We left Provincetown on Saturday for an easy overnight sail up to Casco Bay Maine. Specifically we were headed to Harpswell Maine. We had three weeks reserved on a mooring, Ryan would be doing some job training in town in Brunswick, and Liam and I would install a Windlass.

Sailing plan was simple we were going to scoot north under power until we passed Rockport Mass then hug the coast to avoid some rough weather. We were expecting 20 knot winds and seas of 4-5 feet out in the wilds and 2-4 feet closer to shore where we were aiming.

We were out for about an hour and a half before I started to realize we just didn’t have enough power to turn into the wind. We could sail but there was just no power. Unfortunately, I realized this a bit too late and when I was a bit too tired to sail back.. So we found a good beam reach, double reefed the main sail, then had most of the headsail in and just waited out the night.. Being pushed into those wilds with 4-5 foot seas.

Then morning came and we turned around at first light.

Back to Provincetown where we sailed into the harbor, learned the reality that our transmission was completely dead. And sailed onto anchor. Which the boys did marvelously. I was very proud and happy that they’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time.

Unfortunately, Ryan still needed to be in Brunswick Maine by Monday. We made it into port with just enough time to jog down to the docks and put him on the Provincetown to Boston Ferry, where he then caught the Boston to Brunswick Maine Train and then checked into a hotel at 2am.

He was up by 7, made his way to the school on his powered long board, and then requested housing at the school. Thank heavens he was able to be placed.

Liam and I, still in Provincetown, thought a bit and hoped that changing the transmission fluid would be enough to clear out the mess. The fluid came out black. Whatever was churned up in the rough seas were just not going to go easily. I must say I was bamboozled by a bit of movement while at anchor. But sadly the next day we discovered that NO we were not going to have a working transmission.

Luckily the winds had changed, the seas had calmed, and while there were no significant marine services in Provincetown there are an amazing array of services and support in Casco Bay Maine. SO Off we sailed.

Aside from one exceptionally poor tack through the wind that we stalled at three or four times and then ended up much too close to shore for as we passed the tip of the cape we made our way out.

Once out of Provincetown Harbor we moved our way through the cape and out around Cape Cod and pointed towards Maine.

We called the marina to let them know what was happening and why we were showing up late and we were told that their service department was booked solid through the rest of the season and they wouldn’t be able to help us at all. They suggested we call around for a better spot.

So I did. And I knew just where to call. We called Spring Point Marina in South Portland Maine. Same course and we talked with Dockmaster Peter. He told us that we should head there, that they’d get a good spot for us, and that while their service department was also booked solid for the entire season they would work with us to find freelance mechanics or anyone really to help us fix the transmission and get us back on the water.

The sail overnight was a dream. If we were heading up to anchor I would have loved the speed we were making.. 7 knots at one point straight downwind. Sadly though I wanted to make sure we didn’t arrive too early so that we could call SeaTow and get a tow in for the last mile. My thought was to arrive anywhere between 9am and noon. Whereas the sky would light up and allow us to anchor or dock as early as 5am.. So we set our sails to be a whole lot less efficient and eventually needed to pull in the jib completely and double reef the main to go slow enough to arrive at a decent hour for the support we were going to need to make it that last mile.

Once in cell phone range we gave SeaTow a call, Our second adventure resulting in a tow and once again I was reminded why having both a SeaTow and a Boat Tow US memberships is the way to go if you roam. Up in Maine SeaTow seems to be the folks to call, they are everywhere and have what is needed to pretty much take care of any situation. But when we were in VA it was Boat Tow US. There is a reimbursement plan, so if you have BoatTow like we did and need to call SeaTow they will reimburse you but our tow was $700 and that was quite the amount to have sitting on the American Express while I prayed the check would arrive in time to pay it off. (It did but it’s worth the price to have both just for peace of mind).

The SeaTow guy met us just off the Portland Head Light in some seriously choppy seas, we slammed his boat hard and when he was pulling us in our anchor broke free and ended up resting on his tow line. BUT we made it.

Once past the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, it was all calm and we were passed from the SeaTow boat to the marina’s service boat which tied up to our side and placed us into our slip.

I paid for the week and told the Dockmaster I’d pay more once I got paid on the first of the month. Which I’ve now done. Everyone’s response was not to worry about it and whenever I was able they’d be waiting for us.

We’ve since ordered a new transmission. There were several recommendations but we ended up going with the recommendation from the folks at Catalina Direct. They tend to be more expensive than other options but they focus on Catalinas and know what they’re talking about. I trust their recommendations. So we’re getting a transmission from the same team that builds transmissions for Mercedes and some other fancy cars.

We will need a mechanic, and the folks at the marina have been great. Everyone is cracking open their cell phones to get us contact information for people that may be able to help and we’ve been told if we have any trouble finding someone to let them know and they’ll try to pull favors to get us a spot on the schedule.

And we have plenty of other boat projects to do while we are here. There is still the windlass I want to get installed before we leave, we have the holding tank vent hose that needs to be replaced, our jib fuller is sticking, we need an oil change, and I’d like to leverage the electricity to use the heat gun and strip our teak wood. I’m not sure what I want to do with it but it needs stripping and while we have electricity now’s the time.

So we’re going to be in Spring Point Marina in South Portland for the summer and it works out well since Ryan wants to find a job and an apartment and start his own life. Being here will make that easier for him.