Close Call - A cushion, a ledge and three lobsters

Close Call - A cushion, a ledge and three lobsters

We stayed in Rockland for two days in the end.  First day was a work day i.e. Sam and Scott washed and cleaned the boat while Calley and Nic went ashore to get the laundry done.  The washing machine onboard is operational now but we only really use it when essential.  Otherwise its easier to store it all up and do the laundry in one go when we get ashore.

After that Sam and Nic made a provisioning trip to the nearby Supermarket then we were free.  We took off towards the Owls Head Transportation museum which is just out of town.  The place is amazing with a stunning collection of planes, trains and automobiles.  It was a real eye opener for the kids to see tri-planes, penny farthings, model T’s etc together with modern cars.  On the day we visitied they were getting ready for an auction and we could wander around all the lots for sale.  Amazing what you can buy over here.

After the museum we pushed on to a Lobster restaurant which had been recommended to us by the harbourmaster in Rockland.  It was located about 5 miles from the museum on a little cove and consisted of a small wooden building with tables and chairs outside along the edge of a pebble beach.  The lookout was over a peaceful bay with small islands studded here and there.  A small wooden jetty butted into the water and acted as a store for lobster pots, floats and lines.  We went up to order our meals and had a chat with the girls behind the counter.  It pretty soon became apparent that what the harbourmaster neglected to tell us was that it was a BYO place and the nearest store was about 2 miles away.  It must have been our shattered expressions that did it because after we had ordered our lobster dinners and sat down, the lobster fisherman who I assume owns the place  came over and handed us a bottle of Moosehead beer.  Very very tasty.  Must say that this is typical of the generosity and kindness which has been shown to us our whole trip here.

The connection between Maine and lobster is pretty well known but the extent of the industry is incredible.  When we are sailing around here one of the main hazards to the boat is lobster pot floats and lines.  They are everywhere and have a habit of getting tangled in the props or rudders of unwary boats.  The surface is literally littered with these bobbing floats; all about the same size but all different colours.  You need to stay alert especially if you are motoring and pick your course through them.  Everyone in Newport warned us about the floats but you cannot imagine the extent until you see them.  Also out are the lobster boats which weave and spin constantly hauling pots and resetting them with packs of gulls wheeling overhead waiting to dive in for discarded bait.  With all these lobster traps they obviously land lots and lots of lobster and it is a major part of the economy.  This is evident when you are ashore and looking around and every house seems to have a few pots and floats stored in the yard.

Anyway back to our dinner - we savoured our single beer and then moved onto other tasty beverages like coke and iced tea while we waited for the lobster.  The lobster arrived steaming on cardboard plates and everyone dived in.  Before you knew it there was shell and juice exploding everywhere as we all started cracking open the shells.  Calley needed a bit of a hand after she started whacking the lobster with the cracker but eventually she got the hang of it.  We left around sunset and headed back to the boat.

The next day (Thursday 23rd) we got up early and left the boat by 0700 to get into town and catch up on internet stuff.  We had breakfast, a good coffee and then wandered back to the boat.  On the way back we saw that the fog had rolled in.  This is another aspect which Maine is known for.  It rolls in pretty thick and again is a real hazard of you are on the water.  We had heard all about it but not yet experienced it.  Once we saw it though we knew we would not be leaving until it cleared. 

On the way back to the boat we stopped in at a marine supply store (for some reason you cannot visit these places with out leaving at least a couple of hundred dollars poorer) and picked up a couple of items including a spare fog horn.  Then we found a small market had set up near the landing which we used so we had a look around and bought some food.

Finally around 1300 with a last radio call to thank the harbourmaster we made our way out of Rockland.  A sea breeze was blowing so we hoisted sail and headed for the Southern end of Vinyl Haven Island to some small islands (big and little White Island).  It was only about an hour away given the 8 or 9 knots we were doing with a reefed main and the genoa flying.  

Unfortunately in our exhilaration of the sail none of us noticed one of the helm station seat cushions flying off the boat.  We had just been talking about the need to secure these cushions.  We did try and find it but that was impossible.  We made the White Islands late afternoon and motored into the small bay between the islands.  The anchorage was tight for Dulcinea and there was already one boat moored.  I thought to stay in the deep water and move in front of the other vessel.  We passed the vessel with plenty of water under the keel and then started a slow turn to come around to our intended anchorage spot and to see the extent of the deep water.  Suddenly there was a loud bang and a jarring of the boat - we had struck a submerged ledge.  We backed up and were lucky not to get the dingy painter wrapped around the prop in the confusion.  Sam and Calley were below - Sam rushed up to ask what was going on while Calley slept through it.

We moved out to a deeper spot, dropped the anchor and sat down to get our composure.  We quickly checked the bilges to ensure there was no water ingress or cracks and all seemed to be dry.  Next Scott and Sam went into the water to look at any damage to the keel.  The water was freezing - think Scottish summer - and the visibility not that great.  It was that cold that it was hard to hold your breath.  A look at the keel showed that we had struck near the bottom of the keel and had lost a piece of the fibreglass faring which covers the lead keel about 8 inches square.  Do not think it is a major although we will have to come out of the water in Newport to get it repaired.

While Scott was rushing around trying to assess any damage a nearby lobster boat came over to make sure we were OK.  After chatting with Nic and the kids for a bit he gave us three fresh lobster.  Not sure if that was to console us.

Someone once told me that there are two types of sailors - those that have run aground and those that are going to run aground.  Well it appears I have joined the former.  This was a real wake up call.  We need to be extremely careful with this boat given its size and draft and as always err on the side of caution.  Luckily about the only thing I did right was move very slowly so the impact force was minimised.  I had been building up a lot of confidence in handling the boat but now need to reassess.  We are looking at this as positive event which highlights what we need to be aware of in future.  Certainly when we are in the Pacific with less reliable charts and no immediate assistance we need to be a lot more switched on.

The anchorage was very picturesque with islands on three sides, a narrow entrance channel and the open waters of Penobscot Bay to the west across a sand bar which only showed at low tide.  We cooked the lobsters, brought up the food we had bought at the market earlier in the day and cracked open a bottle of white wine.  Great end to a less than perfect day but one in which some very useful lessons have been learned and the skipper reminded that he has a lot still to learn.