We don't know for sure, but we think Brio loves to be airborne as much as she loves to be in the water. She certainly dislikes being "on the hard" all winter long. So we left Holbrooke Harbor Friday morning early. We knew we had 25 nautical miles to go to get to Rockland where Brio would be hauled again so the mechanic could do his warranty on her brand new starboard pod. We also know that we had to go through fog and that meant going no faster than about 10 or 12 knots. So we started extra early to arrive on time.
Here's the fabulous view from the wheel! Good reason to go slow and use the radar and all our senses.
This is what we see on the radar screen:
You are now veteran radar readers. You see where you are on the boat in the middle of the screen. You see from the "data boxes" that you are in 190 feet of water and you are traveling at 10.8 knots. The red colors represent land when there is a yellow color mixed with the red. You can see that there is a buoy to your left. It is the red diamond with the red radar reflection on top of it. You can also see some blue splotches ahead on both the port and starboard sides. These are possibly boats and they are spots you want to watch closely. If they move closer to you, they will likely develop red spots and you will want to see if they might collide with you. That's when you become very vigilant and cautious!
Finally, after two and half hours of such caution, we approach Rockland and Journey's End Marina where Brio will be hauled. We round the long breakwater and head to the point of land called Crockett Point towards the CG label on the chart, for the Marina is right next to the Coast Guard Station.
The Marina is waiting for us. We berth and Collin, the same mechanic who worked on Brio a week before in Marion was there to start changing filters and fluids. He drove 2.5 hours up from Portland to do this work today.
As soon as Collin is done with the "in-water work", we drive Brio forward into the Travelift slings and up she goes, flying once more.
Brio's driven forward to a spot where she'll be left "hanging" so Collin can get under her and drain the starboard pod of its gear oil.
Brio always attracts her admirers. She's just that sort of boat. Turns heads and causes adults and children alike to marvel at her proportions, her beauty and her clear ocean-going strength. So it was with this family:
They wanted to hear all about the whales and dolphins who played alongside Brio. They wanted to hear of where she had been and where she was going. She wanted to learn of all she saw off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. What was fun was the look of awe in both the older man's eyes as well as the kids' eyes. They could travel vicariously with her.
Collin's work was done and Brio was lowered back into the water. Because of the storminess and the hour of the day, she had a slip right there for the night. That meant showers, laundry and groceries. All very welcomed!
The next day we left Rockland. It was a sparkling day again. The fog was gone and the air was dry. One look back at the town, now that we could see it!
The next leg of our voyage has us heading east from Rockland to Grand Manan, New Brunswick.
The pencils are for reference. The left pencil points to Vinalhaven. Rockland is west of Vinalhaven on the coast. The pencil points to Winter Harbor and Seal Bay on Vinalhaven, our destination for the night. The right-hand pencil points to Sorrento, where we had spent a night a few days ago. Grand Manan, which is in Canada, lies at the right-hand side of the chart and is a big island off the coast.
There is much to see between the left-hand pencil and Grand Manan!
Cheers,
Brio
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