6/12/2025

Carrie Rose is tied to floating dock 302 in Northeast Harbor, ME. It took us almost a week to drive the 1300 miles from Chicago. I know, I know that is a long time but when I must stop at every rest stop it lengthens the trip a bit. 

In response to the above, Charlotte and I have decided to make our transits vacations. Each of the small towns we stopped at, some bleaker than others, had charm. It could have been a restaurant, a museum, a park, but it was always something we did not expect. 

 

Of course, they were not Chicago but then I have always been a snob; not that I realized it until somewhat recently. If it wasn’t real potato chips vs Pringles, jazz vs rock, classical vs popular, Frank Lloyd Wright vs anyone else, it’s been some other obscure thing. Being a vegetarian lends itself to snobbery and let’s not even talk about wine and coffee and tea . . . need I go on!

 

So, it took us a long time to get to Carrie Rose. The last several years I decided to let the yard do the work: it’s called commissioning. At some point an invoice is emailed  

and it is usually a surprise. In most other endeavors we know what a thing or service will cost. This is not the case in boating. I am not sure why and I know this is lazy on my part, but I have resigned myself to it.

 

After a raucous ride into Northeast Harbor the winds calmed and the temperature rose. The harbor is empty. Last year we got here on June 28^th, this year June 12^th. A few boats are trickling in, but we’ve got the place pretty much to ourselves. The first thing I noticed is how quiet it is. There are a few loud motorcycles and the bleating of a construction vehicle but overall, the lack of a constant stream of 777 heavies flying over our head is comforting. 

 

We came into the pier thinking the outgoing tide will push us onto it, alas it was pushing us away. I drove towards the pier several times and was ready to drive around again when Charlotte announced she had the midship’s line attached. This is perfect, I can spin the wheel to the port and drive in against the pier. Of course, we had our usual fault finding debrief and challenged ourselves to do better next time. 

 

There is a saying in the Japanese tea ceremony: Ichi-go, Ichi-e, one time - one meeting. That is the same for docking. It is never the same and even after piloting Carrie Rose for twenty years I still feel the need to improve my skills. And, like resigning myself to unknown costs, I have resigned myself to never get docking quite right. 

 

Northeast Harbor, ME