By the time the departing gale's tail winds had subsided below 25 knots, it was already 11:00AM. Although Carvers Harbor was 27 miles away from Bucks Harbor, it turned out our departure that late was no problem at all. We had spectacular winds out of the Northwest at 20 to 25 knots, and the fleet easily sustained over 7 knots on a comfortable broad reach. We arrived at Carvers Harbor by 3:30PM. The consensus was that this day's travel was the best sailing of the trip!
Getting to Carvers Harbor was the easy part. Finding a place for the fleet to anchor or a set of guest moorings proved to be way harder. Carvers Harbor is working lobsterman's harbor, with no services and little sympathy for visiting yachtsman. We searched the mooring field for an hour looking for guest moorings, those having the telltale milk bottles into which one could pay a mooring fee. Nothing turned up. Our alternative was an anchorage near Potato Island. Unfortunately, that cove looked too small for the fleet to avoid swinging onto shoals. It was beginning to look as though we'd have to abandon our visit, and find another place to stay for the night.
Finally, Bob Lipman hailed a passing lobsterman, and struck a deal with him. Our newly hired broker proceeded to guide our fleet to three unmarked yet available moorings sufficient for our boat sizes. At Carvers Harbor, local knowledge is king!
A Lobsterman's best friend will follow him anywhere!
Moonrise over Carvers Harbor