Debi and Jack sailing on SV Iroquois

Vessel Name: Iroquois
Vessel Make/Model: Ohlson38
Crew: Jack Markin, Debi Dennis
Social:
11 September 2017 | Porto, Portugal
10 September 2017 | Viana do Castelo, Portugal
07 September 2017 | Baiona, Spain
05 September 2017 | Baiona, Spain
04 September 2017 | Rias Baixas, Spain
02 September 2017 | Combarro, Spain
01 September 2017 | Pobra do Caraminal, Spain
29 August 2017 | Vilagarcia de Arousa, Spain
27 August 2017 | Muros Spain
17 August 2017 | Muros Spain
15 August 2017 | Costa da Morte, Spain
13 August 2017 | A Coruna, Spain
12 August 2017 | Viveiro Spain
08 August 2017 | Gijon Spain
03 August 2017 | St-Denis d'Oleron
30 July 2017 | St-Denis d'Oleron
20 July 2017
15 July 2017 | La Rochelle France
11 July 2017 | Joinville, Ile d'Yeu, France
08 July 2017 | Vannes France
Recent Blog Posts
21 July 2019 | Belfast Maine

Belfast Maine

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.

Belfast Maine

21 July 2019 | Belfast Maine
Debi Dennis Jack Markin
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.
Susan and Jonathan came. We rented bikes and rode all over. Yesterday we sailed over to Castine then picked up a mooring in Smith's Cove. We had a very lively sail back to Belfast, even rolled up some of the genoa to keep the rail out of the water. Then Lily, Anthony, Zach, Maura and Hendrix came for a visit. We went out for a day sail, had lunch and a swim at Turtlehead Cove then sailed back. Hendrix was very good. We accidentally ripped our mainsail as we were raising it. So today before the 15 minute torrential downpour we took off the main and bagged it so we can get it repaired while we are in Wisconsin. Jack is putting some bottom paint on the dinghy since it will be sitting in the Front Street Shipyard marina while we are gone. We were happy with our first composting head for 7 years, but replaced it this spring because the seals and seat were worn out. This one is a slightly different design and we're having trouble keeping the solids tank dry. Hopefully some shims and such will make the slope steep enough to drain liquids into the correct tank. We are still experimenting with solutions. At least we're not on a long trip and have no dates to meet.

Pulpit Harbor

12 July 2019 | Pulpit Harbor, North Haven, Maine
Debi Dennis Jack Markin | Foggy
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 main and both foresails and enjoyed a beautiful day.

The challenge of sailing in Maine is not the wind, waves, tides or currents. It's avoiding lobster pots, which requires a constant lookout. It also means we restrict ourselves to daylight sailing. Our understanding is that the Maine lobster industry is having some trouble. There is a critical shortage of bait due to overfishing. At the marine store they were selling pig hide for bait. Someone told us that some people were using deer carcasses for bait and some deer fur turned up in some lobster meat. It makes lobster a little less appealing. Also, we heard that the number of lobster floats allowed is being cut in half next year. That has something to do with protecting right whales, but I don't understand the connection.

Everything seems pretty ok so far. We had a solid rain all night and morning and found no leaks except through the cockpit floor into the engine compartment. That's a job for next winter. At least our new chainplates aren't leaking and neither is the repaired hatch so my bunk is dry.

There's another Ohlson 38 on a mooring here named Sparrowhawk. We had a good time comparing notes, first they came to visit then we went over to see similarities and differences.

This morning a guy in a kayak came by to say he thought he saw our sister ship in the Canaries, but it turns out that it was really us. Funny that he has a house here and he remembered us. It's such a small world.

Yesterday we went ashore at the town ramp and met some people from the land conservancy who were clearing a trail on some newly purchased land near the harbor. Then we walked up to the oyster farm and got a dozen North Haven oysters, which we enjoyed back on board with a little white wine. So far Maine has lived up to its foodie expectations. The first night we were treated to grilled ribs, chicken and steak at Shane and Ladleah's. Second night I had scallops and Jack had halibut (short a's not long) at the Waterfront. Last night fresh oysters. Not sure what's next but it will probably be good.

2018 The End

27 July 2018 | Lincolnville Maine
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 nice boatyard shed until next spring. In boat years the last 16 months represents perhaps 10 years of normal use. Our time since it left the water has been about 350 hours. The people at the yard will add some more hours for work we have neither the skill, time or tools to complete. Thanks to our Maine friends who have generously fed and housed us. Soon we are going to enjoy some land time with friends in Wisconsin. Next season we plan on coastal cruising in Maine starting with Penobscot Bay. It's not clear if we will continue to sailblog. This might be
The End.

Boothbay Harbor

05 July 2018 | Boothbay Harbor Maine
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.

The Atlantic Circle is Complete

17 June 2018 | Falmouth Foreside, Maine
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 are filled with satisfactions and sadnesses with the past few years. But in any case, we are beginning a new stage---not sure what it is just yet but we will be land-based for a while. Our plan is to hang around the Portland area for the next couple of weeks until we can visit with everyone, then we will haulout and work on the boat for a couple of weeks, store it and come back to Wisconsin sometime in July. Then ?????

BacK in Maine

14 June 2018 | Portland 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.
Iroquois's Photos - Main
4 Photos
Created 11 May 2016
1 Photo
Created 4 August 2015
4 Photos
Created 1 August 2015
6 Photos
Created 1 August 2015
No Photos
Created 7 June 2015
8 Photos
Created 7 May 2015

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