Any plans for cruising this year?

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Last year was a bust for us. By the time the governor of Massachusetts okayed the use of marine facilities, it was too late for us to fly back to MA from Hawaii and get Andante ready to live aboard. We are hoping to make the trip this year in time to launch her and head to the Cape and Islands for our usual two week cruise. If we can't make that work, we will try for some mini-cruises to ports near Boston. Two years ago, we made the easy sail from Boston to Salem Harbor and stayed a few nights. Walking around the historic village of Salem was fascinating. This season, we hope to visit Gloucester and a few other nearby harbors.
Here's hoping for a more normal season!
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
For many years we had planned our retirement cruise, however, family commitments prevented us from leaving. In late February last year we had just returned from a quick trip to Hawaii and began the push to get the boat ready for the trip out the St. Lawrence River, to the Maritime provinces, and down the East Coast to winter in the Bahamas. Well, we all know how that turned out.

This year on or about June 30 we will be heading down the Erie Canal to NYC, then up to Maine before heading back down the coast to winter in the Bahamas. Unless by some miracle the Canadian border opens up by mid June. We are both fully vaccinated and will stock up on masks and sunscreen.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Last year was a bust for us. By the time the governor of Massachusetts okayed the use of marine facilities, it was too late for us to fly back to MA from Hawaii and get Andante ready to live aboard. We are hoping to make the trip this year in time to launch her and head to the Cape and Islands for our usual two week cruise. If we can't make that work, we will try for some mini-cruises to ports near Boston. Two years ago, we made the easy sail from Boston to Salem Harbor and stayed a few nights. Walking around the historic village of Salem was fascinating. This season, we hope to visit Gloucester and a few other nearby harbors.
Here's hoping for a more normal season!
We love Gloucester Harbor, Tom. I took my partner there for the first time in 2018 on our return from Conn. to Maine. She was impressed with the anchorage (the town rents moorings too) and the sights. You can spend an afternoon exploring the shore of the big harbor by dinghy. Great art gallery's and other sights. A real working harbor, our favorite kind.

6:50 am waking up in Gloucesters big harbor. The anchorage is right in the middle.

Gloucester 6-50 am_.jpg


Then we took the Blynman Canal (a first for her too) and spent a nice afternoon swimming from the boat off one of the beaches at the East end. Hotter than blazes and the water was beautiful (much warmer than we're accustomed to, naturally).

Blynman Canal outlet_.jpg


And then onto Rockport Ma. to complete (nearly) our circumnavigation of Cape Ann. This is one of the smallest harbors we're been in. But it's a great stop!

Rockport Daisy.jpg
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
For many years we had planned our retirement cruise, however, family commitments prevented us from leaving. In late February last year we had just returned from a quick trip to Hawaii and began the push to get the boat ready for the trip out the St. Lawrence River, to the Maritime provinces, and down the East Coast to winter in the Bahamas. Well, we all know how that turned out.

This year on or about June 30 we will be heading down the Erie Canal to NYC, then up to Maine before heading back down the coast to winter in the Bahamas. Unless by some miracle the Canadian border opens up by mid June. We are both fully vaccinated and will stock up on masks and sunscreen.
What a great trip you should have, Dave. What itinerary do you plan on your trip up to Maine? When do you hope to arrive and finally, what is your 'drop dead', turn 180 degrees, and head South, date?

We might as well start picking apart your plans - now. :)
 

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
We love Gloucester Harbor, Tom. I took my partner there for the first time in 2018 on our return from Conn. to Maine. She was impressed with the anchorage (the town rents moorings too) and the sights. You can spend an afternoon exploring the shore of the big harbor by dinghy. Great art gallery's and other sights. A real working harbor, our favorite kind.

6:50 am waking up in Gloucesters big harbor. The anchorage is right in the middle.

View attachment 192820

Then we took the Blynman Canal (a first for her too) and spent a nice afternoon swimming from the boat off one of the beaches at the East end. Hotter than blazes and the water was beautiful (much warmer than we're accustomed to, naturally).

View attachment 192819

And then onto Rockport Ma. to complete (nearly) our circumnavigation of Cape Ann. This is one of the smallest harbors we're been in. But it's a great stop!

View attachment 192821
Thanks, Tom, that's the kind of trip I am thinking about. I've been to Gloucester many times by the land route, but never by water. Looking forward to it!
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
The basic plan is to not hit rocks (I hear the rocks in Maine are just as hard as the ones in the Great Lakes) and to keep lobster pots from fouling the prop. After that, we are pretty flexible. :biggrin:

Roughly we plan to be reach Maine sometime in late July, be in Boston shortly after Labor Day, and Annapolis by the Boat Show. From there south it will depend on weather, the colder it gets the faster we'll head south since we don't have heat in our boat.

We tend to avoid the really touristy towns like Bar Harbor or Boothbay Harbor. Camden, SW Harbor, Belfast, Rockport are possibilities. Overall a mix of scenic anchorages and small towns, and fresh lobsters.
 

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
For many years we had planned our retirement cruise, however, family commitments prevented us from leaving. In late February last year we had just returned from a quick trip to Hawaii and began the push to get the boat ready for the trip out the St. Lawrence River, to the Maritime provinces, and down the East Coast to winter in the Bahamas. Well, we all know how that turned out.

This year on or about June 30 we will be heading down the Erie Canal to NYC, then up to Maine before heading back down the coast to winter in the Bahamas. Unless by some miracle the Canadian border opens up by mid June. We are both fully vaccinated and will stock up on masks and sunscreen.
I'm glad you got to Hawaii, Dave. I love living here most of the year. We have cruised the East Coast from MA to FL a few times, mostly by way of the Intracoastal Waterway, and enjoyed each trip. It's a wonderful way to see that part of the mainland.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
The basic plan is to not hit rocks (I hear the rocks in Maine are just as hard as the ones in the Great Lakes) and to keep lobster pots from fouling the prop. After that, we are pretty flexible. :biggrin:

Roughly we plan to be reach Maine sometime in late July, be in Boston shortly after Labor Day, and Annapolis by the Boat Show. From there south it will depend on weather, the colder it gets the faster we'll head south since we don't have heat in our boat.

We tend to avoid the really touristy towns like Bar Harbor or Boothbay Harbor. Camden, SW Harbor, Belfast, Rockport are possibilities. Overall a mix of scenic anchorages and small towns, and fresh lobsters.
Your plan sounds like the perfect seasonal speed. I hope we meet up with you at some point in your trip. Keep me posted, I'd be glad to help with local knowledge.

The rocks and lobster pots aren't nearly as scary in real life, as they are on sailing forums.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I'm glad you got to Hawaii, Dave. I love living here most of the year. We have cruised the East Coast from MA to FL a few times, mostly by way of the Intracoastal Waterway, and enjoyed each trip. It's a wonderful way to see that part of the mainland.
Tom, I grew up on Oahu, the formative years from mid elementary school through middle school. I didn't get back there very often until about 3 years ago, since then I gone back 3 times. I have really come to like the Big Island and Hilo and Puna. Reminds me of Hawaii in the 1960s.
 
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Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Roughly we plan to be reach Maine sometime in late July, be in Boston shortly after Labor Day, and Annapolis by the Boat Show. From there south it will depend on weather, the colder it gets the faster we'll head south since we don't have heat in our boat
We don't have heat, either. We left Plymouth, MA, on Oct. 1st, 2006, for a trip to FL, and froze our butts off until Oriental, North Carolina. We had ice on the deck when we got up in the morning at Elizabeth City, N.C. Thankfully, my wife planned ahead and had chemical heat packets for our hands and feet. A full enclosure helps a lot, especially when the sun comes out. Our Canadian friends would raise their coffee cups to us as they passed by, sitting in their fully enclosed cockpits, wearing tee shirts.
 
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Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
The basic plan is to not hit rocks (I hear the rocks in Maine are just as hard as the ones in the Great Lakes) and to keep lobster pots from fouling the prop
Down south, it's the crab traps. Crossing Albermarle Sound, we had to dodge crap traps painted black by the local Vietnamese crabbers, which made them difficult to see. From Marathon in the Florida Keys, I wanted to sail overnight to our homeport in Englewood, but the crab traps were everywhere, and hard enough to see in the daytime. I think having a wing keel made me extra nervous about tangling with the traps.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Thanks for the tips. Good to know that lobster pots are not as bad as they are rumored to be. Or perhaps Mainers have just become desensitized.

Besides crab and lobster pots, the other novel experience will be tides. We're used to fluctuating water levels here, however they fluctuate over months not hours. Part of the adventure and excitement.
 
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DArcy

.
Feb 11, 2017
1,690
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
@dlochner that sounds like a great plan. Are you planning on shipping your mast to Albany or keeping it on deck while in the Erie Canal? I've done the Erie Canal with the mast on deck and it is a PITA. If I do it again I'd look for someone to truck it.
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
@dlochner that sounds like a great plan. Are you planning on shipping your mast to Albany or keeping it on deck while in the Erie Canal? I've done the Erie Canal with the mast on deck and it is a PITA. If I do it again I'd look for someone to truck it.
The mast will stay on deck. The mast is already down, the spreaders are off, and the masthead stuff is off. We've done the western half of the canal with the mast on deck without too much trouble, except for that time we got a 55' mast sideways in a 45' wide lock and that one rebellious boat hook. I've also done Ithaca to Oswego which included a 35 mile motor up Cayuga Lake and a couple of trips from Oswego to Oneida Lake all with the mast on deck.

I sailed out of Oswego, NY for 30 years and saw many boats transit the canal with the mast on deck. The ones that worked well had the mast high, above head level and used ratcheting straps to secure it. So that is my plan. My brother lives about an hour from Albany, I'm hoping he will "volunteer" to store the mast stands until I get back in a year and need them again.
 
Jun 25, 2004
475
Hunter 306 Pasadena MD
Thanks for the tips. Good to know that lobster pots are not as bad as they are rumored to be. Or perhaps Mainers have just become desensitized.

Besides crab and lobster pots, the other novel experience will be tides. We're used to fluctuating water levels here, however they fluctuate over months not hours. Part of the adventure and excitement.
I read somewhere that Chesapeake Bay sailors tend to be stunned by how many lobster pots there are up in Maine compared to the (it seems to me) plentiful number of crab pots we're used to in the bay. I'd love to charter up there some year, so I hope it's not true! Good luck with your cruise!
 
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Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
I read somewhere that Chesapeake Bay sailors tend to be stunned by how many lobster pots there are up in Maine compared to the (it seems to me) plentiful number of crab pots we're used to in the bay. I'd love to charter up there some year, so I hope it's not true! Good luck with your cruise!
I've sailed the Chesapeake a few times, and the crab traps definitely aren't as much an issue as they are in other areas. Those short, steep waves, though, were the real issue for us. Sailing North with the wind against the tide, we were making 1mph to the good over ground with both sails up, the engine on, and tacking into the waves. As each wave hit, it would pretty much stop the boat, and, before we gained any momentum, the next wave would hit. We gave up and put into the Back River and anchored off Langley AFB for the night.
 
Nov 8, 2007
1,523
Hunter 27_75-84 Sandusky Harbor Marina, Ohio
We were lucky that Ohio marinas were open last summer, so we escaped weekly into the Lake Erie islands. We avoided the COVID hot spot in Put-in-Bay, and Pelee Island was off limits. We put in for more of the same the first week of May. In September we will go to Haven Charters for our first time on the Chesapeake with our best sailing buddies.

It’s not cruising, but the whole family Is totally delighted that we will be able to spend a week on our favorite island in the Thousand Islands. Getting cancelled out of our week there when they shut down last summer was a bummer for all three generations of us!
 
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Nov 10, 2009
20
Hunter 410 Rock Hall, MD
I have two captained charters booked for this year already and I am hoping for more. Beyond that, I will be sailing in Greece at the end of May...a trip deferred from last year due to the pandemic.
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
langosta here are not net or trap caught but caught by mexicans ..and only mexicans by law.. crabs as well. hence no crab nor lobster pot buoys.. also no clearly marked fishnet buoys so thereis our mess... and yes i have caught one once. the fishermen who lost their drift or gill or wtf net lost more than did i. result for me was not too bad-- had vibration and no loss of power.. had 2 hooks in it.. could have been an issue but fortunately was not so. i continue to praise allthe gods for having thought hard enough and bought a heavy deep water full keeled cruiser as a cruiser.
i can see that a lighter construct would have serious issues. even to my ericson 35,II which i thankfully had the ......
but i cruise constantly. i am usually where i need to be when i need to be there and for as long as i am needed there. or whatever. we are still repairing in mexico and i am sooo glad i donot go north as i am freer than my fellow citizens. i can freely sail between ports in country and i can mobilize inland to explore and i can utilize the appropriate vendors as needed. folks who went north are griping on their situations and i remind em that they CHOSE their plight.
and now we are heading into 80f daily temperatures and pleasant breezes from west south west as our climate changes slowly into summer mode, which is from south east with seas from south. life is way too good to needto worry about the northern problems, so keep it clean you northerners and donot turn your backs on freedom and liberties, i dont care where you are. .