day twenty - searching for an anchorage

I wake to a thunderstorm in the night.  Heavy rain, thunder and lightning.  Wake at 4:00.  The storm is gone, fog moving in.

Windless overcast morning.  Under power at 6:30 to Castine.  Tied up at the town dock at 7:00.

The Harbormaster lets me put a couple of power packs in his office to charge.  

And breakfast at a restaurant for the second day in a row, I must be living right.  I take a walk through the little town, pick up a couple of bottled drinks at the little grocery store/gas station.  Back at SPARTINA a dockhand tells me there is a bed and breakfast up the way where I could get a shower for $10. 

Cast off 10:10, sails up just off the dock with a good north wind.  Feels like it might rain so put on the drysuit.  Even with good wind we make just 1.7 against a strong flood tide.  Then more wind and we do a little better.

11:05 out on East Penobscot Bay, 4.3 and raining.  Holbrook Island to port.  11:30 2.8 with wind and swells on the starboard quarter.  12:00 3.0 sailing south in a light, steady rain.  12:25 jibe at Head of the Cape.  12:45 the rain finally stops.  

I had chosen Pickering Island for an anchorage.  I get there and drop the anchor in a little cove at the east end of the island.  There is a little islet to the south and shallows between that and the main island, I thought they would give me enough protection.  With a northwest wind they do not, I can feel the swells rolling into the cove.  

Raise anchor and sail northeast past rocks and ledges towards Carney Island.  Looking at the chart and feeling the wind I decide I don't want to anchor there either.  

Turn to the southwest towards Eagle Island.  There seems to be a little cove that might work well.  Motorsailing in light winds, there is a strong starboard to port current running.  Exchange greetings with the windjammer HERITAGE.

Better wind and sailing, come into the little unnamed cove with two small islands to port.  A nice gravelly beach and calm water.  Anchor down 4:15.

20.07 NM