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Pete & Nicole

Quicker and Safer Roller Furling Sail Changes

When I've done foresail changes on Astraea it always seemed that I would drop one of the Harken #6 bow shackles overboard. Now I've remedied that problem.

Some background: In order to change say from our 150% light air genoa to our 100% working jib, I've got to pull the sail all the way out, release the halyard and drop the whole thing on deck. This hasn't change with the new setup and I'm still concerned about controlling the 150% sail if the wind really pipes up. Then I have to unscrew each #6 shackle from the head and the tack of the sail. They also come completely apart into 2 separate pieces convenient for dropping one of them overboard. Reconnecting them with the new sail and the halyard swivel (at the head) on a pitching deck was a little difficult and added to the potential time spent on the foredeck in potentially tricky conditions.

Now, with a snap shackle at the head and the tack I can't drop anything overboard. Everthing remains attached to the roller furler and the connection is literally a snap. It is much less fiddling or putting shackles into my pockets and reduces the conversion time. This makes me feel safer knowing I don't need to be on foredeck in tricky conditions any longer than necessary.

The snap shackes were $54 a piece - a bit pricey compared with $9 bow shackes, but feel like I'm buying some piece of mind too.

I still need to add some bungee cord to help control the sails while they are laying on deck to complete the whole package.

North to Seals with Dad and Carl

Had a great sail today with my Dad and 2nd cousin Carl. We headed north from our dock in South Bristol "up river" (it really isn't a river) into the upper parts of Johns Bay. In our old boat with no motor we would never sail downwind first and then tack back home. Since we've owned Astraea and have a reliable motor now we feel comfortable going just about anywhere we want. Dad (and the rest of us) hadn't been "up river, we figured it would be less foggy and the rollers from Hurricane Bill wouldn't be as bad up there. All turned out to be the case and we got to see seals sleeping on the rocks too. The winds were light, but luckily we'd just had an old 150% Genoa recut to fit the roller furler (tore out another one - mentioned in prevous posting). It worked great in the light winds and kept us moving nicely as we tacked back out of the narrow head of the bay.




I got to catch up with Carl (on right) who is now starting his residency at Syracuse and just recently completed a charter sail around the Chesapeake.

Christening Astraea Properly

This July our Cape Dory was relaunched as Astraea (formerly Jenny B earlier Reuben). We didn't have the right people gathered until early August to perform this christening ceremony. Some may say that we should have done it right as she hit the water, but she seemed to enjoy our many days of cruising in the fog and keeping us safe as her maiden voyage with her new name. She is a family boat and wanted to wait to get the whole family together to celebrate her and her new name. After a little searching we found this ceremony below which was simple and should satisfy Neptune.

We did follow the superstition that one should pour the WHOLE bottle of champagne over her bow and now hold back any for ourselves. It was noted that no rules existed to prevent us from licking the champage off the deck (which we did). We offered our guests white wine.

Everyone knows that renaming your boat will bring nothing but bad luck and make your boating experience something that you will want to forget. But what happens when, after months of searching, you find your dreamboat with a name that you just cannot live with. Since the beginning of time, sailors have sworn that there are unlucky ships and the unluckiest ships of all, are those who have defied the gods and changed their names. So, is there a way to change a name and not incur the wrath of those deities that rule the elements? Yes, there is and this is how:

Before taking your new boat out for her maiden voyage, you must have a "christening ceremony." A proper christening and the accompanying ceremony ensures good fortune to the boat and her crew throughout the life of the vessel. If, after being properly christened, a vessel does have a run of bad luck, it will be because her christening ceremony was poorly performed, rather than due to her Captain's incompetence or to sea monsters.. So for you new boat owners, don't tempt fate.

First of all, make certain that you invite everyone to the christening who is important to the boat. Since this is an auspicious occasion, it is a good time to invite your friends to witness and to party.

"For thousands of years, we have gone to sea. We have crafted vessels to carry us and we have called them by name. These ships will nurture and care for us through perilous seas, and so we affectionately call them "she." To them we toast, and ask to celebrate (the name of your boat)." Then everybody raises their chanmpagne glasses and shouts "TO THE SAILORS OF OLD…TO_________ (the name of your boat)."

Then follow with: "The moods of the sea are many, from tranquil to violent. We ask that this ship be given the strength to carry on. The keel is strong and she keeps out the pressures of the sea." Again the glasses are raised, and the assemblage shouts, "TO THE SEA...TO THE SAILORS OF OLD...TO THE SEA!"

Continue:"Today we come to name this lady_____________ (name of your boat), and send her to sea to be cared for, and to care for the __________ (name of your family) family. We ask the sailors of old and the mood of God that is the sea to accept ________________ (your boat's name) as her name, to help her through her passages, and allow her to return with her crew safely. " Again, with the raising of the glasses, "TO THE SEA...TO THE SAILORS BEFORE US...TO_________(the name of your boat)."

Now pour champagne over the bow to appease King Neptune, and lay a branch of green leaves on the deck to ensure safe returns. (Breaking the bottle across her prow is optional for a recreational vessel, and should be done only if all safety precautions have been taken, and after the bottle has been properly scored for a clean break.)

Of course, any champagne remaining will be the beginnings of a suitable celebration in honor of the occasion.

Once the ceremony has been completed, you may bring aboard any and all items bearing the new name of your vessel. If you must aplly the new name before the ceremony, be sure the name is not revealed before the ceremony is finished. It may be covered with bunting or some other suitable material.

Source: http://www.yachtsee.com/christening.htm

Video of christening:


Christening Astraea.

The Fog Dimension

We've been debating a name for our thus-far trusty GPS and have settled on Tardis. If you are not a Dr. Who fan, Google it and you will understand the importance of time, dimension and space relative to long (!) distance travel. Tardis is indispensable when stuck in the fog dimension as we were today... all day from Seal Cove on Vinalhaven and then across S. Penobscot Bay west to Tenants Harbor. Along the way, Tardis deftly guided us into tight Robert's Harbor where with visited with Jen and Chris Gonzales-Jolly and their families and friends for a few hours. It was great to catch up with them for lunch and see their place on Vinalhaven. We'd hoped the fog would break but it kept on through the day, making for a long rolling ride. We hoisted the small jib for a bit, which increased our speed and evened the ride. Even so, we arrived just before dark in Tenants Harbor. We grabbed the same mooring as seven days ago and quickly settled into a bottle of wine and some pasta. This helps immensely in settling into the fog dimension whilst at a mooring.

Speaking of small jibs, it's a darn good thing we had one and spent the $ over last winter to put luff tape on it to fit the furler. Yesterday, while in the sun and good wind dimensions we ripped the genoa in a fresh breeze as we sailed south from Eggemogin reach to Vinalhaven. I'd like to give some exciting dramatic account of the event, but honestly it wasn't the weather, just and old, soft sail that finally relinquished to the wind.

The above photo is us Monday on sailing to the bridge over Eggemogin reach that connects to Deer Isle. The second photo is the moon rise over our neighbor's boat in Seal Cove last night. We have no photos from the fog dimension. Mysteriously our batteries died and if you want to experience something akin to the day, fog up your shower and stand in it with a lobster buoy. And bring a Tardis so you don't get lost.

Goodnight from the fog dimension...

Summer in Maine...

is like a small town. Blink and you'll miss it. Eyes wide open yesterday... it was (barely) warm enough for a dip in Northeast Harbor... a very quick dip ... this is Maine. The water is a stout 62 degrees! It was a good test of the swim ladder that Pete made over the winter. Thankfully it works although it is still a bit challenging to use. Cold water is an excellent motivator though.

Today it was back to long pants and even foulies. It was our coldest day yet on the waters as we sailed south out the Western Way and then east past the Bass Harbor Head lighthouse. It was fun seeing the light from water, as I'd spent several evenings in years past watching the sunset from the shore near the lighthouse.

In Blue Hill Bay we caught enough wind for a very pleasant close reach through a light fog and calm waters towards the Casco Passage. The Casco Passage is a tight route through a cluster of small islands and ledges north of Swan's Island. The winds were favorable, however, so it was easy to navigate past the numerous nuns and cans.

We called George up from below to mind the helm and set the spinnaker for a fantastic run Northwest into Eggemoggin Reach. Eggemoggin Reach is protected, so we had very little swell to contend with. We had to keep a close watch on George though, as he gets easily confused by quartering seas. This is common amongst humans too though it seems. We ran for about 2-3 nm before the wind shifted near the entrance of the cove where Wooden Boat School is housed. We motored in and dropped anchor amongst the many classic boats. Tomorrow we plan to check out the boat school. I have my eye on breakast out at a cafe in Brooklin. It's about a 1.5 mile walk, which seems reasonable if there is bacon at the end.

Cheapest Bed on the Island

I think we've found the cheapest lodging on Mount Desert Island. Only $20 for a 27 foot boat mooring in Northeast Harbor just below the very very expensive Asticou Inn (so expensive it's for the newly wed or the nearly dead). They provide great services for visiting boaters: showers, laundry nearby, supplies and of course good scenery. There is even a public dock on the Asticou/Thuya garden side of the harbor where we left our dingy and could access the hiking trails. We've both spent big chunks of time here on MDI so know my way around pretty well. We took full advantage of it by spending Saturday hiking up over Penobscot Mountain, swimming in Seargent Pond and visiting the Jordan Pond House. There wasn't much wind on the water so we didn't miss much, but it was finally a bright sunny day.


This was the eastern goal of our trip and it sure took some effort to get here. I never thought I would visit MDI by sailboat, and I must say it feels great.

Work and Play

The Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast, which has provided us with a wealth of information on anchorages and services, says that the Maine Coast has more islands than the Caribbean or Polynesia. Most are less than 10 acres and uninhabited. On Friday, we visited three--all with contrasting styles of "habitation." Swan's Island, as Pete mentioned is quiet and remote. It's a fishing island geared to the needs of lobstermen primarily. Although moorings can be rented, it's less than obvious where to pay for them and the anchorage has just a few cruising boats. About seven were there on Thursday night.

As the dense fog was barely lifting on Friday, five of the boats left in rapid succession. We wondered if we "didn't get the memo" about departing. Likely they were part of a flotilla though. We left soon after and again found heavy fog off the island. Not wanting to spend another day enshrouded in mist, we altered course for nearby Frenchboro Harbor on Long Island. Frenchboro is a working harbor, but has capitalized on its scenic charm as part of an islands tour boat stop. We ate lunch a Lunt's Deli and walked to the head of the harbor, occasionally looking back on Astraea, as she was anchored in deep water with less than ideal scope on the line.

Behind Astraea to the north, the mountains of Mount Desert (MDI) became visible and it was time to depart as heavy rain was predicted for the late afternoon. We ran "wing and wing" north, but again had to switch to diesel when the wind died and rain clouds rolled in. Although it sounds trite, Northeast Harbor is a playground for the super wealthy... and the rest of us lucky enough to visit. A massive motor cruiser set a huge wake on us as it blasted out of the harbor. Nearby a Friday race of sleek one-design sailboats was taking place. (Anyone out there know what boat has a sail logo with capitals I and a C combined?) We found a rental mooring near the back of the harbor in the small boat section and rowed in through the rain for much needed showers and a great dinner. On the way back we rowed our soggy dingy past Morris Yachts, Hinckley's and lots of other jaw-droppers. "Who owns these things....?" We were happy to get back on Astraea, even with her various drips and leaks. She's a great improvement over past rainy vacations in tents! Not to mention at $20/night for the mooring, I think we had the cheapest lodging on MDI for the night!

Who's Driving?

Andy says that George is the name for airplane auto-pilots so that's the name we use for our auto helm. Yep - you got it, a cruise control for our sailboat. It's great to be able to let go of the tiller to manage sails, eat some lunch, get a look around, review the chart, etc. We launched the spinnaker on our cruise through Merchants Row on Thursday towards Swans Island and George was on the help while we managed all the lines/spinnaker pole.

I think a lot of single handed sailors use these. Ours came with the boat when we purchased it last summer - otherwise we probably wouldn't own one. It's an Autohelm ST1000. A little undersized for our boat as it turns out, but does fine in the light to medium air we deploy it in. It connects from the cockpit combing to a pin on the top of the tiller. You just point the boat in the direction you want to go. Drop George onto the pin and hit "Auto". He will maintain the compass course you are on. All the different buttons let you adjust the compass heading up or down in 1 degree or 10 degree increments. If you hit the 1 and 10 degree buttons together he will turn 100 degrees in that direction - enabling you to tack or jibe.

We're enjoying having George on board.

Reconnect with Swans Island

18 years ago I spent three weeks on Swans Island, ME doing geology field work for my senior project. It was under the tutelage of Prof. Dave Bailey who had spend summers on the island with his family. I wandered to every corner of this 7000 acre island banging off pieces of granite and basaltic rock to take back to Hamilton College to analyze. On Thursday I finally returned and grabbed a mooring in Burnt Coat Harbor on the south side of the island.

Nicole and I paid for our mooring at the "Boat House", got some ice cream and took a walk to enjoy the sunshine (finally!) We ended up wandering back to the area of the Bailey's house at the "Carrying Place" a narrow strip of land connecting the western portion to the rest of the island. We saw NY plates in the driveway and sure enough Dave was there!!! He invited us in to join his extended family for a spaghetti dinner. I got to see the old cabin that I stayed in while doing my studies and catch up with an old friend. Much of his extended family was at the house for his mother's memorial service to be held on Saturday.

What luck to catch Dave on Swans Island and see some of my old haunts. Swans has a subdued and laid back character that I like very much.