Sailing

This snap shows Sorcery, my hard-worked but much-appreciated 1981 Lancer 36', during our 2006 cruise. Here we are in Stonington ME - nothing at all like Stonington CT. A center for the old granite export trade, which seems to be reviving now that we all need granite counter-tops in our fancy new kitchens. Quite an adventure getting alongside here after going aground and kedging off on a falling tide.

Our voyage took us from Hempstead Habor in Long Island Sound to Frenchman Bay, one of the more amazing and beautiful places in that wonderful Maine cruising ground. It is home to Bar Harbor, Sorrento, and Winter Harbor. Hinckleys abound. The trip included many of the things that happen when you sail - blissfully quiet anchorages, glorious sunrises and sunsets, ghosting into harbor in the late evening, barbecues, good wines, etc.

Also more tumultuous situations. We headed home from Penobscot Bay on winds forecast SE 10-15kts. Hmm ... Soon the winds were up around 35 kts and rising. Who knows what they were out there in darknesses of the Gulf of Maine? There was a certain alarm ashore with small craft advisories and so forth, and our wind machine was AWOL the entire trip. Fortunately the wind direction was fine for our intended course and the seas did not really get up until our final approaches into Cape Cod Bay. So the short story is that we arrived at Sandwich Marina in very quick time under less than half our jib, with no main, having taken in beyond the third reef for the first time in Sorcery's history. A wild ride. We got pooped once and were under-prepared for that eventuality, so the boat was utterly soaked. But Sorcery took good care of us yet once again and will winter in Wickford RI.