Oct. 3, 1903.1 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
268 
-CHART OF CRUISE MADE BY ALTAIR FROM GREENPORT TO THE VIRGIN S BREASTS. 
off Chatham whistle. Wind W. fresh ; heavy cloud bank 
in W. and N.W. Passed Nausett, distance Vy4 miles, at 
9:20. At 11:50 P. M. Highland light bore W. by S., 
distant 2 miles. Set course N.N.W. W. Clear moon- 
light, smooth sea, moderate west wind. Soon after this 
the wind fell, and we drifted until 5 A. M., when we low- 
ered mainsail for a sharp squall. After this a calm 
continued until 12:35, when it breezed up a little and 
slipped us along at a 4-knot rate. Made a good landfall, 
and at 4 :45 P. M. dropped our hook in Gloucester Har- 
bor. Distance 95 knots. 
As our tank water had a disagreeably foul odor and 
taste, we loosed the pipe coupling and let it out into the 
bilge ; then cruised after the water boat, turned a strong 
stream into the tank and cleaned it thoroughly. Now we 
hope to have drinkable water. 
At 9:15 A. M. of Aug. I we drifted lazily by Eastern 
Point, the rounded, woolly clouds over the land showing 
a strong N.W. wind, while over the sea was a gray veil 
and a light S.E. wind. Along the shore W9s a calm 
streak, and in this we v/ere fated to stay for several 
hours until at noon the sea wind gained the ascendencj'- 
and made itself felt strongly enough to float us the six 
miles to Cape Ann. After passing Straitsmouth, we 
made a course N. by E. ^ E., so as to pass outside the 
Isles of Shoals, and between the Nubble and B,oon 
Island. 
At 4:30 were off White Island light. An hour later 
were drifting in a flat calm, syi miles to the N.N.E. of 
it. During the run-up the wind held steady from S. by 
W., so that we set our "spinnaker." We call it that 
when it is not doing duty as a jib. Our new friend, who 
will hereafter be known as the Steward, turns out to be 
an expert handler of the frying-pan and stew kettle, as 
well as a very pleasant fellow. 
As there was considerable roll on and no wind to 
steady things, the Steward thought it best to stay *on 
deck at 7:30 P. M., and the Skipper fed the crew on hot 
bouillon and bread, which they managed to stow away in 
great shape. At 8:30 P. M. the wind came out light 
from ahead, so that it was one the next afternoon before 
we made Portland Harbor. Left Portland at 3 :30 P. M. 
and sailed up between the ever beautiful islands of Casco 
Bay to Pott's Harbor, where we spent the night. Passing 
Sand Island, we saw a large seal balanced on a pinnacle 
of rock, and passed him close aboard. He kept his 
1 Weather eye on us, but did not seem at all alarmed. Dis- 
tance 90 knots. 
Early the next morning, with a strong S.E. wind and 
heavy rain, went out through the East Passage into the 
open ocean. Had a fine and exhilarating run in the 
heavy sea to Boothbay, where we went ashore for mail. 
Tbi» is , a most beautiful region, and beginning to ^ 
appreciated. At 3 P. M. rav. out from the harbor to the 
eastward. The wind failed and the fog shut in thickly. 
We crept along by the Thread of Life and Pemaquid, 
and fearing to run into New Harbor in the dark and fog, 
with an enormous swell running and hardly steerage 
way, turned our bow seaward and drifted. It was cold 
and wet, we rolled atrociously, so that we could not light 
a stove to make coffee, the Admiral and the Steward 
were seasick, and the Skipper even was cold and miser- 
able, in spite of sweater and overcoat. At 3 A. 
M. he came on deck, having been below for an hour 
trying to get a little sleep, and hearing surf apparently 
all about us, heaved the lead and found bottom at 17 
fathoms. We anchored with a 50-fathom cable, suppos- 
ing ourselves to be between Western Egg Rock and Had- 
dock Island, the tide having set us in among the reefs. 
This position was found correct when the fog cleared late 
the next afternoon. We were in a flat calm from 4 P. M. 
Aug. 3 to 5:30 P. M. Aug. 4; then a little ripple blew 
us over the two miles to New Harbor and stopped. 
5 A. M. the next morning found us under way, with 
a crisp breeze from the north, which ran us out by Mark 
Island, through Davis Strait, by Marshall Light to 
Whitehead. Here the wind failed and came out light 
from ahead. We beat up through Muscle Ridge Chan- 
nel, across West Penobscot Bay and through Fox Island 
Thoroughfare to Carver's Cove, where we lay over 
night. Stopped an hour at North Haven for provisions, 
and met the Gerfalcon, a beautiful little schooner, whose 
owner very kindly asked us aboard. The day was nearly 
perfect. The beauty of the little islands, their rugged 
granite dotted with pointed firs, the clearness and brill- 
iancy of the grays and soft greens of the land, the pur- 
plish azure of the sea and sky, the rounded outline of the 
Camden hills, the clear, bracing coolness of the air, the 
grateful heat of the sun, our little boat crisping steadily 
onward, made a combination as rare as it was beautiful, 
and we forgot the misery of the darkness and fog. Dis- 
tance 40 knots. 
Aug. 6. — A flat calm, but the same wonderful air. If 
this could last all summer this coast would be almost 
Paradise. The water is like ice, and one takes his morn- 
ing plunge with trepidation, comes out with haste, and 
tingles with the afterglow. Light airs drifted us through 
Deer Island Thoroughfare, by Bass Head, and to an 
anchorage under the west end of Sutton's Island, almost 
in the shadow of beautiful Mount Desert. Barometer 
8 A. M., 29.71 ; 8 P. M., 30.29. Distance, 28 knots. 
The next morning we got under way in a thick 
fog, but the wind failed, and the high, rolling 
swell dri-\4ng us dangerously near the Cliffs of 
Otter, we hurriedly dropped over an anchor and 
i^ter had to abandon it, and some eight fathoms 
of cable, because of our failure to "muzzle it 
before trusting it on the rocky bottom. With a grow- 
ing wind we ran in for Bar Harbor, the cliffs of Bald 
Porcupine coming out of the grayness only a scant 
hundred feet off the lee bow. The wind was freshen- 
ing rapidly, and by the time we were in among the 
anchored fleet it was blowing a summer gale. Our 
first anchor dragged on the kelp, so the forty-two 
pounder was hastily thrown over and checked us a few 
feet from a large yawl, the Hadassah, after we had 
drifted so close to Amorita that they had to raise their 
port boatboom, which they did with very ill grace. 
After going ashore for a 'Khotal" and other neces- 
saries and having lunch the wind had increased to a 
stiff gale with drizzling rain. Amorita was now drag- 
ging down on us, and not trusting our holding ground, 
we got our anchors with some difficulty and cleared 
out under close reefed mainsail. We had hardly more 
than gotten clear and out in the open beyond Iron- 
bound when the wind and rain came in terrific gusts 
from off Green Mountain, the driven spray and rain 
stinging like whip lashes, so that we soon had enough 
and ran in behind Bar Island to a secure berth. 
During the night the gale blew itself out. The 
morning opened clear and fine. Ran over to Winter 
Harbor for letters and to pay our homage to the "Oneen 
of Grindstone and Empress of Schoodic," with whom we 
later had the pleasure of dining. At 4:30 ran out with 
the idea of making a little to the eastward, but found 
an ugly looking squall rapidly making up to the S. W., 
so ran back and dropped our hook just as the wind, 
with the great fog masses, swept over the harbor. 
The next morning opened beautiful and clear with 
a brisk north wind and crisp air. After our morning 
plunge and breakfast, got under way at 8:10 A. M. 
At 9:02 were off the north end of Schoodic Island, run- 
ning E. ^ N. for the striped buoy on Petit Manan bar. 
Passed this at 10:17 and Jordan's Delight Spindle it 
II. The coast has become much more bleak and wind- 
swept. The ledges of the hills are bare except for a 
few stunted firs and tufts of sere brown grass, Moosa- 
beck Reach looks like the limit of civilization, and the 
houses of Jonesport are those of the Noah's Ark 
of our childhood. We ran by ©ape Split, up through 
the Reach, between the Virgin'sBreasts and out into 
the open by Mark Island, then at 1:10 P. M. turned 
our prow homeward. Beating down through the Reach 
in a brisk wholesail breeze, and against a strong tide 
we made Nash's Island Light again at 3 P. M., Jor- 
dan's Delight at 3:42 and the buoy on Petit Manan at 
4:28. The wind had held steady, but the west and 
so'west had become gray and thick. One mijle west 
from Petit Manan bar the wind suddenly shifted from 
N. N. W. to S. W., and then to W. S.'W., and blew 
so fresh that we had to reef. At 7:45 P. M. we were at 
our old anchorage in Winter Harbor, having logged 
74_ knots in iih. 35m., an average of over 6.4 nautical 
miles an hour, the best 12 hours' run that Altair has 
ever made. Our compass, after having no deviation, 
showed this morning on easterly courses a deviation 
of one point easterly. In the afternoon, on westerly 
courses, it was again true to the magnetic north. We 
were unable to determine the cause of the trouble, 
having searched in vain for any stray bits of iron in 
the pockets of the Admiral or Steward, while all of 
our anchors, lamps, etc., were stowed in their accus- 
tomed places. 
Aug. 10 vve passed at anchor at Winter Harbor in rain 
and fog waiting for letters. 
Drifted next day and finally crept in behind the island 
off the entrance to Some's Sound, and anchored at 
6:30 P. M. In spite of the fact that we had almost no 
wind, we enjoyed_ the rugged beauty of Mt. Desert 
Island and the crisp, clear air of a beautiful day. 
Under way at 6:30 A. M., with a fresh easterly wind, 
which drove us through Casco Passage and Eggemog- 
gin Reach by Cape Rosier and up to Castine. Here we 
found a green, picturesque little town and went ashore 
for provisions and a run on the grass. Later a 
zephyr from the north carried us across the bay to 
Turtle Head and down the westerly side of Long 
Island to Seal Harbor. 
The dawn found us gliding softly out of the green 
circle of Seal Harbor and down by the shores of Long 
Island. The Penobscot is beautiful in its wide expanse, 
its purple distances and nestling villages. The waters 
reach up into little sandy or rocky coves, rimmed with 
green turf showing glimpses of cool darkness as it 
stretches away between the trunks of the balsam firs, 
or rocky wooded promontories alternate with cleared 
and_ fertile fields. As we ran down by Long Island 
behind and to the west were the green, softly rolling 
hills of the mainland and south the misty distances 
of the lower bay and ocean. Shortly after 8:30 A. M. 
the wind failed and left us close in toward the shore 
of a little rocky cove. The Steward tried to lure 
the wily cod, but failed and did not even get a nibble. 
A breath came in from S. W. at about one, and grad- 
ually freshened for a time, so that we worked down by 
Owl's Head and Ash Island to Whitehead, and across 
to Tennant's Harbor. 
Fog came in during the night, but by 10 A. M., when 
we had finished breakfast, there was a nice S. E. breeze, 
and we sailed away for -Mosquito Island and the west- 
ward. The wind failed to keep its promise, and we 
finally drifted in by Ram Island Light with the off- 
shore fog signals booming dismally, and anchored near 
Booth Bay at 9:30 P. M. 
Aug. 15, 16, 17. 
After going ashore for letters sailed off into the 
fog, through Townsend Gut into the Sheepscot, and 
up toward Wiscasset. The run through the Gut is 
along narrow, woodad, picturesque reaches. Going 
up the river we had a strong head tide and but little 
wind, so that to keep out of the strength of the ^Bb 
we ran close along the bold, rocky shore. We joked 
of our "local knowledge" and incidentally kept a look- 
out for snags. We sailed along this way for several 
miles, and all went, well until off Captain Huff's at 
Edgecombe, when we slid softly but effectually on to 
a point of rock and stuck. Sail was dropped as if we 
were a .^reat bird folding its wings, and a kedge was 
run put mto the river, but we wer^ immovable, though 
