ISLAND EXPLORATION AND SEAMANSHIP
Exploring and using the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) islands.
on board PATIENCE B
- ANDY OLDMAN — JULY 6–12
The Maine Island Trail is a 325-mile-long waterway extending from Casco Bay in the west to Machias Bay in the east. The trail winds its way along the coast over saltwater rivers and quiet bays, around magnificent and exposed capes, and among islands large and small. It takes advantage of the existence of over 90 privately owned and state-owned islands and numerous public mainland sites along the route, using them for day visits or overnight stopovers where one can camp in a wilderness setting.
Come share Andy Oldman’s enthusiasm for exploring, gunkholing, and navigating the MITA islands. WoodenBoat School is ideally located in the midst of the magnificent Deer Isle archipelago and is within five miles of 14 of the MITA islands. Remarkably, they are among the best-kept secrets of mid-coast Maine. Often thought of as the province of only kayaks, the MITA islands are open to all MITA members and any form of waterborne transportation.
The emphasis of this course will be to balance the skills and demands of island seamanship with the incredible rewards of time spent ashore on these islands and islets. We will sail Eggemoggin Reach, Jericho Bay, and Merchants Row while learning a variety of specialized sail handling and anchoring techniques so that we can moor our 36' ketch PATIENCE safely and very close to shore.
The anchoring and landing process is often complex and exciting. It is a fine exercise for building confidence. At particularly challenging locations, we will make our own detailed charts of the island anchorage so that return visits may be repeated with ease and certainty. Once moored we will land on scheduled sites either by rowing skiff or on the larger TROPIC BIRD surf dory. At midweek, weather permitting, there will be an option for anchoring and setting up an overnight camp ashore.
Each day’s voyage will be planned, charted, and navigated by the class to reflect wind and sea conditions and the particular emphasis of the island selected for exploration. All participants will have the opportunity to learn as much as they wish about chart work, weather prediction, and electronic aids to navigation. We intend to spend plenty of time on various islands to allow full enjoyment of the sweeping vistas, examination of the vegetation, bird and sea life, and to undertake photography, sketching, or just relaxing.
This course is limited to four participants. We require that anyone interested in this course be sufficiently fit to enter and exit small boats on beach or rocky ledge; and to embark/disembark on and from PATIENCE.
Tuition: $790