Ugh, Maine

[gettinthere]

Set sail for Downeast Maine today. Winds from behind. Set whisker pole and code zero. Seas were quartering which makes for a bit of roll and a full plate for the auto pilot. Then add in the lobster pots, literally millions of them. And with toggles, which are 15 foot long extensions between 2 floats. A 2 to 3 foot swell with a 2 foot chop on top. It was just too damn stressful to sail at 4 to 5 knots in sloppy seas while dodging pots so we gave up and motored, much easier to plot a course around the pots under power.

So we finally turn into the channel and head for the anchorage...which is full of lobster pots! There are 4 boats anchored with absolutely no doubt at least one or more pots within their swing radius. We moved to an alternate spot with fewer pots. Dropped the hook in 20' at low with a 13' tide so with 35' we wanted over 150' out. Got 100' out and see we are very close to a pot...I misjudged. So, lets pull up 100' of chain and the 65lb Mantus with my manual windlass and reset closer to other pots but hopefully in a good spot. Sheesh. Well at least we've not been under weigh in fog this year, yet. Oh, did I mention the low will be in the low 50s?

2 summers ago we were in the Bahamas thru July with bull sharks, oppressive heat and humidity and 2 tropical storms and I wasnt this stressed!

The lobster is tasty though.

How do boats anchor with pots all around them?

 

[justsomeguy]

Life. Can't bear it.

 

[dscribner]

Bwaaaaa!?!?! Maine rocks on so many levels! I've sailed other waters and find it BORING! You just gotta plan your anchorages better.

You must be in Penobscot bay if you're running into toggles. You learn how to pair them with their buoys. One toggle for one buoy, but some lobstermen lay their trawls in a circles. Places to go, Damariscove Is, Sequin Is, Harbor Is, Buckle Harbor, Hurricane Is, Benjahmin River, Port Clyde (run Forrest!), Round Pond, The Basin, Devils Is, Turtle Head Cove, Northeast Harbor,

 

[All U Get]

Sailed between a buoy and toggle last week and had it rattle along the bottom, glad it popped out no damage. With the prices up and so called shortage it's hard to find a mooring field without pots. We try our hardest to avoid them.

All U Get

 

[gettinthere]

Our run was from Southwest Harbor to Mistake Isl, Downeast with the 13' tides. Penn Bay is pretty easy but a run from Vynalhaven east was also full of em. Most of our moves have been in calmer conditions. A sloppy following sea and a ton of toggles was a real headache.

Maybe Nova Scotia next year, law says all traps out in June till Sept.

 

[capta]

Wow, what a turn off. Even with my cutters I'm not sure I'd want all that hassle, no matter how nice the area is. Perhaps I'll rethink the New England cruise. Is there a time when the season is closed and the weather still acceptable?
5 years back I did a run up Narragansett Bay and there were trap buoys EVERYWHERE, including in the ship channel; absolutely no clear fairway. How can that even be legal?

 

[gettinthere]

Narragansett? Pfffft, they got nothin on Maine.

Having said thst, I have not snagged one in the combined 12 weeks so far. Knock on teak.

There is no closed season. There are no clear fairways either. Some of the popular channels, like Fox Isl Thorofare are choked with them. Some other places are not bad. The bugs move and the lobstermen move their traps with them. I read that Cranberry Isle pulled 1.5 MILLION lbs in 2014. Lobstermen get permits to run up to 800 traps, I chatted with one guy who said he can only keep up with 600 and looses about 50 per year.

 

[All U Get]

With the typical size of 1 1/2 lbs. that's a lot of work. I often wonder with the trap loss number why we don't hook a trap every time we anchor. Any ideas on a better mousetrap?

All U Get

 

[ifmdalvey]

I live here, there, if you are from away. It really is no big deal, particularly if you have a full keel.
While motoring we try to avoid the pots but under sail, its not a problem other than getting some colored paint of beam.
Anchoring, we try and make sure the hook is not sitting onto a pot, give them a good boat length but when you swing its not a problem.
All that said, i carry a wet suit, goggles, weight belt, a 7mm thick head protector and a very sharp cerated knife. I also have a knife that i mount to an extending pole so i can do some cutting from the dinghy rather than getting in the water.
Good luck and enjoy this glorious summer.

 

[gettinthere]

When you swing its not a problem? Wont the pot line foul on your chain or tangle in your prop?

I know two people with full keel boats that snagged pots.

I have 2 wetsuits and a hook knife

 

[Newport Bob]

Understand you having a full keel in Maine, but most newer sail have a fin or even worse a wing. I have caught a pot line - slid under keel and popped up to snag the rudder, under sail so no shaft cutter getting the line.
Also, remember a Navy week in Pourtland where a US Naval ship was scheduled to anchor in the outer harbor and have tours for the weekend, but the lobsterers argued with the town council over removing their traps from the anchorage for a few days.

 

[Newport Bob]

OOPS forgot to mention was some of the best sailing adventures and vacations we have had and we have sailed from Maine to Florida

 

[dscribner]

Past four years, we splash in Camden or Rockland and sail P Bay for 10 days, Tomorrow, we hit Casco to Muscongus for 10 days. Gonna be great.

 

[Maine Sail]

Sailed until 9:30 last night under a full moon and pots were well illuminated. It is 4:51 am now and I am making coffee to get underway again. We'll do approx 70nm today if tide and wind cooperate..

P.S. iPads don't dim enough to not murder my night vision... Another checked box for a purpose designed chart plotter...

 

[gettinthere]

RC, you had pretty ideal contitions, seas were probably flat calm. We had very sloppy seas that made it very difficult. I got some great moonrise pix here over Mistake Isl.

And I agree about the tablet dimming issue.
We start west today, see you soon?

 

[All U Get]

I though you could get a thin film to place over the screen to dim those iPads down. I'll check. We had better luck on the 3-mile line to avoid pots.

All U Get

 

[gettinthere]

Up this way, 'downeast', didnt seem to help much when we did get 3 miles out. Seems you need to get to 300' of water to see fewer pots.

 

[All U Get]

Auto film seems to be the only available tint. OK I just found my roll left over from the PU truck window tint project from the late 80's. Our iPad air can dim quite a bit but this film could be what we needed last winter for the chart plotter. I'll run some tests tonight.

We had to remove the little solar lights on the stanchions during night crossings for the same reason, too bright. Of course we do have the line guard near our prop.

All U Get

 

[gettinthere]

Motion picture industry uses 'tint' film to darken wimdows for exposure control.

Look for 'ND6' Neutral Density gel. Local motion picture lighting rental companies will have small pieces, prob give you a slice.
Just dont get any 85N6, it has an orange tint to it.

 

[okawbow]

I sailed 3500 miles of east coast line a couple years ago in a Cheoy Lee Offshore 31. There are crab pots, and then lobster pots from Mobile to northern Maine.

Maine is the worst for having pots in the navigation channels and anchorages.

We tried to avoid everything at first, but finally just gave up and sailed right through them. Our full keel with keel hung rudder and enclosed 2 blade prop never once caught on a line. I even motored through lobster pot fields without paying too much attention to the floats.

I highly recommend a boat with a keel/rudder underbody like our Cheoy Lee had, for stress free travel in "lollipop" land.