Good Thing for Friends

An old neighbor, Todd Rogers, from Bath, Michigan, lives in Rockland, ME, with his new wife, Sarah. We drove to Rockland about a month ago to share in their wedding memories. Todd was kind enough to drive us back to Portland (about 1 1/2 hours each way) to pick up our new phone. YEA! We're back in the land of cell phone connections. (What did we ever do without them?) It was a relatively long process, so Todd and his pal, Brewer, used the time wisely. Sometimes we just need a car. Enterprise didn't have any cars available and the other company was out of business........ We'll be in debt to Todd for a long time.

This schooner slipped on a mooring close to ours last night after we went to bed. Imagine how much fun it was to watch her raise the sails with the manpower of the guests while still on the mooring.

When we got back from Portland, we went to dinner with Todd and Sarah. During dinner there was a HUGE storm. The winds were gusting up to 40 knots, the rain was pelting the windows, the thunder and lightening was cracking all around the bay. Once again they were willing to "save" us with a bed for the night. But, by the time we got back to Rockland from Camden the rain had stopped and the lightening was off in the distance. Lou and Todd bailed 4" to 6" of water out of the dinghy, and we motored out to the mooring. Actually, we didn't even know that another storm rolled through about 1 am.

Todd has sailed in Penobscot Bay as first mate and then captain on the windjammers for several years. Now he has his own remodeling and renovation business for homes and boats. His love of sailing (and knowledge of these waters) was evident when he described gliding into a cove and dropping the anchor. His advice on various routes and passages to Mt. Desert Island is invaluable. I spent the winter pouring over the Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast. It's a 466 page book that lists so many coves and harbors and passageways that I couldn't make a sailing plan. We'll be following Todd's cruising advice and stopping at places like Cradle Cove, Castine Harbor, Bucks Harbor, and passing through Eggemoggin Reach and Casco Passage into Jerico Bay near Mt. Desert Island.

We've now spent a whole day in our foul weather gear motoring through rain and "pea soup" fog. The visibility gradually improved by the time we arrived in Castine Harbor. This is one of the oldest communities in North America. It has been continuously occupied since the early 1600s. At the end of the 19th century the steamboats brought the summer people or "rusticators" as the natives called them. There are some beautiful 18th and 19th century homes in perfect condition. In 1942 the Maine Maritime Academy was founded here.

More lobster trivia: Lobsters remained relatively unchanged for nearly 100 million years, despite their unusual build. Its brain is in its throat and its nervous system is in its belly. They listen with their legs and taste with their feet. Plus, their teeth are in their stomach and their kidneys are in their head.

We have had a few delightful days in Rockland with Sarah and Todd. Todd has driven us on all our errands, poured over the charts and given his advice, supplied us with Maine-made maple syrup and garbage bags, and been a gracious host. Sarah has shared her home and husband with us. Thanks guys for everything. Hope to see you again soon.

Just a note: We are sailing in places without internet connections, so we may not be able to reply to your emails promptly. Cell phone reception is also iffy.