.jpeg)
It is a unique moment when we are the only boat left in an anchorage. When the last boat raises its anchor and motors out it gets unusually quiet or at least it feels that way. Depending on the circumstances we feel blessed or wonder why we have not left. Let’s say the weather is deteriorating, should we also be moving to a safer location. This concern is not unprecedented as we have errored in the past.
To sit through a storm at anchor is sobering. The decision to stay, especially at night, is hard not to second guess. Carrie Rose’s AIS (Automatic Identification System) has a feature called Anchor Watch. It shows where we are in reference to the anchor. It knows this because once the anchor is dropped, a button that marks its location is pushed. That is if in the commotion that is anchoring, we remember to push it.
A circular boundary surrounding the anchor is set and if the boat extends beyond it, an alarm will sound. So, let’s say 70 feet of chain is lowered then the boundary is set at 100 feet. If the wind increases the chain will pull tight and extend, thus the extra length of the perimeter. A dragging anchor is not a thing we want to deal with especially in the dark, so we are careful in how we set the anchor.
I am not sure how I got on this tangent. I was writing about a quiet anchorage all to ourselves and suddenly I’m in a storm with the anchor dragging.
Another thing we notice, except in the most remote anchorages, is that lawns are always being mowed. Here in Somes Harbor no one (as of yet) is mowing their lawn but that has been replaced by major bridge reconstruction to the north and to the west, a large home’s sea wall is being built. The latter entails placing large granite boulders delicately (not quietly) in place and the former, pounding metal post into the mud.
That said, the nights here have been quiet, dark and cool; perfect sleeping weather.
Most mornings and afternoons I can see osprey and hear eagles. These two avian do not get along. Of the two, the osprey is more aggressive. An eagle will pretty much sit on its perch and get dive bombed repeatedly by the osprey. The eagles seem annoyed but not enough to fly away. In my experience, ospreys are tireless, whereas eagles are chill.
One of the benefits of Somes Harbor is the complimentary bus service that L.L. Bean provides for Mount Dessert Island. The bus stops at the Somes Public Library. It is a fifteen minute walk once we dinghy to the dock. Today Bar Harbor’s hardware and grocery stores are on the agenda. The bus arrives at 10:18, so I need to stop chilling and get my act together . . .
Somes Harbor, ME
