Sailing at last!

We planned to head out this morning without going to shore, but for some reason our mooring payment on Dockwa hadn’t gone through, so we took the launch up to the marina to take care of that.  While we were there we convinced ourselves that we needed lobster biscuits for breakfast, which, of course, were delicious.  

We talked with Helene, the owner, for quite a while about the history of the marina (family owned since the ‘40s!) and some of the challenges with making additional improvements today.  She was delightful, and was excited to hear about our year-long sailing plans as well. 

Before we left, Cecelia picked out a bag of penny candy and found these treats with a delightfully familiar name.  (Patrick invented “zots” as a game (?!) a while back – a zot is when you poke someone’s belly and make a loud “ZOT” announcement.)  

We all agree they are pretty fun (the candies, I mean).  They are hard candies with a surprise fizzy center!

We went back to the boat, where Cecelia and Patrick climbed in the dinghy for a hiking adventure on nearby Birch Island. 

When they returned, I had the boat ready to go, and we dropped the mooring and headed out to our next destination – the Dolphin in Harpswell. 

The wind had filled in nicely, looking like 10-15 knots or so, so we went full sails up and turned off the motor.  Pretty soon we put in a reef to shorten the mainsail as it was gusting more consistently into the high ‘teens.  It was true double-handed sailing—Patrick drove while I trimmed main and worked the traveler.  It wasn’t a lengthy sail, but it felt good to get the boat moving under sail again. 

When we got into the harbor near the Dolphin, we put away the sails and motored in to find a place to anchor.  Dropped the anchor once but didn’t like our swing, so tried once more and found a good spot to settle in.  At dinnertime, we dinghied into shore to have a meal at the Dolphin – home of blueberry muffins and terrific seafood!

On shore we had a bit of a wait for a table, so Cecelia spent some time trying to throw rocks as far as she could into the water.  We attempted a family selfie, but no luck on that with a stubborn kiddo who wanted nothing to do with a photo.

The shoreline and the lawns and their views were pretty though. 

During dinner, the fog started to roll in, so sunset was a bit of a bust.  Fog and trees would have to do. 

2 Replies to “Sailing at last!”

  1. Melissa, you guys are having an adventure of a lifetime. I am vicariously living through you guys. Stay safe and enjoy your adventure and the time together!

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