More Sailing

 

Wednesday afternoon Stuey, Marcel and I went sailing. And this time, unlike the others, it was windy.  The wind healed the boat over and we flew.  Stuey sailed to windward out the thoroughfare and then we turned around and went all the way to the other side of Seal Cove.  We covered more ground in less than 2 hours than we did on all the other sail trips this vacation so far.

I think Stuey likes it when the boat heals over and rips.  On this trip I started to teach him how to work the main sheet.  Let it out when you get a big puff.  Pull it in when the sails starts to luff.  He's learning to sail pretty quickly.

Patrick

Mullenshead Picnic

Every time we vacation on North Haven we go on a picnic at Mullenshead. Back in the 1970's I can remember going 'around the corner' and lighting a fire on the beach.  But in recent decades we've used the fire grate right there by the parking lot.  

It's a simple picnic because you can drive there in a car.  And it is legal to have a fire.  This year we went to Mullenshead because on the Thoroughfare side of the island it was super windy - a strong wind from the Southwest.  We had wanted to go somewhere in the boat but all the places we wanted to go would have been exposed to the wind.  But not Mullenshead; it was in the lee of the island. Mullenshead was calm and beautiful.

After cooking and eating our brats and hotdogs it was time to swim.  Back in the day I remember that the water on this side of the island was always freezing.  But not so this summer.  We stayed in the water for a solid 3/4 of an hour.

Patrick

The big leap

On Monday the first thing we did after getting back from the mainland was go swimming in the ocean.  On this vacation we have been swimming multiple times every day, and I've been living in my bathing suit.  Our favourite way to swim is to jump off the deck of the house.  You can only do this at high tide.  Even at high tide it is a long drop and fairly intimidating.

When we first got to North Haven high tide was in the late morning.  But these days it its around 6 AM and 7 PM.  So no leaping at noon.  Today we will have to wait until evening.

Patrick

The Swim

 

The swimmers

Another North Haven vacation tradition is swimming across the Thoroughfare.  The Thoroughfare is the channel of water, about a 1/3 of a mile across, that separates the two islands North Haven from Vinalhaven.   When we were kids we did the swim all the time, but the last time I did it was on our visit 2 years ago (click here for post). Last year I tore my hamstring and never did the swim.

This year we got my mother to drive the 'chase' boat to follow us across on the swim - to protect us against rogue motorists and to provide a margin of safety.  She ferried us all over to the other side and we started the swim back across the channel.  We noticed immediately that the incoming tide and west wind had set up a serious current that swept us to the east.  To swim a straight line to the other side we had to angle to the left and swim 'upstream' at about a 45 degree angle. 

By the time we got across the Thoroughfare we had swum about twice the distance as the crow flies.  It was kind of amazing to get swept to the right about as fast as we could swim to the front.  But we made it.  Polly and Jack climbed up on nun 16 to catch a break while Stuey and I did the whole thing without a break.  This was the first time that Stuey did the swim.

Patrick

Quick trip to the mainland and more

 

Monday morning Stuey and I took the early ferry over to the mainland to pick up his friend Marcel.  It is definitely a lot hotter on the mainland!  While waiting to catch the boat back to North Haven we visited with my sister and checked out her garden.  It is a way more elaborate garden than my own back in Kodiak.  My poor neglected garden that is getting weedy and not watered while I am away.

We also went for a swim from my sister's dock at Lake Megunticook.  It is so much harder to float in fresh water!  Marcel taught Stuey how to correctly dive from the rock.

Then we caught the afternoon boat back to the island, and got back to the nice cool weather!

My sister and garden

Nora Stuey and I went for a hike down to a beach on the North shore of North Haven. I'd never gone on this hike before.  It seems in the last few years that there are a bunch of new trails on the island.

My friend Stewart visited and in addition to the Barred Islands picnic we ate lobsters on the lower deck of the house.  We did this last year too (click here for post).  It is a great place to eat lobsters because you just through the messy stuff over the railing and into the water below.

Patrick

Stuey catching up on schoolwork

Stuey and Marcel at Megunticook Lake

Picking raspberries on another North Shore hike - to a beach by Pulpit Rock

Tennis Court Road

Barred Islands Picnic

 

These pictures are all from Sunday's picnic to the Barred Islands.  It's a tradition to go on such picnics with our friend Stewart, and, coincidently, we went to the same place and with the exact same people on our final picnic last year (click here for post). There were already people at the exact exact place that we picnicked at last year.  So we went to a slightly different place in the same set of islands.  Stewart had actually only picnicked there once before.

On arrival we ate lunch and then immediately went swimming.  I was shocked at the warmth of the water.  It was almost swimming pool warm.  Normally the water in this part of the bay is freezing and and super clear.  But this summer it is not only warm but a murky brown colour. I think it might be from all the recent heavy rain.

After the swim Stuey and I walked around all the island.  The islands are connected by submerged sand bars - hence the name 'barred' islands - and we had to wade thigh deep between a couple of the islands. 

Once we got back to the others it was time for more swimming.  It's kind of amazing at how warm the water is these days in Penobscot Bay.  Far, far warmer than it was when I was a kid.

Patrick