July 11-12                                    Southwest Harbor, Maine           

We were hopeful to have an early start for our journey to Southwest Harbor but the fog remained so dense we could not see past the marina.  I walked to the office and told them we would remain another day. At 10:30 AM, David declared the fog had lifted sufficiently for us to start our cruise.  I was dubious but, as I am often reminded, he is the Captain.  Five minutes after leaving the marina, we were surrounded by fog and limited visibility necessitated the use of radar as well as GPS.

 

 

 

We proceeded slowly and carefully for almost four hours before we were rewarded with good visibility.  Misting rain and overcast skies kept us from enjoying the beautiful scenery we had witnessed on our journey last year to Southwest Harbor.  As we turned into Western Way, a passage leading from the Atlantic into Somes Sound and Southwest Harbor,  the clouds lifted, the sun shone brightly, and the sky became a brilliant blue. 

Micah met us at the dock and, as promised, assigned us to a great position where we could enjoy the view of the water and boats in front of the marina.  It was 6:30 PM.  We had successfully completed a long and challenging cruise.

On Friday, we enjoyed the marina ambiance with the surrounding hills covered in evergreens and the beautiful blue water.  Lobsters were ordered for dinner from Micah who would meet one of the lobster boats that unload nearby and deliver them to our boat.

The washer part of our dryer/washer combo developed a leak and the spin cycle was out of balance.  Since it appeared the boat had practically been built around this unit, we had long dreaded the day when problems would require it being removed.  David disassembled the cabinet work holding the appliance, disconnected it, and removed anything that might hinder its removal.  Since it was original to the boat, we decided it was not cost-effective to repair.  A new unit was located on the internet, purchased, and delivery scheduled for July 23.  The laundry facilities at the marina would be available for use meanwhile.  Now the challenge was to remove the old unit.  Micah promised to find help for us.

The dinghy’s 40 hph Yamaha motor barely ran despite considerable time and money spent in repair.  With Micah’s help, we located a guy in Bar Harbor who convinced us he could clean the carburetor. We would be spared the expense of buying a new motor.  David lowered the dinghy, started the motor, and we slowly cruised across the bay to the ramp where our repair person waited.  He seemed very knowledgeable and promised to return the repaired motor and dinghy to us in a week.  Not only do we need the dinghy for fun cruising but, as Dave reminded us, it could be a life-saving means if we had to abandon the boat in case of fire or collision.