In three and a half weeks we’ve reached our second goal arriving in Maine, a distance of 1,200 miles from Brunswick, Georgia. Our first goal was to see if we could handle Vanish on our own which, so far, has gone very well. Since our last post, we’ve moved 222 miles stopping over at Mattapoisett, Massachusetts before continuing through the Cape Cod Canal the following day. Timing the tide through the canal is important as the tidal range on the western end of the canal is 4 ft yet the range at the eastern end is 9 ft. This equates to a current in the canal that can be up to 6 knots. As all vessels must transit the canal in 2.5 hours under motor, it is critical to work out the optimum time. We went through in 1.5 hours an hour before slack tide with little traffic and lots of photographic opportunities.
Cape Cod Bay on the eastern end was at its very best with no sea or swell. We saw our first seal as the water temperature is now down to 15c deg (57f). In previous seasons we normally follow the coastline northwards stopping at Boston, Massachusetts but the weather was benign with no fog and little wind so we headed out to The Hook of Cape Cod anchoring at Provincetown. The following morning we were up and about in bright light at 4.30am and departed for Maine. Again, the conditions were ideal with oily seas, 3 knots of variable wind and excellent visibility. It was so good in fact that we saw the biggest number of whales we’ve ever seen including humpbacks breaching and possibly Sei and fin whales. Often, we would see a distant spout burst into the air or we would see a fin followed by a breach or the back of a whale diving deep into the ocean. At one stage, I spotted two large fins and as I was interested in finding sunfish sunbathing on the surface, we turned Vanish towards the fins to take a closer look. I ran out on deck with my camera and was shocked to see the biggest great white shark Maynard or I had ever seen. In fact, we’ve never seen a great white shark.
The two fins were its dorsal fin and its tail swishing through the water. We estimated its length to be 20ft. It was a monster. I had to keep telling myself not to fall in or jump overboard by accident. It really gave us the creeps to think of something which could easily swallow us both for morning tea.
Not long after the shark sighting, about a mile further on, we saw a husband and wife sunfish sunning themselves under Cape Cod skies. They apparently spend a great deal of time warming their bodies after diving deep into the ocean where they feed on jellyfish legs and jellyfish gonads. How’s that for an interesting fact! They are also easily spotted on calm days as they lazily flap a fin on the ocean surface. It was the most interesting day for viewing sea life we’d had on any sailing trip.
We are now in a different weather zone and hopefully out of reach of gales with any luck during our time here in Maine. Vanish is washed, pollen free and salt free with the only problem being a raw water pump that has failed on the port genset. The Captain is currently buried in the engine room working on replacing the pump, not an easy job. He is an excellent engineer so we are in good hands. All those early years working endlessly on broken down engines on his 1959 MGA, a 1957 VW Bug, a 1960 VW Kombi, and a 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV plus our various sailing vessels have paid dividends in learning to operate Vanish with a fair amount of confidence. There’s one thing about boats and being on the ocean. There is a never ending amount to learn and no shortage of jobs.
For More Photos, Click on Gallery at the top of this page and go to Album named Don't Fall In.