Somes Harbor to Valley Cove to Southwest Harbor to Merchant Row
Day 3 in Maine: Somes Harbor to Merchant Row
Swan’s Island to Blue Hill
The honeymoon now truly begins now that we made it Maine. After a nice sleep-in and woken only by lulling diesel engines of the lobster boats heading out, we had a leisurely morning of coffee and blueberry pancakes with no schedule to adhere to.
We decided to explore the area we only picked due its southerly access to end out trip north. In the dinghy we towed the whole way, we checked out the Burnt Coat Harbor with its picturesque moored lobster boats and brightly colored Fish Co-Op sheds with coffees in hand. The weather was beautiful: partly cloudy and calm.
We learned from the Cruising Guide of Maine (our Bible) that a French explorer came across the island in the 17th century just after a fire and named it “brûlée cotê” meaning “burned coast” but it was later anglicized into “Burnt Coat.” The harbor was bigger than we expected from the chart and was very cool to explore.
Around 1130, we got back to the boat, pulled up the anchor which had settled in thick mud and set off the way we came. Having looked at the forecast and impending reminants of Hurricane Issaiah headed our way, we made for Blue Hill which was labeled a hurricane hole in the Guide. I also knew of a Blue Hill from our good friend, Justin Bauer, and knew he had a family home. While we were offshore and away from cell service, he had texted and asked where we were headed in Maine. (Justin now lives in Paris, France and we were actually visiting him and his wife, Perri, when we got engaged. )
I texted Justin that we were actually headed to Blue Hill and if he had any tips. As luck would have it, he said his sister was at the house right now. So I got in touch with Steph and we made plans to come by.
There was zero breeze so we motored through Jericho Bay then along the East Side of Long Island up through Blue Hill Bay. Blue Hill has two small harbors: inner and outer and we wound our way through a narrow winding channel and made for the inner harbor for its 360 of protection.
Justin’s family home is right at the entrance to Blue Hill sitting just off a rocky ledge and it was a great to final see if after hearing so many stories. The have an outhaul system and we were able to come into a beach the let the dinghy out to keep it off the rocks.
After some cocktails and a delicious home cooked lasagna followed by blueberry pie fro their aunt who lives locally, we were stuffed and the weather was starting to change so we made for the boat.
The clouds of the front started to really roll in and it was pretty spectacular. We buttoned the boat up just before the rain came. All in all, we saw a few big gusts but nothing much over 25 so it was pretty mellow but glad we were inside Blue Hill.
We toasted the day with nightcap of maple bourbon from Morgan’s dogs, Gussie and Baelen, and listened to the rain and wind while we were cozy down below making plans for the next day to check out Somes Harbor on Mount Desert Island.
Food:
- Breakfast: Blueberry pancakes with bacon & mimosa
- Lunch: Willow Tree Chicken salad wraps
- Dinner: Veggie lasagna and blueberry pie cooked by Aunt Caroline
Maine or bust…
We have dreaming of cruising Maine for years so a honeymoon only seemed fitting to take the excuse for extended time off to make it happen.
The morning after our backyard wedding, we packed the last of the provisions, made a quick run our the local coffee shop and Daves Marketplace, then were able to drop the mooring lines by 1130 – less than 12 hours after the after party of our wedding wrapped in our backyard. (Thanks to the friends and family who cleaned that up! David Wilson, Margaret Hahn, Cassie Minto, and Marilyn Cassedy).
Between the chop of getting out Narragansett Bay and the slight headache of the previous night’s festivities, we did have to pop up some seasickness pills to start the trip – but it only took a few hours before we were settled into a routine. We agreed on a watch system of 3 hours on/off at night and 4 during the day.
What a way to kick off a honeymoon – just see each other during watch handoffs 🙂 In reality, this allowed us to get enough sleep to stay alert and get to Maine well-rested.
We lucked out with the weather as well, we had between 15 and 25 knots for the south the entire 200 mile-journey. We made the Cape Code Canal with favorable tides and then gybed a few times along the rhumb line. The sea state was big but our auto pilot was a champ so did all the heavy lifting for us.
We consulted the cruising guide and found Burnt Coat Harbor on Swan,s Island would be the best protected harbor. We made landfall at 0100 and couldn’t have been luckier to be coming into an unknown place known for lobster pots every few feet. It was clear skies, a full moon, and high tide. Getting in was a breeze. We dropped the hook, cracked a beer, turned on the heat, then took hot showers. We made it to Maine in 38 hours. Let the adventure continue…
Food for the Tip:
- Lunch #1: Chicken chaser salad wraps from Dave’s
- Dinner #1: Buffalo chicken Mac n cheese (premade before we left)
- Breakfast: Toad in a hole (eggs in a toast cooked stove top)
- Lunch #2: Willow chicken salad wraps
- Dinner #2: Chicken Marsala with Veggies and Naan
Cruising in April
What better way to do a shakedown sail then to turn it into an overnight cruise? So under sunny skies on Saturday April 26th, after Brandon finished work at the Boatyard, we loaded up some provisions and warm clothes and took off for a sail over to Dutch Harbor on the other side of Jamestown.
The wind was about 10-15 from the South. We did a jib-only sail because we put up all our canvas over the cockpit and we can’t put the main up with the connector. And well… we wanted to stay in the shade!
It was a quick sail over and we surprisingly were not the only ones. We shared the anchorage with another ambitious cruiser. As soon as we got there, we took the little dog over the Dutch Island and did not heed the warnings that there would be ticks. We walked around the abandoned islands which still houses many military ruins. I hear it was once a place for leprosy patients.
Needless to say, we spent the better part of our trip knocking ticks off ourselves and Scruffy. So we hurried back to the boat only to discover it wasn’t enough, we probably took another 20 off the little guy. It was crazy to think that how bad it was in April due to the mild winter we had.
As the sun went down, we closed up down below and I cooked up some Chili and Cornbread. Using the oven heated the place up and the Chili warmed us from the inside out. The recipe I used is from a good friend from college, Kate (Brush) Owen, who wrote them on notecards that I still use today!
So with a glass of wine and a book in hand, we snuggled in for the evening. It was cool that night onboard, I don’t think I have every worn so many clothes. We woke up early and sailed back to avoid forecasted rain and luckily just as we hit the shore, it started to come down.
All in all a very successful first cruise, and not knowing where this year is headed, it is great to know we have this escape.
Launching a Quarantine
With the world in lockdown, what better way to socially distance than on the water? So on April 19th, Persistence splashed once again with the hopes of a long healthy season of sailing and cruising ahead of us.
Since buying a house last Fall, we did not start any boat projects. (Just a lot of house projects!) We actually didn’t even put the cover on the boat until Christmas Eve!
So after less than 3 months undercover and ski season officially canceled, on March 21st, we took the cover off the boat.
Normally we take everything off the boat in the winter – but having just bought a house, we were in the middle of moving so we left pretty much everything on the boat: cushions, dry goods, books etc. Luckily, nothing got moldy or musty so just a little elbow grease and Clorox was needed. My favorite product to use onboard is Fabuloso, it really cuts through the boat grime that accumulates and is doesn’t leave anything feeling greasy or chemical-ly.
The weekend of April 10th we stepped the mast, compounded and waxed the topsides, cabin house, and cockpit and painted the bottom. Needless to say I was sore for about 2 days after wielding the buffer. Compounding is essentially “sanding” as it takes some of the gel coat away but just barely and waxing polishes is back up. Leaving the boat shiny and looking happy. Many just do the topsides but we like to do the deckhouse and the cockpit as well. We didn’t last year so this year was extra tough!
We are lucky because Brandon is the crane operator and trailer driver which means while some are shut down, we can be self-sufficient. Jamestown Boat Yard has stayed fully open during the pandemic albeit with a smaller staff. We also managed to keep our boat in a spot we could get out. The view above is where we were nestled in. Not pictured is that the width between the buildings only gives us about 2 inches of space TOTAL to get out. No scratches though. Just a lot of careful towing by Brandon.
Now that we are in the water, we are investing in a heater that hooks into our diesel tank so we can start cruising on the weekends locally. There are so many protected harbors around Narragansett Bay which keep us in the state and obeying all local regulations. Some states such as Maryland and New York banned recreational boating at one point but never in Rhode Island. We also know boatyards and marinas are reopening in CT and NY.
So the plan is to start using Persistence as much as we can. Last year, we had a pretty full calendar between work, weddings, and sailing on other boats. As of today, we have only one thing on the calendar at that is our own wedding on August 1st followed by a honeymoon cruise to Maine. While we hope to celebrate with family and friends, if we just end up saying “I do” on the bow and then a party at some later date – so be it! Here’s to Hope, Happiness, and Health!
The next big adventure: A new house!
Brandon and I have been looking at houses for well over a year now. Since we already had a great home – albeit just a bit small – we were in no rush. We mostly just browsed Zillow and drove around on weekends we were in Rhode Island seeing what was out there. For us, having land already meant we didn’t want to give that up but we didn’t want to be far away from Jamestown/Newport.
In the late summer, a house popped up that caught our eye. They were having an open house one weekend but we were of course away sailing. We did still drive down the long driveway and took a poke around peeking in windows – assuming no one was living there (apparently we were wrong but didn’t learn that at the time!) Then we asked a friend of ours who is a real estate agent to reach out to see if we could visit it.
It is a beautiful 4 bedroom Cape built in 1960 with a 2006 master suite addition sitting on 2.5 acres and butting up against 57 acres of conservancy land. It was reasonably priced in a good neighborhood – so we were thinking: “What’s the catch?”
Well on our first visit we got the disclosures to learn it has a cesspool – which are now illegal in Rhode Island. New owners will have 1 year from the date of closure to put in a proper septic system. This new home is also in a “critical resource area” due to proximity to water tables. So… $$$$$ septic tank.
After some negotiations (and low offers) and even the house being taken off the market, the sellers (a retired couple who raised their family here then has moved South) accepted. Then started the stressful, drawn-out mortgage, inspections, and closing process but on October 22, we got the keys and started the move in.
It’s the best of both worlds as we are keeping the other house and Brandon’s mom is the new tenant. Moving is a slow process utilizing Brandon and my dad’s trucks.
Side note, on the same week of the closing, my car decided it liked Fletcher Road too much and couldn’t handle the move across town – having already moved me across the country twice and the state a few times. So after 10 years, the little-Honda-Fit-that-could ended it by popping herself out of gear, putting down the e-brake, and rolling out a nearly flat driveway to hit a tree 6 inches in diameter at 3mph. No one humans or animals were hurt or even witnessed her demise – the neighbor came over to let us know she ran away into his yard. The dent in the rear corner was enough for the insurance company to total her.
So now back at the new house, we have a list of projects to make the home our own, so far Brandon is making the garage his haven with insulation, more power, and heat and I am taking down wallpaper.
Facebook Marketplace has been a wonderful place to find some furniture – as we now have to furnish a house double in size. So far, my favorite room is our den. It has a wood fireplace, a beautiful view of the woods behind us and plenty of light. It has become my new defacto office due to its warmth and general hygee (Danish for coziness).
Scruffy has been adjusting but has already come to think of this as his territory – so squirrels of Congdon Hill beware! He is also a fan of the new chairs by the fire just not all the banging Brandon does in the garage.
The grand plan is to host both of our families (18! + 3 dogs) so stay tuned for that!
Lastly, Persistence came out of the water on November 1. We didn’t go on any big adventures this year, just a Cuttyhunk and a last Columbus Day weekend to Block Island. Hopefully next summer we will get away. We have grand dreams to do a honeymoon crusing trip to Maine.
Speaking of the wedding… persistenceadventures.com/wedding has more information about that.
Summer of Small Adventures
Well, it has been a while since writing but it sadly is not because we have been out adventuring all over New England waters onboard Persistence but because it has been a Summer of work, weddings, and weekends away from our boat.
However, we have still managed to get in a lot of sailing in – just not always onboard the Persistence. Work has kept me very busy and I have managed to get more use of the Nav Station down below as an office than the sails on deck. We actually realized in August that the mainsail never even went up once in June or July!
The highlights of Summer 2019 thus far with picture below (we still have over a month of sailing weather ahead of us so we don’t plan to put her away yet!)
- Launched on May 15th!
- Mitchell Regatta (Memorial Day Weekend race to Block Island) – Tied (with good friend Morgan) for the best appetizer: Bacon Wrapped Japenpenos Stuffed with Dates and Goat Cheese.
- NYYC Annual Regatta sailing with The Cat Came Back Crew
- Block Island Race Week – I did the media for the event but Brandon sailed with the Cat.
- 4th of July – Brandon was off to a Bachelor party so Scruffy and I hung out in Jamestown on the boat and sailed with friends
- NYYC Race Week – I sailed IC37s onboard Chesapeake Racing
- Camden Classics Cup – Brandon and I headed Downeast to join Verissimo for a weekend of sailing. It was my first time racing there and it was beautiful. We took 2nd in the regatta.
- August 1st! Our first cruising weekend of the SUMMER! Friends were headed to Block Island so we headed out to our favorite spot for a weekend of swimming, mudslides, and even made it out to see a band on Saturday night. Sadly the wind did not cooperate either direction and while the sails were up, we motored sailed both ways for much of the journey.
- Justin and Perri’s Wedding – NYC. Amazing time with friends at the Bronx Botanical Gardens
- Back to Block. We had another weekend free and while we would have loved to go to Cuttyhunk the wind was SE so it was just too good to not set sail for Block once again. Morgan and Jay joined us on Saturday for a relaxing weekend in our favorite place. However, the light winds once again led us to motor most the way.
- August 15th – Took the Newport Yacht Club junior sailors out for a day on the boat with 2 other big boats. I think it is important the kids get to experience something other than an opti. We went to Mackrol Cove to swim and eat and everyone got to try something different.
- Bristol Wedding weekend – Alex Longo, Brandon’s friend from high school was getting married in Bristol at Mount Hope Farm so we set sail on Saturday morning with another friend and stayed on a mooring in the harbor. Sunday was breezy but from the North. Got the boat going 7.5 knots at one point under jib only!
- Labor Day Weekend – And like that it was September. Brandon did the Vineyard Race (Stamford CT to Buzzards Bay and Around Block) onboard a customer’s boat – Jules, a Baltic 53. And I sailed The Cat for the CYC Around the Island Race while simultaneously handling the media for the event.
- Now we head into another wedding weekend for Holly Huffine, one of my oldest friends, here at home. We will probably stay on the boat Saturday and race Sunday on the Cat for the Fall Series but as the temperatures cool. We know there is still much more sailing time still ahead in the coming weeks.
Merci, Paris.
Our first big adventure of the year was off to France for a week of exploring, eating, wine tasting, and a small life event ?(more on that below…). Brandon has an annual training in Finland around this time each year so with a free flight to Europe for him, frequent flyer miles for me, and European friends with guest rooms, we try to tack on a visit to a new city. each year.
Our first trip was in 2015 when I joined him in Finland (in January!) followed by a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark – where I used to live – to show him my old stomping grounds.
Then in 2016, we visited our good friends Alexa and Jonathan in London. This time, I met Brandon in London and skipped the cold, dark northern, Finland.
This year, with our friends Justin and Perri having just moved to Paris (just 3 weeks ago!) we headed to France for a few days. We did some serious
Some of the Paris highlights:
Montmartre:
On the first day we went to the hilltop that holds the charming Montmartre where cafes, winding alleys, and the domed Sacré-Cœur basilica overlooks the city. It was the perfect kickoff to our city as we got a sense of the city from above.
The Catacombs:
Underneath the city, the bones of 6 million Parisians can be found in their final resting place. Around the time of the Plague, vast quarries below the city provided the materials to build the city, then
Picasso Museum:
The world renowned Spanish artist settled in Paris developing Cubism and Realism in the early 20th Century. When he died, his family couldn’t afford the estate taxes so donated many of his works to the State to be sold or displayed in a public museum. Located in the old Hôtel Salé, in the 3rd Arrondissement, the works show the development of the beloved artist over his years living in Paris. We always get the audio guide when we visit a museum because the extra history and explanations really make the visit better.
Notre Dame:
Visiting the iconic church was amazing because you look at both the intricacies and details in architecture and art and realize this was built in the 12th century!
Fontainebleau:
On Saturday, we headed out of the city by car to visit Fontainebleau, the residence of Royals and Emperors. A tour of the grounds and the exquisite Apartments was amazing. The detail everywhere you looked was very impressive. This was also where Napolean surrendered before his exile.
Monet’s Water Lillies
On Monday, I needed to get some work done and Brandon had already left. Justin and I did manage to get out and check out the only museum open on a Monday, Musée de l’Orangerie which houses Claude Monet’s famous Water Lillies. I thought they were paintings like any other but in they are two rooms of HUGE panoramic lilies. The small museum also houses works by Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, Rousseau, Soutine which was an amazing surprise.
Champagne!
On Tuesday, Justin and I rented a car and headed 1.5 hours out of the city (2 hours with rush hour) to visit the Champagne region. While we did try to go to a smaller Champagne House, to get a more unique experience, it was recommended we go at least one of the big houses due to their tours.
We got the Imperial Tour at Moet and Chandon and due to the off-season, we got a private tour (no one else booked it). They are the largest in the region and have 18 miles of caves under the city. We walked among hundreds of thousands of bottles lying in wait for a celebration. Then toasted at the end of the day to a wonderful trip.
Eiffel Tower:
Speak of celebrations….
We knew we wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower so we booked a trip online in the morning for
And…
So it was quite and eventful trip. A huge thank you to Justin and Perri for allowing us to crash with them in their temporary housing. We can’t wait to come back and visit. It is truly a City of Love!