'Nuff Said

It was a good day for all -

Smoke and I stayed on the boat today to watch for clueless guillemots swimming past the boat and to knit...

Luke went into town ...

'Nuff said...

Actually, Luke wants me to let the world know that the BEST little museum is here in Rockland.  It's the Sail Power & Steam Museum.  Founded and managed by a retired schooner captain who has been sailing schooners for the past 50 years.  An amazing collection of local maritime history, very well presented, and very much worth the visit.
www.sailpowersteammuseum.org

All seems better

The dinghy outboard motor has continued to run flawlessly.  We've decided to take a "wait and see" approach.  This happened last year when we first started using it after the winter and again, after a few runs, it seemed to get itself back in order and we never had trouble with it that summer.  Fingers crossed...

We have used our time to play tourist.  Friends Phyllis and Peter came up for a couple of days.  Phyllis and I did spend some quality girl time, yarn shopping, lobster rolls for lunch, and just catching up.  Peter had come down with a cold and stayed home that day.  The next day he felt better, so the four of us met at an open air location and had a quality Subway lunch.  Perfect to get Peter out and to keep his germs away from us.  Peter and Luke did their own catching up at the waterfront in Rockport while we girls again went to a yarn shop.

The next day, to the town of Damariscotta.  Damariscotta is a cute, typical Maine little 4 block tourist town with a beautiful little waterfront, a really good fish market, a really really good homemade ice cream store, and a wonderful yarn shop.  Main Street is actually Hwy 1, the main highway through coastal Maine.  The waterfront looks quiet, calm, and well, little.

But, oh, what this town used to be!  Straight from the information at the waterfront -

The next day, we  toured the Farnsworth  Art Museum  http://www.farnsworthmuseum.org/
The Farnsworth is a private museum, full of beautiful art including a large collection of "local" artists NC, Andrew and Jamie Wythe.  If you get to Rockland, definitely plan to spend a few hours here. Very reasonable, about $13 per senior adult.

A second part of the Farnsworth experience is a tour of the Olson house, about 16 miles away.  The Olson home is where Andrew Wythe had a study and did a lot of his paintings.  Rather than "renovated", the home is kept at the same unpainted, unrepaired state that it was when Christina and her brother Alvaro Olson died.

The most famous is "Christina's World", depicting his close friend, the handicapped Christina, in her field, crawling back to the house.

We think Luke is standing at the same angle in the field, certainly not as far from the house.

The house is mostly empty, with only a few chairs and Christina's crib.

Here is the blue door between the kitchen and Alvaro's attached workshop.  This painting is so popular that Benjamin Moore has a "Wythe Blue" color, approximately the same shade of blue.

Yes, that door is still the same, even with the scratch marks from the dog, asking to come inside.

Right after both Christina and Alvaro died, Andrew did a painting "End of Olsons", a view from a third floor window.

Here is basically that same view, but a little more grown over and without any artist's "license". The road isn't seen for the trees and there is definitely not a car in Andrew's painting!

The Olson's are interned at a small cemetery close to the house. Andrew Wythe is buried here, also.

I enjoy wandering through the streets of town.   Luke is off to the library again, a marine electronics place, and a small Sail, Power, and Steam Museum in town.  Smokey is basking in the sun in the cockpit.  I am spending the day aboard doing my blog and catching up on lazy knitting (all those visits to the yarn shop inspired me!).

Tomorrow and Sunday we will be at a mooring beside friends from last year, Barb and Jim.  They have a trawler, but we'll forgive them :-)  Actually, it is very nice and makes me sort of want one...
Monday, the 3rd, we will leave Rockland for about 3 weeks.  Friends from FL, Ange and Ray, will be here for a week in late July.  Before then, we will spend a couple of days in Camden for the July 4th celebration and fireworks, and then hopefully some sailing to where ever we and the wind chose.

Let's see.... Is it "foiled again" again.... or deja vue all over again? or what....

CRAP! Just when I thought things were going well and we were off to adventure, the darn (ok, damned!) dinghy outboard motor crapped out.  It will start.  Oh, sure.  But it won't run.  A 20 - 25 minute row to shore is not acceptable in an inflatable dingy.  The old style hard dinghies are fine, but inflatables are not made to row.  They like outboards.  WORKING outboards.  All sort of issues/worries come up here  - where are we going to get it worked on? when are we going to get it worked on? (it's the weekend, of course) How are we going to get an outboard that weights over 110 pounds to anyone to work on it.  stress....

One step at a time.....we arranged to  move from our anchorage in the south side of the harbor to a mooring on the north side, close to both shore and a marina that does outboard work.  Next, get the owner of the repair marina to agree to take her in asap (like in 3 or 4 days).  Learn that we can take (row) the dinghy to their dock to leave it for work.  Go to the marina and discover that the moorings have been double booked.  Take a graciously offered stay for one night at the dock of the mooring marina at the mooring price ($30) instead of the dock price ($95).  Breathe a big sigh of relief.

With plans - of sorts - in motion, we moved to the dock and took advantage of a lull in the wind to reattach the mainsail.  Luke worked diligently to feed the sail up the mast while I used the electric winch to raise it.

Success!!

The sail was dutifully rolled back up, waiting for open water and breezes.  Don't you just love it when even the tanks are "lobster-ized"?

Typical Maine tidal range of 12 feet means some steep gangplanks from the shore to the docks.  We are having  exponentially low tides of 2 feet below normal low.  It's a loooong walk down....That's me in the middle of the picture.

  Latitudes was moved early this morning from the dock to a mooring.  We plan to take advantage of low winds tomorrow mooring (early...) to put on the jib sail.

And now, I have to say that the offending outboard is purring like a kitten now, running happily.  More stress about whether or not to take it for evaluation or now.  An expensive option.  We will take runs in the dinghy for another day before we make a decision.  more sighs... Smokey is, of course, oblivious to all of this.  She is enjoying the freedom of the boat, complete with tummy rubs on the back deck and deliriously chasing of the evil tail on the back deck. She doesn't have complete run of the boat at a dock - the little rascal is prone to "wandering" about the docks.

Friends for NC are up for a visit -  Phyllis and I did the yarn shop crawl today.  Peter has come down with a nasty cold.  Hoping that tomorrow we'll all 4 be able to do some tourist stuff.  AFTER the jib goes up :-)

The summer vacation has finally started!

Not that it didn't take much longer than we anticipated/allowed!  Two full weeks, to the day, we had been in Rockland, preparing Latitudes for our summer aboard.  She's' a bit untidy below, where we have stowed things to yet be put away, and there is still the small issue of putting up the sails, but everything else is done ...we think...

On Wednesday, after a couple of long days of last minute preparation, Latitudes was finally lowered gently into the crisp (56 degrees....) Maine water.  We've been waiting for this event!

As part of the winter deal, we were allowed a day on the docks of the boatyard to get things in order before we set sail.  Easier said than done, as the yard had not been able to get their floating docks and gangplank in the water yet.  At low tide (12 foot tidal range here),  it was an adventure getting back and forth off of the dock.

Some of the docks were installed while we were at the dock, but not the gangplank.

Smoke seemed to know that we were in the water again.  She settled down on the cockpit floor to keep me company.

We used our time at the dock to de-winterize the water systems on Latitudes.  With 3 water tanks, that meant flushing out the antifreeze in each, rinsing each out twice, and then adding clean water.  The water we added was city water but came along a non-potable hose for a distance and had a "distinct" hose taste. We went ahead and filled the tanks anyway and put some jugs of good drinking water on board.  Latitudes got a well needed washing.  In checking things out, Luke checked the aft lazarette and found water running down the inside of the hull!  The problem turned out to be a leaking water pressure reducer - a trip to the hardware store and another squeeze into the lazarette fixed the problem. A rare event of a job that turned out to be simpler than we feared!

Evening at the dock

This morning we threw the lines from the dock and officially left the boatyard.  Smokey had apparently decided that we were going to live on the boat on the hard forever and was not pleased.  She took refuge in her carrier on one of the boat seats.  You KNOW this isn't a happy cat...

A quick ride to the Rockland Public Landing seemed to settle her.  Here we were able to empty our tanks again and this time fill them with good tasting city water.  It is early in the season.  In a month, these docks will be crowded.

The city offers 2 hours free dockage. We took advantage of the extra time after filling the tanks to have lunch on-board and also visit the Thursday Farmers Market again.  The market is in the Public Landing parking lot - really convenient!  I bought some beautiful "picked this morning organic greens mix".  Luke got this nice shot of the Rockland shore.

Then, finally, off to the anchorage area to drop our hook and really start our vacation.  You can imagine how happy we are to have left here -

in order to be here. We both felt a real sense of relief - no more pressure to get things done, to get up at 6:30 AM to work until 7:30, or 8:30 PM.

The water is a bit rough, as it is windy, about 16 knots.  We plan to take advantage of flat winds early tomorrow morning to put up the sails.

It is so nice to have our little home back together - running water, a toilet, working frig and freezer (they love the 57 degree water), and a mildew free living area all make for a comfortable home.  Smokey is sleeping blissfully, Luke is doing small chores, and I plan to find something to make for dinner.  Tomorrow, along with putting on the sails,we will put the dinghy in the water and probably go to land for some well deserved tourist time.

Going in the water tomorrow!

At least that is the plan.  Hopefully, before noon, Latitudes will be afloat again, temporarily tied up at the marina's docks to wash out our winterized water tanks.  Fingers crossed!

Luke finished up  putting strainers on the water intakes on the hull of the boat. They are now painted with bottom paint. Last year we had problems with grasses stopping up the water flow to the engine and the generator.  SO, this year Luke installed strainers designed to allow the water to flow into the engines, but keep most of the grasses out.  Boy, we hope they work! They will be closed before we go back into the water.

Latitudes got a "dry run"  to be moved.  The yard is shuffling boats around in order to get them all launched.

We did celebrate finished up the interior of the boat with a walk into downtown Rockland for the Summer Solstice festival.  Mostly child oriented, it was fun to walk around.  Here is a local dance troupe.

With more and more boats preparing for the summer, a lot of the shrink wrap from the winter is piling up!  Good thing the marina has the dumpster (hidden in the shrink wrap which went around 3 sides) dumped twice a week. Latitudes on the left.

 

Back to inside projects, Luke did a preemptive replacement of the engine water pump impeller.  Good thing!  Several of the vanes of the impeller had cracks. When one those things break off they are likely to take a few more with them. Hunting through the cooling system to recover and remove them is a PAIN.

We've been using the frig/freezer for 2 weeks now.  Sitting in the cold water, it takes a while for things to need defrosting.  Not here, on land!  I had to defrost the darn freezer.

New chain...boy,  did we hate to spend for that.... but the old chain had been re-galvanized and the ends switched.  It's given a good 11 years and it was time to replace it.  Here is 200 feet of chain, sectioned off into 25 foot runs to have depth markers attached and then ready to be hauled up to the anchor well.  It's all done now.

And the dinghy is back!  We scrubbed her down yesterday and applied conditioner to her. What a dirty and time consuming job.  It would have gone a lot quicker if we had a running hose.  But here she is, ready to be lifted back to the stern of the boat.

And you know you can't get a post without Smokey.  She's never been much of a "box" cat, but she apparently likes "boxes" she can see out of.  My collapsible dirty laundry basket...and a content cat...

Hopefully the next time I blog it will be from the crispy blue Penobscot Bay waters.

Mildew be Gone!

And it is gone!  After 9 days of diligent cleaning, Latitudes is finally mildew free.  What a pain!  But it is nice to have a sparkling clean boat.  The last frontier was the flooring; it is DONE!

Luke continues to concentrate on the outside work.  He is patching flaking paint spots on the keel, preparing them for paint.

I did walk to the market on Thursday.  Bought some fresh organic lettuce, local maple syrup, and local feta goat cheese...or maybe it's goat feta cheese.  Anyway, bought it.

Spring is definitely out in Rockland.  Lupines are in bloom everywhere there is a patch of grass.

The weather was balmy and warm a few days ago - into the mid 80s - the Mainers were melting! The last two days have been cooling, mid 60s today, mid 50s at night, cloudy and drizzle at times. One of the few good things about living "on the hard" is that we have endless electricity, including electric heat.

I walked past a barbershop - the picture just doesn't do it justice, but honestly, it looked like he'd given the spruce outside of the shop a recent haircut!  Everything was clipped off clean and neat.

I spent time taking Smokey to the vet this morning.  Her ears were "dirty", tiny dark spots and some scabbing where she has been scratching them. I was afraid it might be ear mites.  Oh no, "seasonal allergies".  Such a Princess....The vet cleaning them well and put drops in.  I'll be doing that for the next 10 days.  She does seem to feel better - no scratching this afternoon.

A lot of boat prep still to do, including buying new anchor chain and installing it.  Out launch date is Wednesday, but rain is forecast until Tuesday. That doesn't help on getting outside projects done.  I dunno.....

Almost done with the inside

Finally! We are almost done with the de-molding!  I didn't think that would ever happen a week ago...

Only in coastal Maine - the McLobster!  It was pretty good, especially for $8.99!

We have done enough inside that Luke can now start on the original outside chores, things like touching up the bottom paint, painting the prop, etc.

I have only the cleaning of the floors,  the scatter rugs, and the window framing (and the windows...) left.

Our launch date to be put back into the water is the 21st.  I'll be glad, for many reasons, but having running water is a very large one!  I'm a little tired of bringing pails of water up the steps.  Rinsing of the sink...

To celebrate my progress, I'm walking down to the Farmers Market this morning at the city harbor.  Hope they have lots of fresh produce!

Progress

Still cleaning along, but we've made progress -

Bathroom before ---ugh---

Bathroom sparkling - yay!

Luke says drawers have too many sides - inside, outside, right side out, right side in, bottom side, top of bottom side, front side, back of front side - on and on -- countless sides, especially when you multiply by eight!

And we finally slept in our bed last night!  ahhhh....

 At home, we live where the pizza guys don't deliver and almost never stop to pick one up to take home.  We treated ourselves after a long day yesterday and had Domino's delivery.  If  you like thin crust pizza --- mmm, mmm, mmm!  I'd forgotten how good theirs is!  Living on the hard in the boat means no water, except what you tote up the ladder.  That makes cooking difficult to say the least.  We've been getting by on microwavable foods, paper plates, and plastic dinnerware.  Domino's may have another delivery coming up one day soon!

Cleaning, cleaning....

We made a lot of progress cleaning our mildewed boat yesterday, but today was steady rain.  That means no open ports.  The tilex we're using is  just too strong to use in the closed boat.  So, we did a little here and there, went to town for a bit, and finally when the rain stopped, went into frantic cleaning mode.

Believe it or not, THIS qualifies as "a lot better" than shortly after we got here.  We have had to stack and stage a lot of stuff on our bed (sleeping on the smaller "guest" bed).  It was easy to put a clean sheet on it and then pile on a lot of our stuff.   Those awful rags have been washed and dried, but still are slightly damp. Luke did a lot of work, thoroughly cleaning all of one side of the bedroom, plus applying mildew inhibitor to all of the wood surfaces You can't see them, but there are drawers, cubbies, and closets that all had to be done both inside and out.  He'll be doing the other side tomorrow.  Definitely still a work in process, but the next few days are forecast to be warmer and SUNNY! - so we can leave the ports open for ventilation.

Now, the galley - that's a different story!  You've gotta be able to eat, so it IS clean!  Definitely have to have our priorities straight. I'll take credit for this area!

Hopefully we'll have the interior cleaning done in a few more days, and then we can concentrate on the usual spring outside cleaning and checking of the equipment.  We still have the bathrooms and salon area to clean.  We will be glad to be in the water again.