East Blue Hill, Galley Cove

Thursday, 6 August, 2015

This morning before we got underway at 0625, we had already seen eagle, osprey, a harbor seal, and LOONS!  I loved listening to their calls, and I think if they had stayed in the cove, I probably would have, too!  I'd always thought loons were only fresh water, but, one of the bird experts up here that I'd talked to last week told me that this time of year, they are in the salt water as well.

We eased our way around a couple of points of land, and up into Webber Cove, where we thought our friends on the S/V Lark had come into.  After a few minutes in the cove, and a telephone call, I discovered that they were at the Webber Cove Boatyard facility at East Blue Hill.

We saw a lot of harbor seals strewn out on the rocks at low water, enjoying the early morning sun.

We grabbed a mooring at East Blue Hill, and took the dogs to the beach to the ENE.  We met a man kayaking who had been in Galley Cove the day before, and he talked to us about some of his favorite areas.  We will have to check a few of them out!  We saw another loon come swimming through the moored boats.

Our friends from the LARK picked us up at the dinghy dock at noon, and we went to Blue Hill for lunch.  While we sat on the patio and ate, we watched a couple of kids swimming in the bay.  My Florida blood is too thin to swim in this water, though, with a dry suit, I'd love to do some diving here in this cold, clear water.  I suspect the rock ledges are magnificent!

Mike and Linda had received an autopilot fluxgate compass for me, which I hope will fix my autopilot problem.  I'm a little pessimistic.  I am, however, grateful for someone who would receive and hold a package for us!  They also graciously took us to the grocery store where I grabbed diet cokes and cokes while we had vehicle access, as well as some fresh veggies.

We left in the afternoon, hoping to be able to get a mooring in Galley Cove, which we did.  Shortly after our arrival, a 55' vessel came in and politely asked us to move, as we were on his private mooring.  David Rockefeller?  A local lobster boat who was showing his friends the cove, and fishing, moved to allow us on the other mooring, which also belongs to the Rockeffers, and talked to us over the rail for several minutes.  What a nice young man, Jake, on the RAMPAGE.  Everyone I've met in this place is nice!

Galley Cove, Bartlett Island, Ellsworth

Wednesday, 5 August, 2015

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.

Mistake Island to Galley Cove, Bartlett Island, ME

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

This morning we were fogged in!  The tide was low enough that it made the radar super easy to follow going out.  I will say that the big birds like to fly above the channel, between the cliffs of Knight Island and Steele Harbor Island.  They fly about the speed of a small skiff!  All photos are after we got out of the fog.  I like the first couple where we are coming out of it.  Want a photo of fog?  Hold your glasses over the steam from a boiling pot, and then put them on.  Yep, that's what we had all day.  We kept wiping our eyes, but, it didn't help.

We entered the North Atlantic, and the upset swell.  Even though there was no wind yet, in the day, the confused swells from last night upset a certain brown dog's stomach.  Poor Mocha!  As soon as we rounded the "DTS" buoy, we turned inshore towards calmer, shallower waters.

We ran in the fog all the way into Northeast, where we grabbed a mooring just long enough to find out the store with the dog food we were looking for had closed.  Then we ran in the fog around Desert Island until we got to Bartlett Island.

At Bartlett Island the fog bank ended, though the southwest breeze tried to push a little of it in!

We were delighted to see blue skies for the first time all day long!

We grabbed a free mooring at Galley Cove, where I'm told the Rockefeller's maintain a couple of moorings for guests to use and enjoy the cove.  

There is one other boat here, a sailboat, and we are listening to the wind blow above the trees as we watch the weather warnings for high wind and rain this evening.  What a sweet spot to be!  N44 21.743 W 068 25.185