45 nautical miles

I didn't wake up to the sound of the engine running, an unusual happenstance recently! When I came out of my room the boys were making breakfast burritos again. Seems to be Cyrus's new obsession along with patriot colors and pom-pom hats- so cute!


Once breakfast was finished we explored some cute little islands on the dinghy. When we got back to the boat I helped my dad stitch a ripped part of the dodger. It was really hard to thread the needle through the dodger because the plastic window was so thick, but after much strenuous work we finished! To make the repair water-tight we put some sail repair tape over the stitching. Then we pulled anchor and started for Port Clyde.


We had the jib and main up and were making good time until we got caught on a lobster pot! The lobsterman laid the pot down right in front of us and the water was 160ft deep, so the line was still sinking when we sailed over it. We didn't hit the pots but instead got caught in the catenary (the slack in the line from the still-sinking trap). Thankfully, the lobsterman realized we had been caught and cut us off, making us go faster and saving their trap. Unfortunately, the thick line wrapped around the prop (propellor) and we towed it all the way to Port Clyde.


Once in the harbor, we took our sail down and got ready to dock. When my dad went into reverse to slow us down, the rope got wrapped so tightly around the prop that the engine cut off! We drifted into the dock and completed a harrowing yet successful docking.


My dad got right to cutting the rope off our prop. After a few dives, he started getting short of breath due to the cold water. So he got in the sun and put a full wet suit on, trying anything he could to warm up. After a few more dives he decided that he would need scuba gear or an air hose if he wanted to stay under long enough to get the rope off. Then a nice man watching us struggle with the rope let us borrow his knife. It cut through the ropes like butter and we were free in no time. Thank goodness for that knife! We laid the pieces of rope out on the dock and measured it. Turns out we had 6ft of line wrapped around our prop!


We were able to move the boat over to the other side of the dock just in time to avoid the ferry. Then we filled our water and fuel tanks before walking to get ice cream. There is this place about 100 meters from the dock that has amazing HOMEMADE ice cream. After eating we walked back to the boat and left for Benner Island. When we got there we picked up a free mooring for the night. We were worried about our swing radius so my dad set an alarm for 5 am to get us off the mooring before the current switched directions and we (possibly) hit ground. I just hope our swing radius is okay for the night!