Debi and Jack sailing on SV Iroquois

After Pulpit Harbor we stopped at Warren Island state park for a night before checking into Belfast. Nate came by in his little boat and took us up river which was way cool. We passed some houseboats, one of which was covered in plants. He even had peas growing up the stanchions and lifelines.

12 July 2019 | Pulpit Harbor, North Haven, Maine

Pulpit Harbor

Iroquois is afloat again! We launched Wednesday in Rockport where we stayed all day readying and organizing. We had a nice get together and dinner in Camden with our Rockport friends then yesterday we did a shakedown sail to Pulpit Bay on North Haven. There was a light wind, 8-15 kts, so we put up the [...]

27 July 2018 | Lincolnville Maine

2018 The End

Iroquois is getting the full spa treatment. Every locker, cubby, lazarette, bilge emptied and cleaned. Varnish in and out. Metal cleaned. Winches serviced. Sails washed and repaired. The engine is serviced and winterized. Even the fuel is polished! The boat is going to enjoy a well-deserved rest in a [...]

05 July 2018 | Boothbay Harbor Maine

Boothbay Harbor

Our apologies for the lack of recent posts. We hung around Portland and Handy Boat -- visiting with family and friends and trying to adjust to a more land-based existence. Lily and Anthony came up for a Saturday dinner (oysters and lobster) aboard then sailed to our mooring at Handy Boat. The next weekend Zach and Maura came and we did the same thing. It was a pleasure to have Zach aboard for the first time. Thank you Maura! Hopefully it was enough fun they will want to come again. This past weekend the Garbers came and we did some sailing around Casco Bay. Lily was a good helmsman. She and Hubbard shared the duties. There wasn't much wind, but also no accidents. We had some great food in Portland, including two excellent meals at Fore Street, which did not disappoint. In between all the family visits we caught up with Stephanie and Brian on Detour. We met them on the OCC Norway Rally in 2016. They crossed over the next winter and spent last summer in Maine. They are just getting ready to take off on their next adventure as we wrap ours up. Hopefully they will have an excellent trip wherever the winds blow them. Handy Boat was very welcoming to us. It was fun to come back and see everyone who took such good care of us before our first Atlantic crossing. We also took in a concert by the Frank Vignola Hot Jazz Trio, which was really good and a nice break in routine. Yesterday we motor sailed and motored to Boothbay Harbor. We will stay here a few days and visit with John and Ann who live here. We met in the Bahamas when Ann greeted us with a freshly baked loaf of bread. We were hungry and tired after a six day passage from St Thomas and her bread is amazing. It's hard to repay something like that. Anyway, this is our last hurrah for the season. Saturday we'll stop in Rockland. Sunday we move to Rockport and prepare to get hauled out Monday morning. Then we'll start work on the long list of deferred maintenance and repairs. We plan to be home in Wisconsin by August.

17 June 2018 | Falmouth Foreside, Maine

The Atlantic Circle is Complete

We have completed the Atlantic circle. Today we sailed from Portland to Handy Boat in Falmouth Foreside with Lily and Anthony. Almost exactly three years ago we left here on a transatlantic adventure. It's hard to imagine and even to remember all the places we've seen and all the people we've met. We [...]

14 June 2018 | Portland Maine

BacK in Maine

Jack woke me at 4:20 this morning, claiming that it was light, and we left Portsmouth harbor a little while after along with a fishing boat. It started as a slow day of dodging lobster pots. Every time I get annoyed by them I try to think about how delicious lobster is. There are so many of them, either there are a lot of lobsters or there will soon be none. Somewhere between Portsmouth and Portland we heard a sound we haven't heard for a very long time, it was the call of a loon which brought smiles to our faces. The wind did pick up and it turned into a nice sail all the way to Portland Maine. This is only the second place we've been in four years that we have actually been to before. We also stopped twice in Bergen Norway. Anyway, we have certainly seen a lot of new places and the end of the journey is a little sad. Luckily Jack bought an oyster knife and we are docked near the fish market so we can treat ourselves and enjoy the moment.

Velkommen til Norway

28 May 2016 | Grimstadholmen

Debi Dennis Jack Markin

We had a good day of sailing on Thursday with 2 reefs in the main, full genoa and our new solent type jib. We beat into wind and waves from the northeast from 7 am until 4 am Friday making good progress. But then the wind died completely and we turned on the engine and motored the last 20 hours to Norway, using about 40 liters of diesel. There was a bank of fog just off the coast and we couldn't see anything until we were well into the Korsfjorden, then suddenly it lifted and we could see land around us---beautiful rocky and green islands with snow-capped peaks in the background. Most striking though was the smell, so different from the rocky peat and heather of northern Scotland, piney woods reminding me of landfall in Nova Scotia. It is hard to imagine the desperation that must have existed to force people to leave such a beautiful place for places like Mount Horeb. We were in a race against the sun to find our place before dark, so were grateful that the fog had moved. It only gets sort of dark, even here in Bergen; however between 12:30 and 2:30 or so is when it is darkest and we tied up at about 12:00. We also weren't exactly sure where we were going. Coming in to unknown ports at night and in the fog is a habit we need to break, it is based on too much trust in the AIS, radar and chartplotter. Our host, Jan, was very helpful and welcoming when we texted him to say we were coming in. Yes, surprising, but my phone worked well from even a few miles offshore. When at midnight we rounded the corner to his house Jan was standing on his boat and waving us in. He helped us tie up to her. We noticed right away that it was a rare and beautiful boat, but it wasn't until the next morning that we noticed that Iroquois was tied up to her Norwegian big sister. Both boats have the same green color hull and varnished wood look with tapered ends. It's just that Jenny is fifty some feet long and a more modern design below the water line. She was designed in Holland and built by Jan himself, repeat built by Jan himself. I'm afraid this meeting did nothing to dampen Jack's boat building desire. Jenny is a boat designed and built to be sailed and as such completed a six year circumnavigation, rounding both capes, with Cape Horn to starboard. Jan and Eli are the organizers of the OCC Arctic Rally and kindly offered their home as a stopping point on the way into Bergen. Everyone says the harbor at Bergen is loud with partiers on the weekend and it's very quiet here in Grimstadholmen. What a great place to live! Their house is just on the hill overlooking Jenny's mooring. They also have a nice boathouse with a workshop. Every house has a boat and most have small boathouses and docks along the water. Jan said that only those who live very far inland do not own a boat. Norway is so amazing. Jan also took delivery of a few packages for us. So this morning we were able to replace the damaged solar panel controller and can now get power from the fine Norwegian sun. And that's another thing, it's warm here. I'm barefoot with only one layer of long underwear and thinking of removing that too. We're both a little awed that we have actually sailed our boat to Norway. The boat, Quench, who we met in Lerwick is also here. We're the first two boats to arrive for the rally. Quench is sixty feet long and passed us as though we were standing still a few hours out of Lerwick. Time must move at different speeds when the boat goes at 10-12 knots versus 4-6. This morning Jan and Eli gave us a rally flag, so we're now flying the OCC Flying Fish and the Arctic Rally burghies as well as the US ensign and Norway courtesy flag. We'll probably move up to Bergen either Monday or Tuesday. We have a few days here to explore before the rally begins on June 6. The goal is to learn some Norwegean each day. Today it is counting to 3 en, to, tre, God tag . There are a number of jokes that are waiting to be made about Little Norway and the Sons of Norway at home, but perhaps those are best saved for email and postcards. We are still in awe that we are in Norway in Iroquois, it is one of the few times in my life that I feel as if awake in a dream.

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