Quahog Bay
And so, I did. I put us, me and the boat, on a granite ledge for about ½ an hour. This is not uncommon in Maine but still terrible. Luckily no damage to the boat or to me. I was helped by Andy in his kayak and a power boat that stopped by. They took my main halyard, which goes up to the top of the mast, and pulled Holiday on her side until we floated off. Phew.
A good look at Maine’s granite ledges – and the boat-ledge interface.
It was my fault. I was looking at a possible anchoring spot when it happened. I had turned the boat away from the ledge but didn’t turn far enough. Sailing adage – “Anyone who says they’ve never run aground is lying”. I’ve run aground plenty but mostly in muddy Chesapeake tributaries, way more forgiving.
Getting to that ledge was fun at least. I was able to sail through some of the islands that I had motored through on the way to Boothbay.
After crashing on the ledge I very slowly went to the nearest mooring I could get, looked all over the bilge for signs of leaks and then called it a day.