We arrived in Castine to winds piping up into the 20 kt neighborhood, no problems picking up our mooring, but launching the dink was a bit challenging! A learning experience. We’re guests on Jeffrey & Karen’s (of ActiveCaptain) mooring in Castine. They are aboard aCapella in the Chesapeake, and graciously offered the use of their mooring. They also acted as my advance team, since I was greeted at the town dock, “oh, you’re the guy with the two dogs….” The dogs and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay, Castine is a delightful town, just our style with the beautiful old homes, the rich history, friendly folks and the slow, unpretentious pace. Barb missed a highlight! Thanks Jeff! It was worth the trip. Oh, and the stuff at Bah’s Bakeshop… a regular stop on our morning shore run!
A few days in Castine, it was time to make plans to head to Rockland, just a half day’s cruise away. I had a car reserved to make the drive to Bar Harbor to retrieve the Admiral on Friday and then reprovision for the final leg of our Down East cruise. Thursday was perfect, very calm, so I opted to tow the dink to Rockland. An uneventful cruise, the second successful single hand effort, this time some barbershop tunes playing while underway. Flat calm, and light winds. We arrived in Rockland around 1PM, and came alongside the dock at Journey’s End Marina to arrange for a mooring.
The harbor in Rockland is quite large, and busy with ferry traffic and commercial fishermen. Not the most serene location, but with the high cost of slip fees in New England (anywhere from $2-$8/ft.) it’s a cost-saving compromise. Significantly “rolly” during the day with the constant passing wakes, but things settle down after dark, and the nights are comfortable and calm. One night’s marina stay will keep us for almost a week on a mooring, and a mooring is easier to manage single handing than anchoring, and more secure.
