1200 EDT 44 06.1′N x 069 05.7′W, Anchored in Rockland Harbor
60nm run since 1200 EDT on 28 September.
Barometer at 1018Mb and rising steadily
Breeze at Force 4, SSW
Waiting at anchor to clear customs

Rockland Harbor is a good anchorage in most winds. Which would explain all the mooring fields inside the breakwater. Those add an element of complication to sailing a Baltimore Schooner onto her anchor in the dark. The mooring fields cover most of the best anchoring ground, so the best a large vessel can do is get close. But not too close or there won’t be room to swing when the breeze shifts. And not in the middle of the entrance channel to the inner part of the harbor.

So on a breezy, rainy night we managed to dodge all those obstacles and execute the classic Tops’l schooner round up, whereby you fall far off the wind to get the fores’l into the lee of the mains’l and brail it in, then take in the heads’ls. Once they’re in, pivot around by putting the helm hard down and overhauling the mains’l to weather. As the ship comes head to wind, naturally losing speed already, the foretops’l goes aback and really puts the breaks on. Then, before she gets sternway on, let go the hook and take in the tops’l.

If it all works out right, you’re exactly where you wanted to be anchored. Or, maybe a touch close to the channel, but still pretty good.

That’s about how it worked out last night, which is a great show for a recently turned over crew who’ve never done it before as a team. And with two shots of chain out we had a relatively mellow night of it, despite the gusts and rain. But as of noon today, we are still under the “Quebec” flag – not the one we recently flew in Montreal, but the plain yellow one indicating we are eagerly waiting to clear customs. Rockland is a port of entry, but it is managed out of Bangor, where the small staff is largely focused on clearances at the airport there. For us, someone has to travel down to the coast, then out to our anchorage via our rescue boat. Luckily, the weather has cleared and it won’t be a wet ride.

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and crew of Lynx, patiently waiting under quarantine.

Track Lynx:  http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WDA9881

28 September, 2010
Day Eight: Montreal, Quebec to Gloucester, MA
1200 EDT 43- 30.4′N x 067 – 57.8′W, Crossing the Gulf of Maine
166nm run since 1200 EDT on 27 September.
Barometer at 1018Mb and falling steadily
Breeze at Force 4-5, SxW
Seas: 3-4′
Sailing on roughly a beam reach between 7-8 under Fores’l, Stays’l Foretops’l, Jib, and Main.

Despite the soggy, foggy forecasts, the day has been pretty glorious. We were socked in a few times last night, but with the dawn the visibility has opened up beyond the forecasted limits for most of the day, and the breeze is a pleasant 16-18 knots, instead of the 25-30 predicted.

In short, we’re pretty lucky. After an approximately 50/50% mix and match of sailing vs. motor sailing over yesterday afternoon and evening, we have been sailing since 0900, and making near eight knots most of the time.

Even with the more favorable conditions, this is not the breeze to get us to Gloucester. It already has a touch more West in it than anticipated, and is forecast to continue out of the South & Southwest. So rather than beat our way to Gloucester, we are making for the coast of Maine to wait for the wind to cooperate later this week when a cold front should bring the breeze North of West.

Unfortunately, the Coast of Maine wasn’t designed for anchoring in southerlies, particularly ones with a touch of West in them. Sure there are coves and tucked away places if you travel up the Sheepscot, Kennebec or Darmiscotta Rivers far enough, but we also have the added wrinkle of wanting to clear customs and so maximize our detour. That leaves only Portland and Rockland as feasible options. Portland, terrific town that it is, offers little in the way of anchoring in a southerly, at least not close enough to town that a customs official would want to ride out in our rescue boat. And, with the westerly element in the breeze, it isn’t easily reachable.

Rockland it is. Complete with a designated anchorage area just in front of town and well protected from the South. We should be there a few hours after sunset. And if not actually standing on U.S. soil for the first time in over two weeks, at least hook down in it.

All best,

Jamie Trost and Rockland bound crew of Lynx

Track Lynx:  http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WDA9881

1200 EDT 43 44.8′N x 064 08.04′W, South of Lunenberg, Nova Scotia
183nm run since 1200 EDT on 26 September.
Barometer at 1029Mb and steady
Breeze at Force 4, SE
Seas: 3-4′
Motor sailing Broad on a port tack between 7-8 under Fores’l, Stays’l Foretops’l, Jib, and Main with maximum pitch and minimum rpm.

With favorable breezes, for now, Lynx is making speedy tracks Eastward. With a forecast of contrary breezes in the Gulf of Maine later this week, we are resisting the temptation to continue purely sailing, but have put to work Lynx’s versatile power-train to help keep an aggressive speed of advance toward the US. As I have discussed in previous blogs, Lynx has a variable pitch propeller that comes in very handy in motor sailing instances. The sail plan we have has shown itself good for 6-6.5 knots, but by making the pitch as aggressive as possible we can add 1-1.5 knots to that speed with the engine in dead slow ahead, thereby maximizing fuel economy for speed. It isn’t the most traditional or “romantic” way to go about things, but it works to get us on the move for our destination when conditions aren’t completely ideal.

The breeze is supposed to fill in and allow for us to actually sail, but in the meantime we are entertained by a few marine sightings and the novelty that we have not set foot ashore in seven days. The sky is graying up, and the coming forecasts indicate some rain and fog, as well as a veering of breeze to South and then southwest. South is workable, southwest, will be a headache. For now, we are sailing WSW and putting some southing in the bank. Ahead of schedule, we can also afford to bear away on the breeze toward the North, and hide out somewhere again until it becomes favorable for getting down the coast.

All best,

Jamie Trost and the still dry crew of Lynx

Track the Lynx:  http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WDA9881

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WDA9881

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WDA9881

23 September, 2010
Day Three: Montreal, Quebec to Gloucester, MA
48°04.6′N x 063° 21.3′W, Gulf of St. Lawrence
192 NM Run since 1200, 22 September.
Barometer at 1027Mb and rising slowly
Breeze at Force 6, WNW
Seas: 5-7′.
Sailing between 8-9 under Reefed Foretops’l, Fores’l, Stays’l & Jib.

Out of the river and into the Gulf, and at great speed. Through a combination of currents and brisk wind, Lynx is onto the next stage of the passage, the transit across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is a bit lumpy and quite confused out here, but we should make it across the Gulf and into the Strait of Canso by tomorrow morning, and possibly anchor in that area to wait out the next weather system before pressing on along the South Shore of Nova Scotia.

It has been a surging 36 hours of sailing, and promises to continue through this evening. It might not be the most comfortable, but it is getting us in the right direction without using any more of our fuel – Lynx carries 1000 gallons, but the mileage from Montreal to Gloucester is roughly 1300, and we’d be hard pressed to motor that far if the wind didn’t cooperate.

And, as has happened so often along our routes this summer, we were again within sight of Pride of Baltimore II exactly at noon today. With the same sail plan, but a longer waterline, she crept up on us steadily through the morning and is now fading away on the Southern horizon. They will get down to Canso before we do, but we hope to share the same anchorage together over the weekend.

All best,

Jamie Trost and the rocking and rolling crew of Lynx.

48°52.8′N x 067° 46.1′W, St. Lawrence River
150 NM Run since 1200, 21 September.
Barometer at 1014Mb and falling slowly
Breeze at Force 5, WSW
Seas: 3-4′.
Sailing between 8-9.5 Foretops’l, Weather Course, Fores’l and Stays’l set.

This passage might best be broken down into several stages. The first being the motoring from Montreal to Quebec City, with all its narrow channels, and still more motoring with a peppering of sail for the slightly wider section of river between Quebec and Escoumins, where the pilot station is. That section is behind us, and Lynx is again full length – we shipped the mainboom on to deck in Montreal, so that we would measure under 35 meters and not require the expense of a pilot.

But there has been plenty of river since, and since last night at 2300 we have been sailing it, with the breeze filling in from astern. Even our conservative sail plan has us skipping right along, and should have us into the Gulf of St. Lawrence by tomorrow at dawn. From there the next section starts, taking us down to the Strait of Canso, and one last lock before we can put the lock gear away. The Canso Lock is a control lock for the water between the Gulf and Chedabucto Bay on the south side of Nova Scotia, so it is not quite as daunting as the 15 we saw in the seaway.

But for tonight they are giving a gale watch in our waters approaching Anticosti Island, and favorable or not, a gale is a gale. So with the last of the sparse daylight here, we’re going to tuck some reefs in and snug down for weather.

All best,

Jamie Trost and the crew of Lynx wishing you a Happy Autumnal Equinox.

21 September, 2010

Abeam Grande-Pointe, St. Lawrence River

160 NM Run since Departure 1530, 20 September.

Barometer at 1022Mb and falling slowly

Breeze at Force 4, SW

Seas: 1-2′.

MotorSailing between 7-8.5 at 1400 RPM with Foretops’l set. Breeze dead astern

Montreal is a hard port to leave. Not for any real logistic reason, but for the personal reasons of the crew. The Old Port venue for the Tallships Festival was perfect, natural tourist draw just a block from the Old City itself, and except for a cold and rainy parade of sail, the weather was absolutely spectacular – clear and warm sunny days that brought throngs of people down to the event. Lynx saw nearly 7000 people across the deck in three days.

And for the crew, there was plenty to do in their short time off. Montreal is a very old-world city despite being decidedly in Canada. It is often used as a stand in for European back drops in American movies. So simply walking the town was quite a pleasure. Add to that a lively night-life and it’s a wonder we got all the crew back aboard Monday morning.

But now, nearly 200 miles down the river, we are experiencing the edge of autumn. What a difference from when we made our inbound passage exactly three months ago. Then the days were as long as they could be, and only the midnight to four watch was totally in darkness. Now the season is decidedly changing.  Along the riverside the trees are showing swaths of color in the green, and the rainy, cool weather that greeted us coming in to Montreal has returned from its weekend off.  Once again we are traveling out with our sister Privateer, Pride of Baltimore II, and Captain Miles and I will be in close contact to discuss the weather and share resources.

The breeze is building, and promises to stay favorable for a while, but it is definitely time to head South. Unfortunately, we must head north to nearly 50 degrees latitude in order to round Gaspe and do so. So off we go toward the Northeast – almost exactly the wrong direction to get to Gloucester, but the only way to do it by water.

 All best,

 Jamie Trost and the bundled up crew of Lynx.