08/26/2009, Mistake Island Harbor, Maine
Bruce cooking lobsters in Mistake Harbor
On Monday we dropped the mooring in Somesville in a bright dry day. In a light north wind we ghosted down Somes Sound into Mt Desert Island's Great Harbor (which isn't really a harbor at all) and out Eastern Way to head down east. Its referred to down east even though the course is north-east, as the prevailing south-west winds mean you are sailing downwind. The expression comes from the days of sail and has remained in use since then. Passing Schoodic peninsula marks the boundary to Downeast Maine, and denotes a marked contrast in the coast. Here the fabulous summer homes end, and far fewer cruisers sail the area as there are no facilities for pleasure boaters. And the climate changes... the area has on average 250 hours of fog per month in July and August, or about 1/3 of the time. But we had a bright day and enjoyed the cool but clear sailing. By late afternoon we were passing Petite Manan Island and its 250' high lighthouse and headed in Naragausses Bay to roundup behind Trafton Island. Sailing up we were still in 5'-7' swells left over from Hurricane Bill, but deep in the bay the swell was broken by the many granite ledges and islands, so that in our anchorage we were in flat calm waters, except for the wakes of the passing fishing boats. And there are lots of them. Tuesday morning dawned clear and warm, so breakfast in the cockpit was a leisurely affair, so that we were not underway until mid-morning. We motored a short way to Eastern Harbor, a small working harbor filled with fishermen and lobster pots. We found space to anchor, dropped the hook and went ashore to explore. A short walk brought us to South Addison, really just a collection of homes, some year-round and some summer homes. But the store our guide book spoke about had closed a few years ago. Back at the lobster pound, the only landing place in the harbor, we bought four 1.5 lb. lobsters for just under $20 and headed back to the boat. Just after lunch the wind sprang up from the south-west, giving us a beautiful sail further "down east". We have learned that to make any significant progress, you have to sail with the tidal currents that run up and down the shore at 2 knots. So with a tide high in late afternoon, we quickly sailed up past the pink granite of Great Wass Island and by mid afternoon, we were turning in to our destination, Mistake Island Harbor. Weaving our way between the lobster pots, we dropped anchor in 18' of water. As it was at high tide (12') that left 6' at low. So with our draft of 5', we should have 1' beneath us at low. Mistake Harbor is created by Mistake Island, Knight Island (each about 1/2 mile long and 200 yards wide) and a bunch of rocks and ledges that protect it from the ocean swell. We were a bit leery about the protection when we first saw it, but after anchoring, began to feel more comfortable. Ashore on Mistake Island (I have no idea where the name comes from) we walked the trail to the lighthouse, picked blueberries and watched a yellow-tailed hawk hunting over the moss and lichen covered granite. Back aboard, we steamed our lobsters and had cole slaw and potato salad for an unbeatable dinner. Tomorrow, we'll explore some more nearby anchorages, Mud Hole, The Cow Yard and Roque Island.
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08/23/2009, Somesville Hbr, Mt Desert Island, Maine
Seabird ghosts out into the fog
On Wednesday we left Little Cranberry Island heading for Frenchboro on Long Island just a few miles offshore. But just outside the Western Way, the southern entrance to Mount Desert Island's Great Harbor, the wind, light at best, swung to the south. So with that we changed course for Buckle Harbor, about 10 miles to the west. After a nice sail we were safely anchored in one of our favorite spots, and to our surprise, we were sharing it with only two other boats.
In late afternoon we spoke with Seabird in Frenchboro, just five miles away, and told them we would see them the next morning. Then we settled in for a quiet evening wandering the paths of the tiny Buckle Island.
On Thursday morning we pulled up the anchor and motored in the flat calm around to Frenchboro on Long Island. Frenchboro's greatest claim to fame is its wonderful lobster dinners served on he wharf, and we duly placed our orders for a 1.5 lb lobster. With corn on the cob, total price was $11.85 each! Then we wandered up to the town library where we used the free computers to check on Hurricane Bob's progress. The town consists of about 15 fishermen and families and in summer, about an equal number of summer residents. A few years ago, the islander, worried that the dropping numbers of school age children would see their school close, advertised free land to any families wanting to build. A few took advantage, but sadly didn't stay, leaving an out of place empty sub-division in the middle of the island. Later in the day we decided to take advantage of the low-priced lobster and bought three 1.5 pounders for $3.85/lb. While waiting for them to cook we spoke with the woman cooking and tending her girls about schooling. Her response was very pragmatic; when the girls reach high school age, they would simply have no option but to leave. She had no idea where they would go or what they would do. But life on the offshore islands, while picturesque, is not easy.
Friday morning it was time to take Hurricane Bob seriously. The forecast was for winds out of the north at 20-25 knots but seas out of the south-east about the same... 20'-25'. Although we would be protected from the seas in Frenchboro's harbor, we would be exposed to the wind and the accompanying wind waves building up over a two mile fetch. We would be safe on the substantial moorings, but not too comfortable, so we dropped the mooring and headed out into the dense fog we woke up to. After a lot of dithering, we decided to spend the night at Little Cranberry Island, and then head up to tiny Somesville Harbor where there are usually lots of spare moorings. We considered Northeast Harbor, but thought it may have been a bit open to the swell, and in any case the VHF traffic told us that it was not just full but over-full with some serious debate between some mooring owners and "squatters". Motoring up Somes Sound, we passed our boatyard and picked up a mooring at noon. During the afternoon, Jeannie went ashore for a walk and I fiddled with the generator which has decided to act up. After some adjusting of the governor it is working better, but still can only be loaded to about 30% of capacity. I suspect a dirty injector, but it is working well enough for this cruise, so the final repair will be left for the fall.
After drinks in Seabird's cockpit and still no sign of H. Bill, we returned to Estelle and had steak and bbq'd corn for dinner, accompanied by a nice red Zinfandel.
In the night the rain started and from midnight on it poured, but the wind never really got started until dawn and never got over 20 knots. So all our planning was unnecessary in hindsight, but better over-prepared than caught unprepared! Today we'll take the free bus down to Southwest Harbor for some groceries then head out tomorrow hopefully "downeast"!
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08/18/2009, Little Cranberry Island, Maine
Frenchborough Harbor, Maine
Well, we've made some decisions.
First, we decided that we'll take the winter off from cruising to do some other family stuff and some serious skiing since we missed skiing last year, the first time in over 30 years.
Second, we decided that if we're not going cruising this fall, that we'd do some cruising here in Maine for a few weeks. So we arrived at the boatyard on Somes Sound (Mt Desert Island) yesterday and found the boat ready to go. But arriving late, we just bought supper and had it aboard then turned in. Today we headed back in to Ellsworth for some serious shopping. Then we cast off and headed round to Clifton Docks to top off the fuel tanks, and motored over to Little Cranberry Island, a total trip of about 8 miles.
At Little Cranberry we picked up a guest mooring and dinghied ashore for a walk. There's not a whole lot on the island except summer homes and about a dozen year round families, all fishermen. But its a quiet anchorage and the walking ashore is nice, so we had a nice evening.
Tomorrow we'll head out to meet Seabird with whom we have cruised on and off for the last three years. They are cruising with their yacht club, but plan to head further down east next week, subject to Hurricane Bill's plans. We're watching his progress. At the moment we seem fine, but a small change in the forecast could be troublesom, so we'll watch carefully.
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