No wind, no transmission, no problem! S/V Delos to the rescue! (Calico Skies Sailing, Ep 78)

We are at the point in our season where we are starting to make our way back south and west after getting within ten miles of the Canadian border. Our first stop is Mud Hole. This sweet anchorage is only accessible at high tide. This entrance to this harbor is very tight, Brian (S/V Delos) jumps in Maggie to complete a recon mission before we decide to enter. We make use of the twelve foot tides and safely enter the super protected basin.

We want to hike the trails surrounding Mud Hole, however being far off the beaten path means there isn’t a dinghy dock for miles. The twelve foot tidal range makes landing a dinghy challenging. Upon completing the hike your dinghy will either be high and dry or floating way out in the cold water. Our latest solution has been to anchor the dinghy out in deep water and use our kayak to get get to shore. The kayak is much lighter and easier to drag up on the beach.

After exploring Mud Hole and Mistake Island it is time to continue our trip south. At the start of the passage we notice an odd reddish fluid in the bilge. Suspicious of the freshly rebuilt transmission, we empty the sail locker to check the fluid level. Unbeknownst to us; the slowly spinning propellor and tight tolerances where the dip stick is inserted combine to mangle the dip stick resulting in metal bits in the fluid. We find ourselves engineless with no wind, drifting at the mercy of the strong Maine currents.

Luckily Delos is at our side on this passage. Brian and Kazza offer to give us a tow (a first for both of us!). We lower the dinghy and prepare a tow line. We didn’t want to risk bringing the two boats together in the sloppy swell so we pass the line using the dinghy. Delos is a beast of a boat and able to tow Calico Skies at a quick 5.5 knots. The tow is going well until thick fog descends. It gets a bit chaotic trying to dodge lobster pots in the limited visibility. We arrive at the anchorage and drop the tow line. We use our dinghy to hip tow Calico Skies the remainder of the way and set the hook.

0:00 Intro
1:52 Recap
2:11 Underway to our next anchorage
3:31 Entering Mud Hole, it’s a tight squeeze!
5:59 Getting to shore in Maine, easier said than done
8:26 Aerial view of Mud Hole, sure is pretty
9:07 Check out Mistake Island with it’s usual challenges
12:47 Leaving Mud Hole
13:38 Name that substance in the bilge…
14:46 Don’t check the transmission fluid level with the prop spinning kids
15:26 No wind, no transmission, no problem! Delos to the rescue 🙂
17:28 Not only getting towed now its foggy & surrounded by lobster pots 😂

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