Boothbay Region Log

August 1 – August 19, 2006

By Julia Lamb

Maine is awesome!  We have spent the entire month of August in this wonderful state and we are not anxious to leave, even though the nightly temperatures are dropping and we sometimes wake up with frosty noses.  Superior cruising grounds abound along the Maine coast with almost every cove or harbor possessing postcard perfection. 

From majestic granite cliffs, forests of fir trees and frigid clear waters to inviting island trails, and open, friendly islanders, Maine has captured our hearts.  The coastline seems endless measuring 3,500 convoluted miles with 6,200 islands, enough to keep any cruiser happy for years, if only it was August all year long!

We were escorted into the southern coast of Maine on the first day of August by a pod of Right Whales surfacing around our boat as we cut through the calm, glassy bay.  While Steve stood at the helm, an enormous whale appeared directly in front of Tantara and was in no hurry to move.  Steve immediately cut the engine and we held our breath as the creature reappeared at the stern of our boat moments later, likely swimming underneath us.  Harbor seals also swam by, murky black eyes peering at us with curiosity.  We anchored in Wood Island Harbor near Biddeford Pool that first night.

August 2^nd, we made it all the way to Boothbay Harbor, an area we would become familiar with in the next two weeks.  After a beautiful, but tiring day of sailing, we settled into our new anchorage with satisfaction and anticipation.  We were ready for some adventures on land and the town of Boothbay Harbor beckoned just a short dinghy ride away.  Apparently our daily allotment of sea adventures had not expired as a vigorous thunderstorm brewed in the distance.

As lightening slashed around our boat, our anchor began to drag as we drifted dangerously close to another sailboat in the harbor.  We were jolted by a deafening crash and we feared Tantara had been struck by lightening.

After the storm passed, we studied our anchoring system and decided to put out more scope, anchor rode in addition to all our chain.  We stayed safely anchored in Boothbay Harbor for the next three days, but the bad news was our auto helm, depth finder and wind indicator were scrambled from the lightening strike.

The nearby Boothbay Region Boatyard was unable to examine our electronics until the following week.  We needed food, so we took the convenient free trolley into town for provisions.

Indeed, a silver lining sparkled from beneath our storm cloud.  As we sat in our cockpit eating our newly acquired food, the triplets lamented the fact that they had no friends to invite to their eleventh birthday party.  Suddenly we heard the chug-chug of a dinghy motor and the delighted squeals of little girls crying, “A seal!  A seal!”   The surprised seal turned to inspect the curious humans and the Decker family drifted close enough to notice us watching the entire entertaining scene. 

It was a happy meeting of two cruising families as we made our initial introductions.  Mark, Jen and their three daughters, Hannah (9), Audrey (7), and Lilly (3), from Annapolis, Maryland started cruising with their forty-three foot catamaran “Spoony” in July.  Their travel plans are similar to our own for the rest of the year, so we hope to see more of them in the future.

The following morning, the Deckers invited us to Spoony for a delicious birthday breakfast of blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes.   After a fun morning of getting acquainted, we extended the invitation to our new friends to celebrate our children’s eleventh birthday on Tantara.  We quickly returned to our boat to make preparations.  Emily and Rachel produced colorful decorations while I baked a double layer marble cake with dark fudge frosting.  Steve and Daniel scrubbed the deck and cockpit and prepared the grill for burgers.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening sharing stories of our cruising adventures, the highlights and the low points.  It encouraged us to meet others who have made the same choices and changes this year, to gain wisdom from lessons learned and to laugh at our mistakes in the safety of understanding friends.

After blowing out their eleven candles and opening gifts (art supplies from the Deckers!), Emily, Daniel and Rachel capped off the evening with a rousing rendition of  “Triple Dip”, their famous piano trio, played on our electronic piano.

The next day, August fifth, the Deckers sailed on to meet friends further north, with plans to meet us after we had addressed our electronics issues.  Since this was the triplet’s actual birth date, we still had more celebrating to do as a family.

Steve took the kids in the dinghy to explore hidden coves around the harbor while I went shopping for birthday gifts in town.  When we met for a late lunch at a seafood restaurant, the kids were full of excitement as they told me about a seal they discovered napping on a rock (see Rachel’s account in her log).  The excitement level rose as they opened their birthday presents after lunch.  The waiter treated all of us to free dessert, a choice of blueberry pie or cheesecake.

We keenly felt the need for some exercise after our feast, so we strolled through town to the Romar Bowling Lanes, a vintage log cabin built in the 1940s, housing eight candlepin lanes.  Although the smaller balls and slender pins appear easier than modern bowling, we soon discovered the challenge and skill required to knock down those ten elusive candlepins.

On our way to the Boothbay Region Boatyard for our scheduled appointment to check our electronic systems, we anchored near Damariscove Island and hiked the trails for several hours, enjoying the lovely views and sunshine.  The kids and I jumped into the frigid clear water in the cove after our hike to “cool off”.  Brrr!

That night we anchored in Love Cove, near Southport Island and while we ate our dinner, we watched a mother osprey catch a fish, fly back to her huge nest at the top of a nearby tree, shred the fish with her beak and feed it to her chick.  Who needs the Discovery Channel with an evening show like that?

We tied up at the boatyard dock for the next few days while our electronics problems were diagnosed.  The bad news – the auto helm, depth finder and wind indicator needed to be removed and shipped to the dealer for repair, which meant a delay of about a week.  The good news – we caught up on laundry, math and visited an interesting museum on Southport Island.

By August 9^th we had planned to see much more of the coast of Maine, but life had given us some “lemons” and the only thing to do was to make “lemonade”.  Since we didn’t think it wise to make any long passages without our instruments, we decided to explore the Sheepscot River and Boothbay region.

We spent two gloriously relaxing days anchored near Indiantown Island.  We threaded our way along a network of hiking trails through mossy wooded forests with a rainbow of mushroom species and lichen and out to a rock bluff to take in the splendid view of neighboring islands.  The kids enjoyed sailing Triple Dip around our tranquil anchorage while Steve changed the oil in the generator and I delighted  in some solo hiking and time for meditation. 

Over the weekend we explored further up the Sheepscot River and anchored near the town of Wiscasset.  Steve mounted his folding bike with the cargo trailer attached and rode several grueling uphill miles to the grocery store while the kids and I walked to Morris Farm, a sustainable organic farm.  We met the family who lives and works at the farm and they gave us a ride in the hay wagon behind their two massive workhorses, Bill and Harry.  We bought some fresh milk and organic produce, and got a ride back to the town dock with the grandmother of the farm family.  On the way to the grocery store, Steve stopped in the parking lot of Bible Baptist Church just as wedding guests were departing.  After a friendly conversation with some church members, he was able to arrange a church van pick-up at the town dock Sunday morning.

That night the thermometer sank to forty-nine degrees and we comforted ourselves with extra blankets and chocolate pudding made with farm fresh organic milk.

It was cool and clear as we traveled to church the next morning with our new friend Brett driving the church van.  We were grateful for the fellowship and felt right at home with the southern guest preacher.  After church, Brett asked us if there was anything more he could help us with and I mentioned that the kids were growing out of their shoes and we really needed a Wal-Mart.  He said he would love to help us because he was anxious to hear more about our cruising adventures. 

After great conversation and dinner at Friendlys Restaurant, we stocked up on shoes and household items we couldn’t find at everyday low prices in the coastal towns we’ve been frequenting.  Brett generously sacrificed his Sunday afternoon for us and it was truly a blessing from God.

On August 14^th we retraced our way back down the Sheepscot River to explore Ovens Mouth Basin.  We hiked the preserve trails and learned about the various species of trees from a trail guide.

We were disappointed to hear that our instruments had not arrived, so we went back to Boothbay Harbor to take advantage of the Internet access at the town library where Steve set up our Web-log and the kids and I cuddled together with a pile of Robert McClosky books:  One Morning in Maine, Blueberries for Sal, and Time of Wonder which depict the beauty and wonder of Maine from a child’s perspective.

The next few days we tied up at the boatyard by day to reinstall our instruments and anchored by night in the nearby Ebbenecook Harbor.  The inky night sky was an explosion of stars, the Milky Way spilled across the heavens.  The water was dead calm and we could see millions of stars reflecting in the water around us, as if Tantara had become a planet floating in space.  It was a “time of wonder” for our family.

While the boat was being fixed, the kids and I explored a wonderful beach on Southport Island where we met Beth and Charlie, the wife and infant son of Howie, one of the men who worked on our boat at the boatyard.  Howie showed the kids how to dig for clams and after collecting a bucket full, Beth gave us a ride back to the boatyard where we had steamed clams for an appetizer before dinner.

August 19^th, two weeks and two days after the damaging lightening strike, we dried our tears after reading the boatyard bill and set out for Rockland.