Belfast—A Cruising “A”

We were on a mission. We needed to meet up with friends to get our mail (and hugs!) and needed a place to hang out for some strong NW winds in the forecast. Hello, Belfast! 

The path to and from college passed through Belfast (Why did I always love passing the quirky Perry’s Nut House?), but this was our first visit via water. For $35 you get a mooring convenient to town with WiFi and trash. Showers were closed (COVID) and restrooms are public, but the town has water, pump-out, gas and diesel. And propane fills are cheap and easy! There is also a large, clean laundromat two blocks up from the water.

With a 3-night stay we didn’t even come close to eating through all the delicious options in town! We did hit up Young’s Lobster Pound and instantly put it in our top two lobster rolls (so far!). The town has seafood, American, Thai, Italian, pizza, hot dogs, vegan food...you name it! There is also an awesome food co-op, a large Hannaford grocery up on route 1, and farmer’s markets! We ate well! The town also has a really nice harbor walk and is, in general, a nice place to stroll around. We even met a fellow cruising family while out walking one day (we recognized each other from Instagram)! 

The highlight for us was getting to meet up with old friends for dinner, but we can definitely see a return to Belfast in our future cruising seasons!

No pots! Eggemoggin Reach to Holbrook Island

No pots! Ok, I’m excited about that, but let’s back up to our departure from Opechee Island in patchy fog...visibility was down to 300’ in some spots, and most of those spots were in narrow passages with tons of pots. The fog finally cleared as we pointed NW to head up the Eggemoggin Reach. To our delightful surprise, there’s a big stretch of that body of water this COMPLETELY DEVOID OF LOBSTER POTS. You’re welcome. We enjoyed a blissful sail along the coast of Deer Isle and settled in for the night off Holbrook Island.

Eggemoggin Reach 

I hate to admit this, but in four years of college I don’t recall ever making it out to Holbrook Island or the Holbrook Island Sanctuary until we visited it earlier this month, even though you can clearly see Castine from the anchorages. We dropped the hook between Holbrook and Ram, and took the dinghy to explore Ram Island. We had to stay on the shore due to Bald Eagle nesting (we got a great view of an Eagle!), but it was still a nice cruise!

Ram Island

The morning was super foggy and perfect for a trek around Holbrook Island. It’s a small island with quite a few nice trails and a nice outhouse! There is one guest mooring, tons of anchoring options, and a nice dinghy dock so this is a great stop for cruisers. And since we weren’t going anywhere until the fog lifted, we toured the whole island, taking time to explore the beaches. It was magical!

Holbrook Island 

We are in Turtle Cove on the north end of Isleboro now, prepping to head into Belfast for a few days of chores and visits with friends!

Opechee and Sheep Islands

We decided to try new places as we headed back towards Penobscot Bay from MDI. The first of those—Opechee Island anchorage. We found plenty of room here with at least six other boats and had plenty of options for islands to explore. We decided to hike all around the rocky shore of Sheep Island and what we found were a bunch of little beaches! We ran back to the boat, changed into swimmies, and spent the afternoon lounging and playing on our own little beach. We didn’t know what to expect when we chose to anchor here, but what we got was an afternoon of summer memories.

We return to MDI...by sea!

We love our national parks so we were all pretty excited about making it up to Mount Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park! As we crossed Bass Harbor Bar under beautiful blue skies we had a fantastic view of the iconic Bass Harbor Head Light. Then we pointed north past Southwest Harbor and into majestic Somes Sound, the only natural fjord in North America. We would end up spending much of our time around MDI in this sound.

Bass Harbor Head Light

This year is different. Typically on a visit to Acadia one could take the Island Express bus all over the island to access park facilities, trailheads, and provisions. But with the COVID pandemic the bus isn’t running, which limits the trails that are readily accessible by boat. At the head of the sound we anchored in Sargent Cove and took a mooring at Abel’s Boatyard one night. This spot allowed us to easily access the Giant Slide Trail and the adjoining network trails. Abel’s also has delicious food three nights a week (we hit it twice, it was so good!) and gave us a chance to empty trash and get water. 

Great hiking from the Giant Slide Trail including Sargent Mountain, the second tallest peak on MDI!

We also spent a few nights in Valley Cove. This cove can be tricky for anchoring as the winds and currents both swirl a bit and the anchorage is very deep, but it’s so majestic! You are surrounded by tall cliffs and have easy beach access to a trail network. We also met a few other cruising families in the cove and got to help a couple with a runaway dinghy one breezy afternoon. 

Valley Cove anchorage and hikes.

We took a day to cruise the Acadia shoreline up to Bar Harbor (so many cars and people!) and made a provision run. That was it for us—just too many people for us at this point. But the real treat? A visit to Islesford on Little Cranberry Island. This place is a true gem! The town has a few free guest moorings, but there is also room to anchor. Bonus—you can access the free WiFi from the moorings! This is a working lobster port with a vibrant art scene and an amazing seaside restaurant. The town is very walkable with a 15mph speed limit and plenty of residents rolling around in golf carts. We really enjoyed our visit and look forward to returning when the museum is open.

Islesford, Little Cranberry Island

Even with the buses shut down, this was a great trip to MDI and the surrounding area. I like how we managed to stay away from the really crowded parts of the park, yet still experienced its beauty.

For the love of little islands—the path “Down East”

Our path from Rockland to “Down East” Maine took us through the Fox Islands Thorofare and to Merchant Harbor north of Isle of Haut. The anchorage itself was wonderful and walking and foraging berries on Harbor Island was awesome, but lobster pots are definitely in play here. We were well clear of all gear when we set the hook, but early morning fishing resulted in a pit darn near on top of our anchor. It is Maine!

Merchant Harbor/Harbor Island

We didn’t go far the next day, weaving our way through pots to arrive at Buckle Island on the northwest corner of Swan’s Island. We enjoyed a long walk ashore, poking around in tide pools and discovering ferry houses! The best part? A visit from neighbors on “Pronto” who generously shared their local knowledge and loaned us a cruising guide! This is what makes cruising special—those folks will always be part of our fond memories of Maine!

Buckle Island

We were going to head to Mount Desert Island, but favorable winds had us pointing the bow toward Long Island and the village of Frenchboro. Fellow cruisers on S/V Sargo had recommended Frenchboro and I’m so glad we went! We grabbed a mooring (and lunch) from Lunt’s before heading ashore for some hiking. It was amazing! Like Acadia, but way less crowded. We walked the rocky shores, collecting washed up fishing lines and floats. On the way back to the boat, we collected blackberries. It was a fabulous day!

Frenchboro, Long Island

These little islands and villages are what we really enjoy as we cruise Maine!

Rockport and Western Penobscot Bay

After almost a week in Castine and Smith Cove, we pointed the bow toward western Penobscot Bay. Our new sail was on its way to Maine and that’s where we could take delivery!

After a super peaceful night in Turtle Head Cove at the north end of Islesboro, we arrived in Rockport. As we turned into the harbor, passing Indian Head Light, we could already tell Rockport was going to be a good fit for us.  We tied up to a mooring that a friend was generous enough to lend us and looked around in awe—beautiful yachts on one side of us, trees and rocky shore on the other. While the harbor can be a bit rolly, the quaint town makes up for it! Walking trails and outdoor space are abundant.

So much great outdoor fun here!

Once we knocked out some long-overdue laundry, we set to walking and eating our way through town. There are several restaurants and a lobster shack within a 10-15 minute walk and every place we tried was amazing! While there is a Hannaford grocery store about a 25 minute walk from the docks, Maine Street Meats is closer and oh so good! Fresh butchered meats, fresh baked breads, fresh local produce, tons of cheese, and beer and wine. And as our boy had once again outgrown shoes, we were thrilled that Maine Sport Outfitters was right up the road. And thrilled that my friend Deb could stop by and deliver some of her yummy homemade jam!

Clockwise from top left: Deb’s awesome jam, Graffam Bros. lobster rolls, Maine St. Meats dinner spread, cheesy panini from RAYR.

This stop was also great for visiting with friends from college! Ladleah and Shane popped by on their boat, Jess drove over from Popham with our sail and mail, and Kristy and her kiddos joined us for a fun day on the water! We left Rockport with full hearts and plenty of new gear to play with!

Great fun with friends!

Our new 135% tri-radial Dacron genoa from Quantum Sails! 😍

Before we could leave Penobscot Bay we had to stop by Rockland and visit Bixby & Co Chocolates. Rockland is nice, but bigger and busier than we were really after. We did manage to visit Bixby, Coast Guard Exchange (liquor run!), Hamilton Marine (a fabulous chandlery!), and a few other shops, and we got fuel, water, and pumped out (which was a disastrous poop show, literally!). It was a busy one-night stop, but we are happy to be heading for Mount Desert Island and points Down East!

Cruising Penobscot Bay? Here’s why Castine should be on your itinerary!

Let me start off with a disclaimer—I am biased! I went to college in this quaint coastal town and fell in love with it within a week of arriving from the Midwest. But this year we came to Castine as cruisers and with that in mind, here is why YOU should stop there!

- Mooring/dockage/anchoring. All options are available, whether you pay at the town dock to stay tied up overnight or go to Eaton’s Boatyard, dockage can be found. Eaton’s also has rental moorings. Anchorages with good holding can be found throughout Smith Cove, though that’s a little longer dinghy ride to town. Just want to stay for breakfast at Markel’s or lunch? You can tie up at the town dock for two hours free of charge! It’s even a decent hurricane hole—almost 40 boats were here for the passage of TS Isaias.

- Dinghy Dock. It’s huge! While it can look crowded, we never had a problem “pahkin the cah” here.

- Water/Pump-Out/Trash. Free water is available at both the Town Dock and Acadia Dock, free pump-out is at the Acadia Dock, and trash can be dropped off with the Harbormaster for $2/bag. The Acadia Dock is a “pick-up/drop-off only” dock, so it’s not too hard to get in there for a pump and fill.

- Gas/Diesel. Both are available at Eaton’s Boatyard.

- Food. Provisions are available super close at T&C Market, or further up the hill at the Windmill Hill specialty grocer. Good eats are available at the Captain’s Catch (great fish tacos!), Danny Murphy’s, Markel’s Bakehouse (try one of everything and thank me later), Windmill Hill Grocery, T&C Market deli counter, and Castine Variety. There is currently a pop-up pizza place three nights a week called The Watermark (below Markel’s, call them for info)—it’s amazing! In the time of COVID, everywhere we ate was doing takeout or well-spaced outdoor seating. Bottom line—you won’t go hungry here.

- Shopping. Even now, some shops and art galleries are open. Our family’s favorite is Compass Rose books. They have a great selection of books, international candies (yes, Icelandic chocolate!!!), coffee and snacks, and some seriously nice owners. This place wasn’t here when I was in school, but I sure wish it had been! We also scored a huge bag of books for $5 from a community sale at the local library while we were there!

- Exercise. This is a beautiful, historic town to walk around! From the town waterfront you can easily visit Dyce Head Light, Witherle Woods, and Fort George. Fun fact: the Penobscot Expedition of 1779 was the worst defeat in U.S. Navy history until the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941! Kayak rentals are available at Castine Kayaks. Landing a dinghy at Indian Bar in Smith Cove puts you in reach of several hiking trails in the Holbrook Island Sanctuary. Smith Cove is well-protected from prevailing summer winds so I was out paddle boarding every morning. A nice long walk will get you to Wadsworth Cove (“the backshore” to locals)  where you can swim in not-so-frigid water in the pond.

So what’s not in Castine? A laundromat and ethanol-free gasoline. That’s the only shortcomings I could find! Whether just swinging in for a pump and fill or lunch, or staying for days, Castine is worth your consideration.

Lehe Paine tied up at the Acadia Dock for a pump-out and water fill. The Town Dock is just in front of us, with dinghy docking on the back side of both docks.

Clockwise from top left: Dyce Head Light, Watermark pizza, Fort George, hiking in Holbrook Sound Sanctuary, dinghy dock, hiking in Witherle Woods to Blockhouse Point.