Up at 5:30 after a calm night. Sounds of gentle surf breaking on the beach came from different directions overnight, telling me that SPARTINA was spinning in swirling winds. Damp, cool morning. Light northeast wind. Foul weather bibs, boots and the wool sweater.
6:10 sail off anchor. 6:20 out of the cove and on Toothacher Bay, 2.1. There are a series of ledges extending south from Hockamock Head and with a quick look at the charts I head south to round Sheriff Ledge, the southernmost of the rocks. Watching a lobster boat come out of Burnt Coat Harbor Inlet I see it take a cut through the ledges. How nice! I turn southeast and follow the shortcut inside of Gooseberry Island.
Making 2.5 to Burnt Coat Harbor. A friendly wave from a lobsterman as we sail beneath Burnt Coat Harbor Light. 7:15 past the light and making a surprising 4.6 in the south end of Burnt Coat Harbor, terns feeding on schools of fish. Take the narrowest of cuts to the south between two islets called The Hubs to port and submerged rocks to starboard. Off the northeast shore of Harbor Island at 7:20 as the overcast begins to breakup.
Leaving Swan Island to stern at 7:50, sail towards Sisters Islands off the port bow and Long Island off the starboard bow. Good to be on open water. Sailing across gentle rollers, remnants of yesterday's storm. Tack and Sunken Money Ledge, 1.8 in less wind. Hook a lobster pot float on the centerboard, raise the board and glad to see the line somehow misses the rudder. 8:30 tack off Sisters Islands, the lobster floats showing a helping flood tide. 8:25 making 5.5 in choppy water. 8:50 2.7 on the rolling waves. 9:20 passing the ledges marked at The Drums as waves break over them.
10:10 tack to the northwest towards Gott Island, 2.4. 10:35 shifting winds and stalled east of Great Gott and Little Gott Islands, motor sailing. 10:55 heading towards the cut west of Great Cranberry Island, the tide changing and now working against the ebb tide. 12:00 approaching the cut with the sails up but the outboard doing all the work, waves breaking over Cranberry Island Ledge.
12:50 find some wind approaching southwest harbor, 4.1 as the skies clear. 1:30 making 3.7 to the west.
Pass the tour boat AMBERGRIS heading into Southwest Harbor, making 2.7.
2:20 docked at the Upper Towndock with its two hour limit, walk up to a coffee shop for a glass of iced tea and the chance to use their wifi, smiling at their password of ElvisistheKing. Walking back to SPARTINA, duck into a bakery and buy a sandwich for dinner. Cast off from the town dock and anchor just off the dock in shallow water at 4:30.
22.56 NM
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