We woke up next to this pretty Allied 30 ketch off Warren Island in Gilkey Harbor.

50 or more boats were gathered in Broad Cove for the SSCA Gam. We ran into Paul and Lise on their pretty A35. Great time rowing around the boats before picking up guests.

Wind began to appear late morning so my nephew who's been taking sailing lessons, thrilled us all with the tiller in his toes(especially his mom grinning on the bow).

The buoy in open Western Penbay was registering 7 knots of South wind. We took the winding path home, Gilkey Harbor. The rising tide added a little current against us all day. Still, we averaged around 4.5 knots OTG

Great sailing! My wife and her sister ground the sheet winches leaving me to simply navigate and steer. We were much faster through the tacks than usual. I imagined re-entering racing with them as crew,...

We only had one other boat under sail in view during all those miles and tacks, until we entered Penbay. Every boat we saw leaving the SSCA gam, was under power. I don't blame them and I DON'T preach sailing. I motor too, often!

Most boats had places to get to and no doubt, after a few days of clouds and no wind, there were tons of dead batteries in Broad Cove.

We on the other hand, had all day to just sail home. A two+ hour motor became a 3.5 hour sail.

Feeling good on the 1/2+ NM tacks, I took a first time short cut. I admit this was an ipad assisted notion. In the past, all my charts of Gilkey were smaller scale. I saw a clear safe cut and we cruised through in 10 feet of water on the rising tide. Fun and added a little drama in the cockpit...

My latest ipad trick; Once out in open Western Penobscot Bay, we ran a long tack to the western shore. I dragged a bearing line through our track across. 233 degrees it showed. I dragged a second bearing of 233 degrees from the tip of Indian Island off Rockport Harbor across the bay. Once I cut that bearing with my icon on the screen,- "Tack!"

Not new, I've been doing that for decades with compass bearings and parallel rules. The difference, this was deadly accurate from miles out. Later as I studied our tacking path(I love these tracks the ipad files), I noticed the nice little "J" at the end. That's our typical end to a sail, heaving to while we lower sails and start the engine, the first time the engine had run since leaving this point the day before, about 30 nautical miles later.

The Grande Finale for guests coming into Rockport, is usually coasting the last few miles DDW into the harbor, on the prevailing, diminishing, afternoon wind. They love it!

This sail inspired me to start writing a bit again. http://me.usharbors.com/image-gallery/summer-maine-daybreak-warren-island