We’re with the “in” crowd in Camden, Maine.
Wind Horse is anchored between Ticonderoga to the west and
the British J-boat, Velsheda, to the east.
Camden is the opposite of Round Pond. It is oriented towards tourism and yachting, both of which are summer events. The boat watching is excellent, and there are some interesting craft to study, many of which are maintained to the very highest standards. Speaking of which, how about this for a nearly 80 year old topside?
These days racing yachts have mother ships. This handsom craft attends Velsheda,
a fact made clear by the insignia on the smoke stack.
There are a variety of small craft in use.
With modern rigs like this fully roached scow,
and a schooner with dual Aero Rigs.
And the more traditional like old friend Appledore, here plying her trade.
There is even a Tom Fexas designed Midnight Lace (Tom must be turning in his grave when he thinks about the ugly dinghy boom forward!).
The inner harbor is packed with all manner of craft, with traditional schooners dominating the skyline.
There’s a plethora of bed and breakfast inns, restaurants, a good local market,
and all he tourist oriented art and crafts you could ever want (or not want).
Camden caters to the visiting yachts. Near the dinghy dock is a dumpster for trash, a loading dock that can be used for a couple of hours at no charge, and a friendly dock master eager to assist.
WInd Horse is enjoying her new anchorage. Booms are out now (lots of wakes) and flopper stoppers are rigged. Our Virgin cell phones have no signal in the harbor, but Verizon’s 3G system is working.
We’ll close with a few more photos to set the Camden scene for you.
Posted by Steve Dashew (August 1, 2011)
August 1st, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Hi Steve, Thanks for some great pictures of my homeport and especially for the visit today. (I stopped at my boat on the way home and got Splashtop running in jig time.) And funny that we blogged about some of the same boats today:
http://www.panbo.com/archives/2011/08/bystander_velsheda_what_a_pair.html
But note that Camden Harbor is not always so rich in notable yachts. On the other hand, didn’t I see the tender to Meteor go by this afternoon. Now that’s a beauty. Can you see her in the Outer Harbor fog?
Best, Ben
August 1st, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Howdy Ben:
Meteor is anchored next to us, and we can just make out the loom of her lights. She is a big radar target at 50 or so meters in length!
August 1st, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Steve,
I usually scroll through the photos first then go back and read the captions…the shot of Velsheda’s waterline, reflecting the scene behind, had me stumped for a bit…could not shake the idea that someone left a red and white ribbon streamer floating in the water. Great shots of all the inhabitants! Thanks.
August 1st, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Hi Michael:
Look carefully at the upper left corner of that topside photo. There is a surprise there.
August 2nd, 2011 at 6:12 am
Steve, thanks for yet another beautiful post!!
Talking about aero rigs, what’s your take on it?
Doesn’t it put a lot of weight above the deck??
August 2nd, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Hi Peter:
The AeroRig was an interesting concept, but it failed in execution from our perspective. It is noisy in its deck bearings, expensive, and misses the potential with a limited roach.
August 4th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Steve, would that surprise be Windhorse?
August 4th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Yes, Michael, it is indeed our diminutive Wind Horse.