Castine, ME

The distances between destinations in this part of Maine are much less now so our cruises are shorter. After taking  Archie for one last walk through town and helping our two cruising couples take off, we were ready to head to Castine by10 a.m. on Monday, August 8. Our cruising partners on Glory Days and Seaquel were going to Camden but since we had already been there we wanted to check out the smaller town of Castine. They planned to meet us in Buck’s Harbor in two days.

On our way out of the harbor we passed Ancient Mariners II which is owned by an elderly couple from Boca Raton. The woman is in her late nineties and the man is reportedly over 100. The captain was in his 70’s. What an appropriate name for their boat!

It was a lovely short cruise on calm seas. The day was overcast and cool unlike most of the warm sunny days we have had on this trip.

As we  entered Castine’s large harbor we passed many lovely traditional New England homes lining its shore.

We anchored across from the harbor in Smith Cove which had very few boats and lots of places to anchor. We found a spot that seemed like a short dinghy ride to the Castine town dock. We had a view of an old New England home overlooking the water.

After lunch and a little relaxation we took the dinghy into town.  Securing a map of the town center, we were able to do our own walking tour.  Castine is actually one of the oldest towns in New England. It predates the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. It has the unique history of having been under the rule of France, the Plymouth Colony, Acadia, and the Dutch during the turbulent years before and after the Revolutionary War.  The town is filled with lovely, genteel homes that are all beautifully maintained. It is also the home of the Maine Maritime Academy and we strolled through that campus as we walked through town.

This is a most unique example of the many little free libraries that are so popular now.

Before returning to Zendo we stopped at this little concession stand for an ice cream cone and ate it overlooking the harbor. Some teenagers pointed out several starfish in the water next to the dock.

Upon returning to Zendo we had a delicious dinner of lamb chops and eggplant that Jonny cooked on the grill.  We received the happy news that Stephanie has to use up some vacation days before October 1 and will be joining us onboard for several days when we return from our trip to the San Juan Islands in Washington state.

Our next stop is Buck’s Harbor where our friends Addie and Lange from Miami will be joining us for a few days. They are faithful visitors who have joined us almost every year onboard Zendo since we’ve been cruising.