07/20/2008, Penobscot River, ME
On the Hard in Maine
Sunday, July 20, 2008 - 8 AM Penobscot River, ME Water temperature 69 F
Yesterday was a fine day at anchor. We started off the day with a hike around Warren Island State Park. Smelling the Spruce trees, picking red raspberries, hiking thru the woods and walking along the rocky beach; yes. Then it was time to re-enter the 21st century again. We hadn't checked our e-mail or bank account for some time and Wi-Fi was available at Grindle Point ferry landing. So we loaded the laptop into the dinghy and headed to Grindle Point. We ordered lunch at the carry out restaurant there and sat at a picnic table reading e-mail and eating lunch. After a visit to the Grindle Point Light House we took the computer back to the boat and then went on a long dinghy ride looking at the rich people's houses on Islesboro Island. Late in the afternoon, I bought a couple nice lobsters from a lobsterman unloading his catch. That is definitely the way to buy lobsters. I can see we are going to be eating lobster regularly while in Maine!
This morning we are motoring up the Penobscot River on our way to Winterport, ME. We will leave the boat there for four weeks while we go to Pennsic (Google it). We pick up a rent car this afternoon and tomorrow morning we hit the road. I may do a few blog entries while we are road warriors (or Lady and Lord). We should be back on the water with the blog up and running around Friday, August 15.
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07/19/2008, Warren Island State Park (near Islesboro, ME)
Cruising Penobscot Bay
Saturday, July 19, 2008 - 9 AM Warren Island State Park (near Islesboro, ME) Water temperature 67 F
Yesterday as we came out of Muscle Ridge Channel we entered the fabled cruising grounds of Penobscot Bay. As we motor sailed north, we passed the towns of Rockland, Rockport and Camden to port. Patti has sailed these waters on the windjammer, Roseway; so this was familiar territory for her. We entered Gilkey Harbor (really a channel; not a harbor) between Seven Hundred Acre Island and Islesboro Island; and continued north. This narrow body of water, with pine tree covered big and little islands all around, and a somewhat gray, cool day; reminds me of Boundary Waters in Minnesota. But we weren't canoeing and I thankfully didn't have to carry our boat from lake to lake. We just had to watch the chart plotter and use our Mark I eyeballs to stay off the rocks. Then we saw something that convinced me we were in ME, not MN. We passed a rocky ledge off to starboard and it was covered with sunbathing seals. There must have been twenty of the fur coats in waiting lounging on the rocks in every position imaginable. I liked the ones lying on their backs with their flippers sticking up in the air; they were probably snoring.
We passed by Seven Hundred Acre Island and tucked into a protected anchorage between Warren Island and Spruce Island and dropped the hook. We are only a quarter mile from the ferry landing at Grindle Point and after we launched the dinghy I headed over there to find a pay phone. We have had no bars on our cell phones for days and needed to talk to the marina where we are going to leave the boat next week. After I made the phone call and returned to the boat, it started to rain. That was OK. We aren't going anywhere until Sunday morning. We sat in the cockpit, out of the rain, and watched boats pick up moorings provided by Warren Island State Park. This is a popular spot for weekenders.
When it was time to eat, we steamed the muscles we had gathered yesterday in a little white wine. We sat in the cockpit and enjoyed a very tasty first course, our bounty from the sea. I can see we will be collecting more muscles when we return from our month onshore.
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07/18/2008, Muscle Ridge Channel
Shore Leave in Tenants Harbor
Friday, July 18, 2008 - 9 AM Muscle Ridge Channel Water temperature 56 F
We had a fun day yesterday in the salty little town of Saint George, ME (Tenants Harbor). We ate lunch at the counter in Farmer's Restaurant and listened to all the local gossip. We talked the nice ladies at the library into letting us swap our paper back books for some of theirs; and introduced the idea that a book swap table would be a good thing to have. We bought a few provisions at Hall's Market and a really nice fresh cod fillet at the Cod End fish market. And. I told Patti, "I could live here."
Then it was time to stow our books and provisions and go exploring Long Cove. We dinghied our way around the lobster floats, rocks and shallow spots back into this narrow, but beautiful, piece of water. It was about low tide and we found a place to pull the dinghy up on the rocks. We had both worn our wading boots and proceeded to wade around the rocks at the edge of the water. Our goal was to collect muscles and sure enough, the rocks all had colonies of muscles growing on them. We had brought a mesh bag with us and before long; we had collected more than enough muscles for a meal. This was the first time Patti had gone muscling and she was having a good time. I have fond memories of collecting muscles with the kids when we lived in Connecticut, and I was having a good time. Some times it doesn't take much to amuse us.
We took our harvested muscles back to the boat and lowered the mesh bag over the side to purge the mud and sand from tonight's dinner. Then we stowed the dingy on deck to get ready for an early start this morning. Later I fried the cod for dinner and it was just as good as I had remembered it. White fish, mild flavor and it flakes apart when cooked just right. Fresh fish, big salad, anchored in a pretty little cove; it was a real nice day.
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