 |
As Dianna was leaving to get back to
work, Aaron Mosher arrived. They knew each other casually through
their respective businesses. Aaron of South Portland owns
"Euphoria," another Catalina 22. Aaron came down and we met on my
second stop at DiMillo's during my 2005 cruise up to South Addison to
visit friends Monica and Rich. He and I went over to J's Oyster
for lunch before he had to get back to work too. |
 |
My bunk (the dropped dinette table
berth), navigation "station," and only personal space, with laptop
deployed (while writing the trip's journal/log). In the center aisle
alongside is the cooler. Everything that doesn't get much use
(sail cover, spare main and jib, dinghy oars) or needn't be immediately handy gets
stowed up there in the v-berth converted to storage space. The porta-pottie behind the bulkhead doesn't get used, so is buried with the
Nikon digital SLR camera and lenses in its Pelican case, the sleeping bag, the laptop backpack
(visible), the pup-tent when not in use, etc. |
 |
Opposite my sitting space (sleeping bag and pillows for a
backrest), on the starboard side just inside the companionway is the electronics/electrical
"station." The orange shore
power cord, a heavy duty 50' extension cord with a 30 amp shore power
adapter, comes in over the companionway and connects to the battery
charger (right corner), which of course is connected to the boat's two
batteries. In this photo the 110v is also connected to the
handheld VHF radio's charging dock, the laptop, and the CCRadio, all
recharging. The cell phone is recharging on its cigarette lighter
adapter as usual. |
 |
I had to move Chip Ahoy from B dock around to C dock, a
very short distance around the end of the dock. This move used
more gas warming up the motor than moving the boat. I didn't
even need to take down the pup tent nor change sides for the dock lines
-- just unplug the shore power cord from the B dock slip, idle around, then replug it
when I got to this new one, retie the dinghy. (Aug. 1) |
 |
My new home away from home for another day and night. |
 |
On the morning of my planned departure to Chebeague
Island I awoke to more dense fog and distant fog horns seemingly talking
back and forth to each other. Gradually another intruded, sounded like it was
moving, coming closer, becoming louder. Then I heard a deep
throbbing sound, getting louder, closer. I walked out to the face/gas dock on the outside
directly on the harbor and sure enough, a very large freighter was
inching along, ghosting through the fog -- one I would not want to cross paths
with out there even with Chip Ahoy's radar reflector! (Aug. 2) |
 |
The day's forecast called for
deteriorating weather conditions, showers and thunderstorms in the early
afternoon. I had to leave soon to reach the island before the
nastiest of weather did. I stalled for as long as I dared, hoping
for the fog to lift. It did, a very little -- maybe enough to make
it the 10 or so miles I needed to go. It'd be running the motor
though to make it. I had a brief window of opportunity before it
slammed shut again. "I can make it," I decided. |
 |
At 10:20 am I left the dock at DiMillo's Marina and
headed out into what was supposed to be a lifting fog by late morning --
except it never lifted. I crossed Portland Harbor and found my
route around the back of Little and Great Diamond Islands, a narrow
course through lobster pot buoy minefields, navigating almost entirely
by GPS and chart, jumping from one navigation buoy to the next. |
 |
The showers began almost upon my departure and continued
through the passage, sometimes backing off to mere drizzle then
returning. It was cool, quite cool. Already I was in jeans
and sock, but had to add a heavy sweater beneath my foul weather jacket
for the trip's duration. |
 |
At last, Great Chebeague Island arose from the fog around
noon. |
 |
With poor directions from the front desk at the Chebeague
Inn (it sure doesn't look blue-and-white striped to me), I finally found
and tied off to the mooring I'd arranged. (Aug. 2) |
 |
A view of Chip Ahoy on its mooring from the dock, after
taking the inn's free launch ashore. |
 |
A view of Chip ahoy on its mooring from the porch of the
inn. Marianne invited me over to her house for an indoor family
cookout. The food was great, and the launch was available to take
me back out to Chip Ahoy when her son Peter got me back to the dock at
8:30 pm. |
 |
The Chebeague Inn on the hill, from Chip Ahoy's
companionway while water for my morning coffee heats up. The rain
never let up, right through the night. (Aug. 3) |
|
See Chip Ahoy's complete log of the cruise
 |
|
