day twenty-three - a raft of Pathfinders

Foggy, misty night.  Dampness everywhere.  Glassy calm at dawn.  Under power 5:55, take the cut between Holbrooke and Nautilus Islands.  6:30 motoring against the ebb tide into Castine.  

Docked 6:45 at the town dock.  Dry out gear, fill the water bottles, resupply at the grocery/convenience store.  My hopes for breakfast are dashed when I find The Breeze and Castine Variety closed for the week.  Settled for a sausage egg biscuit at the convenience store.

The fog slides into Castine Harbor just as locals with Castine Rowing head out for a practice session.  With the fog, sun and boats, the harbor looks like a painting.

The fog slides back out of the harbor at 9:00.  Chores done, cast off at 9:20.  I motor out to find the fog waiting for me.  In fact it slides back in just as I'm about to raise sail near the red and white Castine entrance channel marker.

Soon I hear a loud fog horn nearby.  I respond, then hear the fog horn again.  We exchange blasts a couple of times.  I can hear the engines rumbling on some sort of large vessel.  I suspect they can see me on radar as they slow down, then go to idle. I am near the channel buoy and I think they would be going north of the marker into Castine or west of the marker down Penobscot Bay.  They do neither.

As the fog lifts, I see it is a mega-yacht.  They are waiting on me as I am drifting exactly where they want to go, into the cut to the Nautilus and Ram Islands anchorage.  I start the outboard and motor sail out of there way.

Under sail again, 1.4 to the southwest.  Cross East Penobscot Bay to Parker Cove on Islesboro Island.  Tack back to the southeast.  Flood running and light wind, motor sailing.  

12:30 round Head of the Cape.  South of the cape sailing at 1.1.  12:50 nearly windless, making 1.0 but it is a beautiful day, blue skies and white puffy clouds.  What's the rush?  The yacht MEZMERIZE slows down to reduce wake, we are close enough that I can tell him "thank you" across the water.

1:35 wind on starboard beam, making 3.7. Just after 2:00 I hear from Aussie Matt, he and Roscco on the Pathfinder TRIM are leaving Isle au Haut headed north.  I tell him I am headed for Pickering Island.  He suggests we try to meet there.  They have a ways to go with light wind and an opposing current.  I suggest they pick an anchorage and we can meet tomorrow.  

But when Matt gets an idea in his head, and I suspect Rossco is the same way, he is going to do it.  So they keep on coming, evening flying a spinnaker at one point.

Better wind at 2:15, making 4.3.  I take a look at the cove on the north side of Pickering Island, sail down and look at the cove on the east end, then return to the north cove.  Anchor down 3:15.

Matt keeps updating me with their location, and I finally see the three sails of TRIM rounding the point.  I'm ready for them with lines and a fender on port side.

They tie up, I finally meet Rossco in person, and we have a toast of Dark n' Stormies.

It is a great evening at Pickering Island.  Matt has been out for about a month, so we have lots of sailing to talk about.  Plus he and Rossco have some done great sailing in the Southern Ocean.  We talk about boats, friends, gear and plans for future cruises.  

Matt gets out his drone for a shot of the two Pathfinders rafted up - that is something that does not happen very ofter.  As darkness comes, TRIM casts off to anchor for the night.

16.05 NM