Dinner with Bruce and Nancy Montgomery at The Osprey, Robinhood, Me.

We were up and underway from Pocasset Harbor at 6 am and sped through the canal at speeds up to 10 knots.
Out into Cape Cod Bay we considered our options. With a forecast for winds from the north-east, our destination for the next day, we decided to pass up Provincetown, just 24 miles across the bay, and take the 10-15 knot easterlies and sail as far north as we could get.
With light easterlies we had a nice beam reach and made great time, passing Cape Ann and the pretty town of Rockport Mass early in the afternoon. In the lightening winds we again turned the engine on and motor-sailed, pulling in at Isles of Shoals just after 1700 hrs, 89 miles run.
As we approached we watched six sailboats leaving, returning to Portsmouth NH, just 7 miles away. The Portsmouth Yacht club maintains 15 moorings in Isles of Shoals and they are available to the general public if not in use by club members. And on a cool Sunday evening there were quite a few available, so we picked one up and settled in.
When we came out of the canal I checked the water temperature. In Buzzards Bay it was 81F. In Cape Cod Bay it was 64F. At Isles of Shoals it was 54F. And air temperatures have dropped correspondingly, so we have had to dig deep for sweaters and blankets!
Monday was another early start as we wanted to make Robinhood Maine, 64 miles away. Again we were plauged by light winds, barely enough to fill the main as we motor-sailed yet again. But we made excellent time and were picking up a mooring from Robinhood Marine at 1730 hrs.
This is where we kept Estelle the first summer we had her, so it felt like arriving home. And on the dock, I met the smiling faces of Bruce and Nancy Montgomery, close friends from cruising. They live nearby and have graciously offered to allow us to store some boat gear for the winter. So Tuesday was spent packing up gear into tubs and dragging it to their place. We also packed the car with gear heading to PEI, so had a full day.
By evening, Estelle was floating distinctly higher, and the car lower. To thank Bruce and Nancy for their generosity (and apologize to Bruce for nearly killing him) we had an excellent dinner at the restaurant on site at the Marina, The Osprey.
Today we were a bit slow getting underway (too much wine taken???), and reluctantly pushed our noses out into a thick fog bank. Our destination was Penobscott Bay. Leaving Robinhood, we fought the incoming currents through Goose Rock Passage, and groped our way down the Sheepscott River to Townsend Gut, and past Boothbay Harbor out along the coast. At times we could see up to 1/4 mile, but for the most part it was about 150'.
So by noon and just 15 miles along our course, we had had enough. Navigating in fog is not easy even with all the modern navigation systems. And dodging the lobster pots that litter Maine waters is always a challenge. But put them together, and its tough work. After four hours and a couple of near misses, we had had enough and picked up a mooring in tiny Christmas Cove.
Ashore we walked through the quiet roads of Rutherford Island, a typical Maine summer community, to the village of South Bristol. Mostly for the exercise, we managed to find two tiny shops where we bought some fish and salads for dinner.
Plans from here are still iffy. We seem to be looking at more headwinds for the next two days, delaying our arrival on Mt Desert Island to probably Saturday or Sunday. But the cruising here is beautiful, so we're not suffering too much.