Third Day Part Two, and Fourth Day: New Castle

 Leaving Isles of Shoals after only one night was a wrenching choice, but one we felt we had to make, because lousy weather was predicted for the next day, today. In the event that weather has yet to materialize; now it is being forecast for tomorrow.

In any event, our next mission was meant to be a more trailblazing one, and one more appropriate to our mission.  Gosport Harbor has the Cruising Guide seal of approval, and even our anchorage by the breakwater was not particularly shallow. No, we had set our sights on the seemingly nameless patch of shallow water behind New Castle Great Island, NH.

The Piscataqua river reaches the sea at Portsmouth and Kittery and divides among a maze of rocky islands.  At the southwestern side is the rather large New Castle Island.  Between the island and the mainland shore is a large and somewhat exposed harbor called Little Harbor.  It is only "little" compared to Portsmouth.  Little Harbor is protected by a couple of breakwaters and its skyline is dominated by the massive Wentworth Hotel and an equally imposing marina.  If you had to spend a night on the water here it probably wouldn't be the end of the world, but we found it was a bit rolly.  It was not our goal.  At the head of the harbor is a little draw bridge, which is not continuously manned.  The sign on the bridge reads that the bridge operates between 7 am and 11 pm, but requires at least four hours notice to open.  There is a phone number posted to a dispatcher in Concord, 603 271 6862. We found the dispatcher extremely courteous, and in the event, the bridgetenders (also friendly and courteous) were on the scene within one hour (However, on our departure we were reminded somewhat grumpily by a more local official that there really should be at least four hours notice given.  It was also implicitly suggested—both entering and leaving—that we not do this run too frequently. We reassured them that we were staying for two whole days, and that we were returning to points south afterwards). The opening is narrow and the current runs hard under the bridge, and its best to hug the island side. Again, counterintuitively, it is easier to control your vessel if you go in against the current (so on a falling tide inbound, rising outbound).  Once inside, the channel is dredged and marked for a short ways. Then two options present themselves.  To port , Sagamore Creek makes off to the southwest.  It is a cool place to check out, but mooring and anchoring seems like it would be tricky, maybe even impossible in such a narrow and riparian environment.  

We proceeded to starboard, past a large and impossibly cool looking seventeenth century home on the left and Leach's Island on the right, before emerging into a large expanse of open water dotted with tiny islands.  This body of water, unnamed on the charts, is separated from Portsmouth Harbor by a chain of islands joined by fixed bridges and causeway. Small power boats can get in and out under the bridges, and small sailboats use the area as an enclosed playpen. There seemed to be an active junior sailing program of optis, Turnabouts and 420s using the area on both days that we were here.  Bearing to to starboard around Leach's and the alarmingly named Pest Island, we oonched our way past the six foot spot on the chart, but stopped somewhat shy of of the 1/2 foot spot, where we found a mooring near a float that seemed to need the attention of a lawnmower.  In all our years of cruising, we have seldom seen a more peaceful or attractive spot, though it must be admitted that we were hard aground for at least three hours on either side of low-tide.  Surveys with the boat hook suggest we have about two feet of water for a boat that draws three.  The mud is soft enough that we simply sit in it, more or less level, while we are aground.

We love tiny islands, and this little sound contains many.  On the chart the smallest ones are unnamed, but the town of New Castle's zoning map is more revealing.

Interestingly, Pest Island belongs to the city of Portsmouth.   We were anchored right about here, just off the end of "Long Rock":

The pointy end of Long Rock, attached to the much larger Mill Island, was barely a stones throw away from us.  The contemporary nautical chart, near the top of the page, does not show the anchorage very accurately.  Here is a chart from about forty years ago that offers much more detail.

From the Zoning Map and older chart one can see several things.  There is a tiny islet, exposed at all tides, with trees on it even, that is not even shown on the newer chart.  A series of old half-tide breakwaters connects this series of islets and creates a lagoon that remains full of water (despite the mudflats shown on both charts) even at dead low tide.  Based on the name of the largest islet, and a nearby street name, it would seem that this was once a Mill Pond of some sort.  It is tempting to try and explore it by boat, but the breakwaters over the two entrances suggest that utmost caution is in order, and we have no idea what the Low Tide depths might be on the far side.

The wildlife here is spectacular and the water is very calm, even in a nasty blow.  We saw a bald eagle, several great blue herons, and numerous terns.  The city of Portsmouth is an easy walk or motorized dinghy ride away and has many charms.  Of our two days here,  the weather was spectacular on one day and horrendous on the other.  It was a good place to be for either situation.  You should not come here and spend less than two nights out of consideration for the bridge tenders, who have much demanding work to do on the Piscataqua bridges.

Second Day: Annisquam, MA to Gosport Harbor, Isles of Shoals

Between Cape Ann, MA and Cape Elizabeth, ME is a long stretch of water called the Bigelow Bight. A "bight" is an indentation in the coast that is so shallow that, with the proper wind direction, it can be entered and exited without having to tack.  In fact, it is barely an indentation at all.  The shoreline is an extraordinarily long stretch of beach, stretching from Wingaersheek (at the mouth of the Annisquam) to Old Orchard (just inside of Cape Elizabeth).  The beaches are pierced by a few rocky outcroppings, but mainly by the mouths of rivers.  The combination of beach and river is a double-edged one for boaters.  Every river mouth is a harbor, but those harbors are often difficult to enter, subject to strong currents, and resistant to accurate charting of things like depth.  Once inside the river mouth, ones options for accommodation may be limited or complex.  Marinas often predominate; moorings may be unavailable; places to anchor may be severely limited.

Some might say that being able to poke up rivers is the whole point of owning a shoal draft boat.  We would not disagree.  But if you aren't sure of your own ability to read tide and currents, or you don't want to deal with drawbridges or marinas, one stop on the passage east to the more spectacular parts of the Maine coast that does not require crossing a bar or navigating a river mouth, is Gosport Harbor, at the Isles of Shoals, which is where we are this afternoon.

Three of the six and a half islands that make up this little archipelago are joined together by two breakwaters. One connects Star Island to Cedar, and the other connects Cedar to the poetically named Smuttynose.  The result is a harbor of extraordinary stillness in a environment that otherwise, looks, sounds, and smells thoroughly offshore.

The trip from Annisquam, on which we averaged five and a half knots over the bottom, is approximately 19 nautical miles.  We covered it in slightly more than three hours, under power, with a headwind, and a very calm sea.  We are travelling with children, something the original writers' of the Guide do not much acknowledge as a possibility.  To a ten year old and a twelve year old boy, an multi-hour offshore passage on beautiful day holds about as much appeal as long stint in a waiting room without any good magazines.  Had we wished to get all the way to midcoast maine today, we could easily have done so.  We would have just had to get up earlier and rest content with arriving in Casco Bay near sundown. The boys would have been intolerant of this plan.  I did it myself at their age, and I remember it as one of the longest (if also most memorable) days of my life.  

I also remember being enthralled by the Isles of Shoals as we passed through them.  Rocky, with scrubby vegetation, they have a bizarre mixture of buildings on them: a lighthouse on White Island, at the southernmost extreme, a large and somewhat ramshackle summer hotel, which is now the property of the Unitarian Universalist Association on Star Island, A large house on the tiny Lunging Island, a weathered obelisk commemorating Johns Smith's visit here, a submarine watchtower on Appledore island, and a famous garden.  And then they were gone.  Staying here, on a weekday afternoon, is not technically a solitary affair.  But it feels high lonesome, and quiet in the best sense.  

Bufflehead, as viewed from above and behind the Star Isl.-Cedar Isl. Breakwater.

The Breakwater itself, on a falling tide.  This mooring is the one furthest inside.  "If you can read this, you are aground."  Actually the water is quite deep here, even at low tide.  The six foot spot on the chart is somewhere off to starboard.

I'm going on a six day cruise, and I'm going to bring...

Packing for a cruise is always a little tricky, especially in August. The weather is likely to be both very very hot and rather crisp and chilly. It is also likely to rain at some point. Space on a shoal draft boat is likely to be limited, yet opportunities to do laundry will be scarce (not to say unappealing). All of that is what it is. 

But practically, what to bring? I suggest at least one of each of the following: a wool or fleece sweater/overshirt; a pair of long pants that are not too heavy (if they get wet, you don't want have to wait for days for them to dry); a bathing suit; some sort of foul-weather gear, even if its just a light raincoat. For the rest, assuming a cruise of a week or less (more than that and I recommend fInding a laundromat) bring 2-3 pairs each of shorts and summer shirts. A lifelong natural fibers freak, I have lately come to embrace the virtues of quick dry fabrics on the water. I like lightweight long sleeve shirts over short sleeves in all but the hottest weather because it's one less area to apply sunblock to.  You probably won't want socks as often as you would at home,  but it's a mistake not to bring any, because cold feet are the worst. Bring enough clean underwear for the duration. An extra hat is a good idea in case one goes over the side.  You should always know where your towel is. 

What about non-clothing, non food items?  Know the bedding situation before you go and plan accordingly, but even if all bedding is provided, you might want to bring an extra pillow of your own. Pillows that live on a boat all summer inevitably take on certain pong- a cross, perhaps, between mildew and diesel fumes. Items for personal hygiene are critical. Ask yourself: what are the things that help you to feel cleaner when you can't take a proper bath? Bring those things. Any medicines you might require, you should obviously bring, although you may want to consider specialty items like Dramamine as well. For adults who drink, your preferred hangover remedy is probably a good idea as well. Bring books and magazines. Games that are very compact, like a deck of cards, are good to have.

As for luggage, multiple small bags are easier to manage than a single large one. Remember you might be sleeping with your bag(s) so rigid or poky luggage is to be avoided. Good luck. 

Meal Planning

As with any human endeavour, how to eat while cruising is always a key issue, and requires more planning than living on land.  In some ways it is a great deal like planning for camping, and (as with camping) a lot of what you plan depends on what you go in for.  Some people who camp like to stay in an orderly campground and eat in nearby restaurants.  At the other extreme, people who are long distance hikers tend to eat foods that are ready made, won't spoil, and can be prepared quickly and easily on a single burner. Plenty of cruisers can be found who subscribe to waterbourne variations on both these strategies.  Shoal draft cruisers tend not to fit either of them.

Why?  Well, part of the point of shoal draft cruising is getting to anchorages that other boats cannot reach.  These are not especially likely to be convenient to restaurants or even to grocery stores.  But by the same token, shoal draft cruisers are not generally very well adapted to sailing long distances offshore—and if that's what you are into, the appeal of getting deep inside some quiet salt marsh probably isn't very great.  So chances are you are going to plan on cooking aboard, with something less than a fully equipped kitchen.

Bufflehead's galley has a pump sink, a two burner alcohol stove, and an icebox, which is only kept cold with real blocks of ice.  If you are up for the challenge, cooking on the boat is very satisfying.  Things to bear in mind when planning a menu (of which the one below is an example) are pretty simple.

•Use perishables early in the trip.  Many fresh fruits and vegetables respond poorly to the humid salty air of a cabin, and to the strong possibility of getting knocked around in the cabin or submerged in the icebox.  Cryovaced meats do better than standard plastic wrapped fare.

•Freeze what you can before you leave.  Not only will this help it last longer, but helps the whole icebox work more efficiently.

•Try to plan meals that will only need as many pots as you have burners.

•For later in the trip, canned goods are awesome.

•Try not to put anything in the icebox that isn't packaged in such a way that it can be fully immersed in water.  Big Ziplocks can be handy for things like cheese that might otherwise get waterlogged. 

•Be flexible in your planning.  You never know what weather might do to your plans (or your appetite!).  This is especiallty true of lunches, which are more likely to be prepared while you are underway.  The notes I made below were simply a basis for my shopping.  Expect things to switch around.  

 

More Thoughts? Share them in the comments.

To Boldly Go Where No Cruising Boat Has Gone Before, Much.

A long time ago, when this writer was in his late teens and his co-conspirator was in his early thirties, we were anchored in Gosport Harbor, in the midst of delivering Bufflehead, our family's Morgan 30, back to Marblehead, MA.  We went way way up inside the harbor, almost to the breakwater between Cedar Island and Smuttynose, taking a mooring or dropping a hook (I don't remember which) in what looks on the chart like a six foot spot.  Most cruising sailboats have a draft of five feet or more, and most skippers are (quite rightly) cautious about testing the limits of that.  Any water that is colored blue on a detailed chart is typically viewed as not navigable.  So there we were, in a sweet little spot that looked like it should be off limits to a boat our size.  People on other boats were looking at us enviously, questioningly, as if to say "could we go there?"  We thought of posting a sign on our transom: "If you can read this, you're aground."

And in fact, over the course of more than 45 years of cruising on Bufflehead, this is a scenario that has played out over and over. We go to a harbor, or saltwater creek, or cove, and then go to the part where no one else is, where everyone else assumes they can't go.  The bible of New England cruising is Duncan and Ware's Cruising Guide to the New England Coast.  Now in its Twelfth Edition, it's has gone from it's original two authors, to five.  It doesn't contain any overt assumptions about draft, but it seems to assume a bare minimum of four feet.  The preface also admits that the authors don't share everything they know.  Some secret getaways are just too valuable.

But we flatter ourselves to think we are interesting guys and that, when it comes to cruising, we are pretty good at it, in ways that maybe Duncan and Ware were not interested in.  So we have embarked on this project to get some of our practices, traditions and itineraries written down, so that other people can profit by them, or at least get a chuckle.