Returning to Maine, Reprise #2

Fort McHenry on the way to Baltimore harbor

After a great time in Annapolis, I sailed to Baltimore on Friday (May 31, 2019) as planned.  Using Google Maps and a follow-up phone call, I found a nice restaurant with dock called Captain James Crabhouse, and they were great.  I felt a little guilty staying for 3 nights, but they seemed happy to have me on the (free) dock, and there were essentially no other boats wanting to use it.  I think it is in the Fells Point neighborhood, almost to Canton; an excellent location, with plenty of waterfront sights and shops, and near a Safeway for groceries. 

The dock at Captain James Crabhouse

I also did not need to leave on Sunday, so I got to visit with Echo and Chris that day, helping Echo with her community garden spot, eating a fresh salad, and hanging at their house for the afternoon.  They had been busy on Saturday and had big plans for the week, so everyone was happy with a hang-out day.  Echo also helped me to raise the dinghy and secure it on deck, in preparation for the New Jersey coast passage in a few days.  We had a fairly early dinner, and the thunderstorms never came in strong, just a little rain.  But it was still hot.

When I first arrived in Baltimore, I called Echo’s friend Andy who was interested in crewing with me, but we hadn’t been able to tie anything down.  He had a job, and didn’t feel like he could take more than three days off plus a weekend, maybe.  We agreed that he would figure out a way to get to Cape May on Wednesday (which was forecast to be stormy, so likely to be a layover day anyway) and he would help me do an overnight trip up the coast of NJ to NY City.  This would be very helpful for my schedule.

On Monday, I mostly motor-sailed up the Bay, with 2 hours of straight sailing, which felt good.  Chesapeake City is on the C&D Canal, so it makes a good stop before the long trip down the Delaware Bay to Cape May.  I got in fairly early at 3:15, hoping to get a spot at the Town’s free dock.  It was full, but I was hopeful that a spot might open up.  Next to the Town docks is the Chesapeake House Restaurant and Tiki Bar, so I called them and arranged to tie up for the afternoon to get a beer and something to eat.  I walked over to the Town dock and determined that all the boats were staying for the night, and I could not squeeze into any of the other potential spots that seemed promising.  I then chatted with the Chesapeake Inn dockmaster kid, who said if I left early in the morning, I could spend the night for free.  Yay! 

Tuesday was well enough planned as far as getting some favorable currents down the Delaware Bay (by leaving at 5:00 am), but I had an annoying engine disaster that I worried about more than  I needed to. Just after leaving the canal and entering Delaware Bay, the low oil pressure alarm sounded, so I shut the engine and investigated.  Due to inadequate observations on my part, an engine oil hose had worked its way against the alternator belt, and the resulting hole leaked onto the belt and sprayed oil all over the engine compartment, slowly draining the oil from the engine.  It started with some problems with the alternator not charging well, apparently the result of it being saturated in engine oil.  I just had enough clean engine oil to get the level to touch the dipstick, which is not ideal.  And the temporary hose repair leaked more and more as I continued down the Bay, so I collected that oil in a container, pouring it back into the engine every half hour or less.  I was worried about how I would get the hose fixed, but I made a lot of phone calls (when I had service) and I had a plan.  

I made it into the town of Cape May at 5:00 pm, and tied up to the Lobster House Restaurant floating schooner bar.  I then met a local guy who knew the manager, so I thought that I might get permission to stay for the night (or two), even offered to pay, but it didn’t work out.  I ended up staying the first night at South Jersey Marina, where a big shark tournament was starting the next day, so they wanted me out early in the morning.  The bad weather kept a lot of the fishing boats from arriving, so the marina was good about letting me stay while I went about my plan of fixing the engine oil hose.  There was a commercial marine operation nearby called SeaGear Marine Supply where I took the failed oil hose, and they quickly made up a new one.  I got it all put back together, bought plenty of new oil, and cleaned up by about noon, took a shower, and moved over to Utsch’s Marina, which I recommend.  These two nights are the only times I had to pay for dockage on this trip from Virginia to Maine (but I paid for a couple of moorings, too.)  Just after arriving at Utsch’s, Andy arrived by car with his adventurous wife Lucia for a beach day of sorts.  It was very windy and cloudy, but they got to see the lighthouse and some other sights.  A line of rain squalls came through just before dinner time, and then the three of us went to the Lobster House for their take-out option with tables at the dock.  Although I was not happy with the restaurant’s attitude about spending the night, it’s an interesting place that is worth a visit, with the floating schooner bar and good food. 

Andy and I departed the next morning, with the wind greatly reduced, motor-sailing.  The wind got lighter, and we had some showers in the afternoon.  We motored all night, anchoring off Coney Island Creek before dawn, 120 n. miles in 21 hours—avg. speed 5.7 knots.  We waited a few hours for the current to be favorable in the Hudson River and more importantly, the East River, and then raced through New York City to the west end of Long Island Sound.  We talked about where to stop in Connecticut so Andy could catch a train back to Baltimore, but then he offered to continue on to Newport, another overnight run, all motoring with little wind.  The engine ran flawlessly.

This is turbulence in the East River from the 5 knot current

Sunset on Long Island Sound

On Saturday morning, we arrived in Newport, took a mooring, launched the dinghy, and tried to get Andy on a bus, but we were too late.  No problem since Uber exists now, and he got to the train station on time.  He only had a short train ride to somewhere in Connecticut where he met Lucia who was visiting family in Connecticut over the weekend.  That was a completely fortuitous circumstance, and Andy’s crew assistance was more helpful than I can describe.  It saved me as many as five days of travelling, and probably more with weather uncertainties.

Newport harbor

View from the Lobster Shack

I stayed in Newport for the rest of the day, enjoying the town and buying some food supplies.  I won’t go into all the interesting sailing and historical details about Newport, but it was fun to be there.  I also noted that all of the marinas had the highest dockage rates I’d ever seen, charging at least $5.00 per foot per night; for Magus, the cost would be $185 per night.  I guess they have nice bathrooms, but the city has a Maritime Center with dinghy dock and coin operated showers that were clean and hot. Overall, the city was very accommodating to visiting boat people.  

I also made a great find, considering all of the fancy bars and restaurants in the city, where I enjoyed a great lobster treat with a view from the dock and a byo beer.  It is the Newport Lobster Shack, a fisherman’s coop selling fresh and cooked seafood and sides.  I had lightly fried lobster tail strips, which were outrageously good.

Woods Hole Yacht Club

On Sunday, I motor-sailed towing the dinghy to Woods Hole, taking a mooring at the Woods Hole Yacht Club.  Woods Hole is a great place, but it was sad that the seals at the Woods Hole Aquarium on our last visit in 2016 had died of an unknown cause.  The restaurants look like some of them are good, and the Pie in the Sky Bakery and Café is really good.

Provincetown approach

On Monday, I left at 9:30 to catch the current through the Cape Cod Canal on my way to Provincetown at the tip of the Cape.  I anchored near the Coast Guard station for a bumpy night in the strong SE wind, with a hard rain and fog the next day.  It was calm for a short time in the afternoon, then it cleared and a strong NW wind came in, so Magus was reasonably protected from this wind direction. 

Provincetown downtown

Boston skyline, about 20 miles away
between Provincetown and Gloucester

The north wind was subsiding the next morning, as I departed for Gloucester.  Before noon, the wind had gone light from the south mostly, so I motored the whole way.  I arrived in Gloucester just after 3:30 to find the fuel dock at Gloucester Marine Railways had just closed for the day.  I anchored in the harbor in preparation for the easterly weather forecast for the next day, so I will need to see when I can get fuel before I leave.  Gloucester is still a fishing town, so the diesel prices here are very good.  The price of fuel at marinas on the whole east coast currently range from a low of $2.99 to over $3.50 per gallon, according to sources like Waterway Guide online, etc.  Those sources do not show the two commercial operations in Gloucester, where fuel was $2.40 and $2.45 when I called a couple of days ago.

 

The next day was Thursday, June 13, 2019, and I got up early in the morning to walk around the town and buy fresh bread.  I got back to Magus just after the rain was starting, and the wind came in strong from the southeast around 10:30 am.  The temperature was in the low 50’s, day and night.  The weather had turned cool in Cape May and seems like it will stay that way all the way to Maine.

Gloucester is another great town, and I am not going to do a lot of sightseeing on this visit.  I will mention an unforgettable story that I read several years ago about a Gloucester fisherman from the late 1800’s, Captain Howard Blackburn.  The link goes to a short summary on Wikipedia, but the full biography is really recommended: Lone Voyager: The Extraordinary Adventures Of Howard Blackburn Hero Fisherman Of Gloucester by Joseph E Garland.

My plans for getting to Portland have been changing as the forecast and weather has changed.  The current plan is based on the forecast for the wind to go light from the west overnight, and then fill in from the south and SW tomorrow.  I plan to get fuel tomorrow morning and then sail to Isle of Shoals for a short rest, then get underway just before dark so I can arrive in Freeport in the morning.  It looks like I can tow the dinghy the rest of the way.

The above plan was pretty close.  I made it out of Gloucester a little later than planned, and arrived at the Shoals before dark as the wind picked up fairly strong. Fortunately, there were plenty of moorings, and very few boats.  I ended up leaving at 2 am or so, and sailed a little before the wind died down,then motor-sailed to Freeport.  I arrived around noon, and Jenny surprised me by getting a ride out to the mooring on a lobster boat.  That was a pleasant surprise, and she helped me get things in order to go back home.

That evening, she further surprised me with a small party/ cookout at our house with Sophi, Travis and the grandkids, and others.  As fun as the trip was, it was great to get home.  That was a June 15 arrival, right on schedule.