Sure Signs that the Year is Waning - In Spite of the Weather

Summer’s end and Autumn’s arrival in years past used to be such a specific period of time. For one thing, it actually slowly but consistently got chillier and chillier until the one traded in tee shirts and sandals for sweaters and boots.  The chill in the air complimented the crunch of fallen leaves, the sound of leaves being raked and a smell that was unique to the season. Not so much these days.  More often than not, you might still seriously being considered wearing shorts on Columbus Day even though you live in Boston! Instead, now we look more to events that remind us that it is THAT time of year. You know - school begins and we prepare for the the Autumn and Winter holidays leading to the inevitable end of another year.  Well, here are 4 other ways, you’ll certainly know that the Summer to Autumn transition is under way.  

1 - MAINE - For the Kaufman’s summer’s winding down means escaping to Maine on Blue Chip - pictured in the upper right photo. Boating through mountains, waiting for light to break through fog and anchoring out (aka “swinging on the hook”) to indulge in some of the most amazing sunsets you’ll ever experience in this lifetime. Lobsters were available in abundance this year - unusually tender and sweet.  And then there were maverick crustaceans swinging on barber shop poles! One note - Booth Bay Harbour has sadly succumbed to tee shirts and fudge shops, so if your in the area, give Rockland or Camden a try. Further east you’ll find Little Cranberry Island, which is pure heaven for wandering and a meal at The Islesford Dock. If you stop in Portland, seek out Ramblers Way. Tom Chappell, of Tom’s of Maine fame, has established a clothing line of beautifully designed, very light weight, fashionable, packable washable wool. Not finding in the US, the high quality wool needed, he also bought a sheep farm in southwest Maine to breed Rambouillet. Stop by the store.  The tall man with thick white hair, his wife Kate or one of his daughters will likely be there.  Delightful - both the family and the clothing. 

2- JARCZYNSKI  POST LABOR DAY WEEKEND ON LBI - For years the Jarczynski cousins have gathered on Long Beach Island the weekend AFTER Labor Day.  Sure, decades ago Karen’s annual extended family met the Saturday after Christmas, and you had better have been there or risk hearing about it for the rest of your days! But the numbers have swelled with four generations including cousins, their children and now grandchildren (the term “cousin” is used VERY loosely in the Jarczynski clan) so that a beach weekend lets us all really spread out. I’m not truly sure how many people actually make up the Jarczynski clan. But I can tell you that if you live in the US and the name Jarczynski is in your family tree, there’s about an 80% chance we’re related. Get in touch and make your way to LBI. There’s always room for one more! 

 Do you know about LBI? It is an 18 mile long barrier island that is a half-mile at its widest point; located 24 miles north of Atlantic City and 101 miles south of NYC. The island has been continuously settled since 1690. In the early years it was known for hunting, whaling and shipping.  Tourism became increasingly important as early as the early as the 1800’s and a bridge was built across Barnegat Bay. A shark attack in Beach Haven unfortunately killed a student in 1916, inspiring the book and movie Jaws.  (Yes, the movie that kept you out of the water for an entire summer when it came out in 1975). Today fishing and tourism are both the Island’s mainstays.  You will find all of the charm you could want, without all the fuss - a fact of pride for those that call LBI home - and for those of us that look forward to a visit.  Try the cash only Hudson House in Beach Haven. It has been here, well, since forever. The proprietors don’t waste money on paint for this dive bar, yet it has LOTS of atmosphere - perfect if you like a juke box, darts, pool and shuffleboard. Dress code is everything from sequins to cutoffs, evidence that everyone is welcome here! 

3- RED SOX - CLOSING HOME GAME - Baseball at Fenway is truly one of the things that define the city.  Okay, so you may have heard that after winning the World Series last year, we didn’t make it quite that far this year.  However - you would have never known it by the continued sold out stadium throughout the 2019 season. (Bostonians puzzle when they watch baseball on  TV and see half empty stadiums.) Last home game of the season is all hands on deck for the Sox faithful, no matter how young or old. Standing to sing Sweet Caroline at the top of our lungs during the middle of the eight inning is only made sweeter when the boys win with a walk off home run!  See you at Fenway next year!

4- PUMPKINS AND GOURDS OF ALL KINDS - If all else fails, look to see what’s gracing people’s steps, lawns and tables in Boston.  This year, the drama of white and black pumpkins are creating dynamic statements in Boston’s Back Bay.  Then there’s the Glass Pumpkin Patch at MIT, created to raise funds to support MIT’s Glass Lab.  This year, these brightly striped gourds by Olivia Cheo truly stood out.  Missed the glass pumpkins, try the farmers market at Copley Square for a little Autumn inspiration!  

Certainly any of the above heralds the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn, even if we haven’t quite put our tee shirts away.  We’re gearing up for the beginning of a new year,  which is coming much to quickly.   More soon!

Maine - Now and now

We've been in Maine for the past week. Admittedly my postings are behind, but since today epitomizes boating in Maine, we'll start here in Bush-compound-Kennebunkport and work backwatds. The trip has been a mix of infamous Maine "crayola crayon" clarity and "pea soup" fog. 

These two pictures were literally taken side-by-side across the Kennebunkport Iinlet that's less than a football field wide. Let's call it 200 feet. This morning we woke up to "pea soup" that turned to sunshine. We confidently took off for Boston and one hour later couldn't see 10 feet off of the bow of our boat, which meant our mid-way, 2-hour run had suddenly turned into a 6-hour trip of dodging unexpected lobster pots and using radar to avoid on-coming boats. 

A plea from the crew to go inland and captain Steve masterfully brought us into Kennebunkport. We got the last spot at Chick's Marina and called Barb and Laura to let them know we're in town and to set an extra place at the table. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be sun, rain and thunderstorms. We'll take it over fog any day! 

Maine - 228 vs 3,478

A picture describes it all. 

Maine's general coastline is 228 miles long. However, it's tidal shoreline, which measures where the tide meets the shore, is whopping 3,478 miles - and this doesn't include the circumferences of it's many islands. With the exception of Alaska, Maine wins as having longest tidal shoreline in the US. Add in a tidal range that can rise and fall as much as 20 feet - YES that happens twice a day - and life can get really interesting!

Maine Cruising

There's little in the world that compares to coastal Maine. Where Mystic, CT and Newport, RI may boast centers of early commerce and wealth, coastal Maine has an uncountable number of charming towns, which have changed little in a hundred years or more. These quintessential locals often boast a lighthouse protected  harbor, white  Victorian homes with bright flower filled gardens and a view of rich, dark green hills tumbling down to the sea filled with mostly modest sized, and often "working", vessels. 

Much of Maine's coast runs east to west, thus the term "down east".  The coastline is punctuated with rivers, which can run 30 or more miles deep into the coast and several miles wide. Add in maneuvering around lobster pots, and countless islands,  and boating through Maine is like skating on lace - beautiful but filled with treacherous areas to avoid. 

                                     

Swing bridges are one way for cars  and boats to share navigation of  this irregular coast. These images give you an idea of how the bridge "swings" open and closed to give everyone a chance.  This is the swing bridge leading into the "back" of Booth Bay.  Miss the opening and it's tea time, as you circle round for 30 minutes or more until the next opening. 

                                              

Booth Bay is one of those "quintessential" towns. Note the red "marina office", that barely holds it's mitress Judy. A lovely town, that creeps up the hill to a second harbor, boasts a music focused art center and has enough summer traffic to support several art galleries and a number of B&B's. 

            

The charming wooden foot bridge links the main town to the harbour's residential side, which sports a few lobster shacks with picnic tables and steaming corn and lobsters filled cauldrons. Where Booth Bay is one of those quintessential, somewhat tourist focused,  Maine villages often teaming with people enjoying ice cream, it is coincidentally juxteposed to close by artist colony Mohegan Island, which has an unapproachable 4-slip dock with an equally unreacahable dock master! 

With our guests, the Johnson's, we venture on to several of our favorite anchorages, including Jewel Island, Christmas and a Pulpit Harbours. Finally it's time to get back to civilization.  We choose Rockland, just in time for Maine's annual Lobster Festival.   Along the fairway - among fried "everything", brightly lit rides, booths and live music - we kept seeing the same familiar faces. Do you recognize anyone?

  

                                                 

Rockland is a US Coast guard center, that was hosting a weekend of tours on one of its older schooners, as newbie replaced veteran crew. Besides having terrific working marinas, Rockland has several noteable museums. The Farnsworth has a permanent collection of multi-generational Wyeth paintings, as well as it's own and rotating exhibits. The Lighthouse Museum will provide more than a glimpse of an indispensable technology.

                                                 

 You'll be amazed at how much is packed in this bustling town. Everything is reachable within a 15-minute walk. Camden, similarly sized but a slightly more upscale town,  is a short 20 minute car, or slightly longer bike ride away, with several notable restaurants and the Owls Head Transportation Museum in between.  

We love this area by sea, but it's equally magical by land. Plan to find yourself in the neighborhood. 

OPB in Maine

There isn't much we look forward to more than boating in Maine. Varying from crayon starter-box bright landscapes to the illusive fog filtered colors that are both equally reflective of what it means to be "down east" in Maine, the views know no equal. Usually we encourage "crew" to join us in August as we dodge a labyrinth of lobster pots. 

Our friends are happy to have Blue Chip as their OPB (Other's People Boat) and we are happy to have them. But this year, Blue Chip in spending the summer in Maryland, getting her ten year "nip and tuck" by the team that built her. So, we were resigned to no Maine this year. 

Enter Abracci. Her 166 feet cut through the water, dodging obstacles with amazing agility. Paul and Judy were incredibly relaxed and gracious hosts, as only Texans can be. The crew of nine pampered the eight of us as we cruised from Camden to Pulpit Harbour, Booth Bay and Bath.  

Steve and I now have a sense of what it's like to be onboard an OPB.  We must agree with our crew these last ten years, having an OPB isn't bad - although even with the "nip and tuck" - our Blue Chip can't offer the experience of Abbraci!