I have moved to my hometown in Montana, far from the sea, and this means putting PHALAROPE up for sale.
The sidebar of this web page has links to photos of PHALAROPE, under the headings: Haulout photos, Interior photos, More PHALAROPE photos, The boat, and Mast restoration.
But briefly, PHALAROPE is a bluewater Lyle Hess designed Bristol Channel cutter, 32 feet on deck, 42 feet overall, and built in 1999 of cedar planks on white oak frames at Rockport Marine in Rockport, Maine. The mast and boom are Sitka spruce box construction, built by French and Webb in Belfast, Maine. The boat has the original Westerbeke 35B diesel engine, and brand new expedition quality Yankee jib, staysail, and main sail made by Port Townsend Sails in Port Townsend, Washington. Very few, if any, wooden boats of this size are available worldwide, for this asking price, that can sail around the world. I will entertain all requests by email ([email protected]), whether mildly curious or (my favorite) very serious. I can send a more complete description and inventory of the sailboat, or photos of specific details.
- Tom Templeton.
Contact Rockport Marine Brokerage. Office: (207) 236-9651, or email Evelyn Smith [email protected]. Asking $70,000.
Some photos looking out the hatch, to show the ever changing anchorages and ports of call last summer:
Here on a cold, cold early March day in Belfast, Maine, I made another map (design stolen from Rockwell Kent) to show the voyage of PHALAROPE in summer of 2016. Shown is the track north. The track south was essentially the same.
It is difficult to sail past Camden, Maine in the Penobscot bay without passing schooners:
I think that this boat works as a water taxi for the islands around Islesboro in Penobscot bay. Here it is towing sailing shells like a mother duck and ducklings:
Leaving Yarmouth, Nova Scotia at 0640 Friday morning:
Passing the Cape Furcho lighthouse, an hour later:
Looking out the hatch at the sunrise the next morning, just off Penobscot bay, Maine:
It was nice broad reach sailing, jib plus main sail, and the self-steering wind vane holding spot on. At sunrise the sun peaked through for about 10 minutes, giving nice light:
Thankfully there was great wind, so that I did not have to motor through the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of lobster trap buoys. I arrived in Rockland, Maine, USA, around 1 pm. Belfast, 20 miles away, will be the start of the journey in mid-May, and the end the first week of October.
I left Shelburne hoping to go straight offshore to Maine. But the wind and current around Cape Sable, the corner of Nova Scotia, slowed me way, way down and I decided to bail to Clark's Harbour. The next day, yesterday, I motorsailed to Yarmouth, on the southwest corner of Nova Scotia. Maine is now much closer, 80 to 110 miles, depending on my landfall. I might leave tomorrow, will see...
Leaving Clark's Harbour, 7 am:
Last light, Yarmouth waterfront, last night:
Swordfish bills, plus one marlin (with the red meat), on the wharf in Clark's Harbour, caught by long-liner fishermen:
They were scooped up by Ralph, a local character who is currently harvesting Irish moss for a living. He took me to his summer trailer to see the swords that he makes out of the swordfish bills. He is small and wiry and so his hands are immediately noticeable, swollen from years of frostbite as a lobsterman, due to a circulatory condition called Reynaud's syndrome:
We arrived in Shelburne day before yesterday, after a 12 hour motor from Brooklyn Yacht Club. Nice close-hauled sailing the last hour at sunset. The wind will be not favorable in the least to cross the Gulf of Maine, for the next 5 days, and so Tomoka is now on the fast ferry to Portland, Maine, to visit her sister in Miami. Alas, but, Bon Voyage Tomoka!
Some photos of Shelburne, sunset:
Just before sunrise, the Shelburne waterfront:
The dinghy, Herd of Moose, on the dark dawn water:
Details of Shelburne:
Just south of Lunenburg is the La Havre river, and the famous floating dock of the La Havre Bakery. We are waiting here a day in hopes of better weather tomorrow. Yesterday was rousing 20 to 30 kt close-hauled, more than forecast.
The front of the bakery building:
Nice pilot cutter on the mooring off of the bakery, and Phalarope on the dock:
Shore house, with auxiliary second floor door:
The cable ferry across the La Havre river, and fisherman seeking mackerel:
Salmon pink Adirondack chairs: