Good morning everyone. We have been enjoying a beautiful stretch of weather these past few weeks. With all of the brilliant foliage and sunny days this has been an Autumn to remember. The crew have been hard at it aboard the schooner. With the cover in place we can get to all of those cover-dependent projects like painting the mast heads. We paint the mast heads in the fall to provide the best protection during the very long winter. And it is looking like a long winter with snow forecasted in the western mountains of Maine this evening. Under cover the gaffs and topmasts have been getting the first of several coats of varnish. The white plastic shrink wrap allows enough solar gain to heat the air to a reasonable painting temperature yet not hot enough to cause all of the wood to dry and check.
With all of the nice weather we have been having and the full moon casting shadows through our woods at night I have been amazed at how brilliant the stars have been, even with the moon. Towards the end of our sailing season I was really astounded by the rising winter constellations on my evening trips to the heads. Like an old friend Orion was twinkling in the night sky, his dogs still just below the horizon. The Milky Way streamed across the sky overhead rising from the spout of the teakettle part of Sagitarius, the archer. So many guests had never seen the galaxy through the rigging of the schooner and the chance to do a couple night sails gave us some wonderful opportunities to really appreciate just how far we live from the city lights. Every so often we anchor where the glow of a nearby town can be seen but that is quite rare. This month’s National Geographic lists Acadia National Park as one of the places where excellent stargazing can be found away from the impacts of light pollution. Unless of course you count the kerosene deck lamps I think we get to enjoy some of the best light free areas the Maine coast has to offer. I treasure the chance to lay on deck under the stars. Already I am counting the days.
Have a great day. Be well. Do good.
PS Sorry this was late getting online. The computer crashed (yes, even a Mac has a bad day once in a great while). By the way, the new cookbook with recipes from the fleet is available online in the Boatique. We have a limited supply right now but can get more. Order online or give us a call and we’ll get one on the next pony express. Photo by Neal Parent.
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