We've all heard that time and tide wait on no man, and up here, our adventures are pretty well controlled by the tide and current, and our lives are pretty well adventures!
We departed Seal Cove a little before low tide, while we could still catch an outgoing current out the Damariscotta River. We rounded Linekin Neck, inside Squirrel Island and wiggled between Burnt and Mouse Island before entering Townsend Gut. I called to tell the bridge tender we were coming. Hmmm. This is different! The channel is narrow and rocky, and there are the notorious Maine lobster floats everywhere.
As we lined up on the bridge, I realized I had the clearance at this dead low tide, by folding my antennas down, so I called the bridge tender back. He told me he'd watch the clearance as we came under the bridge with about a foot of air draft above our mast. We continued through the maze of trap floats and through the skinny passage out the other end.
We continued past Indian Islandtown Island, and I had this real brainy idea to go through Back River, behind Barter's Island while there still wasn't a lot of current at the Barter's Island swing bridge. Hmmm. This is different!
When I called the bridge for an opening, the bridge tender said it would take him about 4 minutes. With the current pushing us towards the bridge, we found various places between lobster floats to hold up. The bridge tender walked to one end of the bridge, and then the other, I suppose to release some locking mechanism. Then, with him on the middle, pivoting section, he began hand cranking the bridge. No wonder they want your name to open the bridge!
We raced through the opening at idle speed, and made a couple of precarious turns in the narrow channel, still dodging floats until we exited into a bay that turns into Back River. You can't appreciate it unless you look at Google Earth. No, maybe you can't appreciate it unless you were there. I didn't get photos since I was busy. Not sure why Ellen wasn't getting more photos, I think she may have passed out from holding her breath. This probably should not be attempted by the faint of heart, or in times of more current.
The cruise up Back River was interesting, a narrow, deep channel in the middle of a wide, shallow bay. Barter Island looked like a great place to live, but, suspiciously there were lots of houses for sale.... I wonder if living in Maine is like living on a boat, and you eventually reach an age or health that it is no longer practical.
We turned into Cross River, and through Oven Mouth, with its narrow rocky sides. The channel narrows, and the current increases, spewing you out into a nice bay, reminding me a little of my days canoeing in swift water. During the Revolutionary War, ships were hidden from the British in here. That would have been a feat of timing with rowboats and large sailing ships.
There was one sailboat when we arrived in the bay. After a couple of hours, we watched the sailboat leave, and lobster boats plying their traps, while doing some various boat chores. There was good internet connection via Verizon, and I started searching out what I could about Bath, ME. There was a concert this evening at waterfront park, and the City of Bath has free dockage. Besides, I think Ellen was bored with all my seal-watching in off the beaten path places. I regress.
Posted signs at the Bath dock say no overnight docking, but, you can get permission from the dockmaster, via the police department, and they let out of towners stay. I called to make sure we could, and in just a few minutes they called me back to grant me permission. The currents were right, to get through to Bath, so off we went!
We went through the narrow cut at Ovens Mouth, and down the Cross River its short distance until converging with the Sheepscot River. We entered the "Inside Passage" between Boothbay and Bath, in Goose Rock Passage.
The Tafts, in their book, A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast, describe the Inside Passage as "one of the great adventures of the Maine coast." They also say, "..Upper and Lower Hell Gate can be awesome for those of us not accustomed to running whitewater rivers in deep-keeled boats." I had made it a point to go when the currents weren't too awesome. The trip is gorgeous, and I'd do it again in a second.
We passed Robinhood, and the Knubbles, through the Lower Hell Gate, while we still had a little flood current, but not too horrific. We went around Hockomock Bay, and through Upper Hell Gate, with almost full flood in the Sasanoa River. and under the fixed 51' Arrowsic Bridge and into the Kennebec River across from Bath Iron Works and right below the Maine Central Railroad Lift Bridge and the fixed 70' Carlton Bridge. The Maine Central Railroad Bridge opened upon request (we had seen other information that had said a 1400 opening) When asked the bridge tender told me it was upon request during weekdays as well as week-ends.
The town dock was full of small boats when we arrived, and someone moved a few boats around so we could get in to the dock. This blog is already too long, so I'll write more about Bath tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment