1. You wear a lot more clothes
2. It is much harder to bend down with all of these clothes
3. You do not go barefoot
4. It takes a long time to use the head (i.e. go to the bathroom)
5. You have to get up earlier before your watch to put on these a lot more clothes
6. You need less sunscreen
7. It takes longer to boil water
8. The refrigerator & freezer use a lot less power
9. You don't have to rinse sand from the cockpit
10. You get the idea
We left Belfast Maine morning May 17, beautiful sunny day, a chill to the air and wind on the beam and then aft of the beam, good wind directions.
Our passage was 220 miles, about a 36 hour trip. Our plan was to leave with a good weather forecast, travel out of Penobscot Bay and near shore Nova Scotia in daylight to avoid getting tangled in a lobster pot line, get to Cape Sable at a good time (slack water heading toward Ebb tide), and arrive at Shelburne Yacht Club in daylight. So we dropped the dock lines about 0700.
Was I nervous? Yes. I was worried about staying warm when on watch and, to jump ahead, that was and will be a challenge. Workers on fishing boats manage; so we will figure this out. This was our first passage of the year and I was nervous about managing the boat while David slept - worked out fine. Lastly, with the water temperature 50 degrees F in Belfast, 45 in Shelburne, this environment was a dramatic reminder to not go overboard. Sailors spend a lot of time on safety equipment and strategies to respond to a crew overboard, but the maxim is don't fall overboard. Message heard.
Was David nervous? Yes. I appreciated that he attended to details carefully, and no surprise to those who know him, he wasn't super chatty.
Heading out of Penobscot Bay, we set our course to cross the
Gulf of Maine. Early in the day winds were 15-25 knots with seas 3 feet, comfortable, manageable, allowing us to gain confidence and add more clothing.
We were amazed how far out the lobster boats travel to place their traps - we sailed past pots in 350 feet of water 20 miles off shore. Did not see dolphins or sailboats, only one lobster boat as we left Maine waters. Our focus was slow, methodical work. This environment was less forgiving of mistakes; our perspective narrowed to the smallest of the oft revered here-and-now.
Later in the day, the wind picked up to 25-35 knots with seas building to 8 feet or more. We reefed the sails, eventually until only a small amount was out, with Ithaka still traveling 6-7 knots. The boat performed beautifully in these conditions, moving quickly and surely, doing its job (boats are supposed to be "she"s; for me, boats are gender neutral or maybe both genders).
I found these first night watches challenging, let's see: windy, big seas, cold, fishing boats without AIS.
But we each got through them, sailing well and learning a few lessons (mostly what more to wear). And nights are short! It got dark around 10pm and began to lighten by 5am.
With daylight, we enjoyed our coffee, dodged some kind of fishing gear off of Cape Sable, where the sea floor depth rises to 150 feet, and sited land. My phone notified me that we were in Canadian waters (according to Verizon) and I had cell service.
The wind lessened and we enjoyed viewing the Canadian Coast as we made our way toward Shelburne Bay to a typically friendly Canadian greeting by Erin at Shelburne Yacht Club. She caught our dock lines, noting that we were the first visiting boat of the year, and stayed on site while we waited to check in to the Canadian Border Control. Lastly, she offered a suggestion of which of the 2 restaurants open was the best.
Addendum: I wore wool socks, long underwear, hiking pants, foul weather bibs, long sleeve wicking tee shirt, 3 fleece layers, foul weather jacket, ski hat, and gloves. Next time I will switch to merino long underwear, fleece pants, and add a neck gaiter.
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