We should have stayed! Rockland to Boothbay.

     Really, the reports were relatively good,  giving fog 1 mile visibility predicted to clear by noon, intermittent rain and the occasional shower in the afternoon.  The evening was predicted to deteriorate into a thunderstorm with the possibility of large hail. We could see all the way across Rockland Harbour with just a whiff of fog on the surrounding hills, a distance of at least 2 miles and we didn't want to stay on this open mooring in the predicted evening thunderstorm, so... we left.  We should have stayed!
                                                                             

                                     Leaving Journeys End Marina, Rockland Harbour

                                                                                   

  Rockland Harbour Lighthouse........HMMM.... Ralphie did you hear that Lighthouse Foghorn?


     Oh, it was easy going at first, but we hadn't counted on the 2 to 3 foot ocean swells pushing up through Muscle Ridge Channel. These became 4 to 5 foot once we hit the open Gulf of Maine and to make matters worse, the fog got thick. We could see the other boats on the radar and with our fog horn on, we knew they could hear us if they didn't have radar.  As the up and down motion persisted  with no horizon to focus on, both Beth and I became a little dizzy and nauseated.  Enough!
"Find us a place to pull in," I told Beth.
"No, lets just keep going," she argued.
"No, were pulling in until this clears. This is making the dogs and me sea sick!" my voice rising.
     We wound through the lobster pots to a protected area behind Mosquito Island and anchored in the midst of a gazillion lobster pots. Not a secure anchorage, but protected from the ocean swells. I rested in my lazy boy as Beth fretted around the boat looking to make sure we weren't dragging and checking the weather, frequently reminding me there was a thunderstorm coming in the evening so we should get going.  The fog, however got thicker.  Only a few hundred feet off of the island, easily visible when we came in, was now invisible!
                                                                             

                                                                    FOG!

     Beth had already found a mooring in Port Clyde, only 2.5 miles away and insisted we go there for a protection from the predicted storm.

"I can do anything for 2.5 miles," I said, gulping down another wave of nausea.
"Let's go," When I turned the key and pushed the start button on the Port motor.
Nada. Nothing. No sound.  No motor turning over.  Starboard motor....fires up.
    I checked everything I could on the Port ignition and silently scolded myself for not learning more about the ignition wiring. Crap!! We would have to do this on one engine. Funny how a perceived emergency can immediately cure sea sickness.
     We pulled the anchor and idled around the lobster pots, while Beth cleared all the debris off the anchor in case we had to drop it quickly.  We could only navigate by the chart plotter and with Beth standing on the bow pointing out lobster pots further out than I could see, we managed to begin our turns with enough time to avoid the pots. Well, almost enough time!  My stomach sank as I watched one pass directly under the boat.
     An hour an a half to go 2.5 miles and the fog was so thick that as we got to Port Clyde, all we could see was the tops of the masts of several sail boats until a trawler on a mooring loomed ahead of us. Beth quickly spotted a mooring and I headed straight for it.  She took over the wheel as I snatched the mooring line with my boat hook but we shot past and as I fretfully tried to pull the line in....the boat hook cracked and snapped in half. I dropped the handle and ran back to the helm, got the boat turned and let the incoming tide float us down over the mooring, picking it up with my backup boat hook.  Whew! We were safely on a mooring and wouldn't you know it, I looked up to see the sun shining and the fog rapidly clearing.
     Unbelievably, within minutes two sailboats were pulling anchor and leaving.  Beth turned the key and pushed the button starting our disabled Port engine. What the hell! Silently I wondered, "How did she do that?  Since there was no one in Port Clyde who could look at the motor dysfunction and two motors to dodge lobster pots, we decided to leave.
      Quickly plotting a course to Boothbay  we braved the ocean swells and shoved off. This time instead of twadling along at trawler speed I pushed the throttles forward and found we had a much better ride with much less up and down motion and no nausea. Once through "Fisherman Island Passage" the swells dissipated and the water became smooth.  We enjoyed a smooth sunshine cruise up to Boothbay and picked up our mooring at Carousel Marina just in time to watch the fog bank roll in and surround us.

                                                                                 

               Cute Sail Boat.....Sailing and Rowing in calm waters off Fisherman Island.  

                                                                                   

                                       Beautiful weather pulling into Carousel Marina.
                                                                               

   
  Same picture after tide turned and less than one hour after getting tied up to our mooring!