clusters of sails
how do you know how to mix
rolling waters as the pulse of the earth
a breathing
we ride
Tag: Happy
Fort Point at Stockton Springs
Having passed Searsport and now at anchor in Stockton Springs
Captain Becky’s reading in the galley
from Lincoln Ross Colcord’s Sailing Days on the Penobscot
of the treacherous trip from here,
where the crooked, tricky Penobscot River is said to begin
and the 24 miles to Bangor and Brewer at the first falls
and all the lumber collected from upstream
even the 18 miles from Bucksport was a terror
in the days of sails
tidewalkers
broken logs along the shoreline
and river
can sink a ship
60 boats a day at Bangor and Brewer
schooners lashed three abreast
for the Bangor stretch
pulled by a steamboat
Make way!
Castine from the water
slosh, slosh, slosh, ripple
at the bow
/ bowsprit
one porpoise
then three
approaching Castine
topsail, top’sal
still motoring along
sound of chainsaw from shore
a nasty mosquito
Dice light
The difference a week can make.
Maritime Academy garbage barge and tug
is that Belfast?
in this haze
a more realistic day
moving slow
but moving
Peter must be napping
also, the cook
against Islesboro
after Deer Isle
not that I noticed the shift
3:59 and we still haven’t settled for the night
Faint view of the Fort Knox Narrows Bridge spires
the captain stands at the helm no matter the weather
Pumpkin Isle light
marking entry to Eggemoggin Reach
below Castine
the free lighthouse guide I brought along
2013 edition I see now
newsprint
has no mention of Saddleback Ledge light
not to be confused with Saddleback Island
other than a listing
no photo or description
nor does it list Eastport as a harbor
nor Lubec
though Calais somehow counts
buoys: green have flat tops
red, coneheads
We clear the bridge by a foot and a half, if she’s read the charts right
Eggemoggin Reach
the Deer Isle bridge ahead
we’ll barely clear
six inches or sixty feet, what’s the difference?
other than a margin of error
the electronic gizmo’s
soundings in feet
at mean lower low water
I got to steer today
a feel of command
aiming for the arch of the bridge
Taking forever to get to the span
Deer Isle Bridge, as seen by vehicular traffic
Eggemoggen Reach Bridge from the water
a fixed bridge meaning
it doesn’t draw open
one more detail on the chart
(see Note B)
which I can’t find anywhere
until it’s pointed out in the margin,
same color type as the notice
we’re pushed by Greyhound
the inboard yawl
the motor behind me as a drone note
humming above lapping water
people bundled up this morning muted sun water depth 64
just gone to 72
Eggemoggen Reach broader
than Friar’s Road
where I live
Hot, fresh cinnamon rolls
With winter fast approaching, what could be more comforting than these, especially on a lazy weekend morning?
Perhaps, even, waking up to the aroma of them still in the oven?
Oh, lucky me!
Sparkly, shiny water
this lapping water is a nagging unease
so far from a destination
you can address
do I walk as fast as we’re sailing?
a fathom is essentially an arm span
how far the sound carries
that lawnmower
I think we’re heading the wrong direction
with someone new at the helm
how can they see ahead
from way back there?
I’m freezing
ready on the down haul
island hopping
today’s cold
except in the galley
Camden Hills
a day centered on shades of gray
trimmed in green and faint blue
slow bell
buoy, white and red
slow bell lazy-like,
lulling slow sea
we’re sailing about 1.3 knots
three times faster than I could swim
without a current
either way
Lifting anchor
Every morning, we had to lift anchor to get on our way. Our schooner relied on a four-person winch, plus a helper to keep the anchor chain orderly for the trip.
Jnana's Red Barn 