The end of our Maine cruising (for this year!)

We awoke to an outside temp of 39F the day we left Casco Bay—let’s get south!

At the start of our trip to Maine I never would have guessed that we’d be working to avoid impacts from a tropical weather system here, but it is 2020 and here we are! With unfavorable winds and big (15-20’) swells from Hurricane Teddy in the forecast, we opted to hang in Kittery for a few days. As a military retiree, we can sometimes tie up at base marinas and we lucked out at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. They have a “COVID Island” dock that lacks power or water, but it’s in a protected cove, it’s out of the strong river current, and at $20 a day it’s a steal. We can also walk to a nice commissary (grocery store) and fill water via jerry cans. And the bonus? Two of my MMA classmates have their boat there and rowed over to say hi within minutes of us tying up! We have quite a few friends in the area, but between COVID, weather, restaurant closures, and the fact that we have to get off base to hang out, we are keeping to ourselves for the most part. Walks around base, school work, and provisioning have kept us plenty busy! 

But alas, it’s time to go and we will head to Gloucester in the morning. We had a great time thanks to many friends who helped us and visited along the way, the friendly cruising families we met, and the awesome hospitality of the people of Maine. We will be back!

Hiding out in Casco Bay

For almost the entire last week we have been on the run, hiding from 20-30kt winds every night from alternating directions every day. After an attempt to get a mooring in Freeport (none available all week!), we headed for Great Chebeague Island to duck out of southerlies. As we were setting the hook we were hailed by M/Y Rangeley—they were on a mooring nearby and owned another that they offered up for our use. They are so sweet and even offered to let us use bikes ashore!

We spent the next few days bouncing around Harpswell. We tried a few new anchorages, had a good time playing on the beach at Stover’s Point, and had to hit up The Dolphin for a day of laundry, showers, great dinner, and those blueberry muffins in the morning! The kids even grabbed the mooring at The Dolphin after casting the 1st Mate ashore to get the laundry going.

Tonight we are on a mooring in Falmouth. Our awesome friends delivered our grill part AND fresh eggs! The past few days it’s been getting down into the 50’s inside the boat at night and we have been running the heater a bit to take the edge off. We hate to admit it, but it’s time to head south. With good weather tomorrow and a tropical system gearing up to impact weather all the way up here, we are going to skip Portland and head for Kittery in the morning. 

The road less traveled to Casco Bay

After the exciting swim in Muscongus Bay, the peace and quiet of Linekin Bay was just what we needed. This deep anchorage allows access to Boothbay Harbor without all the craziness and boat traffic of being right in the harbor. We were socked in with fog for two nights, but we took the opportunity to make a provisioning (and thrifting!) run into town. 

As we made our way back to Casco Bay we decided to try a few new places off the beaten path on the eastern edge. First up—The Basin. The entrance to The Basin off the New Meadows River is narrow (not Great Harbour Cay narrow, but still narrow!) and littered with pots that get sucked under as the current rips through, but the reward once inside is worth the white-knuckle navigation. We saw one spot that was only 9’ deep, but then we were in! It was flat calm and we shared the anchorage with one other boat that we’d seen a few other times while in Maine. At night, stirring the water brought it to life with bioluminescence. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, we went ashore for a nice morning hike. This stop was just absolutely lovely.

The Basin

Leaving the Basin we had plenty of options nearby for the prevailing winds. We rounded Rogue Island and headed for Ridley Cove, but finding lots of floats and just not feeling it, we continued up Quahog Bay to Snow Island. Though there is a big marina just north of the island, we found this spot much more picturesque and peaceful, and we dropped the hook east of Little Snow Island. We hadn’t even been here an hour when the Quahog Bay Conservancy pump-out boat came along to see if we needed a pump! This group offers free pump-outs (though happily accepts donations) and has an oyster fishery to help keep Quahog Bay clean. I love their mission and the work they are doing! We are settled in with about a half dozen other boats for a breezy night.

Snow Island

For folks heading to Casco Bay from Boothbay, it’s easy to skip these little spots and end up in Freeport or Portland, but I’m glad we were able to take it slow. From here we are off to hide out from strong winds that are forecast to flip-flip from northerly to southerly almost every day. We also have a part to fix the grill getting shipped to a friend in the area, so we will be working on a meet-up!

Southern Muscongus Bay

As we departed Penobscot Bay, our sights were set on a return to Muscongus Bay. Despite the crazy amount of lobster pots we encountered last time we were there, we loved it! And while it was very tempting to revisit the puffin colony and Round Pond, we opted for some new adventures.

First stop—Burnt Island. Based on mixed reviews of the holding here, we weren’t sure a stop here would work. We approached and only saw one small boat on a mooring and after driving around a bit managed to settle into a spot that kept us clear of the many pots. Holding was good, so we headed ashore for a hike. I LOVED it! There is a 2.5-mile trail around the perimeter of the island that takes you through shaded woods and along stunning rocky shores. It was a perfect afternoon. And when we returned to the boat we decided conditions were good enough to stay the night.

Burnt Island

After a night in Maple Juice Cove to avoid some southerlies we headed to Harbor Island in hopes of some more good hiking. This is another spot with mixed holding reviews and it took us about 25 minutes to set to our liking (we back down hard!). I’m glad it set because the fog was rolling in! We decided to head ashore to hike, but we couldn’t even see the beach! We made it, met another boater who pointed us to the trails, and we were off! This island’s trails can take you to cliffs, caves, and fairy gardens. We had a blast goofing off on the rocks and exploring the caves. The fog did not lift while we were ashore—in fact, we couldn’t see the boat as we tried to return! 

Harbor Island

We have decided to stay out for the night. We are tucked in between Hall and Harbor Islands, yet can’t  see either! We’ve lit up the boat as best we can so others can see us and are hoping it clears tomorrow so we can move along.

Repairs in Rockland

We hit up Rockland for a fun working port! Hamilton Marine for parts, Hannaford’s for groceries, CGEX to refill the liquor locker, and a cheap mooring with easy trash, laundry, fuel, and water at the Landings Marina—let’s do it! (And of course, yummy food options galore!)

So...the freshwater pump. It’s sounded like it wants to die for some time, running well past when we shut off the faucet. A few interim fixes kept it going, but it was time. Like any good boat project, almost the entire salon was emptied to access the pump. Fortunately we had all the right connectors for the new pump and it went in pretty easily. The result? WHY DID WE WAIT? Holy smokes, this new pump is so quiet! She purrs instead of thundering along the port side. I. Love. It. Frank will rebuild the old one and keep it as a spare.

The pump wasn’t the only awesome boat project! While in town we went ahead and completed the replacement of our genoa. Yes, yes, the new sail has been up for a bit, but yesterday we took the old sail to Sea Bags Maine for recycling. How did that go? We had pre-coordinated via email so we just walked the two blocks up from the marina and dropped it off. They weighed it and offered us a trade—a new bag! We got to pick from a wide variety and went with this cute, functional souvenir to mark our trip to Maine. We love it so much, and already put it to work on the grocery run!

🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞

Lazy days in Penobscot Bay—Islesboro and Vinalhaven

The days on the water and the nights are getting cool, so we are pointing the bow somewhat south. We made a slow pass through Islesboro, visiting Warren Island State Park and hunkering down for two days of strong winds. The park looks awesome for camping, and while the trails were nice, we had to do them twice just to get a good bit of exercise in.

Brrrr!

And we finally made it to Vinalhaven! Perry Creek was an absolute delight with its serene atmosphere, abundant hiking trails, and the sweet man that provides moorings to visiting yachts. All he asks is that we consider a donation to the Vinalhaven Land Trust (considered and done!). The hiking was so good that the dinghy was high and dry when we came back, even though we pushed it way out when we left.

Exploring Perry Creek from the “Roddy” mooring.

Next we spent a few days in Seal Bay. We didn’t see a ton of seals, but the birding, hiking, and dinghy beaching was just as fun here! We also had a brush with famous YouTube sailors (said hello, but continued on our way—I didn’t want to interrupt their enjoyment of this place) and a birthday celebration complete with Maine blueberry pancakes, fresh lobster alfredo (thanks, Lady J!), and Maine chocolate (Bixby) brownies. Such a great day and another awesome stop!

Seal Bay

As we rounded the south side of Vinalhaven we made a quick, rolly stop at Brimstone Island—the smooth, black cobble beach is unlike anything we’ve seen! From there, we headed to Hurricane Island for an afternoon stroll along the many trails there—its a cool, old granite quarry.

Brimstone Island

Hurricane Island

Alas, a failing water pump and empty cupboards are pushing us back to Rockland. But Vinalhaven is solidly on our “must return to” list! School also started this week so we have to play a little less and work a little more going forward, but the kids seem to have jumped right back into it!

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!

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.

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.

A different kind of MMA homecoming

Our arrival in Penobscot Bay was made via peaceful, secluded anchorages. We started off in Long Cove, just outside of Tenants Harbor. This spot had tons of pot-free anchoring and short hikes available on High Island. From there, we hit Pulpit Harbor in mid-bay, north of Vinalhaven. The reviews on this spot were mixed, but we gave it a try and enjoyed it! It did fill in a bit, even mid-week, but there was plenty of room for all and we were able to stretch our legs ashore for a bit.

Long Cove

Pulpit Harbor

And yesterday we made the trip I’ve dreamed about for years! Since we got this boat I’ve imagined how awesome it would be to return to Penobscot Bay and the Bagaduce River, home to my marine-focused college, in our boat. With a sweet southerly breeze pushing us up the bay, past Dyce Head light, and into Castine Harbor, I returned to Maine Maritime Academy! I was almost spewing tears of joy as we tied off to one of the Academy’s mooring balls. We ran ashore and walked out to the lighthouse, then jogged back to the waterfront ahead of some storms.

Sweet wing-and-wing sailing, Swab trimming the main, the best mooring evah, and racing the storms to Dyce Head Light. 

Today we started with some jogs, some paddle boarding, and a walk up to campus to meet a classmate’s wife. But then it was time for the main event—welcoming the T/S State of Maine back to her home port! In non-pandemic years, the ship is out for the summer to give future merchant mariners critical training. This year it’s different (isn’t everything?), but the students still have training requirements that have to be met to earn their Coast Guard licenses. The school tried to run a fast cruise (simulating underway, but tied to a pier), but some residents complained about the noise so the ship moved across the bay to another town. Today, the ship returned to her home with fire trucks, boat horns, and music blasting! I never had to go on the training cruise because my major didn’t require it, but I did work in the galley for one cruise and I fully appreciate the critical training that happens on cruise. I am glad our family could be part of this!

We will stay a few more days to visit with friends and monitor the track of tropical storm Isaias. It’s great to be home!