Javelin 2015

Javelin 2026 Maine Cruise August 9 - August 21

Javelin 5/2016 By Rebecca Jonas

Steve Blecher sold Javelin to Eric & Stephanie Grubman in the spring of 2024 and her new home port is Milford, CT. She has retained her name and green colors and the Grubmans are carrying on her rich history of down east cruises in summer. Their end-point destination this year is Belfast, on Penobscot Bay. Steve and the traditional Javelin crew are driving two cars to Belfast so the Grubmans can drive them back to Connecticut.

Steve (Dartmouth '64) boat ex-Javelin, ex-home port Westbrook, CT
Paul Wharton (Duke '64), home port Stamford, CT
Michael Luskin (Harvard '73) boat Turtleheart, home port Mamaroneck, NY
Rick Tonge, boat Juliet, (plus foiling Moth and two 210s!) home port Belgrade, ME

Maybe it's a new tradition, a return delivery trip for the Grubmans so thay can maximize their time down east. And the Javelin crew gets a cruise to see familiar ports and friends while getting Javelin back to Milford, CT. You can see The Plan in the Trip Log below, including seeing the Padauanos at Bucks Harbor, the Klingers at Wentworth, Jay & Hasty Evans at Sandwich, and the Grubmans at NYYC's Harbour Court in Newport before the final push back to Milford.

Here's the The Plan, including meals, but you'll just have to read on to see what happened when the wind hit The Plan!

Pictures by TBD.

The table below is the Trip Log, summarizing the planned, and eventually actual, daily runs. The date field is a link to that day's log. Elasped time is generally time under way and has sometimes been adjusted for lunch stops. Cells with a darker background color represent changes from the original Plan.

Sun, Aug 9 - Scarsdale to Belfast, Maine

Steve, Paul and Michael packed the two cars, ate breakfast and departed Scarsdale for Belfast at 0539. rendezvoused with Rick T. at the first Irving station after the turn onto Route 3 at 1050. Then to Lori's Cafe in Sherman Corner (see photos) for what turned out to be a large lunch that served as dinner.

Arrived Front St Shipyard at 1230. Met Eric, Stephanie and family on board and assisted with removing their gear and readying Javelin for our cruise. Paul and Michael made a Hannaford run. Provisions on board should now last through November.

1730 Spontaneous last-minute arrangements made for a visit by Kathleen and Jesse Liebman, who continued their tradition (their first visit was in 2014 in Castine) of bringing special delicacies for the Javelin crew -- a homemade Maine blueberry pie (thawing for Monday's consumption). They now live in a condo on Front Street and were able to walk to the boat; they live in Belfast all year. Dark n'Stormy's, cheese, crackers, and good conversation.

More Javelin fix-ups (rerunning jib sheets, tying down the dinghy, etc.) then a very light dinner (yogurt and fresh Maine blueberries, Judy's Tollhouse cookies), both because we were still stuffed from lunch and we knew we'd be having Eggs McHank in the morning.

2050 Early to bed after a very long day.

The Crew Paul, Steve, Michael, Rick	Lunch ....	is great ....	at Lori's in Liberty	Safe Harbor Front Street
Eric Removing Gear	Paul Organizing ..	and happy!	Kathleen's Pie - Here	Kathleen's Pie - Gone

.

Go To Log Summary

Mon Aug 10 - Belfast to NE Harbor

Departed Belfast Town Dock 0900.
depart front street 0930
depart town pumpout 0950
motored on course to NEH
noon position: Egremoggin Reach GC21
then through Casco Passage and through the Bass Harbor bar.

1430 Sails up. Sailed past Little Duck and Great Duck Islands. Note: We lost our GPS for a time so there''s no Open CPN track for much of our sail. Wind built from 5kts to 16kts from the SW and we hit speeds over 9kts. Great sail.

1620 Sails down outside Western Way.

1655 Docked following a perfect maneuver in reverse. We're right by the Cranberry Island ferry slip.

Engine hours = 1259.3

Belfast to NE Hbr Plan Route	Aug 10 Track	AIS Track	Inner Forestay Storage	Front Street Marina
BIG Travel lift	The docks ...	Commercial ...	tugs.	Want some ...
bait?	Under Way	House & Boat	Cape Rosier	Pumpkin Island Light
Deer Island Bridge ...	going under	Eggremoggin Reach Buoy	Had to Take This	Casco Passage
WB	Bass Harbor Light	EB

Go To Log Summary

Tues, Aug 11th - NEH to Shorey Cove, Roque Island

Early morning: breakfast and various boat chores. 0926 depart berth at NEH 0945 depart Clifton fuel dock. Took 30.3 gallons of Diesel and topped up water.

Motoring out Eastern Way. Will make a go/no go decision on heading Down East when we get to Schoodic Point.

1110 Schoodic. Kite up. See track.

1200. Wind evaporated. Kite down. Orca ate spin sheet and chewed it in half.

1330 Sails up (main and jib). Headed on a course to Trafton but tacked away when the wind built a bit and reset course to Mistake. Jib set on extra sheet outside lifelines to snapshackle on toerail.See photo. COG 90, SOG 6.9.

1515 Dark skies to north, squall cells on radar. Prepped for the storm: foulies, hatches shut, etc. Then sails down and at 1545, down she came: very heavy rain, 25+ kt winds, all over by 1615.

Motored on past Moose Peak light and around the corner to Shorey Cove on the north side of Roque. Anchored just inside the Coast Guard buoy.

Due to the storm and our late arrival at Roque (around 1800) we skipped steak on the grill and are having Texas chili instead.

Note: For some reason, maybe related to the afternoon squall, we lost the computer and GPS between Mistake Island and Roque. Back up now. A mystery.

Heading East	Crew at Work	Michael Rear View	Nine Knots	Kite Up
Roque Sunset.	Aug 11 Track

Go To Log Summary

Wed, Aug 12th - Shorey Cove to Mink via Machias Seal I. & Cutler

Breakfast and boat chores, including hanging out still-wet foulies from yesterday's squall.

0923 Kellet up, anchor up, partially by hand due to a finicky pickle, washed off the sticky mud. and off we went to Machias Seal Island under motor.

1100 Sails up for last 5 miles to Machias Seal Island. Beautiful ride to the west side, then jibed around and sailed the south side, then hardened up for the sail to Cutler. Puffins, gulls and cormorants at MSI but no seals. Also four other large sailboats, all circumnavigating the island like us. Only one Canadian flag visible, unlike in prior years when it seemed there were Canadian flags everywhere.

1245 Michael set up and tested various pinhole cameras and his binoculars to see which would be best to view the imminent solar eclipse. The sun would be totally obscured in Western Europe but only about 3% obscured at our location between Machias Seal Island and Cutler. We were able to watch the moon take this tiny bite out of the sun by projecting the sun's image through binoculars onto a smooth white cockpit cushion. See our two photos below.

1410 Arrived in Cutler and did a circle in the harbor to check out the lobster boats and long ladders on the docks. 1422 Departed Cutler and just sailed, enjoying the breeze and speeds over 8 kts. The plan was to sail around Cross Island and approach Mink Island from the west and north -- which we did, but under motor. For the second day in a row our sailing was interrupted by rain. Today's storm wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday's, but it meant getting into foulies and motoring in. It did rain, but not very hard, and the seas were messy. All calm at Mink.

1735 Anchored behind Mink Island. Deployed the kellet and riding sail. Ending e/h = 1268.6.

Just prior to dinner we were treated to a gorgeous rainbow. See photo taken by the Hinckley we're sharing Mink with.

Steak dinner on the grill. Hard to beat.

Enjoying the ride ...	Steve too.	Machias Seal Island ..	up close.	Little River Light (Cutler)
Culter harbor	Partial Solar Eclipse Setup	Partial Solar Eclipse	Mink beauty!	Aug 12 Track

Go To Log Summary

Thur, Aug 13th - Mink to Southwest Harbor

No wind in forecast -- or what little there might be will be on our nose -- so the plan is to motor west to Frenchman Bay, find some wind there, and do some sailing. We'll see.

0830 Departed Mink under power, headed to Frenchman Bay. Gray, misty, occasional light rain, zero wind.

1301 At Petit Manan Light. Lunched on the newly-named "Cheese Steak Petit Manan," concocted by Rick and Paul out of leftover steak (sliced), cheese, and sauteed onions and red pepper on white bread.

Headed for SW Harbor, where there's a hardware store that carries replacement carafes. (We're not sure how ours broke, but we need our coffee.) The plan is to get a slip there instead of NEH.

1530 Docked at Dysart's. They lent us a car and off we went. Found the carafe and food we needed, but not a replacement spin sheet.

Back to the boat for drinks then Paul's lasagna.

Ending engine hours = 1276.3

Mink to Stave Hbr Plan Route	Aug 13 Track	Michael in Squall	Steve & Paul	Old Friend Petit Manon Light
Paul prepares ...	Cheese Steak Petit Manon ...	Steve loves it!	New coffee pot	Old Friend -- R2S
SWH	Javelin at Dysarts

Go To Log Summary

Fri, Aug 14th - Southwest Hbr to NEH

Today we departed Dysarts about 1100, motored east out of SW Harbor, then set the jib in a NW breeze that gusted between 11 and 22 knots.

We headed east along the south side of Sutton Island out to Lewis Rock, tacked and worked way west to Rebecca's mooring past Greening Island, jibed, headed east passing north of Sutton Island out into Frenchman Bay checking out the real estate along the shore, tacked and sailed back to the west end of Bear Island, furled the jib, motored into NEH and were secure in our slip at 1535.

Javelin at Berth	Motoring through Pots	Cook at Wheel	House and Boat	Flags
IOD Fleet	Rebecca	Chaise Lounge Booms	Race Mark Drone	Bear Island Light
At speed - Jib only	Javelin's ...	great crew!	Aug 14 Track

Go To Log Summary

Sat, Aug 15th - NE Harbor to Bucks Harbor

Up early on a gorgeous morning. Hope the forecast wind shows up so we can do some sailing in Blu Hill Bay before heading up to Bucks Harbor and dinner with the Paduanos.

0845 Departed NEH for Clifton Dock for fuel, water, pump out, and by miracle, propane. The dockmaster got on her scooter and went to town with our tank and filled it. What service! And this notwithstanding her recollection of us using the drinking water hose for our holding tank.

Took 30.2 gallons Diesel.

0945 Departed Clifton. En route to Bucks Harbor. Motored out the Western Way, across the bar and into Blue Hill Bay to sail. Didn't last long, fluky wind and no progress norh so we headed for the Casco Passage and ghosted our way through. No wind in Jerico Bay so we motored to Eggemoggin Reach and were finally rewarded with wind, on the nose but we had plenty of time so tacked our way up the Reach, under the bridge, out past the Bucks Harbor pillar and out to Penobscot Bay. Turned around at Two Bushes Island and headed back to Bucks Harbor.

1530 Arrived Bucks Harbor but had to wait for a gate (that is, the dock) moored to one of the few mooring balls in the harbor that can accomodate boats up to 60 feet.

1620. Docked. Engine hours = 1280.1.

1700. Dan Paduano picks up crew and takes us back to his and Nancy's place on the west coast of Cape Rosier. Their hospitality is unsurpassed: fine wine, hors d'oeuvres, lobster, salad and Nancy's roast potatoes. All ingredients local. Great food, drink, boat stories, catching up; sorry to see it end but we have a long day tomorrow.

2030. Back at Javelin and prep for another adventure.

NEH to Bucks Hbr Plan Route	Aug 15 Track	Breakfast	Steve Sailing Eggemoggin Reach	Bridge in Sight
Bridge Really in Sight	EG	Bucks Harbor	Dan and Catch	Day's Catch
Nancy and Jewel Potatoes	Rick and Prey	Paul and Prey	Dinner at the Paduano's	Bucks Harbor sunset and ...
Moon and Venus.

Go To Log Summary

Sun, Aug 16th - Bucks Harbor to Chebeague Island, Casco Bay

0652 Departed Bucks Harbor for a new destination - Harpswell Harbor. The forecast for Monday is high winds, rain, and 3-4 foot seas, so we want to get to a protected area as far west as possible where we can wait out the storm if we have to. Our course will take us down West Penobscot Bay, turning west at the Two Bush Light, and heading along the coast until turning up for Harpswell.

Today's forecast is for light winds from the north then east and finally south. We're hoping for decent southerly wind this afternoon to do some sailing in.

1210 Passed the Old Man Ledge buoy, so we're officially out of Penobscot Bay. Virtually no traffic of any kind. One barge, the Rockland-Vinalhaven ferries, and a handful of sailboats.

1420 Seguin Light.

1515 Another change in plans: we're going to pick up a mooring on the NW end of Great Chebeague Island. There's a great restaurant there (we hear) but not sure we'll be there in time for the launch. The plan is no plan; we'll see.

1700 Arrived at the mooring field behind Great Chebeague Island. 1725 After searching for the right ball and one phone call to the harbormaster, we're moored and ready to deal with dinner.

Bucks to Allen I Sun Plan Route	Allen to The Basin Mon Plan Route	Actual Sunday AIS	Penobscot Bay barge	Two Bush I. Light
Next Boat -- La Valencia	Bantam Rock & Damariscove	Seguin Island ...	getting close ...	Seguin Island Light.
New Route Confab	Little Mark Island Monument	Chebeague Island	Chebeague Island Inn mooring field	On our mooring.
Chebeague Chicken Dinner

Go To Log Summary

Mon, Aug 17th - Chebeague to Sunset Marina, Portland

0630 Looks like no storm today, just some intermittent showers, but there is wind, about 8-10 at our mooring and 10-12 with gusts outside the islands.

The intermittent showers lasted until 1110, when we let loose the mooring ball and headed towards Portland for a look at Fort Gorges.

Along the way we checked out the Tonge family mooring in Falmouth; we passed, and decided to reserve a berth at Sunset Marina in Portland for the night.

We got a good look at the fort and surrounding fortifications. With that taken care of, we raised sail, weaved our way out through Whitehead Passage past numerous islands (including Pease, filled with nice homes) into the ocean, around The Hussey light and reef, and then back through Cushing Island Reach, House Island Reach, and the Portland Harbor Channel.

1530 At the Sunset fuel dock; took 25.2 gallons of Diesel.

1400 Docked at the end of the very long fuel dock, poised for an early departure for Wentworth.

Ending E/H = 1293.5.

Dinner at the Salt Water Grill at the end of our dock. Outstanding food.

Off to clean up and think about dinner.

Aug 17 Track	Bait Fishing	Bait Fishing 2	Pease Island Ferries	Fort Gorges
Coffeepot Lighthouse	Ospreys AWOL

Go To Log Summary

Tues, Aug 18th - Portland to Wentworth Marina, Little Harbor, Portsmouth

0614 Up early, quick Cheerios breakfast, and off in dense fog, zero wind, calm seas. Using radar and air fog horn. Turned away from an incoming tanker, thank you radar.

0655 Rounded Willards Rock.

1003 Call from Bellatrix on 16 requesting starboard to starboard passing. Done.

1043 Called Vahevalla to confirm starboard to starboard passing.

1049 Cape Neddick. Land and light visible.

1143 Radar and nav lights off 3 nms from Portsmouth Harbor entrance. Michael at the nav table all trip, watching the radar on Zeus, the course on OpenCPN and AIS on Marine Traffic on his laptop. Steve at the helm on AquaMap. Rick backing up on radar at the helm chartplotter/radar. Two air horn cannisters. Vigilance! Much easier once the fog lifted!

1218 Arrived Wentworth. Fuel dock could not take us because they were filling Lorelei, a 100-foot motor yacht that takes 1200 gallons of diesel. So we moved to our berth - right behind the fuel dock and within reach of the diesel pump. We took on fuel (16.2 gallons) and water, washed down the boat and settled in for lunch. But not before saying goodbye to Rick, who had to be back home. Average age aboard has now shot up dramatically.

Ending E/H = 1299.7.

Spent the afternoon napping, doing laundry, cleaning up, etc. Captain sent Michael on recon to locate our missing kellet and lo and behold, the mission was successful - there is no limit to what the bow locker can hold and hide. Unlikely we'll be using it again this trip, but at least now three of us will know where it's kept (bow locker on top of the spare anchor rode). Toured our dock - there are some very big and expensive-looking boats here, many tricked out with tons of fishing gear. The baby blue boat in the photo is up on a lift - not even in the water!

All looking forward to first, drinks aboard with Brian Klinger about 1730, then moving ashore for dinner with Lise joining us at the Latitude restaurant. Brian came aboard and the sea stories started flowing. Great memories of 20 years of Javelin cruises. Rick Van Mell, our webmaster, joined by speaker on cell phone and sent along a pic to include. Alas several of the crew, as we aged like very fine wine, were no longer drinking alcohol. So Rick put together a tiny web page for a non-alcoholic Bourbon substitute. Here's the link: Pathfinder Hemp Spirits. Now if we could just find a non-alcoholic Scotch for Brian!

2015 Finished a wonderful visit with Brian and Lise. Much talk of past Javelin cruises and crew, boats in general, family, politics, and of course our next visit. They make this stop so special.

To bed early tonight as we have a ten-hour trip to Sandwich tomorrow. Dawn departure, breakfast and lunch en route.

Basin to Wentworth Plan Route	Aug 18 Track	Approaching Portsmouth	Three Lights	Kellet
Wentworth	Baby Blues	Fuel Hog	Fishing Gear	On Watch
Steve, Michael Brian, Paul ...	and Rick Van Mell via cell phone

Go To Log Summary

Wed, Aug 19th

0410 All up for coffee and departure planning and prep. Looks clear and calm, forecast is for light SE wind moving to SW this afternoon. Breakfast served. Coffee needed.

0526 Departed. Plenty of light to see the channel buoys. Calm seas. Good visibility. Great sunrise. Turned down to Cape Ann after clearing the Gunboat Shoal buoy. SOG 7.7.

0646 Visibility under ½ mile. Radar on. Many lobster pots with radar reflectors showing up on screen. This actually makes identifying boat targets more difficult.

0725 1 mile plus visibility. Radar off.

0804 Fog blowing in. Radar back on.

0838 Flat Ground Dry Salvages green lighted bell buoy.

0907 "Hurricane II" crosses us. Packed with hopeful whale watchers.

0915 Radar off.

1115 Early lunch in what are now bright, sunny skies with unlimited visibility. Wind moving to SE but the apparent wind angle is still too low (0-9) to think about pulling out the jib.

1530 Lost throttle control. Regained, at least for now, but how to plan our landing? We prepared to (a) control the throttle at the engine and (b) to drop the anchor in a hurry.

1600 Sandwich Marina. Refueled with 16.2 gallons of diesel. Then pow-wowed: dock here and risk losing power with who knows what result? Head down Buzzards Bay and pick up a mooring somewhere? Decided to stay and give it a go, and it worked. All this in 20 kt wind.

1700 All set. Prepping for a visit with Jay and Hastie. They arrived at 1730 and what a great time. Over drinks in the cockpit, Steve consulted on the engine; he added Rick by phone. We talked of more boats in more places than you can imagine. We talked health and are all satisfied that our various treatments are going well. Dark and Stormies facilitated the story telling. We continued over dinner at the marina's very good seafood restaurant. 2030 Another long day. Steve made one final engine consultation, this with Jeffrey, who harnessed AI and came up with the likely cause and a possible cure for the problem - a stuck or broken spring mechanism that is supposed to engage the throttle once the engin e is in gear. We'll see in the morning.

Course for day = 80.6

Ending E/H = 1310.8

Wentworth to Cape Cod Canal Route	Aug 19 Track	Portsmouth Sunrise	Isles of Shoals	Cape Ann Lights in Fog
Cape Ann Lights & Fishing	Whale Watchers	Hastie & Steve	Jay

Go To Log Summary

Thur, Aug 20th

0630 Steve and Michael remove the binnacle and scope out the cable control head. Seems to be working - the lever engages the shifter first, then the throttle; there's a click when the detent pin engages. We lubed the mechanism with WD40 and put the compass back on and we'll see how it goes.

0645 Breakfast and prep for an early departure. Dead calm outside, which is good for us in case the throttle isn't working!

0730. Departure. Uneventful - engine, transmission and throttle all happily engaged, and we're back in the Canal thinking of nothing but tonight's unlimited lobsters.

0839 Winged Neck, home to Hastie and Jay

0900 Visit from our Yanmar/Vetus ace mechanic, Captain Jeffrey on Off Leash - the only mechanic we know who makes boat calls -- with first mate Aven and first dog Winnie on board. That is one fast boat!

1110 Sails up off Cuttyhunk.

1115 Mayday call received from a vessel taking on water in Quicks Hole. Private rescue vessel sending tender to assist. Vessel in distress attempting to beach the boat. Coast Guard on scene. TowUS also on scene. Vessel in distress beached. All seems under control. No injuries and no indication of why she took on water.

1140 Wind died. Boat speed below 3 kts., so we rolled up the jib and are now motor sailing to our Sakonnet Point waypoint, 7.6 mis. west.

1310 Sails up at 2A, sailed deep jibing our way to Fort Adams before packing it in.

1500 Moored at NYYC ball #506 along the outer edge of the mooring field. This will make for an easy exit in the morning. Now tidying up.

1730 Up to the clubhouse to meet Eric and Stephanie for the NYYC's incredible seafood (and filet) buffet. Each year they seem to outdo themselves, and this year was no exception. Delicious raw bar, lobster, and steak, delicious salads and delicious desserts. Thirds and fourths for everyone. And throughout the long meal, many sailing stories, past present and future, and profuse thanks to Eric and Stephanie for letting us enjoy Javelin.

2130 To bed, a late night for us!

Engine hours = 1316.9

Total track = 52.3 mis.

CCC to Newport Route	Aug 20 Track	CCC Bridge #3	CCC Bridge #3	CCC Bridge #3
Rick's Other Cruise	Merchant Marine Ship	Ospey Perch	Boat Mechanic Off Leash	Aven & Winnie	Javelin in Buzzards Bay
the crew.	Chef at Wheel	Sekonnet Light & Buoy	Crew Ship	Nets Out
Newport!	Another Fort -- Adams	Another Bridge -- Pell

Go To Log Summary

Fri, Aug 21st

0530 Departed NYYC mooring. Misty following rain all night, but good visibility. Easy passage out of the harbor.

0600 Jib up. 15-20 NW moving NE wind. Three foot seas with following waves; we were surfing to 9-10 kts.

0645 Pt Judith and its occulting light, visible pretty much the whole way from Newport. NE wind 20. Still flying jib, still surfing.

0845 Watch Hill Passage. Rain but good visibility. Followed the line of green buoys and stayed clear of Latimer Reef. This passage through Fishers Island Sound always requires great attention.

0945 Past Intrepid Rock and North Dumpling. More rain, less visibility. Radar on for the long haul down Long Island Sound.

1330 At Goose Island (the rocks off the west end of Falkner Island). Made the final turn for Milford, the last 15 miles. Still raining.

1539 Arrived Milton Harbor. Jib down. First to the fuel dock. Took on 41.5 gallons diesel, pumped out and filled with water.

1615. Docked and set about cleaning up. Removed our considerable store of remaining provisions. One last look at Javelin snug in her slip and off we went, Steve and Paul to Scarsdale and Michael to Otis in the Berkshires. RVM we missed you. Planning for next year starts now.

ending engine hours = 1327.4

total course miles for the day = 83.8

Newport to Milford Plan Route	Aug 21 Track	Pt Judith Light	Watch Hill Light & Passage	Steve & Michael
Javelin Home at Milford.

And a bouns picture of Javelin at Mink with the rainbow back on 8/12/26.

At Mink on 8/12

Go To Log Summary

Assembled by Rick Van Mell from inputs from the crew. vanmells@ix.netcom.com

Return to Main Javelin Menu