Food, fixes and notes from the casual coastal sailor.

[chester]

random food/snack suggestion: crisp leaf of romaine, dollop of Costco signature chicken sald, crack of salt, 2 cracks of pepper, dash of El Yucateco optional...repeat. The chicken salad is currently $1.40/100 grams which is not a bad price for deli. The chicken salad is really good and apparently made with their rotteserie chicken.

 

[Kris Cringle]

Brilliant in Belfast maine. Air temperature climbing into the mid eighties during the midday while the slope reverses overnight. Dawn is a cool moist beginning requiring a fleece and hot coffee.

Best of all, the clean water water rushing in and out of the ‘keag’ is a refreshing 72F. Breast strokes around the boat are heaven. Re-tested my MOB device: Found it still easy to board the dinghy shipping less than a quart.

Two groups of a local rowing club threaded the harbor last night, soundless except for the rhythmic knock of each stroke and a lovely melody the crews sang that timed the stroke

 

[Kris Cringle]

Steaming steamers in Tom Cod Cove.

 

[Ajax]

I'm in the midst of planning next year's summer cruise. I've invited several friends to buddy boat up to S. New England. If they bail out on me, I just might blast up to Maine again.

If I do, I think I'll depart later than last year.

 

[Elegua]

After a move from FL, sorting and packing things for storage, some ill advised varnish projects, poorly executed electronic projects and one very fun regatta on another SA’ers boat, after packing 10lbs of crap on board we will be off the dock this am. Man, we need to anchor somewhere and rest.

 

[accnick]

After a move from FL, sorting and packing things for storage, some ill advised varnish projects, poorly executed electronic projects and one very fun regatta on another SA’ers boat, after packing 10lbs of crap on board we will be off the dock this am. Man, we need to anchor somewhere and rest.

Go for it.

Cruising, not just getting ready to go cruising, is a lot of work. It’s worth it, however.

 

[Kris Cringle]

Sailing, sailing, sailing. That’s what I love to do. I don’t care about distance, just the quality of the sail.

Yesterday was about 15nm.

Today was about 6 Nm.

I enjoyed sailing tight along the coast of deer isle today at 3 knots with just the Genoa and mizzen gently pulling as I did yesterday burning down the Reach with all sails flying.
I do a little cruising too, hitting new spots like this lobster shack.

I took a little chance with the mooring, I know. but it was typical ‘wind off’ at dusk, maine day.

No-row morning.

 

[Kris Cringle]

Mornings at anchor are the best mornings. Alone on the Reach I can hear porpoise exhaling and far away gulls crying. That’s all I can hear.

 

[accnick]

Mornings at anchor are the best mornings. Alone on the Reach I can hear porpoise exhaling and far away gulls crying. That’s all I can hear.
View attachment 531474

That’s in part because it’s Sunday, and the lobstermen aren’t out.

Calm and quiet in NE this morning, as well. Only sound is ospreys fishing.

I’m having my first cup of coffee. Fired up the heater briefly to take the edge off, but now that the sun is up, it’s warming up nicely.

 

[Kris Cringle]

That’s in part because it’s Sunday, and the lobstermen aren’t out.

True but there are no lobster pots in this part of the Reach.

Someone from away on the maine sailing/cruising group asked, why?

Someone answered simply, “There are no lobsters”.

That sounded flip at first. Then I realized, that must be true or this easy to fish body would be carpeted with buoys.

 

[accnick]

True but there are no lobster pots in this part of the Reach.

Someone from away on the maine sailing/cruising group asked, why?

Someone answered simply, “There are no lobsters”.

That sounded flip at first. Then I realized, that must be true or this easy to fish body would be carpeted with buoys.

The E end of the Reach is often carpeted with pots. Not so most of the Reach.

This is not a great year so far for lobstermen: high prices for fuel and bait, low landed price ($4) against fairly high retail price ($9-10), and low catches.

Meat is still $50/lb.

Lobster are mostly shedders right now, so you aren’t getting much bang for your buck.

I’m guessing that with high food prices in general, the demand for “luxury” foods is down, except in tourist areas.

 

[Kris Cringle]

Wooden boat snobs come out of nowhere but are particularly thick around Wooden Boat magazines school.

This one snuck up in a plywood kayak that he had proudly built.

“Beautiful boat, what design?”, as he intersected our meandering wake.

“Thanks, Alden challenger” I politely answer.

He keeps up to our gentle speed and gets closer.

“The hull looks,…is it fiberglass”, he asks as his smile flattens out?

“Yes it is”, I smile thinking (wrongly) he’s interested in boat building history. “Alden’s first glass hull”,…but I can see I’ve lost him as he’s stopped paddling.

As we leave him in the wake he musters, “We’ll, nice topsides,..anyways”, as he turns off.

I gave him the lazy queens wave and get back to sailing. “It’s the house that is wood, stupid, not the topsides”, I think to myself.

“And it’s anyway, not anywayS.”,…

I shouldn’t expect an interest in boatbuilding history from someone who needs a $3000 class to build a plywood kayak sheathed in fiberglass.

 

[Israel Hands]

Wooden boat snobs come out of nowhere but are particularly thick around Wooden Boat magazines school.

This one snuck up in a plywood kayak that he had proudly built.

“Beautiful boat, what design?”, as he intersected our meandering wake.

“Thanks, Alden challenger” I politely answer.

He keeps up to our gentle speed and gets closer.

“The hull looks,…is it fiberglass”, he asks as his smile flattens out?

“Yes it is”, I smile thinking (wrongly) he’s interested in boat building history. “Alden’s first glass hull”,…but I can see I’ve lost him as he’s stopped paddling.

As we leave him in the wake he musters, “We’ll, nice topsides,..anyways”, as he turns off.

I gave him the lazy queens wave and get back to sailing. “It’s the house that is wood, stupid, not the topsides”, I think to myself.

“And it’s anyway, not anywayS.”,…

I shouldn’t expect an interest in boatbuilding history from someone who needs a $3000 class to build a plywood kayak sheathed in fiberglass.

View attachment 531670

What fools we mortals be!

Mindset is continually creating opportunities for some, and painting others into corners.

 

[Kris Cringle]

OWL MOON (in the port) out of Annapolis in Pickering cove off big deer isle.

We spent a couple days hugging the coast of this massive island and took our first explore up Southeast harbor, a 5 or 7 Nm cleft.

The shores feel remote with moderate development and lots of densely wooded shoreline.

Pickering cove is quite beautiful surrounding the Edgar Tennis preserve with hiking trails.

Exposed to a stiff south wind, we enjoyed the expansive view out over the Merchant islands on a typical windless maine night.

This was through a port this morning.

 

[JonathanW]

My goodness that photo out of the port just helped me solve a silly occasional problem with our jib sheets catching on a bit of hardware near one of the stays. Why on earth didn’t I think of doing that? Simply, possibly because I never looked at it from this angle.

 

[Kris Cringle]

Finally escaping the blistering heat under cloud cover in Northeast Harbor on MDI.

Penobscot bay south will broil in heat indices into the 90’s today.

Not going to last long though as forecasts put us back in the heat tomorrow. We picked a good time to be on the, still cold, North Atlantic.

 

[accnick]

Finally escaping the blistering heat under cloud cover in Northeast Harbor on MDI.

Penobscot bay south will broil in heat indices into the 90’s today.

Not going to last long though as forecasts put us back in the heat tomorrow. We picked a good time to be on the, still cold, North Atlantic. View attachment 531913

My boat is on a mooring directly behind the binnacle in this photo.

Gray and still this morning. As long as it doesn’t rain, it’s perfect varnishing weather, and I’ve got stuff sanded, taped, and ready to go.

 

[Ajax]

it’s perfect varnishing weather, and I’ve got stuff sanded, taped, and ready to go.

The humidity doesn't affect application and curing?

 

[accnick]

The humidity doesn't affect application and curing?

Not as long as there is no condensation on the surface. The stuff I am working on is under the aft deckhouse overhang in the cockpit, so is semi-protected

Humidity retards drying, and when it’s cloudy, surfaces stay cooler. When I varnished two days ago, it was sunny and hot, and even with brushing thinner, it was hard to get the varnish to flow.

Varnishing in cloudy weather is walking a fine line. Wipe down with thinner almost immediately before varnishing. Then a final wipe with the tack rag and go for it.

Edit: just as I wrote that, the fog rolled in. Varnishing on hold…

 

[Kris Cringle]

My boat is on a mooring directly behind the binnacle in this photo.

Gray and still this morning. As long as it doesn’t rain, it’s perfect varnishing weather, and I’ve got stuff sanded, taped, and ready to go.

It was to see you yesterday, Nick, and meet your lovely mate.

Having stopped in NEH for perhaps 2 decades, isn’t there a harbor beautification committee to address the dated DREAMS and DANI 80’s Clorox bottle MoBo backdrop?

Where can I put in a complaint? 🤔