This morning we pulled the dinghy up into the end of the cove, careful to anchor it in the sand, to not damage it when the tide went out further. We figured a two hour walk would have us close to floating again. Well, not quite, but, it was manageable!
There is a trail from the beach up through the gorgeous woods, to a lane that someone keeps well maintained. We walked to the left, until the lane ended, then back past the trail we'd come up, and continued until we came to a dirt road. What a great place to walk, stretch your legs, and enjoy the Maine flora, and the huge granite bolders strewn about from some past glacier.
When we returned to the MERCY, the other sailboat in the cove with us had left, and we moved over and grabbed the mooring he was on, a 150' change of scenery!
Then I grabbed the safety gear and the handheld gps, and took the dinghy to Ellsworth. I had spoken with the Harbormaster, Adam, who told me that the channel had 5' of depth, EXCEPT for about 150 yards near #4, which has 2.5'. Since there was 12' of tide today, that would have been doable in the MERCY. However, there is about 5.5' of depth at the town dock, and there was a -1.0' tide today, so I was worried about sitting on bottom. Besides, I wanted to look it over in the RIB first.
As I went past #4, the water was already brown enough you couldn't read the channel by water color. By the time I got up to where the Union River narrowed, however, the current was pretty easy to read. I had been told the chart was pretty accurate coming in, and if you decide to make the trip, remember to stay pretty much in the middle, except where the charted depths swing you to one side. There would not be much room for error in several of the crooks coming in, and you would need to be careful that the current swirls didn't mess up your navigation. I was glad my first time through was with the small boat.
When I arrived at Ellsworth, there were several sailboats on the moorings coming in, most with a bow and a stern mooring. Adam later told me you could pass on either side of the boats, as long as you stay pretty close.
I tied up at the town dock, where you can visit for free for a few hours, and checked in with Adam. He is such a friendly, helpful young man, working hard to improve the facilities (which are beautiful) and wanting to see some more visiting cruisers come in. The town is gorgeous, and definitely worth exploring.
A man who was visiting in the Harbormaster's office gave me a ride up to the Crystal Clear pet store, where I'd spoken with Michelle in regards to dog food re-provisioning. The store carries quite a variety of food brands, including the two that Mercy and Mocha use. We loaded the four big bags of food, and some salmon oil into her trunk, and she gave me a ride back down to the dock, maybe a half mile away, but, too far to schlep dog food!
After placing the bags in the RIB, and getting several comments about a small boat full of dog food, I started back down the river. What a difference a few feet of tide makes!
The dogs were ecstatic to see their boat, complete with dog food return. I mean, what more can a lab hope to see than their boat/fun access return with FOOD!
We puttered a little bit in the afternoon before picking up the dinghy, and enjoying being tucked on a great mooring in a protected cove as it rained and heavy thunderstorms passed to the north of us.
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