Sunny, hot... beautiful
Isle au Haut lighthouse
Somesville Harbor July 13th
Drove down from PEI to Hall Quarry on Mount Desert Island to find Estelle tied at the float waiting for us. We had stopped in Ellsworth for groceries and supplies (read wine) so with our gear and groceries we just spent the rest of the day unloading then a short run up to Somesville Harbor for a quiet anchorage. With Joanne Foglin, our neighbour from Whistler aboard, we had excellent swordfish steaks for dinner then to bed after a long day. Joanne, eager to do her part in the provisioning, showed up with a cart containing one bottle of champagne, one rose and two bags of popcorn... an excellent contribution to Estelle's larder!
Somesville Harbor July 14th
With uncharacteristically high winds, we spent the day touring Mt Desert Island with Joanne.
Jeannie & Joanne on top of Flying Cloud Mountain
Somesville Harbor July 15th
Our first day of nice winds and we were off! Down Somes Sound we sailed in typically light winds and into Mt Desert Island's Great Harbor. Here we discussed destinations for the night and finally settled on Sorrento, a small harbor at the top of Frenchman's Bay. In the light winds we sailed and drifted up Frenchman's Bay past busy Bar Harbor and across the bay to the quiet harbor where we picked up a vacany mooring. Ashore we wandered through the tiny community composed mostly of beautiful old summer cottages. Back aboard, in the heat, Joanne decided to try swimming. Not for us the cold waters of Maine, but Joanne was in and swimming through the moorings, chating with other astonished visitors.
Sorento Harbor July 16th
We started the day with a dinghy exploration trip, peering into tiny bays and channels, and landing on a small island with a bar made entirely of shells that jutted out into the bay. Again Joanne was in the water while we just watched in amazement. Then, as Joanne was scheduled to fly out of Bangor the next day, we headed back to Somesville, again with a nice sail across the bay ad up the sound.
Somesville Harbor July 17th
In the pouring rain we drove up to Bangor and saw Joanne off to Vancouver and Whistler. It was a great visit and we look forward to seeing her again thes fall when we head west for the winter.
Returning to the boat, we saw friends Steve and Sandy Swanson on their boat Hillary, tied to the float, so had a great evening catching up with them, and learning abut their latest adventures.
Steve & Sandy on Hillary
In the evening we just tucked in to wait out the last of the rain.
Somesville Harbor July 18th
Spent the day catching up on chores, internet stuff, etc. and enjoying a nice day.
Isle au Haut July 19th
Off sailing in light westerlies. We sailed out Great Harbor, crossing Bass Harbor Bar and across Blue Hill Bay. Through Casco Passage we sailed down across Jericho Bay, and into Isla au Haut thoroughfare. We picked up a rental mooring with a small bottle stuffed with $20 bills, the rental price. So we stuffed in $40 for two nights and settled in.
Isle au Haut July 20th
We had a nice day exploring the single road on Isla au Haut and hiked to the top of Mt. Champlain where we got a nice view of Merchants Row, an area of small islands with beautiful secluded anchorages scattered through with names like Bold & Devil Island, McGlatherties, Shelter Island.
Late in the day we dinghied up the thoroughfare to Laundry Cove where we passed two windjammers anchored for the night, with guests on both enjoying the late afternoon sun andcoctails on the deck. We landed on a small pebble beach and wandered the shore watching late day fishermen hauling traps outside the cove.
Maple Juice Cove July 21-22nd
From Isle au Haut, we sailed out the thoroughfare into Penobscott Bay, across the bottom of Vinalhaven and Hurricane Island, then into Port Clyde where the rising winds caused us to furl our sails in the narrow channel while dodging the hundreds of lobster pots. Through the harbor we sailed out into the mouth of St. George River and into the quiet sunshine of Maple Juice Cove. A late afternoon thunder squall kindly washed the salt of the day off the boat and we just enjoyed the evening aboard.
Next morning we dinghied ashore to meet Heidi Lyman and her enthusiastic dogs, Casco and Potts.
Selfie with Heidi & Cabot Lyman
We first met Heidi and her husband Cabot Lyman in Roatan on our return from Panama. We spent a few weeks with them in Isla Mujeres, Mexico on our last leg north. But family obligations meant the in spite of having passed by a few times, we had never been able to take up their invitation to visit.
We spent the morning catching up and going for a nice long walk to stretch our legs. In the afternoon Heidi took us in to their boatyard, Lyman-Morse for a tour, including a great tour of their boat Chewink, undergoing a major re-fit. The tour then moved through the yard and the four boats under constrution, and ended at an employee pig roast. In the evening, we drove into nearby Rockland to see their brand new hotel, a beautiful art deco boutique hotel. The evening ended with a glass of wine on the roof-top patio, looking out over Rockland Harbor.
Boothbay Harbor July 23rd
The day began in Maple Juice cove, draging our anchor out of the sticky mud holding in Maple Juice Cove. Our stay had been a windy one, and the anchor was well set! Heading out the St George River, we hoisted sails and worked our way out through Muscongus Bay, crowded with rocky ledges interspersed with lobster pots. In early afternoon we pulled in to the dock of the Boothbay Yacht Club where we re-filled our water tanks, then picked up a guest mooring for the night. Setled in, we took the dinghy across the busy harbor to the town landing. The day was hot, and we quickly lined up at the ice cream shop. Refreshed, we battled the hordes of tourists (like us!) and found a great shop for some xcellent bread and cheese. But the growing thunder clouds sent us scurring back across the harbor to the boat, arriving just in time.