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Today is John Graichen's birthday,
and this year he was determined to sail on it before trailering "Malacass"
out and home to Nashua, NH for the winter. I offered to give him a
hand long ago, but not once it got cold. I don't like cold --
which is why I had Chip Ahoy hauled out back in mid-October. But I
thought I could get some good photos from the shore for him, with my
warm Chevy Blazer nearby with its heater blasting. At 9:30 this
morning I drove to the town cemetery overlooking John's mooring, but he
hadn't arrived yet. The photo on the left is a self-portrait
showing the temperature -- and my compass heading. (Dec. 6, 2008) |
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Malacass was sitting out there looking lonely and cold
among all the empty moorings. |
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Next I drove up the road about half a mile toward the mouth
of Salem Harbor to Stramski Beach to see if I could spot John canoeing
across from Winter Island, where he planned to trailer out using its
ramp. That's Winter Island dead center in the photo, the old Coast
Guard station and its seaplane hanger. The ramp originally served
the seaplane before the USCG switched over to helicopters and turned the
island over to the City of Salem for public recreational use. Note from the
nearby Marblehead shoreline that the
tide's going out, low at 11:02 am today. |
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Using my Tamron AF28-300 mm telephoto lens on my Nikon
D50 DSLR I was able to zoom across the harbor and right onto Winter
Island. No John, canoe, or truck and trailer in sight, and there
appeared to be no docks either but those alongside the ramp. |
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Switching to the
new Sigma
AF10-20 mm wide-angle lens I captured Salem Harbor from the
Marblehead side; (L) the inner harbor and Malacass on its
mooring, (Center) the Salem Power Plant, and (R) at the far
right in the photo across the harbor, Winter Island. |
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In the meantime, John reached me by cell phone; he was at
the ramp and began canoeing over. That's John "Chief Hiawatha
Frostbite" Graichen paddling his canoe dead
center in the photo, across the harbor just to the left of the smoke stack on the left. |
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A full zoom shot of the canoeist approaching
from across the harbor. Boy that harbor's surface was flat today,
barely a ripple never mind waves or swells. |
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John soon arrived at Malacass and prepared to drop his
mooring for the last time this season. |
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With the main sail raised, canoe in tow, he was on his
way back to Winter Island. That sure looks like it beats paddling! |
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Approaching Winter Island and its ramp. |
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NEXT |
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It's never-ending ... but Sailing Season '08 has ended! |
