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Sailing Log: 6/23/04
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It was a beautiful day: warm and
sunny, with WNW winds. Sailing? Why yes, don't mind if I do.
 I
had planned to arrive at the boat early, but just as I was leaving the
house Claude from Metalmast Marine, with whom I have been discussing my
new gooseneck, called, so I had to spend some time with that.
Eventually, though, I tore away and headed to the boat, arriving at
about 1000 to find perfect conditions. After stowing my gear, I
got right under sail, passing by a very pretty Joel
White boat that has just arrived on a mooring nearby. |
 The
winds were great: about 10-15, with some higher gusts to around
20. I set off on a reach down towards Portland, which just seemed
the natural thing to do.
I keep running into this clown, almost
every time I go out.
(After this picture was taken, we had the
highest gusts I saw all day: 25 or higher. It was fun
sailing side by side in these conditions. Nathan forgot his
camera, though...man!) |
 As
if that wasn't enough, I was further distressed to find the bay was
extraordinarily crowded. Why, there was this other boat that I
could see in my field of view for a few minutes. What is this
world coming to when a guy has to look at another boat while out sailing
in the midweek?
Sheesh. You just can't have a whole
bay to yourself anymore.
(Obviously, this is in jest.) |
 I
continued sailing outside Clapboard Island, and decided to head down
outside Upper and Lower Basket Ledges, the continue past Cousins Island
and sail the narrow passage inside Sturdivant Island, an area notorious
(to me, at least) for its fluky and awful winds no matter the
conditions elsewhere. The wind direction today, however, was going
to give as good a chance as any for a decent sail through this area, so
I decided to give it a go. |
 As
I went by Broad Cove, a wide, long, very tidal section of the bay, I
waved to my mother's house in the distance (still a couple miles or so
distant).
Despite my best efforts, the wind
remained ridiculously fluky inside Sturdivant; I was continually headed,
and the speed was all over the place. Still, I made it through
unscathed. |
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 Staying
as high as I could to account for the gusty winds and variable
direction, I sailed through the anchorage from north to south (east to
west? something in between), so that I could sail into my
mooring. Of course, as I neared the mooring, after battling light
winds through the anchorage, I was hit with a strong gust that accelerated
Glissando like a 470. However, I effected a perfectly acceptable
mooring pickup under sail with no problems.
I relaxed at the mooring for
a couple hours before heading in. |
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