I also read,in recent times,Tim Severin‘s “The Jason Voyage”,his attempt at following the mythical story of Jason and the Argonauts. He had a Bronze Age Aegean galley built using archeological evidence and historical texts. This was the real deal –it would have banks of rowers toiling away and the characteristic “ram”bow. He set off from Greece and headed for the Dardanelles,following the legend’s trail and,once again,finding evidence that the myth may have been based on reality. Among the most fascinating aspects of the voyage was that it debunked the longstanding reason for it being myth:a vessel of that era could not have transited to notorious currents of the Dardanelles and Bosporus. Severin,though,figured out how to use back-eddies and other local nuances of the waterway to successful complete the trip from the Aegean to the Black Sea. Once there,the voyage continued to current-day Georgia,wherein Severin and crew “seal the deal”by identifying the likely source for the golden fleece as well as numerous other facts that match the stories.
I was almost tempted to make this book second to The Brendan Voyage,if only because the myth-to-facts aspect of the book are so compelling. In the end,I gave The Sinbad Voyage the honor,but this is a close third. The year after he completed this voyage,Severin took the same boat on another voyage to trace Ulysses’s voyage in “The Odyssey”. That book is in the on-deck-circle on my bed-side table and I look forward to sharing a review with you all soon.
I have had some time to sift through the back catalog here at Chine bLog headquarters and noted that I never covered a few key books I read in the last couple years. In particular,after knocking off Tim Severin‘s The China Voyage and then his The Brendan Voyage,I moved on to his some of his other like books. Severin’s trip in BRENDAN,the authentic 9th century curragh,got his wheels spinning,it seems,and he hit on another mythical journey to test:the adventures of Sinbad.
It was commonly accepted at the time (~1980),that these writings were pure myth. Severin arranged to build a replica 9th century dhow in Oman,scouring the Arabian Sea shores for period materials,especially the coconut husk fiber builders of the day used to lash the boat together. Yes,these were plank–on-frame boats that were fully lashed. He and a crew then sailed the boat from Oman to China,identifying sources for the supposedly mythical elements and,thereby,suggesting the Sinbad stories may have been based on an amalgamation of true events.
The first quarter or so of the book is all about the boat and its materials,and that alone makes it worth reading. The actual voyage is not as gripping as that of the BRENDAN,but it is still an engaging story. If you haven’t read any Severin,I’d start with The Brendan Voyage and then grab this one immediately afterwards. Here is a summary piece if you need more convincing.
Even more interesting to note is that there is a movie coming out about the effort,“Our Blue Canoe.”The article above included the trailer,courtesy of YouTube:
Good stuff here. Look out for the film and check out the book.
There were a few items I thought it would be useful to touch upon in summary.
Muscongus Bay Let me start with the area I picked. Simply put,I am not sure why I had never discovered Muscongus Bay before,but it is a total gem. Beautiful islands and waterways,a mix of open and protected passages,and numerous lovely islands. It is a stunning spot. It was some compelling,in its own right,that when I got to Port Clyde and realized I could probably achieve my earlier plan of entering Penobscot Bay and exploring the Mussel Ridge Channel,I decided I’d rather stay in Muscongus and do it better. And I don’t regret that for a moment.
This leads me to muse,however:where was everyone?! It was the week of the Fourth of July,weather was amazing,and I ran into three other sets of campers (two on the first night,on a different island,and two using motor boats). I didn’t even see many cruising sailboats! How can people be missing this spot?! It makes no sense. People are missing out!
The Maine Island Trail I want to call out the Maine Island Trail Association again. This organization has created an absolutely first class resource and,in my limited experience,the standard by which water trails should be judged. There are many camp sites reflecting a variety of needs / desires of a party. Those I saw were well-maintained and well-chosen for convenience to the water. Better yet,they are generally spaced well-enough to ensure one can travel a long length of coast or explore an area deeply,without having to get far off the water. There is also a guide book and web site with detailed information on sites and an array of background and safety information.
Look,I am clearly not an expert in water trials,but they do fascinate me and I have done some research on some which are closer to home here in DC. The characteristics above seem like what you need in a true water trail:camping all along the trail,a long and/or deep possible voyage,and excellent resources for planning a trip and using the trail. I haven’t seen that elsewhere. The Patuxent Water Trail is close by and certainly covers a lovely stretch of water,but it offers only about three camping spots and those are all in one general area. The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail [gasp for breath] is really a collection of sites,with a few local trails,none of which have the same kind of water-convenient camping. I was able to find similar smatterings of not-really connected,not really camp-friendly trails in North Carolina. I know it isn’t easy to get trails done like MITA has,especially here in a more developed area. My point is not to criticize these other efforts as much as it is to hold up MITA’s stunning achievement as an example others should try to emulate. We need more trails like Maine’s and there are plenty of other waterways with strong potential.
AL DEMANY CHIMAN as a camp cruiser So,you may ask,how’d the boat do through all this? Overall,I’d say well. In her first heavy use,AL DEMANY CHIMAN proved a good boat for this purpose,though she was not without issues.
The good
Head-turning quotient –Oh let me have this one. The fact is that people all along the route took notice of AL DEMANY CHIMAN and we got many compliments. I definitely felt proud paddling around Muscongus Bay in this boat.
Stability –AL DEMANY CHIMAN proved plenty stable for my needs. With just me and my stuff,she showed no signs of capsize,even when encountering large wakes.
Dryness –In the whole trip there was only one case where AL DEMANY CHIMAN took water over side,and that was in a close hit by a pretty big lobster boat wake. She rode up over waves,as a skin-on-frame boat should.
Tracking in calm –The boat has a rocker,so it is not going to track spectacularly,but it wasn’t a problem when it was calm.
Capacity –I was able to load up the boat with five dry bags,and anchor bag,and bunch of water and still be plenty comfortable. If there had been two along it might have been tighter,but I still think it would have been doable.
Weight –This skin-on-frame boat definitely lived up to its weight advantages. In general I had to break the boat down (take off the iakos and ama) each night,but I could manage the main canoe hull (wa’a) alone,even on rocky beaches.
Durability –The skin took a few scratches from shells on the beaches,but none was remotely catastrophic.
Ease of paddling –See more on my speed below,but,overall,I was able to cover a good deal of ground,er,water,without working abnormally hard.
The bad
The ama –As I referenced in the introductory post,the ama needs a redo. The biggest issue was that,even after some judicious caulking,it still shipped a fair bit of water in any kind of chop,necessitating a trip to shallows for a dump-out. I could not go for any lengthy stretch without a shallow-water bail-out option. The fact is that it is hollow but uses the skin-on-frame medium,which creates a great many ways for water to get in (unlike,say,a strip-planked one). I am going to have to redesign the ama to be either solid (e.g.,with foam) or watertight (e.g.,with gobs of epoxy). I am leaning to the former. A re-working is also necessary because…
Tracking in a wind –When the breeze comes up,the boat tends to want to pivot such that it is not-quite broadside to the wind. Obviously this makes such passages a bit hard. I believe a good bit of the issue is that the ama rides with its aft end digging into the water too much. I need to re-do the aft iako connection and re-work the aft end of the ama.
My speed I kept a log of the trip and thus have a record of time and distance. I think my speed was fine. I think the boat has good characteristics in the regard,but with a single paddle,only so much driving force is possible. What was interesting is the consistency across days and distances,pretty much always two-and-change knots:
Overall,I am extremely pleased with the boat and the trip!
Day 3,In which we log some miles On day 3 I awoke –still groggy –at 7:45! I didn’t get on the water until 10:00,a pretty poor performance. The rest of the day was to make up or it.
My original plan was to paddle up some intriguing looking narrow passages to Friendship,then head west back into the main body of the bay and up the Medomak River to Hungry Island. I set out as planned between Friendship Long Island and Cranberry Island,the first narrow passage I had seen. The tide was dead low,so it was an especially narrow waterway,but no problem for us. It was one of those gunkholing experiences that make camp cruising so exciting. When I got to the end,though,and glanced to the east and realized,in consulting the chart,that the northern set of Georges Islands were not far away. I decided to follow the next narrow passage,between Friendship Long Island and Morse,and the circle around the north side of Morse to emerge back in the same bay by Gay Island. This I did,feeling excited that the weather was again letting me get further afield.
As I passed south of Caldwell,enjoying the day fully,I again looked east and saw that Port Clyde was not a great stretch more. I needed water anyway,and,in stopping there,I could tag the eastern edge of Muscongus Bay. I pushed on and bummed water,inadvertently,from the owner of a private dock. Not my fault you have your own dock that looks like a small marina,pal! Actually he was very gracious and impressed by my voyage.
I spun back out of Port Clyde in a freshening breeze and hard a long pull across the mouth of the St. Georges River. I had noted another interesting narrow passage,Pleasant Point Gut,and the tide more than made this stunning channel accessible to me. I still had barely stopped for a rest,never mind lunch,but I pushed on towards Friendship as the afternoon was creeping by. I finally grabbed a quick bit at the northern tip of Friendship Long Island,gazing out at the only Friendship Sloop to be seen there.
Under still sunny skies and a solid afternoon breeze,I headed through Friendship Harbor,buzzing a nice-looking motorsailer,and west to Martin Point and the Medomak. There I turned mostly down wind and had an easy final couple miles to Hungry Island,arriving at 5:30 tired,but not exhausted. Again I was alone and again the spot was pretty,with views across to some small islands and,to the side,down the bay.
I unhurriedly pitched camp and then glanced through the trees to the west to see ominous clouds. NOAA was reporting severe storms to the south,but I just got rain and nearby thunder. The weather coming in created some amazing clouds,though.
Day 4,In which we steal away,again,to Thief Island Day 4 dawned foggy,but,with the sun clearly peaking out,did not remain that way. I headed north up the Medomak River as far as Havener Island,a small MITA island that looked really cool but would have been hard to land on with AL DEMANY CHIMAN. I spent the rest of the morning heading down Hockomock Channel,staying on the Bremen Long Island Shore,before getting to Strawberry Island for lunch before noon. Tons of mussel shoals exposed at lower tides there made the area particularly interesting (and muddy when one stepped off the boat). I set off with a stronger northwest wind mostly behind me,crossing down to Thief Island again with little issue.
Thief is a stunning island,particularly in a nice,clearing northwesterly. It is in the middle of the bay and is high enough to afford views well up the bay and off to the east and west. I was alone,as before,and was able to select a lovely camp site right on the bluff above the rocky beach. I walked around the island,greatly annoying an osprey on the nest,and catching sweeping views to the south. I got treated to a lovely sunset before climbing into bed and falling asleep to a loon calling.
Day 5,In which all good things… Day 5 was again calm,but more overcast. I got ready and headed southwest through Marsh Harbor,around Ross Island (toward the mouth of the bay) and then north along Louds Island toward Round Pond. I dawdled,trying to find interesting wildlife amidst the kelp beds,but nothing showed itself. At mid-day I paddled into Round Pond again,ogled some nice boats,and brought to end,nearly 55 miles later,one amazing voyage. I strongly recommend others try this kind of trip.
Day 1,In which we get our keel under us The 4th of July dawned overcast and a little foggy. Truth be told,I was pretty nervous about the voyage around Muscongus Bay in AL DEMANY CHIMAN. As much as I wanted to make such a voyage,I never actually had and I had the jitters. All told,though,I got off smoothly from Round Pond,ME in late morning and headed north along the shore towards Bremen. Folks on the dock showed great interest in the boat and were very complimentary,which made me feel good. Even more exciting was when a kayaker put in from shore just to come out to see the boat. They weren’t the only interested parties. I learned later,from a party of kayakers that left at the same time,that a seal followed me for some way. I saw a loon as I spun Greenland Cove and was feeling good when I entered a suddenly foggy Hockomock Channel north of Hog Island.
I decided to put into Crow Island for lunch and suddenly found it lost in the fog,even though it is only about 50 yards off Hog. I set a compass course and put my whistle in my teeth and gunned it safely to the little island. There I found some older guys blasting old-timey country music and a nice beach where I had lunch and pondered the fog.
With the fog still thick after lunch I paddled back to Hog and headed south along its shore,hoping for some clearing. I thought I’d head to Thief Island instead of the planned Black. Soon the wind came up and visibility improved,but,as NOAA had suggested,somewhat threatening clouds appeared. I landed on Louds Island to dump water from the ama and thought some more about the next steps. In retrospect I could have made it,but,with a longish upwind pull ahead of me,uncertain weather,and an ama I suddenly didn’t trust as much,I turned back to the campsite on Hog Island for the night,feeling like I hadn’t made it very far.
On Hog I found some locals having a 4th of July picnic and gathered more interest in –and compliments on –the boat. I made camp as the fog rolled back in hard. After a couple hours the locals left and I was alone in thick fog,wondering what I had gotten myself into. The campsite was certainly comfortable,but I tucked myself in early feeling a good bit less sure of the venture.
Day 2,in which we relearn how to cruise When I woke and stepped out of my tent I was greeted by clear visibility and calm waters. Before the trip I had planned my route up,down,and sideways. Part of my anxiety on the first afternoon was the thought that my plan had already been mucked up. As I stared out at a beautiful,still bay,however,it dawned on me that going with what they day gives you is what cruising is all about. I have always found the old saw “its the voyage,not the destination”a bit tiresome,but it fit here. Cruising is about exploring and serendipity. I had forgotten that was what I was there for. I resolved to go where I could and enjoy whatever I found within those parameters. I got on the water before 9:00 in good spirits.
With a clear,calm bay I decided to head south while I could. I made for Thief Island,had a look around this spectacular little spot. I then crossed to some ledges where I found a seal colony,some of whom followed me halfway around Wreck Island. I am guessing Wreck Island was not so named when it came into the possession of James A. Wreckham in 1831. Alas there is no doubt a darker tale. Today I noticed great blue herons coming and going like O’Hare airport on a Friday afternoon. My bet is that there is a rookery there,though I didn’t spot the nests.
I continued heading south and east as the wind came up from the usual southwest. By the time I was rounding Franklin Island I had a bit of chop against me,but I got great views of the pretty lighthouse there. After Franklin I headed downwind to gorgeous Harbor Island.
Harbor is privately owned and is mostly wild. I landed on a lovely beach of sand and small cobbles. There were many beautiful skipping stones,and I was able to knock off a series of 10+ skips. Lunch was on a rock overlooking the beach,and,after being unable to find the trail that supposedly exists across the island,I happily lolled on the beach for a while.
The wind was quite fresh as I again headed downwind to Black Island. The crossing was a little hairy,but not bad. Black proved to be a gem of a little island,a quintessential chunk of Maine coast with rocky shores and spruce forests. I pitched my tent just off the shore by some Cape Code rose bushes. This proved to be the only night I had company,as a father and two sons were already there. After exploring the island I settled in for dinner and the watched the sun set from the rocks. Sleep came much more easily.
Regular readers know all about my skin-on-frame outrigger canoe project,which culminated in the launch of AL DEMANY CHIMAN last October. Her launch represented the completion of two “bucket list”items:designing my own boat and building to that design. It also represented my first true forays into longtime interests in outrigger canoes and the skin-on-frame medium. the end of 2010 brought some great successes,to be sure.
There was always,though,one more element,floating around the back of my mind. It would be great to design and to build my own boat,but I also wanted to cruise it,and,given the size I envisioned,that meant camp-cruising. Well,as of last week,I can check that off too. Over the course of the winter I hatched and brought to life a plan to extend our family vacation to Maine by another week during which I would camp cruise some part of the Maine Island Trail in AL DEMANY CHIMAN. I am pleased to be able to report on this voyage over the course of a few posts.
Once I figured out how to make this trip happen,I had to think about where to do it. I have spent a great deal of time between the Kennebec and Pemaquid Point,so that was out. Far down east was too far and remote,so that was out too. I finally dropped Deer Isle to Mt. Desert because I have also seen that area,thought not as much and not very recently. That left Casco Bay,which I have seen only a little,oddly enough,Muscongus Bay,which I hadn’t really seen,and Western Penobscot,which I have seen,but not in a while and not enough. After some kicking around,I settled on a trip from Muscongus around into southwestern Penobscot.
I arrived in Maine,however,prepared to test the plan before embarking. I decided to do a shakedown trip around Rutherford Island (at the mouth of the Damariscotta River). I was glad I did,as I learned to key facts. One was that AL DEMANY CHIMAN’s biggest weakness is her ama,which I must confess,has a design flaw. In short,it was shipping fairly large amounts of water in any significant chop. This came somewhat dramatically into play as I passed out of the Thread of Life into a southwest breeze and,in rounding the island,found the ama nearly fully submerged. I remained stable,but I wasn’t going anywhere fast and had poor maneuverability. I was able to land,luckily,and dump the water,but it left me concerned. I remedied this issue to some extent afterwards through some judicious caulking,but that didn’t fully fix the issue. More on this later.
I also found that I hadn’t gone nearly as far as fast as I had hoped,given that one long leg was dead upwind and a couple others were against the tide. This left me thinking my plans may have been too ambitious. In the end,therefore,I never left Muscongus Bay. While ensuring the trip would be achievable was a factor,I also realized I really wanted to focus and do a smaller area well. And this I believe I did. The decision was definitely the right one. Muscongus Bay was amazingly beautiful and had plenty to offer on its own.
As you can see,I covered much of the bay,from Round Pond in the west to Port Clyde in the East;Havener in the north to Franklin in the south. Nearly 55 miles of paddling across five days. In subsequent posts I’ll share some pictures of the actual voyage,but this post sets the scene. So be looking for more.
I just finished reading Sons of Sindbad by Alan Villiers. I guess Villiers is a noted mariner and author;I confess I hadn’t heard of him. He went to Aden in 1939,having shipped out on sailing ships for many years. He arranged to join a traditional boom (dhow) on its annual run from Arabia to Zanzibar. He wrote about his months with an all Arabian crew,including observations both on the boats and seafaring as well as the Arab culture. My review? It would have been the better for being about 1/3 shorter,overall. This aside,there were many interesting observations,and I learned a good bit about the traditional shipping of the Western Indian Ocean. The nuggets were embedded,however,within a fairly dry tale. Villiers ran into many discomforts,but there was little in the way of harrowing adventure to keep one engaged. In short,not bad,but not the first book I’d recommend.
The boaters –two Americans and a South African –traveled some 1,000 miles of river this way,through some of the densest concentrations of man-killing wildlife in the world. They were on a quiet stretch of the Lukuga River in Congo,paddling just 4 or 5 feet apart,when a crocodile slipped up from behind and ripped trip leader Hendri Coetzee from his red plastic boat.
This crew certainly knew what they were doing and what the risks were,but this is why nature must be respected.
Posted on January 16th,2012
This was the real deal –it would have banks of rowers toiling away and the characteristic “ram”bow. He set off from Greece and headed for the Dardanelles,following the legend’s trail and,once again,finding evidence that the myth may have been based on reality. Among the most fascinating aspects of the voyage was that it debunked the longstanding reason for it being myth:a vessel of that era could not have transited to notorious currents of the Dardanelles and Bosporus. Severin,though,figured out how to use back-eddies and other local nuances of the waterway to successful complete the trip from the Aegean to the Black Sea. Once there,the voyage continued to current-day Georgia,wherein Severin and crew “seal the deal”by identifying the likely source for the golden fleece as well as numerous other facts that match the stories.
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,by Ben R. Finney,a book detailing his close involvement with the early iterations of this movement. In short,a few groups of Polynesians connected with each otherseveral years ago and decided to build versions of their traditional voyaging canoes and sail together around Polynesia using traditional navigation (i.e.,by stars,birds,weather patterns,etc.) It is a pretty interesting read,especially since Finney sailed with esteemed Micronesian navigator 
Regular readers know all about 
by