Poor Lucy!!! Yesterday en route to Boothbay Harbor (about 37 miles out of Southwest Harbor, halfway to our destination) we discovered our starboard engine had decided to yet again take a vacation... brokenhearted and VERY frustrated, we turned around to return to Hinckley for more repairs... 65 miles later, we had accomplished one very large circle. Sooo, with a week of waiting time in our very near future, we thought we'd catch you all up to date with how we got here in the first place, and our adventures along the way.
Lucey arrived in Boston carrying Dan, Taylor, and 2 delivery crew, near the end of May. A short stopover turned out to be the first hitch in Taylor's schedule. After enduring bad weather and an incompetent Marina staff, Lucey's beautiful blue suffered damage while on dock. Taylor and Dan decided they needed some cheering up time and wandered around Marina Bay to the opposite end where they found Captain Fishbone's, the restaurant Erin was working at for the summer. Originally scheduled to leave in a couple days, looming downpours and foggy skies kept them there longer then anticipated. Taylor took off for a couple weeks to Washington while Dan and Erin took Lucey to Wellfleet, Cape Cod.
Cape Cod, Mass seems to be a bit behind in the times, and we spent two weeks wandering around a very small, quiet town trying to amuse ourselves while we awaited Taylor's return. The Harbormasters took excellent care of us, lending us their houses, cars, and bicycles whenever we pleased. This enabled Dan to teach Erin the finer points of World Cup Football. Bob and Laura also took very good care of us, feeding us and making sure we were "all set".
After an undetermined amount of time spend on the Cape, it was time to leave and continue the original journey up the coast to Maine. Taylor and Dan sailed Lucey to Salem, Massachusetts, where Erin, who was still working and had to travel by car, met up with the two of them for a lovely evening dinner at Finz Restaurant on the water.
Here we are watering ourselves (Erin and Taylor)
The following day, Dan and Taylor set off for Rockport, MA from Salem, where they stayed the evening before leaving for Portland, Maine the following day. Had they known that Rockland was a "dry" town (meaning no alcohol is sold anywhere) they would have heartily chosen a different location to stop. The next day the two chums left for Portland, Maine where Lisa (Taylor's "girlfriend") met them for a few days while Erin worked one of her two final weekends before joining the boat. That weekend, Dan managed to sneak away from Taylor and Lisa long enough to make a surprise visit in Marina Bay and stay the weekend in Boston.
We returned to Taylor and the boat as Lisa was leaving, and stayed a few days visiting with Erin's friends Jamie and Greg on Greg's boat in an opposite Marina (thanks guys!!!) Later in the week, Erin returned for her last weekend at work and Taylor and Dan took Lucey to Falmouth Foreside, a point just north of Portland, where Lisa again joined them for a weekend. They spend the weekend at a lovely spot just off the coast called Quahog Bay, entertaining new friends and enjoying some of Maine's more enchanting coastline. After the weekend had passed, Erin drove her car north to Mom and Dads while Taylor and Dan sailed Lucey to Boothbay Harbor, Maine where Erin joined the boat officially for the first time.
From Boothbay Harbor we were Rockland bound, a point just north. We finally managed to catch some wind on the way into the Harbor so we decided to sail around for a couple hours. That was until we recieved an immediate and severe storm warning making its way down the coast and set to hit us in only 13 minutes... uh oh!! We pulled the sails down and watched as the wind picked up to 46 knots and the sky turned black. We were fortunate enough to be on the outside of the worst and made it safely into port, where we enjoyed one of the most beautiful sunsets yet.
We departed Rockland after a night's stay and made our way to Isleboro where we learned the storm we had just missed the day before turned out to be a tropical storm that had depleted all power to the island for the evening. We anchored in a small bay and spent the night on board. The following day we left for Belfast for the evening where we dined on the water and listened to a jazz band playing in the pavilion. Unfortunately, the food at the Weathervane Restaurant did not agree with Dan and Taylor and they spent the night "winging" Below, Dan and Erin decide to try on crustacean claws :)
The next day we left for our one last destination before entering Southwest Harbor. We set sail for Blue Hill, Maine, where we met up with Taylor's long lost friend Teek for a drink and some snacks on the water. This weekend we managed to get Dan on board a 6 Meter racing boat with three others so that he could have some fun. Taylor and Erin circled the race in Lucey trying to take pictures, but the race was called off on account of there being no wind (big shocker!!) The following day, after meeting up with Lisa again, we made our way to Acadia National Park (where Southwest Harbor/Hinckley Boatyard are located) where Lisa took Dan and Erin to the top of Mount Cadillac, the highest point on the East Coast of the United States. Another breathtaking sunset!!!
When the time came for Lucey to have her beautiful blue restored (a new paint coat to fix the damage sustained in Marina Bay) she was pulled out of the water and rested on land. We spent her first day out of water traveling more of Acadia's coastline with Lisa, then drove to Belfast where Erin and Dan joined Erin's father and picked up her car for one last trip to Boston to tie up loose ends.
A week's trip to Boston and one AMAZING Bon Jovi Concert later, Erin's car and furniture were finally sold and her new address was Lucey Blue, East Coast U.S.A. We joined up with Taylor in Boston, where he had just flown in from his week in Washington with Lisa and drove our way up the coast (in a car... boring!!) to Lucey, where she was resting peacefully in the water, looking as blue as ever. The following day, we left for the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, a few miles south of where we were, so that Dan could again join up with a racing boat for a day of fun. On the way to the Regatta, we lost our Starboard engine (just having been serviced) and could not figure out why. This would mean a return trip to Southwest but we enjoyed the race anyways. This was the biggest wooden boat regatta of the summer, complete with a BBQ for all afterwards. During the race, we caught the port prop in a lobster trap (pesky buggers) and had to be towed in by another boat. We set our anchor, enjoyed the BBQ, and turned in for the night.
The next day, Dan and Erin joined Teek (from Blue Hill) on his 39 foot Pierson for a two day race a few miles south of Blue Hill. The first day we finished fifth in our class (not bad!!) but unfortunately, the second day we tore the Jib Sail and had to withdraw. Teek motored us back to Taylor and Lucey, and we stayed the night, only to leave the next day for Southwest all over again.
Lucey was hauled out again, put in slings again and awaited repair. A week later, no parts and no answers, Dan and Erin rented a car and drove to visit with her family while Taylor stayed with the boat. We had an amazing time with Erin's family (thanks guys, I love you all soooooo much!!) and enjoyed the company of loved ones while drinking, eating, and waterskiing (when the hangovers finally subsided!!). Dan tried "mono" skiing (single ski) and was very successful. His attempts on the wakeboard were also successful and by the end of the day, he could actually cross the wake without taking a fall!! Yeah!! Erin's family made Dan feel very welcome, a pleasant surprise, and he awaits a return trip someday.
With that said, this is almost where we have arrived today. We returned from visiting Erin's family on Monday, and set sail for Boothbay Harbor on Tuesday. Today is Thursday, and Lucey (poor thing!!) is back on land. Third time's a charm??? Lets hope so... its cold up here!!
