Holbrook Harbor Aug 7th

Another walk up to the Bucks Harbor grocery store for a last re-supplying (New York Times) and we were ready to cast off.
But I would be remiss if I failed to mention the changes at Bucks Harbor Marine. It has been sold. And the new owners are a delightful young couple with three children and a dog. And with the oldest girl (maybe 12) taking her job seriously, she took our payment for the mooring and sundries, pleasantly and competently. A very pleasant family. We wish them a great success!
So we cast off after a night of dead calm, and drifted out into the top of Eggemoggin Reach. All around us were wooden boats underway from the wooden boat festival just completed. In light airs we drifted out of the Reach into Penobscott bay where the winds finally filled in. With a nice fresh north-westerly we made our way up and into Holbrook Harbor. Anchored, we had lunch and headed ashore to Holbrook Island, another state owned preserve. We walked the paths for the afternoon, seeking the shade of the woods to escape the heat until we had to head back to the boat for water and a break. One more short hike (we covered perhaps 10% of the area) and the day was done.Another quiet night, in spite of another forecast for strong winds.

Castine Aug 8th

We had planned to visit Castine as one of the highlights of our cruise. But Castine harbor has to be treated with care. Completly open to the west and with currents up to 5 knots, it is no place for a quiet night if the winds are opposing the current. So we were really pleased to see the forecast for light southerlies and picked up a mooring at the friendly Castine Yacht Club.
We like Castine for two reasons. First it is a beautiful town with an amazing history. Between the Dutch, French, British and Americans (not to mention the Indians) it changed hands seven times before finally becoming a part of the US. But it took until 1816 before tht happened. And all around the town are placards detailing battles and other historic events. And with the well maintained architecture of the homes, it is beautiful. One site denotes where two settlers, captured by the indians and re-captured after an escape attempt were bound, forced to eat their own noses and ears, then burned to death. Very interesting!
But the other reason for the stop was to have dinner at the Pentagoet Hotel, one of the best historic hotels in Maine. Dinner in the warm evening air was perfect. Starters were cold cucumber soup and capri salad, followed by scallops and braised short ribs. And followed by a bluberry grunt. Luckily the path back to the boat was downhill!