Time to catch up; we left the Mt Desert area with a specific destination in mind, Machias Seal Island. Just 15 nautical miles (nm) from the coast but a long run east then another off-shore through some cold, current ridden waters stood between us and the notorious Puffin rookery. We left on a calm morning after the fog cleared. In skydiving we called it a “sucker hole” a nice clear spot between clouds offering encouragement, but once on the way up it would close in. Yup...a sucker hole with us as the suckers. The fog closed in within the half hour so tight that although Mr Mac and we kept a distance via radar of between ¼ - ½ mile, we
actually saw them just once for the entire 46 nm day. Great part was the pod of whales surfacing during the same rare semi-clear moment.
We holed up in a beautiful anchorage in Shorey Cove at Roque Island. Two days later the dawn was clear and we left early with both boats for the “circumnavigation” of Machias Seal Island. Challenged by counter currents but supported by great winds we made the 40 nm round trip to get a great view of Puffins. Tough to sneak up on them with open seas slapping the boat around, however we’re posting a photo or two anyway. The evening found us back at another beautiful anchorage at Roque Harbor after a sporty sail back to the Maine Coast. Yesterday a second clear day in a row, so while we may have enjoyed another day at the anchorage, we headed back toward Mount Desert. We are now anchored in Mackarel Cove at Swans Island for a little rest and relaxation. We should be here for a few days while we hope to get this posted, catch up on some phone calls to friends and relatives, decide where to head next.
Position: N 44 deg, 10.323 min
W 68 deg, 26.338 min
Time to catch up; we left the Mt Desert area with a specific destination in mind, Machias Seal Island. Just 15 nautical miles (nm) from the coast but a long run east then another off-shore through some cold, current ridden waters stood between us and the notorious Puffin rookery. We left on a calm morning after the fog cleared. In skydiving we called it a “sucker hole” a nice clear spot between clouds offering encouragement, but once on the way up it would close in. Yup...a sucker hole with us as the suckers. The fog closed in within the half hour so tight that although Mr Mac and we kept a distance via radar of between ¼ - ½ mile, we actually saw them just once for the entire 46 nm day. Great part was the pod of whales surfacing during the same rare semi-clear moment. 
No comments:
Post a Comment