August 14, 2020, 3 or 4 knots of wind,...

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
...was just enough to lift the genoa and draw us quietly out of our anchorage.

A mid-morning zephyr pulled us off the beaten path and into a maze of islands ahead. We trailed a handful of kayakers until we could clear a granite island coming up on starboard.

Light air kayakers.jpg


Sailing slowly is an acquired taste, I think. I left the main furled not wanting more power. Gently sailing at 1 - 2 knots, the piloting was stress-free.

I turned my attention to the lone mizzen on the aft deck.

Laundry_.jpg


Does it make a difference if a telltale streams on the leech of a little 50 square foot sail, pushing 8 tons of sailboat?

Well,… if you remove 2 grains from a half teaspoon of salt, does that change the weight on the end of your spoon?

You know it does. You don’t have to feel it. So sailors tweak their sails(and take the laundry down to minimize windage).

Light air Tommy.jpg
.

Something worked (and the morning wind, always builds), our speed was up and the sleeping dog awoke.

The boat doesn’t make a wake sailing this slowly, it gently tumbles the water over and over, leaving a rolling pattern in its track.

A few hours later, we dropped the anchor again, only 2 miles from where we started (as the crow flies), but in a different world.

Georges Head island_ (1).jpg
 
Jan 2, 2017
765
O'Day & Islander 322 & 37 Scottsdale, AZ & Owls Head, ME
And still going strong!
Are you familiar with the Maine-built Puffin dinghy? I’m thinking of buying an 860.
 
Jan 27, 2016
49
Ranger 29 Bayside, Maine
...was just enough to lift the genoa and draw us quietly out of our anchorage.

A mid-morning zephyr pulled us off the beaten path and into a maze of islands ahead. We trailed a handful of kayakers until we could clear a granite island coming up on starboard.

View attachment 191364

Sailing slowly is an acquired taste, I think. I left the main furled not wanting more power. Gently sailing at 1 - 2 knots, the piloting was stress-free.

I turned my attention to the lone mizzen on the aft deck.

View attachment 191365

Does it make a difference if a telltale streams on the leech of a little 50 square foot sail, pushing 8 tons of sailboat?

Well,… if you remove 2 grains from a half teaspoon of salt, does that change the weight on the end of your spoon?

You know it does. You don’t have to feel it. So sailors tweak their sails(and take the laundry down to minimize windage).

View attachment 191366.

Something worked (and the morning wind, always builds), our speed was up and the sleeping dog awoke.

The boat doesn’t make a wake sailing this slowly, it gently tumbles the water over and over, leaving a rolling pattern in its track.

A few hours later, we dropped the anchor again, only 2 miles from where we started (as the crow flies), but in a different world.

View attachment 191367
Hi Tom, is that somewhere in the islands off Merchant's Row?
 
Jan 27, 2016
49
Ranger 29 Bayside, Maine
And still going strong!
Are you familiar with the Maine-built Puffin dinghy? I’m thinking of buying an 860.
There have been a lot of Puffin Dinghies hanging on our dinghy dock (Northport Maine), they seem to row well and take a beating.
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
And still going strong!
Are you familiar with the Maine-built Puffin dinghy? I’m thinking of buying an 860.
The Puffin dinghys are very popular around here. They tow and row very well.
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Hi Tom, is that somewhere in the islands off Merchant's Row?
Good guess, Jim. The last shot is a small uninhabited off Georges Head Island.
 

PaulK

.
Dec 1, 2009
1,222
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
We sailed through Merchant's Row that way on an early Sunday morning as the fog lifted. We ghosted along with the big schooners anchored off Stonington appearing then disappearing in the mist while their crews prepared for breakfast on-deck. We'd spent the night coming up from Gloucester and ended up in Webb Cove with a sunny day to explore the quarry.
 
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