drilled a hole through the mast end of the conduit to screw it to the mast brace. Below, I am smoothing the burrs of the sawn ends of the newly fabricated spreader. The broken original spreader is across the port gunwhale.





After I got a screw through the new piece, I slid the old broken spreader into the new, and taped it up to prevent the sail from contacting anything rough. It worked pretty well. I only spent a little on the parts, although I plan to order the new correct spreaders for the Wayfarer. I like working on the Wayfarer, because anyone can see what is wrong when something is broken, and then repair it with a little creativity, even on the water.

Deer Isle Map from a postcard

We commonly use postcards and handouts from the Chamber of Commerce to navigate.

Homeward Bound on Deer Isle

Well, it has come time to wrap up circumnavigating Deer Isle in Maine. We were tired from two days of sailing, and the decision had been made to sail to the causeway at the very north end of the island. Mary's house where we keep our sailboat is only a quarter mile or so from the causeway. The winds were light and variable, which might have been frustrating if we had pushed on around Little Deer Isle. But I drank my last Ballantine and soldiered on, lightly sculling with the rudder.
Sometimes when the wind is very light, we will use our paddle briefly to gain some direction, and it does make the Wayfarer coast along for a few dozen feet, even when you only throw a few strokes in. It was like that this day. The coastline here on the NW side of Deer Isle looks very much like Acadia National Park, but with a bit more development.


I could write a whole post about the tides in Maine. You have to be careful with shorelines. If you beach the boat on a lowering tide, she can be stranded in just fifteen minutes. But I decided after talking it over with Jennifer that we could retrieve the trailer from Mary's house and load Juliet on the trailer by hand. After that, the boat would be left high and dry on the trailer. Then we would have most of the low tide through nightfall to figure out how to get Juliet and the trailer up the long sandy/gravelly beach. The causeway beach is the very first place you come to when you drive to the island, and there were a few vehicles and waders, sunbathers and children playing. We sailed straight up to the beach and jumped ashore with our "fun bag", which has a bunch of necessities for in or out of Juliet (the boat.) I threw a few totes and some gear on the beach. Then I tossed the lunch hook as far out as I could, so as to hold her of the gravel while I hiked for our car/trailer combination. This is how she looks at anchor on the Causeway Beach :
All that was left to do was get her out of the water and home. So Jennifer kicked back on the beach and took some pictures and sorted gear, and I jogged back to Mary's and retrieved the car/trailer. I unhooked the trailer and walked it down the beach to submerge it near Juliet. I slid a couple of long plywood strips under her wheels to keep them from miring in the sand. Then I pulled the anchor and centered her on the trailer and cranked her in. I rolled her and the trailer up the plywood planks and checked her as she sat for centeredness (new word?) The Wayfarer is a very light boat. A very nice man named Ed took interest in the whole operation and offered to help roll her up the beach. I said "I think I'll just tie a line to the car from where she sits and pull her from afar up the beach." He replied "I have my truck." "Man, I wouldn't drive my car down there." And he said "It'll probably be fine." So, he pulled his little 4X4 down to the waters edge and hooked me up, dragged Juliet up to our little wagon, and the boat was out for the winter. Jennifer and I had completely circumnavigated Deer Isle. It really seemed like a longer sail in concept than practice.

Back to Deer Isle

Penobscot Bay offers views of Vinalhaven and the hills of Camden. There were a few boats milling around the Bay, and finally we had some open water to sail. It's a thrill to have a small boat cutting through the larger waves in the bay. Jennifer took the tiller for a while; we were tacking alot because the wind was out of the north. I like to take long tacks, because we don't spill our cocktails as much that way. The longest tack took us nearly to North Haven, which made for an enjoyable long crossing. As you can see the weather was wonderful, with clear skies and top winds around ten knots. I spent a little time working on the scuppers, which beautifully cleared most of the water and much of the trash out. I've always been afraid of my old scuppers, after all, they are holes in the bottom of the boat. But they work almost perfectly, and I watched an acorn drop into the scupper and ... disappear! Jennifer and I had a short discussion about whether to sail on around Little Deer Isle to actually return to the Old Ferry Landing. A much shorter way home was to sail to the Causeway between the islands. Both of us were tired, so that was our destination.

Day Two : Into Penobscot Bay

Off in the north, Stonington sparkled like a brightly painted city of the sea. Jennifer and I were easily able to stow our sleeping bags and tent into the front hold of the Wayfarer. The only other item is one emergency gallon of water that stays forward and out of the way. To launch Juliet, we simply rig the sails and rudder, and lightly step aboard, shoving off at the last second. Immediately, the wind takes over from momentum. We had a straight shot northwest to the Deer Isle Thoroughfare from Rock Island. There was one minor shoal along the route, which I could see beneath the waves, but it was no threat. We shared the coffee left in Thermos as we enjoyed the view. Nothing beats mornings in the boat. In the channel is an island with a house designed to look like a lighthouse. It is connected by a bar to Crotch, making the south passage unnavigable. However, it made a nice shortcut due to the north wind. Jennifer was at the ready for the centerboard and we slid over the bar with no draft to spare. Juliet (the Wayfarer) is good about finding her way through a tight squeeze. Jennifer looked around at all the industrial boats and equipment related to the Crotch Island Mine, which is still in operation. Billings Marine makes a handy stop for sailors and other boaters as one heads from Stonington toward Penobscot Bay. Shortly we left the protected Thoroughfare and headed into Penobscot Bay, intending to work our way up the west side of Deer Isle toward home waters.

Morning In Stonington Harbor

In the morning the boat was just fine, resting high on the sandy beach at the end of her anchor line.
Lucas' wife, Peg said that Lucas had to arise in the middle of the night to reset the tents and saw that my boat appeared to be riding her anchor just fine. He also reported being surprised that was the case because of the high winds and waves. Maybe he thought I was a landlubber, but I can set an anchor if need be. It was a beautiful morning and Jennifer slept in while I messed with the boat cleaning her out and schlepping gear around. Juliet had a few gallons of water in her; I don't know why. Breakfast was the coffee from the convenience store, yogurt and bananas. Lucas really slept in, because by the time we were ready to leave the beach, he was nowhere to be seen.

A night on Rock Island

We sat together with Lucas and Peg, chatting about the waters of Maine, and the darkness grew. Lucas owns one of the many workboats in the harbor, and even brought gear out to the island with the big boat, then moored it and returned in his motor skiff. His boat lay near the high tide line on a big Danforth. Eventually, while camping and in the dark, bed calls out. Jennifer and I set up the tent among spruce trees with sleeping pads and inexpensive sleeping bags, dragged our limited gear into the tent and fell asleep.
I never sleep all that well the first night of camping, but the wind in the trees persuaded me to stay in the tent, even though I should have been alarmed about the little anchor and Juliet. At four o'clock I finally ventured out for the usual reason, as well as to see whether my boat was even there.

Rock Island and Rest for the Weary

Before Departing Deer Isle and Fisherman's Friend, I walked to the Harbor Mart for a few things. Top of the list: a Thermos of hot coffee; next, yogurt and bananas, plus a bag of pretzels and my all-time favorite convenience store purchase: Munchos. The late afternoon in Stonington left us with a few choices from the MITA book. Rock Island seemed the most obvious. I felt no rush, but a view of the harbor proves the sun was dropping fast.



To the east of Crotch Island lay little Rock Island. I'm pretty sure the name is a common island name in Maine, like Sheep, Long, Mark, and Harbor Islands. But it was there for us with a broad, sandy beach on her north side. The sun got away so fast that we were a bit disappointed to see numerous tents on the grassy shoreline, but nevermind. We had brought along a tent and sleeping bags and were not plannng on sleeping in the boat, as we has in trips to Castine, Vinalhaven and Bass Harbor. Lucas, a local lobsterman, greeted us as we hit the beach and asked if we needed help, but the beach was sandy and wide and we easily disembarked with our gear, glad to have decided on a final stop. I had really thought we were on a daysail, so I had made a silly error of not bringing Juliet's big Danforth, I only had the tiny lunch grappling hook. After the boat was cleaned ourt and we had all the gear, I looked at the beach and guessed it was wide enough for Juliet to anchor there for high tide (around 12:30 AM) and be afloat overnight. The grappling hook was buried in a hole in the middle of the beach and covered with an extra eight inches of sand above the natural grade. I washed off my hands and pretty well hoped for the best overnight. The lights of Stonington sparkled in the water.

Stonington Harbor for Dinner

It wasn't a tough decision to sail to the beautiful harbor in Stonington. There is a fine seafood restaurant, Fisherman's Friend that is adjacent to the dinghy dock. Of course as we came around the southeast side of Deer Isle, the wind was from Stonington, but no matter. We ambled around the Stonington Archipelago to find better wind and encountered another small sailboat that was heading toward the north. As we neared Stonington, we saw the powerful workboats that the lobstermen use. On into the harbor, we saw the handy town dock, so we dropped sails and tied up. Many smaller rowing and motor dinghies also use the dock, but there is always room for one more.
Jennifer and I gratefully walked ashore and made a beeline to the restaurant, where we got a table and then took advantage of the head. I don't really want to talk about the head on the boat, but it obeys the maxim "less is more." The meal was good, I had excellent haddock with a baked potato and beer, Jennifer had alfredo pasta, which we both liked.

Jericho Bay and Decisiontime

So we set off from Torrey not knowing our destination, but it seemed to me we could get out into Jericho Bay and look around for a while. Jennifer volunteered that she could eat a meal. Crackers and cheese, GORP, beer and screwdrivers were about our entire larder, so it had to be some kind of restaurant. Stonington would definitely put us out of range to get back to the old ferry landing, so decisiontime had come at 1:30 in the afternoon on Eggemoggin Reach. Above is the view across Jericho bay and Blue Hill Bay toward Mt. Desert Island.

Torrey Island near Brooklin, Maine

Connected by a bar to an island in the distance, Torrey Island makes a good picnic spot. Juliet can easily sail across the shoal into the little protected bay where we dropped anchor. The fine gravel on the beach felt like some kind of hot rock spa treatment that might cost $600 in a resort. At this point, Jennifer and I still thought we were on a daysail. As we left Torrey, the question of turnaround time came up.

Circumnavigating Deer Isle

We were able to make it all the way around the island in two days, starting from the Old Ferry Landing on Eggemoggin Reach and ending at the Causeway, with a stop at Rock Island, east of Crotch Island, dinner in Stonington, plus rests at Torrey Island and another island at the entrance to Jericho Bay. Here, Jennifer waits at the old ferry landing.

Here Juliet lies at the end of the Stonington City Dock, while Jennifer and I dine at Fisherman's Friend Restaurant.

Sailing in Maine

To start things off, my wife, Jennifer and I have just returned from a trip to Maine. We have been to Maine quite a few times and finally decided to do some sailing; we let some folks know. A neighbor on Deer Isle offered us a chance to sail her little Wayfarer sailing dinghy. We bought it from her later in the summer and have been sailing it it twice a year for the last three years. This last trip was the best so far.