Roque Island, ME

Rob drove us to Zendo on Monday morning, August 12,  after we had blueberry pie for breakfast! He and Linda had to head back to W. Paris and we needed to continue our journey to Canada. We took off by 9:45 for the relatively short cruise to Roque Island. It was a beautiful, sunny day with calm seas and pleasant temperatures. We passed Great Wass Island, Jonesport and Great Spruce Island. 

Roque Island is an incredibly beautiful place with a long white crescent beach. We anchored in a lovely cove adjacent to Point Isabella. There were only two or three other sailboats and they were anchored near the Great Beach (see the map below).  Roque Island is the centerpiece of an archipelago that includes several other islands. Roque Island was the summer home of a group of native Americans and shell heaps found on the island have been studied by archeologists. The island was purchased in 1806 by Joseph Peabody and it served as a resort and a retreat for his descendants for over two centuries.  The families of his descendants still own it and it is actually a working farm with homes on the island, woodworking shops, farmland with animals, and a private boatyard.  

When we arrived I made us lunch - clam and bacon frittata with the steamers from the night before. It was quite yummy. Afterwards we dinghied onto the beach and tied up in the sand with an anchor since the tides here are so high. We walked quite a ways and Archie was in heaven.

But twice the anchor dragged and we had to reset the dinghy.   The beach itself, though privately owned, is accessible to boaters though there are signs telling people not to proceed beyond the beach due to the sensitivity of the terrain.

Returning to Zendo we spent a lot of time talking about how to get through the tricky Lubec Passage the next day that would eventually bring us to Canadian waters. That evening we used Rob and Linda’s fresh vegetables to have a big salad with sardines(!) for dinner while exclaiming over our delight at this idyllic anchorage.

Harrington, ME

As of Thursday morning, August 8 we were still concerned about two things - one being whether or not Jonny’s cousin Rob would be well enough to go from his home in W. Paris to his cottage in Harrington. He had been very ill from a tick bite. Secondly, we needed a plan to keep Zendo in a protected anchorage near Harrington since the remnants of Hurricane Debbie were expected to cause a lot of rain and wind in the area at the time we would be there.  After talking with Rob and doing lots of research on safe anchorages we decided to head to what looked like a safe spot on the Harrington River near Rob and Linda’s cottage. With that settled we were able to start our day with confidence!

We took Archie in for a final walk through Winter Harbor this time exploring an area with beautiful homes close to the coastline. We walked down wooded paths and through some areas with large homes in the woods and facing the water. These are clearly second homes as this area is quite affluent. We met a couple of young women along the rocky shore. One of them was descended from one of the original families and their home had been handed down through the generations. They kindly took a photo of us. 

By 10:55 we were back on Zendo and ready to leave for the two and a half hour cruise to Harrington.  Along the way we passed the Petit Manon Light standing tall on a flat island with only two small structures on it.

Jonny wanted to see if we could see any puffins which are supposed to be nesting on Petit Manon Island which is now a nature preserve.  We took a detour to cruise around the island and saw lots of seagulls and seals but no puffins.

We arrived in Harrington at the commercial fishing dock recommended by Rob.  Jonny dinghied in and asked a local lobsterman if there was a vacant mooring for us to tie up to. The lobsterman led him to it while I kept Zendo hovering in the harbor.  Jonny spent quite a bit of time untangling the lines on the mooring and we tied up to it safely and securely. We took Archie for a walk exploring this working harbor and that night we stayed onboard Zendo.

The next afternoon  it was pouring rain when Rob came to pick us up. We loaded the dinghy in full rain gear and he drove us the quick mile to their cottage. We spent the next three days and nights with Linda and Rob (who fortunately had fully recovered). We had visited them here a few years ago by car but this was the first time by boat. Their cottage is on the water in an absolutely beautiful setting with a rocky waterfront and dramatic tides.  Rob built the cottage himself and it is filled with creative touches showcasing his artistic woodworking skills, from creative shingling to custom cabinetry and gorgeous handmade furniture. He is constantly improving and he’s currently building a first floor bedroom to add to their two bedroom home.

On Saturday,  Jonny and Rob went clamming in the waters off of their property and brought in a big haul. 

In the meantime, Linda, Archie and I went on a lovely hike in the woods.

Each night they made us delicious dinners full of fresh vegetables from their large gardens. Over the course of those three days we ate a dozen ears of the most delicious corn on the cob (my personal favorite)!

On Sunday the four of us took a long hike through the woods and along the coast a couple of miles from their home.

In the afternoon we took them out on Zendo and cruised around the peninsula where they live.  But first Rob helpfully swabbed the deck from the gifts left by visiting gulls!

They enjoyed seeing nearby homes from the water - always an entirely different perspective. We dropped the hook in a pretty cove and had a bite of lunch.

That evening a couple of friends of Rob and Linda’s came by and we had a drink while watching the beautiful sunset in their back yard. Afterwards, over an open fire, Rob steamed the clams he and Jonny had dug and we had them for dinner along with freshly caught mackerel. For dessert, I made a blueberry pie with Maine’s delicious wild blueberries.  It was a perfect ending to three wonderful days!

Winter Harbor, ME

We watched a little Morning Joe on Wednesday, August 7 to see more about the hoopla surrounding Tim Walz as Kamala’s VP pick.  While I had my rescheduled Spanish lesson with Merly, Jonny took Archie in for a walk.  Afterwards we headed over to the town dock to get water and a pump-out.  This was quite important  because there are no pump-out facilities until we get to Canada.

While Jonny took care of that I took Archie for one last walk through town.

We left Bar Harbor at 11:15 on calm seas. We passed the majestic Egg Light in the distance. It looks a lot like a castle from afar (unfortunately I couldn’t get a good shot of it). It was a beautiful day as we cruised between scenic islands surrounded by lobster pots!

By 12:20 we arrived at a gorgeous spot in Sand Cove which is part of the larger Winter Harbor. It is called Winter Harbor because the waters here have historically not frozen in the winter. There we contacted the Winter Harbor Yacht Club to secure a mooring. This was a beautiful harbor filled with little bulls eyes sailboats in an array of colors.

Jim, our launch driver, came by to give us the lay of the land.  Shortly after we called him to take us in and we had a delicious lunch at the very attractive yacht club. 

You can see how high the tides are in this part of Maine in next photo.

After lunch we took a long walk into the little town of Winter Harbor that had a small well-stocked grocery store, a few scattered shops and a couple of restaurants, most of which were not open.

We also visited one of the other places to stay in Winter Harbor - this one filled with fishing and lobster boats.  The harbor was much smaller and we determined that we had chosen the best one for us. 

After our long walk into town we returned to Zendo but missed the little sailboat race that was supposed to take place that afternoon,  we chatted with a few of the yacht club members as we waited for the launch. And we met a fellow doodle whose name was also Archie!

That evening I made a delicious stuffed eggplant dish for dinner and we had a calm night on board with thousands of stars in the clear night sky.  Being far from any city lights really makes a big difference!

Bar Harbor, ME

I had a Spanish lesson on Tuesday, August 6 so Jonny took Archie for one last walk in Frenchboro. This time he walked into the little village and saw the church, the tiny schoolhouse, many lobster traps, as well as more of the damage that occurred during the storm in January.

Unfortunately, my connectivity was spotty so once again we had to reschedule my lesson. When Jonny returned we took off at 10 a.m. bound for Winter Harbor. But then we decided that we should get a pump-out since there is no good place to get one as we cruise further down east. Our macerator wasn’t working properly so even that wasn’t an option.  After a few phone calls to find a pump-out facility we discovered that the only feasible one was in Bar Harbor so that’s where we went. 

It was a chilly day but the seas were calm as we approached the beautiful coastline near Bar Harbor.

We got a mooring in Bar Harbor and planned to get the pump-out the following morning.  There were some impressive vessels as we entered the harbor.

I liked the name of this boat!

That afternoon we dinghied into town to explore. The last time we were here was when we visited our friends Michael and Melina who took us to a cool little movie theatre to see the Elvis movie. We had a yummy lunch at a local pub called The Thirsty Whale where we had cups of lobster bisque and clam chowder and a big plate of fried clams that we shared. 

Bar Harbor is a touristy town and quite busy. It has lots of cool shops and outdoor clothing stores as well as the typical tee shirt shops.

I’ve been a little concerned that Archie is sometimes shivering when we are underway in this cooler weather, plus he has that short haircut. So I decided I would buy him a sweater to see if that would help. We stopped at a pet shop and bought him a cute little burgundy sweatshirt that looks quite nice on him. We’ll have to see how it works. 

We walked back to the dinghy through a lovely waterfront park with lots of people enjoying the grassy lawn and harbor views.

Upon our return to Zendo we relaxed a bit and had a snack instead of dinner while watching the big news about Kamala’s selecting Tim Walz to be her running mate.  We also tuned into YouTube to see their speeches as well as Josh Shapiro’s rousing introduction. It’s exciting to see how energized the Dems are now that we have a strong ticket in Harris and Walz.

We got a call from Robbie to say that he arrived at their home in W. Paris, ME only to become very sick. It’s not Covid but it may be the result of a tick bite. He’s starting a prescription and we’re all hoping he recovers quickly and can return to Harrington where we are supposed to see him and Linda in just a couple of days. Fingers crossed!