Brooklin, Maine to Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Happy Holidays to all of you!
This post is going to be a bit different. Instead of telling the final phase of our summer’s cruise to New England, I thought I’d let the photography tell the story. This post will have less words and more pictures, with captions enough to tell the tale.
We’re now stopped in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. JO BETH is secured in a slip at harbor Point Yacht Club. Lisa and I have spent the Christmas holiday with friends in Wilmington, in their warm and cozy home, with much of that time lounging around the roaring fireplace. JO BETH is not equipped for persistent cold weather sailing, something we intend to change during our upcoming haul out and yard period. Still, it’s been a delightful break from the chilly and often wet cabin, due to condensation. We hope to continue our journey south later this week.
For now, we’ll let the pictures tell our story – and please let us know what you think of this photography oriented format - or do you prefer a narrative accompanied by fewer photographs?
Happy New year everybody!
JO BETH, anchored at ‘Hell’s Half-Acre,’ a much nicer place than the name implies, in a group of islands known as Merchants Row…
Some of Hell’s Half Acre resembled the Carribbean…
We like to say, “cruising isn’t all Pina Coladas and sunsets…” There’s always maintenance to be done; here, Lisa’s scraping marine growth from the bottom of ‘SCOOTS,’ our dinghy…
With bad weather coming in, we left 'Hell’s Half Acre and sailed to McGlathery Island, for better shelter from the forecasted gale force winds…we were anchored here for three days waiting for the weather to pass…
After the gales blew out, we were low on diesel fuel and groceries; we decided to sail return to Belfast, ME to reprovision and refuel. We love Belfast and spent several days there - once again…
Approaching Belfast Harbor at sunset…I was on the bow keeping a watch for lobster pots…
A questionable electrical outlet installation, spotted at the Belfast Town Boat Ramp…
one of our favorite things about Belfast was the incredible Farmer’s Market - one of the best we’ve ever found…complete with live classical music…
Fresh Maine mussels and baguettes for dinner aboard JO BETH, from the Belfast Farmer’s Market
Schooners in Belfast…
Downtown Belfast…
We sailed from Belfast to Tenant’s Harbor, our first stop when we arrived in Maine, to visit with friends there as we began our passages south; of course, we had typical Maine weather for the trip…
Once again, weather forced a change in our plans as we left tenant’s Harbor, and we made an unplanned stop in Boothbay Harbor, where we waited for over a week for weather to cross the Gulf of Maine to Massachusetts
While in Boothbay Harbor, we staumbled across the relaunching of the 110’ Schooner ERNESTINA MORRISEY, built in 1894; she is now a training ship based in New Bedord, MA
Unfortunately, due to a problem with the shipyard’s slipway system, the launch was cancelled while we were there; the christening bottle will be used another day…
Boothbay Harbor is filled with beautiful homes, but overall, was a bit too touristy for our tatstes…
The small maritime museum in Boothbay Harbor had this beuatiful exhbiti of tradtional shipbuilding tools…
After a rough overnight crossing of the Gulf of Maine, we landed in gorgeous Marblehead, Massachussets…
Marblehead Light Tower; we spent a week here, doing laundry, provisioning, and spending time with friends that live in the area…
After leaving Marblehead, we passed through the Cape Cod Canal and sailed to Martha’s Vineyard with friends we had met in Boothbay Harbor; we were in tiny Oak Bluffs Harbor for a week as yet more bad weather came and went…
There are many beautiful and old homes on Martha’s Vineyard…
When the weather finally eased up, we sailed for Jamestown Rhode Island, racing ahead of yet another weather system, and after spending four nights there in a near gale, we sailed for Fishers Island, New York and back into Long Island Sound once again…
Beautiful North Cove Harbor, Old Saybrook, Connecticut, another favorite stop for us…
New England starts letting you know that you’ve worn out your welcome…
Leaving Old Saybrook, Connecticut and sailing for Northport, New York, on Long Island, we picked up a hitchiker along the way…
We spent a week in Northport Harbor, but I didn’t shoot any pictures or video while there, as it was a week of gales associated with the remnants of Hurricane Nicole passing by; we made a short daysail to Port Washington, and then passed through New York Harbor, continuing on to Deltaville, VA…
During our passage through New York Harbor, we sailed past the beautiful QUEEN MARY 2, the last of the ‘real’ ocean liners…
Deltaville, VA, is a tiny town situated on the wester shore of the central Chesapeake Bay - there are more boats than humans there - and we were there to have some sail repair and rigging work done…
At Latell Sails in Deltaville, we had a new mainsail cover system made, shown here, as well as a new staysail, shown below, for a new furling system…
If you’re a sailboat rigger, it’s good to be skinny…Deltaville Rigging Company installing the new satysail furler…
We also spent several days in Yorktown, VA with a longtime friend for Thanksgiving…the trip to Carolina Beach was made exclusively in the Intracoastal Waterway and I didn’t take any photos or videos; most days the weather was cold, and on enough, it was cold and rainy…more to come soon…