Up at 5:20. Low cloud cover, sprinkling rain. Tucking away the sleeping gear I pause while the sky glows orange.
Under power 6:40. 7:20 out of Pigeon Bay. 7:45 across Petit Manan Bar, very rough and choppy at first on the west side of the bar, calmer about a quarter mile away. 9:20 hints of wind near Schoodic Peninsula. 9:35 under sail. Decide to bypass Bar Harbor and Frenchman Bay.
Struggling with light wind until more of a breeze at 10:40. Navigation is easy, simply point the bow towards Mount Desert Island.
11:00 see a high speed ferry coming from the east headed towards Bar Harbor. Call on channel 13, identify myself as the small sailing craft off his bow, ask how best to keep clear of the ferry's path. He tells me "Keep doing what you are doing, we'll avoid you." I thank him and wish him a good day.
11:40 making 2.9 towards Mt. Desert. Wind comes and goes.
12:55 wind fills in, 4.3 with East Bunker Ledge and its tall day beacon in the distance off port bow.
Wind building and now on the nose. 1:30 tack, 1:45 tack, 2:00 tack, blue skies and just a few clouds. Boats all around, including some classics. 2:15 tack, 2:30 tack at East Bunker Ledge. 2:45 tack, 2:55 tack. 3:00 tack at Sutton Island. 3:10 tack at Bear Island. 3:20 tack, 3:30 tack just outside of Northeast Harbor.
3:40 the last tack, making 5.1 towards Somes Sound. 4:30 anchor down with a handful of cruising boats at Valley Cove.
While having dinner, Jeff, coming from a high-end, high-tech catamaran, motors by on his dinghy. He comes alongside, feigns envy for my freeze dried spaghetti in a foil pouch. We are opposite ends of the spectrum, yet enjoy talking about cruising under sail. He is kind enough to let me hop on his dinghy so I can get some photographs of SPARTINA in the anchorage.
34.03 NM
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