Cruising is a lot more than sailing. Often there’s not enough wind, or the wind is directly opposing one’s course. So cruising involves a fair amount of motoring or motor sailing.
It also involves other activities, such as sightseeing, hiking, watersports, not to mention maintaining, provisioning, cleaning and repairing the boat.
But then, once in a while, the conditions are just right for pure sailing. Everything is stowed securely below. Life jackets are on. And you just sail.
Today was one such day. We planned to sail from Bar Harbor back to Camden to drop off Kathy and Todd. The wind was forecast out of the Northwest between 15 and 25 knots with gusts between 25 and 40. We left Bar Harbor at 0700 and, as soon as we rounded the southern edge of Mount Desert Island, we set sail. The sails were reefed, meaning their full surface isn’t exposed. This avoids excessive heeling (tilting) and actually makes the boat go faster. Too much sail causes too much heel and the wind just spills over the top of the sail, rather than moving us forward.
Fregata did beautifully. She cruised between 8 and 9 knots and took the gusts elegantly. At one point, the wind gusted just over 40 knots! This was the strongest wind we’d yet experienced, but it felt like True North in a 15 knot wind. This was a good reminder of the difference between a lightweight production boat and a heavier blue-water vessel.
With the exception of a leg of motoring directly into the wind to pass through the Eggemoggin Reach (read “Friends and Fog”), we sailed the full 7 hours from Bar Harbor to Camden.
We encountered many sailboats on the way. There’s an unwritten rule in sailing whereby if two sailboats are heading in vaguely the same direction, they’re in a race. Well once again, Fregata did us proud and left numerous other sailboats in her wake.
After a glorious sail, we pulled into Camden, took care of some practical items, and had dinner at a local Thai restaurant.
By 2100, everyone was pretty tired and disappeared into respective cabins for the night.
5 Responses
What a gorgeous sail. What a shipshape boat
Thanks, Jim!
That sounds and looks lovely! Being under sail is definitely my “happy” place
She’s got it all, sweet sailing and comfort underway makes Fregata awesome!
Yes… took a while to dial her in, but now that everything is working, she’s a gem! Worth the hassle of getting her from California in the end.