August 22 and 23 -- Harbor Island to Oar Island Cove to Five Islands, 5 and 17 Miles

Sp what happened to that lay day in the rain anticipated at Harbor Island? Well in the morning the weather report foretold gusts to 25 knots from the NW that night, which made Harbor Island unsuitable with its exposure to North winds. So we moved and looked for a better protected spot. The cruising guide suggested several nearby coves, but noted how chancy they were in terms of finding a space within them -- filled with lobster boats and private moorings, though you can ask and maybe there will be a welcome. That would be fine on a nice day; they were all near enough and if the answer is no, we could move on to another. But it was drizling already and foggy, though with almost a mile of visibility.
So we selected the Oar Island Cove, nestled between Hockock Point on the mainland to the NE and Oar Island to the SW. The cove is less than a quarter mile from where we had taken a mooring from the Audubon Society at Hog Island late in July. We had seen into Oar Is. Cove from there

and that there were many lobster boats but our trusty cruising guide said that there was room to anchor in 14 feet at low (24 feet at high) outside the lobsterboats. Another advantage of Oar Island was that our pink track on the MFD from Hog Island to Port Clyde ran right past Harbor Island, making it into the "route" to follow through Muscongus Bay which is beautiful with many small islands but which also has many underwater ledges. So it was a five mile lobster-dodging motor of following the breadcrumbs to the anchorage though it was five miles north when our objective was to go southwest, toward home. We did not like the first spot we dropped -- too close to the island, but the second was quite suitable. Oar Island Cove has a very muddy bottom, which provides a good holding power for the anchor but made lots of work for the salt water deck washdown pump. As I was finishing securing the boom, the snubber, the wheel, inserting the canvas connector between the dodger and bimini and closing the clear plastic front window of the dodger, the rain began heavily and lasted for three hours. A great opportunity to scrub the topsides of accumulated dirt and scuff marks with soap and brush - no rinsing needed.
After lunch I persuaded Lene to join me in a voyage of exploration of the area by dink. I lowered its aft and and let gravity remove the accumulated water through the drain hole. We looked at the place's "attraction"

the remains (ribs) of the 273 foot "Cora F. Cressy", built in 1902. When her sailing days were over she became a casino and finally a house of ill repute before being sunk intentionally at high tide. Her ribs remain and are used by the lobstering industry, which operates a big red factory.

We also visited the mainland dock of the Audobon Society, where people, supplies and food come to be ferried across to Hog Island, and spoke with a staffer there.

But the predicted strong NW winds did not materialize that evening.
The passage to Five Islands was a beautiful sailing experience. The winds were indeed from the NW and strong, but not to 25 knots. They were gusty making our speed quite variable, slow in the lulls and fast in the puffs. It came from our starboard side while we were heading south along the east coast of Pemaquid Pount.

We saw the lovely homes and the lighthouse that we had passed in fog on the passage from Linekin Bay to Hog Island.

Out past the point the plotted course was west and a beat and it appeared that we could not make it without several tacks in tight waters if we followed the route plotted. Tacking the Genoa is a tough job in big winds. We also noticed that the autopilot, which we use so much of the time, seemed to not hold very well. Auto steers while we work lines together, one (me) cranking in the furler while the other (Lene) eases out the sheet. And without that third hand the plotted course was not a pleasant one. So a change of plans: instead of going west, north of The Hypocrites, and them southwest to enter the Sheepscot River to Five Islands, we turned southwest first and passed south the Hypocrites and by the White Islands before going more west and tacking to head up the Sheepscot. On the SW course, with the wind about 60 degrees off the starboard bow, we made eight knots. And while we were heeled, it was much less so than would have been the case before the keel was lengthened. I think the boat was tested today and passed the test.
Later we hit a lobster pot. Maybe it is harder to concentrate on avoiding them when there are fewer of them. An alternative potential theory: the lines leading from the floats down to the traps on the bottom, 80 to 120 feet below, are not vertical but slant because the wind and current pull the float along the surface of the water. So, maybe the new deeper keel catches the lines unless we give the floats an even wider berth. Who knows? I think we shook off what we caught, but will dive to confirm this in the morning. After the tack we put up the small jib rather than the genoa. With less power, facing the wind and the river's current and tacking upsteam at four knots, and knowing that there are only three available moorings in Five Islands, the free ones provided by the YC, we motored the last two miles.
The mooring field is created by five small off shore islands, tightly packed and has 35 feet of water at low tide. We circled around in in looking for the available moorings and found one. The attraction here is the Five Islands Lobster Company, where he dined at one of their outdoor picnic tables on the best "bugs" we have had this cruise.

 Lobster company left, then a bit of the Sheepscot,  ILENE center and the Yacht Club  behind her on one of the islands.
Then shopping to a small country store about 3/4 mile up the road for provisions. We dinked over to the YC to thank the folks there for their mooring. One undesirable feature of Five Islands. There is no potable water available other than in small bottles for sale. We have enough for two days, plus the water in our tanks and wil refill our gallon jugs tomorrow.