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!

Muscongus Bay: Boothbay to Penobscot Bay via PUFFINS!

As we left Casco Bay with big smiles on our faces, we pointed for Boothbay Harbor to refill our fridge and pantry via a mooring at a marina that generously loaned us a car. On the way, our smiles got even bigger as we again crossed paths with my friend Sean and his family. And they got a nice shot of us just before we gybed!

As we left Boothbay we headed for Eastern Egg Rock. Sean had told us there was a puffin colony there and as the Captain loves birds and we had never seen them, to Eastern Egg we went! And we saw PUFFINS! You can’t land on the island, but we saw them through the binos and saw them flying. So stinking cute!

Now where to? After passing the puffins, we could have just gone to Penobscot Bay, but my dear friend Beth’s hometown of Round Pond was tempting us...we turned northeast and headed there! The path had us sailing on a closer reach than I like (I know, it’s a sailboat, but I don’t love heeling a ton!), through a sea of lobster pots, between ledges and islands. I was totally cool with it.

But it was worth it! Round Pond is so cute! We got a mooring from the local boatyard and headed ashore for ice cream, penny candy, and delicious lobster. While we were in the boat, several folks chatted with us about our travels—it was almost like pre-COVID days, but without the beach social. We really liked this area and would certainly return.

With a forecast for heat and little wind, we went a whopping three miles up the sound to a sweet anchorage in Greenland Cove. This put us a short dinghy ride from Hog Island, an Audubon Society site, for a hot afternoon of hiking. We hiked the perimeter of the whole island, which was a mix of forest trails and trudging through ferns. Our reward? Swimming in the cool waters of the cove and watching a Hereshoff 12 1/2 sail by—love those classic boats!

Today we will make our way to Penobscot Bay, but first we checked out the puffins again! The swells were brutal getting down there, but it was worth it!

Shark! In Maine!

Ok, that title isn’t really shocking—sharks have cruised the waters of Maine for a really long time. However, today a woman died in a suspected shark attack in Harpswell, just a few miles from where we stayed this weekend. Such a terrible tragedy.  I was shocked to see the very Harbormaster boat that we had tied the dinghy up next to in the CNN article. This is a very rare event, and the authorities are investigating, but obviously we will continue to be vigilant of our surroundings before swimming. 

Update—confirmed to be a great white. There are lots of seals around right now, so it’s believed the sharks are here feeding. We will definitely not be swimming anywhere that we see active seals.

Casco Bay

We sailed, we motor sailed, and we survived minefields of lobster pots to arrive in Casco Bay! With plans to meet a friend in the area next weekend, headed for the Goslings to see if one of the moorings would be available on a Sunday night. As luck would have it, boats were leaving as we came in and finding a mooring was no problem. This spot ended up being a great place to get away—swimming, paddle boarding, exploring the islands...we even got to see the comet, NEOWISE! We were also surprised by a visit from an old college friend and his family! We really came to understand why so many boaters like to head to the Goslings, even if it’s only for lunch.

After a few days we ventured a few miles to Jewell Island. This place was amazing! I mean, you anchor in Cocktail Cove. Does it get any better? Trails and campsites on the island are maintained by the Maine Island Trails Association (MITA) and weave you through the island’s history as an ammunition depot and lookout in WWI and WWII. There isn’t a ton of anchoring room, and with any real wind I would have been nervous, but it was calm for our stay and we slept well. We enjoyed our stay so much that we decided to become MITA members!

As plans with our friend changed, we decided to skip Freeport on this leg of the journey and head to Potts Harbor and the very cruiser-friendly Dolphin Marina and Restaurant. What makes it cruiser-friendly? Nice moorings, friendly staff, a self-service pump-out float, free laundry, hot showers, and blueberry muffins and coffee delivered to your boat in the morning! The restaurant and Erica’s Seafood next door were awesome surprises, too. I mean, if you have to do laundry, access to great food is a bonus.

The Dolphin was our first interaction with shore in Maine and my impression is that folks here are taking the pandemic seriously and all doing their part to keep cases down. Masks were worn, groups gave each other space, and the restaurants did take-out and had tons of well-spaced outdoor seating. We will continue to stay in our little boat bubble for the most part, but it was nice to be in a place where everyone seemed to feel they had a part to play in keeping the community healthy.

We have also benefited from the Maine Maritime alumni and cruiser families so much already! We have gotten so many great recommendations on places to visit that we can certainly fill several seasons here. But you know what’s funny? We only chatted with one other cruising boat this week, a couple from Maine who said they haven’t cruised these waters for five years, but with Canadian borders closed they have returned. Why don’t they normally cruise Maine? The lobster pots! 

Hello, Maine!

After our brief stop in Onset, MA, we grabbed the end of the favorable tide today to shoot us through the Cape Cod Canal (9.6 knots over ground!). Fog surrounded us as we slipped our mooring and stayed with us for the first hour. It was hauntingly beautiful.

As we raced across Cape Cod Bay under the iron gennie (no wind), I saw two fin whales! By midday we knew that getting to Isles of Shoals or Portsmouth/Kittery before dark was well within reach, so we scrapped our “sail overnight” plan and headed for Isles of Shoals. It’s Saturday night on a beautiful weekend, but somehow we lucked out and got a mooring just before sunset! And though many think this is in NH, it’s actually split between ME and NH and our mooring is in Maine!!! The islands here are closed due to COVID, but it’s fine with us. We are just happy to soak in this beautiful, rugged land!