Wintering Well at Rockport Marine

by Jack on January 27, 2012

Surprise seems to be enjoying this unusual Maine winter as much as we are.  Our winter cover allows lots of ventilation and when the weather has become unseasonably warm we have been able to go onboard and do some projects while planning others which will have to wait until spring.  It just feels good to look around at the spacious deck of Surprise and realize how fortunate we are to be able to take care of her.  She is inches away from the water on her port side and inches away from the skilled craftsmen at Rockport Marine on her starboard side.  Thats a win-win.

Now that the Holiday is behind us and we were warmed by some great family moments shared around the Christmas tree and the dining table we turn our attention toward planning our 29th season in Camden.  Wow !  We certainly have shared some great times with all of you and we are looking forward to sharing lots more when the sun completes its trek northward.  As always our opening weekend will be Memorial Day Weekend but there is lots to do before we have YOU help us raise those sails.  In spite of some snowfall during the night we have the heat on in the shop and Capt. Jack will be starting to take apart every one of our twenty-four blocks so he can grease them before we put the rigging back together.  Even with the shop quite cozy during the day for projects we cannot yet think about varnishing anything because our night-time temps still fall quite far below freezing.  But you can sand and prep in all kinds of temperatures.

Earlier this week we actually got some cold daytime temps and some fluffy white snow.  When that happens the shop door closes behind us and we head out to Megunticook Golf Club in Rockport where we can snowshoe and enjoy a breathtaking view across the Bay to Cadillac Mountain way down east.  When we look out toward Goose Rocks and nearby Mark Island we realize what an amazing playground we have in our sailing season.  We continually remind ourselves that we are indeed very fortunate to live and work in this wonderful place.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Welcoming a New Year !

by Jack on January 8, 2011

Almond-Crusted Haddock

We start 2011 on a bright note with another one of Michael Salmon’s fabulous recipes.  We are proud owners of both of his Hartstone Inn cookbooks which have consistently made us look like we really know what we are doing in the kitchen.  We had  enjoyed great success sharing our table with our children, spouses and grandchildren over the Holiday and this was a quiet treat for the just the two of us.  Thank you to Chef Michael for starting off our New Year with chives !

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Holiday Greetings

December 21, 2010

HAPPY HOLIDAYS We wish you and your family many special moments together as you celebrate the  season and the hope for a peaceful new year ahead !  We are hunkered down for the Maine winter after completing a new post and beam barn for Surprise behind our house in Camden.  We enjoyed a busy and [...]

Read the full article →

Curtis Island at last!

November 8, 2010

On a beautiful Wednesday, the day after the elections, we finally launched our dinghy and rowed out to Curtis Island.  This year it became even more important that we visit the island and the lighthouse since we had recently attended a memorial service for “Connie” Conover who had, along with his wife Deede, been the [...]

Read the full article →

A New Shop for Surprise

October 31, 2010

In late October Charlie Conlan and his crew erected the timber frame for our new shop in the back yard of our house on Harden Avenue.  Charlie is one of our relief captains in addition to being a fine builder of timber frame structures.  We hope to have the shop completed in time to move [...]

Read the full article →

Windjammer Festival and Hurricane Earl

September 15, 2010

Despite the clear threat posed by Hurricane Earl, the Camden Windjammer Festival took place on Labor Day weekend.  Friday festivities were cancelled since Earl was expected to hit Friday night into Saturday morning.  We brought Surprise to our mooring in the outer harbor and spent the day Friday preparing for Earl.  We removed sails and [...]

Read the full article →

Fitting Out

April 27, 2010

In the sailing world the rites of spring always include lots of scraping, sanding and painting as the weather warms and day lengthens.  This is especially true for wooden boats owners like ourselves.  Since Surprise is proudly celebrating her 92nd year we are vigilant about maintaining her to the highest standards.  Our National Register status [...]

Read the full article →

The new Granite Steps

April 9, 2010

We continue to make progress on our house renovation.  Yesterday the new front steps were installed.  Our contractor Ryan Lawrence found us an economical supplier of granite which we selected just last week.  He had them delivered and installed and now we have a proper front entrance.  Meanwhile, Matt and Gary have almost completed the [...]

Read the full article →

A Michael Salmon Feast

April 6, 2010

After our recent success during this Christmas holiday feast, which was inspired by Michael Salmon’s cookbook (In the Kitchen with Michael Salmon), we celebrated the arrival of spring this week with another one of Michael’s delicious recipes.  This time it was “Flounder  ”Oscar” with Maine lobster (see p. 155) and we served it to two [...]

Read the full article →

The Red Front Door

March 31, 2010

It’s a sure sign that we are making progress on the house renovation when the carpenters gave us permission to paint the front door.  We are hoping to have the major work completed in another two weeks and then we can finish interior painting and installing appliances.

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries