June 14, 2022
At least the dock is in Maine. Tardis went in the water last week after a winter in storage at Derecktor Robinhood. Inside storage cost a small fortune, but it meant the boat came out in great shape. I was all provisioned and ready to take off for a short cruise, when during a routine engine check, I couldn’t move the throttle. So I tore the controls down hoping that they just needed lubrication, but woe is me, the Teleflex cable was shot.
Normally, I would just get a new cable and fix it. But the cables twist and turn all through the bilge and Morse controls are real antiques, assembled with a half-dozen tiny brass fittings and cotter pins. So I decided to let the Derecktor folks take over, but that could take two weeks! They just don’t have enough qualified people and like everyone else, can’t find them.
So to make the best of a bad situation, I went to two museums I had been wanting to visit and Molly has switched around her vacation so we can spend some time burning gas up in the Rangely lakes, around the Damariscotta River and down in Portland, America’s coolest small city.
The Owl’s Head Transportation Museum is a fantastic collection of antique cars and airplanes. The day I was there they had rolled out some of the planes for a small air show and were zooming around out over Penobscot Bay. Also went over to Owl’s Head and climbed up to the light for some great views.
The Penobscot Maritime Museum in Searsport doesn’t look like much from the street but is incredibly full of exhibits detailing Maine’s unique history in seafaring, shipbuilding, fishing and lobstering. The Museum has taken over a whole street of captain’s and shipbuilder’s houses, town buildings, churches and boat barns to house the exhibits, so you get a combination of a living history and maritime museum all at once. Once the docents realized they had someone talking to them who could spot a Jimmy Steele peapod at 200 yards, knew a bark from a barque and a clipper from a downeaster they really worked hard to get me to exactly what I wanted to see.
Once we get moving again, the plan is two cruise the rivers west of the Sheepscot, loop around Penobscot Bay, then take off north as far as is reasonable by the end of August.
The Tardis Project 
Paul,
When ordering Teleflex cables keep in mind that you will likely move your engine back another 2 feet. We were lucky enough to return his (single control) 21′ cables and re-order a set of 23′ for Arnhem, which is nearing completion.
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