We arrived in Rockport Maine on June 3 with the last huge car-load of boat stuff and have been on a dock at Rockport Marine boatyard since then, helping as best we can with refits and repairs to the new Neverland. Here is the boatyard - we totally lucked out with this place, which has the most talented, dedicated and good-natured crew we've ever encountered in our travels.
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| Rockport Marine |
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| Low tide and docks where we're living... |
The sea trial went fine, with very few things to fix. The boat is all organized, spiffed up inside and out and almost ready to go. Here is a photo of the main cabin...
When we bent on the mainsail, we ripped it (oops) and it turns out that the sail was not in good enough shape to repair again. But better it rip here than out in a storm! So we are having a new one made at a sailmaker's nearby and it should be ready by the end of June. Once everything else is a go and we get off the dock, we'll sail with jib alone in the near vicinity until we get the new mainsail. Not a hardship - Penobscot Bay is so beautiful and there are so many little harbors and coves nearby that we won't lack for great sailing while waiting for the new sail. The other thing we're waiting for is a new bimini and dodger, which should be ready tomorrow. The boat as it was when we bought came well-equipped and in terrific shape, but we've added a few things for safety, efficiency and comfort (new LED lights inside and out, fans, electric windlass, deck wash, liferaft, solar panels, wifi, water filter, etc).
While getting all the little glitches ironed out and the refits done, we've had time to explore places nearby on foot. Rockport is a cultural mecca, especially for photographers and videographers because of the Maine Media College and Workshop Program nearby. It's a very small village (well, not even really a village...) but there are a couple of stellar restaurants, galleries, a public library, a town dock and an Opera House. The first photo below is the Opera House, and the second is of the nearby Children's Chapel, which sits high up overlooking Penobscot Bay.
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| The Rockport Opera House |
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| The Children's Chapel |
The well-known and lovely town of Camden is a a couple of miles north. There are little-travelled roads leading to Camden that make for pleasant walks past gorgeous homes and private gardens, glimpses of the Bay, and fields of lupins and famous, award-winning Belted Galloway cattle (affectionally known as Oreo cows).
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| Japanese Willow in a garden |
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| Wild lupins |
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| Belted Galloways (Oreo cows) |
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| A private garden for all to enjoy |
One day in Camden we stopped for lunch at a Scottish Pub called the Drouthy Bear and ended up spending a hilarious couple of hours with some guys at the bar - the boyfriends of bridesmaids in a big wedding that evening at the Camden Yacht Club. They were pretty toasted, but fun and funny. They heard our story and said they wanted to be just like us when they grew up. We exchanged email addresses and took a few photos...
That's all for the moment - more to come as we get ready to sail!
Great to hear things are going well! Karen & I are currently cruising the eastern shore but expect to be weather-bound in Galesville on our return to Annapolis. I enjoyed a few days cruising Penobscot Bay out of Portland during my cruise south from the St. Lawrence River in 2011. Of course, you've had lots of experience and fun in those waters.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear things are going well! Karen & I are currently cruising the eastern shore but expect to be weather-bound in Galesville on our return to Annapolis. I enjoyed a few days cruising Penobscot Bay out of Portland during my cruise south from the St. Lawrence River in 2011. Of course, you've had lots of experience and fun in those waters.
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