Cape Porpoise to Robinhood Cove

Another note about our position reports: Pangolin does not seem to be recording them at all, lately. We are currently in Robinhood Cove off of the Sheepscott River in Maine. Visit Google Maps to see where we are as of June, 19, 2009.

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Willy Beamis, the director of the Isles of Shoals Marine Lab, left a comment on our blog site clearing up the bird doo issue. Seagulls do indeed crap aggressively when they feel their territory is being invaded. Thank you, Willy. Tim Ahern, Amy’s brother-in-law, had also confirmed this behavior as intentional. So why then does the expression, “bird-brain,” refer to a person as having confused ideas and being incapable of serious thought? Seems like it should mean someone who is very protective, cunning, and has good aim. Oh well, on with the story…

On June 10, under increasingly gray skies, we bid adieu to our seagull friends in Isles of Shoals and headed for Portland. As often happens, the weather forecast was off the mark. So, after four hours of fighting wind and waves, we decided to put in at Cape Porpoise just a stone’s throw from Kennebunkport. We dropped the hook amidst a few sailboats and many lobster fishing boats. After swinging on the anchor for a few hours, a friendly local sailor came out on his skiff and told us if we wanted to take the nearby mooring, we were welcome because the owner would not be using it in the near future.

We had planned on departing the next day, but the weather was gray in the morning and the wind still against us, so we moved over to the offered mooring ball. In the afternoon, we hopped in the dinghy and went to explore the town and eat lunch. No sooner had we exited the dinghy when a man came out of a restaurant, and headed straight for me. “Do I know you? Do I look familiar to you?”

I studied his face for a second. “I don’t think so…”

“You’re the ones on the mooring out there, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well that’s my mooring. I thought maybe I knew you, ‘cause I tell people I meet cruising to use it if it’s empty so I thought maybe we’d met...”

“Oh, do we need to get off? Another sailor told us to go ahead and pick it up, so…

“No, no, you’re fine there. My boat’s out of the water…”

His name was Peter and he told us to make ourselves at home. No problem at all. Cape Porpoise was turning out be a swell place. The little town was full of beautiful homes, a library, a few restaurants, and a small but well-stocked grocery store.

Later on, we settled into the Ramp restaurant near the wharf for clam chowder and mussels. It was excellent.

The next day the sun shone for the first time in days, but we stayed on in Cape Porpoise anyway. The big news in town was that George Bush Sr. would be jumping out of an airplane and landing in nearby Kennebunkport. It was his 85th birthday. Go George!

Kenny’s second cousin Brian and his wife Samantha, who live in Kennebunkport, picked us up and treated us to dinner at their favorite restaurant in town. Everyone was so generous with us; we started thinking maybe we should just stay in Maine forever.

At the bar of the restaurant, was a paratrooper who had jumped with George. A CNN reporter was there too. For a minute, it felt like we were back in DC.

Saturday was clear and sunny so we headed out for Jewell Island in Casco Bay. We got there in the late afternoon and were the third to last boat able to fit in the small anchorage. The island is state-owned and permanent moorings are not allowed in the harbor. On any given summer weekend, it would be jam-packed. Fortunately for us, it was still early enough in the season that the numbers of people and boats was small.

We hiked to the World War II era observation tower which is still maintained for natural resources marshals who look for lobster poachers. However, the public is allowed up the eight story tower to take in the grand views of Casco Bay. It’s a hike well worth the torment of the mosquitoes.

The beautiful weather ended Saturday evening when the rains came. It was so rainy we decided to stay put for another day and go to Portland on Monday. Despite the heavy rain, several Mainers were out there fishing, seining and otherwise enjoying the island.

We arrived in Portland Monday morning and took a mooring at Portland Yacht Services. There is no anchoring allowed in the harbor. We set out on our mission of buying the necessary Canadian Charts from Chase and Leavitt and going to the grocery store.

We managed to accomplish all our tasks and still have time for a much needed shower. Once back on board, we did a routine check of the oil and found an excessive amount had leaked out during the short trip from Jewell Island to Portland. Not a good sign.

We had considered heading straight to Nova Scotia from Portland since the weather prediction was so favorable, but decided instead to go to Boothbay Harbor both to test the motor and to visit with cruising buddies on Blessed Spirit whom we had met in the Bahamas. When we arrived in Boothbay Harbor, we checked the engine. There was even more oil oozing from the motor than before. Our boat’s motor is a Perkins 4-108 and is widely known to be sturdy, reliable, and a leaker. We’ve always had leaks like all the other owners we’ve talked to or read about on the Web. However, this was well beyond our comfort level.

When our friends, Corning and Tita, came out to our boat for cocktails we discussed our options. Corning told us who to contact and who in the area had a good reputation. They then took us out for a wonderful dinner at the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club. We were the only patrons since it was the first night of the season for the restaurant.

Wednesday morning we called a few of the boat yards Corning had recommended and decided to go to Robinhood Marine Center which was only about four miles away off of the Sheepscott River. We had been there in our previous trip to Maine. Gordon, the friendly mechanic came by within a few hours of our arrival and diagnosed the problem. We figured it was a gasket issue, but we wanted the opinion of an expert. Gordon said it was the timing belt cover gasket and that we could continue our trip but it would need to be fixed at some point in the not-too-distant future. So, we decided this was as good a place as any. Besides, we were running out of oil-absorbent pads.

Readers who are not boaters may wonder why a motor is important on a sailboat. Well, it’s a big convenience. It allows you to keep going if the wind dies as well as navigate through narrow places where you cannot sail such as docks, narrow inlets, rock-strewn coves and other such places.

So, here we are, Thursday afternoon, hanging out in a very pretty, very protected cove waiting for a gasket to arrive. We repeat the adage that “cruising is fixing your boat in exotic places” and feel we’ve come up a rung from Cape May, NJ.