Songtau Boothbay Harbor
Coriolis anchored off of Maglathery Island Merchant Row.
A foggy morning in Brooklyn Me.
Dorade off of the Castine Light:
The end of the summer in New England can be the begining of different transitions for many yachts and their owners and crews. As I reflect back on the summer of 2008 I am taken by the number of changes one has been experiencing on my own. The weather this past summer for me has been a mix bag to say the least. At the begining of the summer while I was on the west coast in the San Jaun Islands the weather was nothing short of perfect. Upon my return to Maine in Mid July the weather went into the tank for about five weeks. Rain, Fog, with more rain and more fog is the only description I can give this period. Despite this weather pattern that ran from most of July well into August, when it comes to sailing and messing about in boats all days are good . Just some days are better than o
thers. Speaking of good days one reflects back on the Classic Yacht events in Castine and Brooklyn Me, I was able to attend with the Coriolis as a spectator. This week of races and gatherings is a nice contrast to the Classic Yacht Regatta in Antigua. First the size of the vessels are much smaller than the giants that sail in the Caribbean. It is more of a down home feeling with many yawls, ketches, schooners, and sloops. The largest boats in the fleet were the W Class sloops which are around 70 feet.
I was blessed with the opportunity to see the fully restored "Dorade" and to capture some very excellent pics of her sailing. Olin Stephens was there to see his most favorite design win the Castine to Maine race. He was celebrating his 100th birthday at the time. He was quoted as saying "This is the best birthday gift he could have ever had". His career was launched with the success of this yacht in the 1931 Transatlantic race. To say the least his impact on the yachting world is profound. I am sad to write that at this time Olin has passed on.
As the summer moved on I was given the opportunity to deliver from Maine to RI a most beautiful sloop. The Friendship Yacht Company 53 "SONGTAU" was to be my home for a few days as I made the trip south. It was an enjoyable trip not only for the boat but the chance to go offshore again. I had not been offshore since I brought WINGS back from the Caribbean. It was also a great chance to see how this boat would perform in a fairly robust wind. I left Boothbay Maine at about noon to sail overnite across the Gulf of Maine to the Cape Cod Canal. I was leaving on the back side of a cold front with winds expected to be in the 25 knot range for most of the trip. I was not dissapointed in this boat at all. As the wind began to build in the afternoon I began to peel off sail area. Despite the short sail I was carrying she continued to burn off 7 to 8 knot speeds over the bottom. The sea was building to the 7 foot range and Songtau tracked like she was on rails. She did at one point in the late evening ship a wave aboard which completely doused the cockpit. fortunatly for me I was below at the time looking at the charts.
Maine is without equal when it comes to contrast in the view on any given day. Even the days when it is foggy the views can be just stunning. From Fog to Brilliant sunsets. The coast can be a visual smorgasbord of classic yachts, windjammers and pine tree lined islands. I hope all enjoy the pics I have added to this blog.
At this time we are experiencing one of the most active Hurricane seasons we have had in
some time. As I prepare to make the trek to So Florida one cannot rule out the possibility of having to deal with one of these twirling monsters. With the recent devastation caused by IKE on the Texas coast I hope that for the balance of the season the US will be landfall free.
Wishing all a fun filled and beautiful fall season. Remember to click on any image to see a full size view.
