The weather lately has been atrocious – high winds, lots of rain, and some pretty gnarly storms. We were glad to not be on the water last week, when several boats dragged and one of the American Star cruise ships broke free from the docks in Rockland. This weekend wasn’t nearly that bad, but it […]
We finally made it off the dock — much later in the season than we’d like, but better late than never. Fortunately, our “patience” was handsomely rewarded. We had an easy dock departure just after slack, and decided that, since it was our first day of the season, we’d keep things simple and sail under […]
Before we launch into the 2026 sailing season, I figured it was time for a recap of our whirlwind off-season. Somehow nine months flew by, and while we weren’t sailing, we certainly weren’t sitting still. After hauling out in the fall, we finally made it up to my parents’ house in Linneus, Maine. We spent […]
We arrived in Belfast just in time for slack, exactly as we’d hoped. We were lucky to score a coveted spot on the face dock, and Bob was there to catch our lines, although this time there was enough space that I would have felt comfortable jumping off to handle the lines if he hadn’t […]
It’s hard to believe this is our final stop before we make our way back to Belfast and start prepping Windara for haul-out. Looking back, it feels like we only just slipped the mooring lines. The summer went way too fast, but it’s one for the books. We’ve been into the Smith Cove anchorage at […]
We set sail from Boothbay in a harbor hurricane that faded to dead calm once we reached open water. We stuck it out for about an hour before turning on the engine to wait for a more reliable breeze. Once it filled in, we were rewarded with a beautiful day of sailing. By the time […]
This is the time of year when we’re usually starting to head south, so I figured it was time for a real-time update on our plans. Chris took a new job back in July – fortunately one that’s still remote so we can continue cruising. The downside is that due to the nature of his […]
We got up early to make the run from Indiantown to Boothbay, navigating the relatively narrow, twisty cut between the two. We timed our departure for the 7:30 opening of the Southport Bridge, which only opens on request at the top and bottom of the hour from 6am to 6pm. Our timing was just about […]
I began this post in the cockpit on an absolutely beautiful early fall afternoon (yes, technically it’s still summer, but fall is already underway). Windara was the only boat in the anchorage, and the only sounds were a light breeze and an occasional loon’s cry. Now and then, a small sailboat glided past. I’m feeling […]
Chris had to travel for work, and my only condition about where we stayed while he was away was that I wanted to be on a dock. If nasty weather rolled through while I was on anchor or a mooring, it’s unlikely I’d be able to reset the anchor or pick up the mooring alone […]