Land of Wooden Boats

Finally, it was time to move on – the Cap’n was getting fidgety; this was the start of our “coming home” leg.  Well, it’s back to Deltaville.  So we filled WJ3’s sails and threaded our way through a filigree necklace of lobster pots, over a shallow Bar Harbor bar and out into Blue Hill Bay, carved by glaciers some 13,000 years ago.  Open ocean sailing had been replaced by bay cruising, negotiating hundreds of islands, some little bigger than the houses that rest on them.  Passages between, some navigable, some not, are riddled with rocks, ledges and worse, lobster pots.  The Motleys had to concentrate.

Now this is island living...

Pond Island Passage led us through to Jericho Bay and the start of Eggemoggin Reach.  This fabulous stretch of water is home to Wooden Boat School and if you’re into traditional sailing, this is the place to be.  We sailed past head-turning schooners in full sail, noting that they needed a few more (active) crew aboard than WJ3.  We dodged simple gaff-rigs, tanbark sails, acres of (pristine) varnish work and forests of wood in all shapes and sizes out for an afternoon’s fun and fresh air.  We looked forward to playing with famous windjammers in Camden. 

Historical Castine

Bucks Harbor, at the end of Eggemoggin Reach had been our planned destination, but as is often the way, the weather had turned against us and we sought better protection off Castine, up the Bagaduce River, in Smith Cove.  Castine is a heritage listed town having been occupied since early 1600’s by French, Dutch, British, Colonial America and now summer tourists (locally called rusticators) of all persuasions.  Its strategic location and convenient source of raw materials (timber) made it once a busy ship building port.  Even salt was sourced here to supply Grand Banks fishing fleets.  With British built Fort George (1799) and connections to Paul Revere (Revolutionary War) it is easy to imagine soldiers marching about town, sailors checking rope works, sea shanties wafting over the docks and washing flapping behind pretty cottages.  Today, the people on the streets are more likely to be students from the Maine Maritime Academy.  We followed some of them to their favourite Friday night drinking hole at Dennett’s Wharf then enjoyed, over a few local pints, a large serving of cod and chips...

From: Northeast Harbor, ME  Lat/Long: 44 17N  68 16W  Date/Time: 10/9/10: 0900
To: Castine, ME  Lat/Long: 44 27N  68 46W  Date/Time: 10/9/10: 1530
Time Taken: 46nm (6.5hrs)  Distance (this year): 871nm (164hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 4511nm (863hrs)   Fastest Speed: See Note**
Weather: Winds SW 5-15kts G20kts; Seas 2ft; overcast; blustery thru Eggemoggin Reach; freezing!
(** Mostly motor sailed; dodging lobster pots & wind jammin’ schooners)

Land of Wooden Boats for sure