Crazy Wind and Maple Juice Cove

Quite a day, really. Woke to a beautiful morning, and rowed ashore for some time on the Lido deck before leaving. Sue, Chris and Emily were also heading out, so there was the usual hustle and bustle of people packing and cleaning. It became clear that this day was going to be WINDY! We finally got our act together after lunch and decided we would head across toward Vinalhaven for the night. We started out with just a reefed mainsail, and headed that way. After a bit, we realized that we hadn’t really sailed this boat yet except downwind, and that perhaps a 25 knot wind day was not the time to head further away. So we tacked and headed toward Whitehead, with the intention of going to Tenant’s Harbor if necessary. We kept looking at the tattered sails hoping they wouldn’t give up the ghost today. Kurt and I were both pleasantly surprised at how well the boat handled (though we should have had some of the genoa out to ease the helm a bit). She heeled over quite a bit, especially with the higher gusts, but she moved purposefully and we still never got the rail in the water. Everything happened very smoothly and we both were extremely happy with how she sailed. We kept going past Tenants and headed for Port Clyde for some groceries. Then, we decided to go up the St. George River and see what Maple Juice Cove was all about. Turns out it is a great spot, very calm and good holding. Had a great dinner on the Magma...tenderloin!! Cathy