Where is global warming?

Ok, so I know the earth has been warming for about 11,000 years and parts of the west have record heat. But here in Maine it is freezing to us from the land of the eternal summer. Many of the locals think it is right pleasant but to us we are ready for a nice couple of 90 degree days. Or at least 85.

On the way to Maple Juice Cove last week we did a photo shoot with an IP 380 that was similar to our previous boat. Jim and Carla were kind enough to offer up the rare opportunity to get photos of each other sailing and here is what we look like on the water under full sail. We have some additional pictures we will post later.

Since we left Boothbay Harbor we spent 2 nights in Maple Juice Cove, 3 nights in Rockland, 1 night in Harpswell and now we plan to spend 2 nights in Portland.

We had a very nice sail to Maple Juice Cove. A fairly large cove of the St George River. We were actually able to sail most of the way and when we turned up through Muscungus Bay we used the spinnaker while we weaved our way through the lobster pots as thick as fleas. I wonder if there are really that many lobsters or are the folks each chasing the same lobster?

With the wind dying we motored the last mile or so through the narrow channel dodging the pots until we got into the cove. We had 2 very peaceful nights with only a few other boats dropping in. On Saturday afternoon we went for a walk and visited the Olson house which was used in many of Andrew Wyeth's paintings. Especially Christina's World which is probably his most famous.

After 2 nights in the Cove we headed up to Rockland, Maine. The first major city headed up Penobscot Bay. Rockland was an old seaport town with a history rich in ship building and trade. While there we visited the Farnsworth Museum that has many of NC and Andrew Wyeth's works. We were able to sail part of the way there as the wind was very light and of course on the nose.

We planned to leave after the 2nd night there but delayed because of a storm system that passed through bringing thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds.

Wednesday morning we left in fog. The fog at times got fairly heavy where visibility was less than a 1/4 mile. Eventually we got into clear skies and beautiful conditions. With the wind up we were able to sail most of the rest of the way to our mooring for the evening in Harpswell where we met some friends for drinks and dinner.

The tuning adjustments we made to the rigging in Boothbay Harbor seem to have made a big improvement in our ability to sail close to the wind. We are definitely pointing much better than before. Hopefully as we continue down the coast we will be able to sail more and motor less.

Today when we left Harpswell we had a favorable wind and after we got out of the winding and shallow channel we were able to sail the entire way to Portland. Even passing through a narrow cut between islands we kept up good speed and passing other boats going our way.

More about our Portland experience next time. But, again another night in the 50's. Where is global warming? I'm tired running the genset to keep the heat on!