SOUTHWEST HARBOR

THE CLAM BEFORE THE STORM

Friday, August 9, 2024

Wasn’t that clever?  We enjoyed some fried clams last night, and tonight we expect Debbie to arrive.   The Clam Before the Storm.  HaHa.

Here’s a screen shot of Debby from one of the weather apps.  She has a sweet girly name, but there is something about her that seems kind of masculine, wouldn’t you agree?

More about Debby later…

but first, a little gratitude for the last few days, which were ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!    Bar Harbor is SO picturesque, and we had three perfect days to enjoy it.  Quintessential Maine summer.  Sun, comfortable temperature, and calm seas. BLISS!

A beautiful sunset in Bar Harbor

Yesterday, Lynn had the wheel almost the entire morning.  We didn’t have far to go: maybe 10 miles, so it gave us time to take a side trip up into Somes Sound, 4-mile-long fjord that cuts deep into Mt. Desert Island.  More iconic Maine views!  Then, we tied up at Dysart’s Marina. 

Looking up the Sound

We had seen this beauty pulling into Newport – even more magnificent on the water!

We are docked right next to Marie – a boat 136’ in length originally built in 1930 and lovingly restored over the last ten years. The detail and varnish work are spectacular!

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The weather apps tell us Debby arrives here overnight – peaking between 8PM and 8AM – with sustained winds of 25mph and gusts to 40mph.  Certainly not a hurricane.  In fact, Debby is now classified as a Tropical Depression.  Still, the winds are expected to produce 6-foot swells all day tomorrow – Saturday   Fortunately, we are (as always) safely berthed in a protected marina.  We’re expecting some drama, but no trauma.  I hope I just sleep through it!

What a difference a day makes!

We had planned to move to a mooring at Hinkley’s Yard Saturday night, because the views are beautiful – you’re looking right up Somes Sound.  But we are not going to put the boat and crew at risk in 6-foot seas.  And hooking up to a mooring ball just feels a lot more uncomfortable than being lashed strongly to a dock.  So, we’re staying put and laying low.

Sunday looks like a MUCH better travel day: the winds are predicted to be mild, and the swells drop to 3’.  We’re planning to complete our circumnavigation of Penobscot Bay, heading counterclockwise up the Eggemoggin Reach and then over to Camden.

We’ll post again tomorrow after Debby has passed, and we’ll let you know how we make out.

Stay safe.  Stay dry.  

TTFN