Sherry Pickett

A very salty but short trip! We left at 11AM to time the current in the canal, needed to be on an ebb tidal current. Coming through the canal was quick with 4kts of current and the wind behind us. Exiting the canal into Buzzards Bay is where things became sporty. Winds gusting up to 33kts, formed waves behind us, same direction as current but very chaotic. Happy we only had a few miles of it before our destination. Picked up a mooring ball, very well explained and good directions given ahead of time by the YC. Very large mooring field, even in the protected harbor winds are gusting strong. We will be waiting out the weather here for a couple days.

Calm seas today past Boston, went through fog for a couple hours. Waves building a bit in Cape Cod Bay closer to canal. Stoped for the night at Sandwich so we can transit the canal tomorrow and get settled on the other side to wait out some weather for the next t few days. Long day of motoring. Left Duane in Manchester by the Sea as he is heading to Boston for a few days (photo of his boat as we left this morning). Will meet up again down the coast. Had a Pine Warbler visit us as we were passing Boston, somehow got inside the cockpit enclosure. Opened up the sides to usher him out and he rested on the dinghy for awhile.

Very calm day, gently rolling seas. We had 10kts for a short time, motor sailed for a bit. Saw many porpoises along the way. Very narrow channel coming in but well marked. The YC helps you find a mooring in the harbour, no charge but they take donations for their annual Christmas party. Meeting a member of the YC this evening who is a friend of David(Second Star). Duane is also joining us here, our flotilla continues!

It was a warm day with bright sunshine. Unfortunately the winds were right on the nose all day, waves weren’t more than 2’ but were close together. The beautiful sunshine made the lobster pots hard to see in the glare. Who marks their pots with black floats!? Two buddy boats now, Second Star and Someday V, Duane from Port Whitby arrived in Portland yesterday. We reserved a mooring ball with Portsmouth YC, easy to find on arrival. Swell (SW) coming in tonight is making it a bit bouncy.

Absolutely gorgeous day on the water. Nice but slow downwind sail . Lots of porpoises along the way and finally captured some on video. Portland is a very busy Harbor. Arrived at DiMillos Marina, despite the VERY expensive docking fees no one on the dock to help on arrival, beside a super yacht. Decided to splurge and dock here for the location. Right in Old Town Portland. Looking forward to exploring here.

No wind, ran into fog and a few showers in first couple of hours this morning. Motored entire trip as highest winds were 5kts. Beautiful sunny afternoon on arrival in Boothbay Harbor. Luke on the fuel dock was very helpful and friendly. Town looks pretty from the mooring field. Seeing lots of porpoises along our way.

Beautiful sunny day, flat seas and light wind. Quick hop to Rockland.

Light winds picked up so that as we were crossing the open bay we had up to 17kts, on the nose of course. Navigating the channel markers with the lobster pots thrown in for fun definitely keeps you on your toes. Beautiful anchorage/mooring field, lots of balls, a few boats. A few cottages on shore.

Started out with clear sunny skies, calm seas and winds directly on the nose. Thick fog around Cape Sable and well into the night. Fog cleared around 9 or 10PM and it was a beautiful starry night, clear skies the rest of the trip. Incredible sunrise. Very little boat traffic. Were able to sail in a steady 10kts, close reach for last few hours, put Genoa away to navigate lobster pots more easily. About 20nm offshore from Maine we started seeing lobster pots. By the time we were close to shore it was a crazy maze of pots. Wove our way through successfully and into the Hinckley mooring field where we picked up a mooring ball and remotely checked in with customs (CBP Roam app), obtained our cruising permit. Raised Q flag and waited for check-in to be approved. Cleared in with 20mins. Buddy boating with Second Star. All night and kept thinking “Second Star on the right and straight on ‘til morning” lol

Great sailing conditions! Beam reach turned into close hauled then motored up directly into wind to get to Yacht Club. Very nice town, super friendly people. Great meal the Emerald Light. Leaving from here to cross over to Maine, heading to Southwest Harbor. Will take about 24 hours.