7/12/2024

 

Weather apps’ small icons do not do justice to Maine’s off shore weather. They are too cute. After days of fog, rain and wind in NE Harbor, Carrie Rose woke to a crystal clear blue sky. It was nippy and there was wind in the tops of the trees; it was an image of benign weather. This was echoed in the various weather apps consulted. 

 

While Charlotte performed her morning ablutions, I turned the VHF radio to channel two, NOAA’s weather broadcast: greater than 5 foot NE swell with a period of six seconds with 4 to 5 foot SE wind driven waves. As an addendum, “patchy” fog was mentioned. 

 

The night before we decided to head 28NM west and south to Buck’s Harbor. At Buck’s we can tie to a mooring (no anchoring) and walk up a steep hill to a tiny store with Maine’s usual mix of high and lowbrow food and liquor complete with the NYT, Washington Post, Boston Globe, WSJ, etc.

 

The gist of the story takes place a mile or so East of NE Harbor where the coastal waters of the Western Way abruptly meet the Atlantic Ocean. The first indication is that the inland water’s lively blue green changes to a leaden blue gray. It is obvious that Carrie Rose is entering a solemn place. 

 

Carrie Rose makes a slight galumph as I look up to the top of a swell. I say up because from my pilothouse’s 8 foot perch I can no longer see the horizon. Now the world is a sleighride: up the front of the swell and down the back. On a calm day it is a fun ride and if we travel with another boat it is intriguing to watch them disappear and reappear below and atop each swell.

 

On windy days, the gaps between the swell’s hillocks fill with a churned up mix of wind driven waves. These are similar to the Great Lake’s waves: steep and close together. Ask any Great Laker how comfortable cruising on Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario is and get ready for a mouthful. 

 

As abrupt as the water’s hue changes, so does the temperature. We close the pilothouse’s doors in response and then are enveloped in fog. Intermixed within the fog, swell, waves and wind are NE Harbor’s fleet of handsome lobster boats. They appear in and out of the mist, rising and falling with the swell sometimes with only their antennas visible. 

 

It is chaotic because it is difficult to discern which way they are streaming. They can be circling a trap and then, once through, it is anyone’s guess which direction they will take to pick up the next trap. Lobster boats tend to two dispositions: full speed or stopped. In a flat sea with good visibility there is time to ferret out their next destination and take an opposing path. In anything less, we make an educated guess. Sometimes we are correct and other times we get the evil eye and a few choice phases.

 

The before mentioned maelstrom is short lived if heading west back to civilization. It is about 3NM to reach Bass Harbor Head, the southernmost point of Mt. Dessert Island (MDI) and the Bass Harbor Bar that separates MDI from Great Gott Island. Once over the bar the sea state and the weather change. Not always for the better but certainly better in today’s conditions. 

 

Carrie Rose is a superb sea boat. With her powerful Cummins diesel and large four bladed propeller she moves deliberately forward. This is despite what is happening within her confines. I adjust the throttle, for a little more or less makes a difference in her ride and thus, our comfort. 

 

Experience counts for a lot. Without it I might have considered turning back to the comforts of the harbor. Once over the Bass Harbor Bar the fog dissolved as does the wind and the swell. With the sea’s calm and the sun shining, I accelerated to cruising speed. Five hours later we are filling Carrie Rose’s fresh water tanks at Buck’s Harbor Marina’s dock . . . All in a day’s work. 

Buck's Habor, Maine