Monday, August 29, 2011

after Irene



Except for the empty marina, you'd never know that we had a hurricane yesterday. Irene screamed into new England, faded, and blew on up through Vermont. Here, on the coast of Maine, we had lots of wind, an inch of rain, and power outages. In Vermont, bridges are out, roads are washed out, and downtowns and homes destroyed. I never thought I'd hear the words, "The eye of hurricane is just now passing St. Johnsbury, Vermont." But I did, and Irene about drowned Vermont.


I am sorry about all that; I kind of wish we'd had some more drama as most of us were very prepared. Really though, I am happy for the sun, and the September - like weather, and hope another hurricane does not come this way soon.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

"and the restless wind.........."

These are the last boats to be hauled in advance of Irene, the hurricane of August 2011. For 3 straight days, the crew plus others at Ocean Pont Marina hauled boat after boat after boat. They barely slept, I think. But today when I went to look, there were a few big boats out on moorings, but the slips were empty - even the Boat US Towboat was gone.

They hauled Priscilla on the second day. She's comfortably up against one of the big sheds, safe and sound so far. The dinghy is turned over on the wharf, but is somewhat vulnerable to the storm surge expected tonight at high tide. I expect to sleep through it; it occurs at 11 pm. But it is a bit of a worry in that it is an astronomical tide - there is no moon at all now, and will be a 10.6' tide, higher than normal and a challenge to the Post Office, Lobsterman's Wharf, and the Marina. If there is a surge also, this far up the River, it could spell trouble for things at the above places - including dinghies turned over on the wharf.

So here I am in the middle of a hurricane. Actually EBB is on the eastern side Irene, hence we've not had as much rain as Vermont has had, or the rest of the Eastern Seaboard. But we have wind, and wind gusts of up to 75 mph. And we will have surf with wave heights of between 20-30', they say on the Weather Channel. Not good for people living closer to sea level than me, but dramatic if you don't live there. This afternoon, at dead low tide, it was pretty exciting but not close in. The rocks and the seaweed kept the water away. Tomorrow at high tide at noon, it should be quite dramatic.

"And they called the wind,"...Irene?????

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Altogether too much joy along with problems!



There's been altogether too much joy here in East Boothbay lately. Too many families coming together; too much wonderful weather; too many trips out to Monhegan to build fairy houses. But so be it. Take it in, breathe deeply, and enjoy. Even the garden threatens to take over.


My grandgirls came here, and then I went up to Vermont to see them again, plus all my boys and their Significant Others, for the first time in a long time. I had ex-in-laws for a visit which was good fun, too, and all my mother's family for a picnic. It's been too good.

So today, I took a friend down to Maine Med in Portland for an MRI because the local hospitals were too busy - not a good sign. There's no diagnosis yet, but she is relieved to have begun a diagnostic process.


And I heard a final story from the Shipyard Cup races. The largest yacht here, Christopher, at 154', has a keel draft of 9', but a centerboard which drops down to a draft of 31'. Thirty one feet is pretty much lowtide depth in much of Boothbay's harbors and coves, which Christopher found out. Apparently she grounded sometime during the race, was pulled off but could not get her board back up. So she had issues finding a place of rest and security. I haven't heard yet whether or not they got her board back up, and I've been speculating on how they could do it.

Divers? I'm sceptical.


I've been thinking that they should hire the crane that lifted one of the tugs finished by Washburn and Doughty after the fire in 2008. It was the crane that Howard Hughes had built to raise the Russian sub sunk off the coast of California, and is reputed to be the biggest in the world. On the other hand, the Navy is dredging the Kennebec as we write, in order to get a new destroyer out of Bath Iron Works with a draft of only 27'. So maybe they could get Christopher up the Kennebec to Bath, and raise her up on one of their giant cranes - to unstick the centerboard. Aah, the woes of boat ownership!


I will let you know what I find out. In the meantime, enjoy these last days of summer!



Sunday, August 14, 2011

what a difference a year makes!


















Last year, it was glory sailing. This year it is best not described. The big boats emerged out of the hazy fog, crept across the finish line and back into the Harbor. The air show at the end of the races helped, but yet I wish I'd been able to see some spinnakers flying. Still, the Shipyard Cup made everyone in Boothbay sit up, take a breather, and drive on out to the rocks on Ocean Point if they couldn't get a ride on a boat.


It's really been a grand and glorious few weeks. Priscilla's engine got fixed and I've had some great sails; the garden overfloweth; I picked a few blueberries from my canoe in New Hampshire again; and the grandaughters began a parade of family that still continues. Saturday, 27 people from my mother's family came for a picnic, and appeared to enjoy themselves! Babies and grandparents all. Perhaps the nicest thing of all, is that my son and his girlfriend have decided to get married!

I am quite pleased, knowing at the same time that I really have very little to do with it.


Despite the weather for this last day of the Shipyard Cup or perhaps because of the family picnics, this summer has been wonderful up here on the Coast of Maine. That makes it hard to think why Congress can't do what we elected them to do - reach reasonable compromise and make a decision in favor of the country and not their own reelection, when the possibility of spending time here in Maine during a beautiful summer hangs in front of them! let's hope the stock market thinks of this possibility also, this coming week!