Lubec, ME

Archie got one last run on Tuesday, August 13 while Jonny had a chance to chat with the property manager of Roque Island.

I spent the time updating the blog on our three day visit to Harrington. We left our beautiful anchorage on Roque by 11 for the approximately four hour run to Lubec. 

It was another sunny day with temperatures in the low seventies. We passed a number of lighthouses along the way.  They included the Little River Light in Cutler Harbor, the West Quoddy Head Light with red and white stripes (hard to make out in the photo) and  the Lubec Channel Light, a spark plug style that sits in the middle of the channel.

Cruising the islands around Machias Bay, we made our way to the Bold Coast (not at all like the Gold Coast we have in Florida)! This Down East part of Maine has almost no ports of refuge (i.e. places to safely tuck into overnight in case of a storm) past the little town of Cutler.

We rounded Quoddy Point, the easternmost tip of the U.S. and also the closest point to Africa. Believe it or not, it’s closer to Africa than Key West!  

From there we cruised through the Lubec Narrows, the very narrow and rough water passage that separates the U.S. from Campobello Island in Canada.  This required careful planning to avoid the raging currents that flow through there. All our guidebooks advised against taking this most direct route but Jonny consulted several people with local knowledge and he studied the tide charts ad nauseum and learned that we would be safe if we took it at slack tide. And guess what? We were perfectly fine! It wasn’t even as rough as going through Hell Gate in NYC!

Once we were in Lubec we were in the land of 20 foot tides.  This bridge connected Lubec, Maine to Campobello Island in Canada. We were amazed by how few cars we saw on it, maybe one every 15 minutes.

This charming lighthouse welcomed us to the harbor in Lubec.

We called the harbormaster who directed us to a massive mooring ball with no lead lines on it which meant that Jonny had to rig our lines and hang over the bow of Zendo to thread them onto the mooring. It was quite a challenge but of course he did it!

From there we walked into this very small town in search of the local pub (which was closed) so we settled for ice cream. Lubec has a unique ambiance,  giving off the vibe of being one of those towns at the end of the earth.  

We walked through some rather modest areas with homes in various stages of repair and then saw this interesting sign on one of the local churches.

That evening Jonny made a nice dinner of salmon, green beans and the homemade tabbouli that Rob had given us. Afterwards we spent the evening planning our entry to Canada and our visit to Campobello the next day.

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!