Seal Harbor, ME

After taking advantage of the outdoor showers at Buck’s Harbor and saying goodby to the Kings, we headed out at 11:45 on Friday, August 12 for a gorgeous four hour cruise through the Eggemoggin Reach to Seal Harbor. This is a very picturesque harbor filled with mostly classically beautiful sailboats.

Our friends, Mike and Melina (I grew up with Michael in Fairfield, CT) have a summer home here. We had visited them in Maine several years ago on the way back from our Down East Loop trip. Mike had arranged for us to get a mooring at the Seal Harbor Yacht Club to which they belong (along with other notables like Martha Stewart)!  They met us in their Boston Whaler and helped us tie up, then whisked us off to have a drink at their favorite watering hole - the bar at the Islesford Dock Restaurant.

That evening they had bought tickets to see the new Elvis movie in Bar Harbor. It was a unique little movie theatre that served dinner and drinks that we consumed during the show. The movie was excellent and we recommend it. But be prepared - it was long and even had an intermission!

On Saturday, Mike and Melina took us, along with Pat and Joe who were staying on a mooring in nearby Northeast Harbor, for a hike to the Thuya Garden. It was a beautiful spot with lovely gardens and outstanding views.

Afterwards, we took their Whaler to a cute little rustic outdoor restaurant for lunch on Cranberry Island.  Later that evening we enjoyed dinner with Michael and  Melina back at the Islesford Dock restaurant where Michael got us a table with a fabulous view of a stunning sunset.

On Sunday morning, Michael and Melina came on board Zendo before taking Pat, Joe, Jonny and me back to their favorite place for brunch.  There was a great little pottery shop in the same building where I bought a few little gifts and then we checked out the local history museum for an interesting review of Great Cranberry Island,  its people and their livelihoods (mostly fishing).  I was especially interested in the descriptions of island life in the winter.

It was a wonderful visit. Michael and Melina were so generous with their time and resources.  We hope we can reciprocate when they come to the boat show in Miami in February. Next time we see Michael will be at our 50th (plus 2) high school reunion in October.

 Next stop, an anchorage by Burnt Island.

Buck’s Harbor, ME

We woke up to a foggy morning on Tuesday, August 9.  While I had my Spanish lesson Jonny took Archie for one last walk along the Castine coastline.  We had a quick lunch before leaving for Buck’s Harbor at 1 pm. We chose Buck’s Harbor because it had been recommended as a lovely small, quintessentially Maine village. It was also a perfect place for our good friends from Miami, Addie and Lange, to meet us since they were coming to Maine to surprise their daughter Natalie on her 30th birthday.  She and her husband were spending time with his parents at a vacation home in nearby Deer Isle.  After a short hour and a half hour cruise we tied onto a great close-in mooring at Buck’s Harbor Marina.  It is the sweetest, most atmospheric place you can imagine.

Addie and Lange arrived by car later in the afternoon with lots of provisions.  I made one of our favorites, chicken Nona, for dinner and we had a fun evening catching up on each other’s lives.

The next day we headed over to Deer Isle and surprised Natalie one day before her actual birthday.

Poor thing, she was the only one in the household who had to work during their stay.  She had to continue working so we took off for a hike with the rest of the household. It was a gorgeous hike with great trails and beautiful rocky outcroppings overlooking the water. 

Afterwards, Addie, Lange, Jonny and I had a very substantial lunch at the nearby Stonecutter’s Café.

Upon returning to Zendo we took a quick nap, and then we went back to Deer Isle for drinks and nibbles with Natalie and her in-laws. Jonny was excited to note that Robert McCloskey, the author of the popular children’s books (Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Dumplings and One Morning in  Maine) lived and wrote about this part of Maine. In fact, One Morning in Maine takes place in Buck’s Harbor! Condon’s, the car repair shop referenced in this 1952 book, is still there and just down the street from our little marina.  Jonny read aloud the entire One Morning in Maine to the willing audience of Ben’s mother, Natalie and me.

The next day was Natalie’s official birthday but since she was planning to work most of the day, the four of us went for a hike in the little town of Blue Hills. It was a wonderful mountain hike over open fields, steep and rocky hills and forests, and everywhere incredible mounds of blue granite (hence the name of the town).  The water views were spectacular and there were fields of goldenrod, Queen Anne’s Lace and more.  Archie was in heaven throughout this visit since he could be off leash on the long hikes as well as when we were at the house in Deer Isle.

We rewarded ourselves with a delicious lunch at a restaurant named Blaze.  After a brief rest we headed over to the house in Deer Isle bearing pizzas for the official birthday celebration.

Finally on Friday it was time for all of us to move on.  But before doing anything else we had to avail ourselves of Buck’s Marina’s outdoor showers. What a fun and refreshing experience! The showers were three times the size of what we have on the boat and it was well worth the dinghy ride in.

We had brought home an entire uneaten pizza from the party the night before that Jonny heated up on the grill for our breakfast. Afterwards, we said goodbye to the Kings who were flying out that afternoon. As we got ready to leave, we couldn’t find Archie and realized he had jumped off the boat onto the dock. We looked everywhere but couldn’t find him until one of the dockhands told us he was up in the marina office. That little rascal had jumped off the boat, walked all the way up the ramp and into the marina office. He had made himself comfortable behind the desk in a dog bed there!  We chastised him and brought him back to Zendo and wouldn’t your know it he did the same thing two more times.  He clearly liked Buck’s Harbor and didn’t want to leave. We felt the same way!

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. 

Belfast, ME

The first thing we did on Saturday, August 6 was to dinghy in to Warren Island State Park to hike around the island. It was a beautiful day and we had a gorgeous hike though a well maintained trail.  Archie was in heaven because he could be off leash and zig zag across the path looking for chipmunks and anything he could find.

When we returned to Zendo Jonny went for a very quick dip in the water thinking that he might dive on the prop to see if there were barnacles. But the water was a bit too chilly and murky so he hopped right out!

We reluctantly pulled up anchor by 10:30, though we could easily have stayed another day, and took off for the short cruise to Belfast.  Belfast had been strongly recommended by our friend Lynda and she had noted a number of places to visit while there. It was a calm day on the water with not many lobster pots which makes cruising a lot easier.  We arrived at the Belfast Municipal Marina and tied up behind Seaquil, the boat that Roy and Marie own.  We squeezed into a slip with a huge retro-fitted Arctic work boat less than 5 feet from us on the port side. It was a hulking presence and as long as it was tied up tightly (which it was) we would be just fine. Our sun deck faced the open harbor so we were happy. Pat and Joe, on Glory Days, were also docked nearby.

As we walked up the hill into town, we understood why Lynda likes this town so much. It is very authentic and not anywhere near as touristy as some of the other towns we have visited.  We went to the United Farmer’s Market which was held indoors in a space that sold homemade crafts of all sorts as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc.  We stocked up on native tomatoes, corn on the cob and freshly baked bread.

We took our goodies back to Zendo and had our favorite (and first of the season) tomato sandwiches for lunch. What a treat!  Laundry was the next chore on the list and we lugged a huge load of it up the hill to the local laundromat in a cart provided by the marina. Amazingly, we were able to load the laundry into one of their giant machines. Those big machines are also a lot faster than standard ones which makes doing laundry less onerous.

That evening the six of us had great fun taking our dinghies across the harbor to Young’s Lobster Pound. Jonny and I had never been to a restaurant quite like this. You bring your own drinks and dessert and order lobster and all the fixings by waiting in line at a crazy busy counter.  The lobsters are in huge tubs and they fill your order by placing your lobster, steamers and corn in a mesh bag and cooking it in a big pot of steaming water.  When your number is called you pick up your order and bring it to the picnic table on the deck.  Everything was really fresh and delicious! It was quite a scene!

After we finished our feast, we dinghied back to the marina as the sun set and had a quiet evening on board. Next stop will be Castine.