The coast of Maine is one of the most beautiful and pristine cruising grounds a boater could ask for. There are endless bays and rivers to explore. Cruising in this area is not for the novice boater or faint of heart. It is not uncommon to find swift currents, large tides, and zero-visibility fog on any given day. These factors, combined with the added “fun” of dodging lobster gear, keeps a good crew on their toes. Through-out my yachting career, most summers included a few weeks on the “western” Maine coast. Most boater cruise between Portland and Mount Desert Island, myself included. This summer Warbird decided to head east! The eastern half of the Maine coast does not attract as much boating traffic. The is due to the lack of facilities, and distance in-between. We started this trip in Southwest Harbor with a quick stop in Camden. On our second evening of the trip we went overnight 100 miles east to the town of Eastport, Maine. Eastport is on the Canadian border at the entrance to the Bay of Fundy. This area of the world is known to have the largest tides. In Eastport the tide change averaged 18ft! We spend two days tied up to the town dock and were able to explore the area. We found a gem of a New England town with a laid back vibe. The people were welcoming to Warbird with open arms. Our new local friend Captain Butch (Eastport Wind Jammers) took us out on his boat to find some whales and get a closer look at the “Old Sow” Whirlpool. Over all it was a great stop that definitely deserves another visit!
I guess not all Maine boaters were into the new paint job!!! This guy was just saying hello to his new neighbors!
On September 23rd, 2020, Warbird was hauled out of the water at Lauderdale Marine Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. What started out as a paint job, finished as the largest refit on the boat to date. During the 8 months that followed 1000’s of tasks both large and small were completed. The boat was in fact repainted and the exterior brought back to new. In the end, every system on board was serviced, replaced, and maintained. Warbird is now in the best shape ascetically and mechanically than ever before. It has been quite some time since we went “black out” on this blog. “Rest Assured”, we are back and ready for new adventures. I am writing this as the boat is departing Key West Harbor. We are on the last day of a shakedown cruise allowing us to fully test all systems. We did find a few minor issues that need to be address during the trip. Overall the boat ran well and everybody was excited to get back out on the water. Over the next few weeks we will be getting ready for our summer trip to New England. During this time I will continue to share all of the amazing upgrades we have made over the last year. It’s good to be back!!
Captain John
Captain John
The bulbous bow and fins were painted to resemble to markings on Jim’s P51 Mustang “Old Crow”
Well another season is on the books. We weren’t sure how cruising during the COVID pandemic would go. It turns out Warbird is a perfect place to social distance!
Here is a review of the summer in photos. No particular order here!!! Just good times!!
After a few days in Block Island, we made the overnight trip to Portland Maine. The sunrise on the day of our arrival was pretty epic!
When entering Portland Harbor we were greeted by the lighthouse on Ram Island.
Amazingly, we pulled up to the waterfront early AM fog free. Hopefully, this is a sign to come for our summer cruising!
The weather prediction was short lived. I had to mkay e a stop over and wait out some heavy morning rain. The sky eventually cleared up!
Fresh seafood doesn’t get any better than this!
The crew is waiting in line at CVS for COVID tests! Warbird would like to welcome our new Chef Jonna. ( in the back seat) She will be with us for the next few weeks!
The next stop for Warbird after D.C. is Block Island. We departed early in the morning for the trip back down the Potomac and out of the Chesapeake. After 56 hours of crushing out next stop was Paynes Dock in Block Island. Of course we were greeted with New England Fog!
Kate, we love the new look. At least someone on Block Island is wearing a mask!
A view from the south end.
Kate and Jim both arrived on the same day, but by different modes.
Jim flew in on his Aztec “F-Bomb.” I wonder where this name came from!
After dodging weather, Kate arrived by Helicopter.
Here is Taylor piloting the tender for a sunset cruise.
Congrats to the “Smith” family we met on the dock. Three kids and counting!
Although somebody might have been having a tough day!
Haggy is ready for the Fly-by!
Josh, Logan, and Old Glory. I don’t think it gets any tougher than this one!
From Left to Right: Kate, Molly, Lise, Pete, Logan, Taylor.
The crew are ready for a great evening!
Logan is sporting his red, white, and blue!
The sun is going down before the fireworks begin!
The first stop on our summer trip was Washington DC. Jim was scheduled to fly his P51 Mustang “OLD CROW” in the forth of July celebrations. The crew prepped the boat and departed Fort Lauderdale and was greeted by perfect weather for the 900 mile trip to the mouth of the Potomac River.
This is the calmest weather that we could ask for when rounding Cape Hatteras.
Once we entered the Potomac we decided to anchor for the night and begin the 95 mile trip up the river to DC the following morning.
Captain John at anchor after a great trip north
Taylor is playing Captain John’s guitar that shares her name!
Logan on anchor detail!
Heading up the Potomac.
The wrap of the hull is complete and Warbird is back underway with a fresh new look.
The process of wrapping the hull took a bit longer than we expected. Looking back we should have booked our yard time in the shed so we didn’t have to deal with weather! Overall Burl and the crew from Boatwraps.com hung in there and completed an awesome job. The entire hull was wrapped in a 3M material color “Anthracite Grey.” We then had a coat of ceramic placed on top of the wrap too help protect it from the elements. The final result was a complete change of the look of the boat. The new color now complements the name “Warbird”
The Hull Wrap!
The last major project before the summer season is installing a wrap on the hull. The original paint is at the end of it’s life. We are planning a complete paint job of the vessel next winter. We wanted to try a wrap on the hull ahead of time see how how it holds up. If were not happy with the results then we will end op removing the wrap and painting it. Boat wrapping has been around for years and is gaining ground in the large yacht industry. We decided on a metallic grey color called Anthracite. Here are some pics of the process.
