Seal Harbor, ME

August 17 was our 38th wedding anniversary! Congratulations to us! After a mini-celebration, we got down to the business (i.e. fun) of the day. First things first - I had an 8 a.m. Spanish lesson so Jonny took Archie in for a walk on a very foggy morning.

When he returned we were going to try again for a mooring in Northeast Harbor. This time they said they thought they had one for us but we had to be right outside the harbor before they would confirm.  In the meantime, Michael had called to see when we could get together. He suggested that Melina see if she could get us a mooring at the Seal Harbor Yacht Club where they are members. She quickly called us back to say that it was a go. So we left our peaceful anchorage at 10:30 for the quick cruise to nearby Seal Harbor.

We arrived at the Seal Harbor Yacht Club by 11:15 and settled onto a mooring right next to Martha Stewart’s pretty picnic boat!  Melina had told us that Martha is particularly fond of Michael. Whenever she sees him, she makes a big fuss over him!

Michael and Melina came to pick us up to go back into Northeast Harbor for lunch.  We stopped by their nearby home first and then headed out to The Nor’easter Pound and Market. There we had a delicious lunch with three of the four of us having the restaurant’s wonderfully fresh lobster. They had four variations of lobster rolls. I’m a fan of the Connecticut style which is hot with drawn butter. The Maine style is a cold lobster salad.  You could order a style that was a combination of the two with butter on the side. Jonny tried the more creative Cajun version.  And Melina had their famous lobster tacos. Needless to say, it was all very good!  We were so happy to see Michael doing so well as he was still recovering from serious surgery that he had had a few months ago.

Because we had indulged in an adult beverage at lunch, we all headed back to our respective abodes for an afternoon nap.

In the meantime, Steve and Cindy, friends of Michael and Melina’s, had arrived in Northeast Harbor in their 65 foot sailboat,  That evening, Michael and Melina came by to pick us up, then drove over to pick up Steve and Cindy and the six of us drove to Abel’s, a popular and very good restaurant in Somes Sound. Michael and Melina had taken us there in their boat when we visited them several years ago. That time it was later in the season. We had cruised  up Somes Sound in the dark and ate lobster dinners at one of the outdoor picnic tables on a hill overlooking the Sound on the last night they were open for the season.  This time  we were earlier in the season and they were very busy so we sat inside. Having just had lobster for lunch, we had a very fine halibut dinner and a wonderful time chatting with our dinner companions.

The next day we planned to gather once again for, you guessed it, another delicious meal - this time Sunday brunch! 

Valley Cove in Somes Sound

We originally planned to cruise to the Cranberry Islands on Friday, August 16.  We left Mistake Island Harbor at 8:15 for a six hour cruise.  It was a sunny day and we had a pleasant cruise as we passed Steele Harbor Light and Petit Manan Light.

We decided that instead of going to Cranberry Island we heard Somes Sound calling to us because we thought it would be a more protected anchorage. As we passed Cranberry Island we passed yet another lighthouse, this one called Bear Island Light. At first glance it looks like a Dutch Colonial house on the shore but if you look closely you can see the lighthouse itself. 

As we cruised along the coast of Northeast Harbor we began to pass by some beautiful waterfront homes. 

We called Northeast Harbor to see if they had a mooring but they said they couldn’t tell us until we were just outside of their harbor. So that reinforced our decision to explore Somes Sound which we had been to on Michael and Melina’s boat many years ago.  We headed up into long and narrow Somes Sound and discovered a wonderful inlet called Valley Cove that was beautiful, well protected and with good access to the shore. However, we knew there were more anchorages further up in Somes Sound so we cruised up the Sound to check them out. None of them turned out to be as attractive as Valley Cove so we did an about face and returned to Valley Cove. It took us a couple of tries to get the anchor to set but we finally did and we were thrilled with the decision.  Valley Cove is also something of a fjord as the coastline reaches up to a steep hill all of which is part of Acadia National Park. We anchored across from a rocky shore that is adjacent to a sandy crescent beach.  We shared the cove with this huge yacht.

Upon arrival, we dinghied up to the beach and went for a stunning and rather challenging hike up the Flying Mountain Trail until I got tired and we turned back. When we started to hike up in another direction we met a friendly older couple who stopped to chat with us, motivated as often happens by Archie’s friendliness.  They were from Stuart, FL and they were very excited because they had just purchased a home in Northeast Harbor on the water.  Lucky them, this whole area is just beautiful.

That night we had dinner onboard Zendo in this perfect anchorage. We were looking forward to seeing a Michael and Melina the next day.

Mistake Island Harbor, ME

We left St. Andrews early on Thursday, August 15 to begin our return trip for the 2024 year - always a bittersweet moment.  We left our mooring by 7 a.m. to take advantage of the current as we cruised through the Old Sow and  Lubec Narrows, once again passing the Mullholland Point Light on Campobello. 

The Old Sow is a place with very strong whirlpools. We got kicked around a little bit but not bad at all due to Jonny’s careful timing.  It was a beautiful clear day but chilly so we were bundled up in layers.  Archie and I cuddled under a blanket. 

As we left Canada we used the boaters customs app to get back into the U.S. in Lubec. It is striking to see the difference in the number of lobster pots between the two countries. The Canadians end their lobster season earlier than we do so it was smooth sailing there but we are on hyper-alert now that we are back in the good old USA!

We sailed past the Libby Island Light on Machias Bay.

We had three recommendations for wonderful anchorages to choose from that day and we chose Mistake Island because it had an appealing walk to the nearby lighthouse.  By 1:25 we found a gorgeous anchorage with only one other boat. This was definitely one of the very best spots we have anchored in this trip. After lunch we dinghied onto shore, most of which is owned by the Nature Conservancy. We tied up at a small dock next to a very rocky shoreline. There was a small locked shed there and a set of rough steps to climb. We were welcomed by this rustic sign. 

Beyond the sign was a wooden walkway that led us through a wooded area that suddenly opened up to a stunning view of the Moose Peak Lighthouse on the opposite side of the island.  Our assessment of this being our most beautiful anchorage on this trip was quickly confirmed. 

The lighthouse was first erected in 1826 and this tower was built in 1851.  Mistake Island is one of the foggiest locations on the Maine coast but we were blessed with a crystal clear day.  We spent lots of time climbing over the rocks and looking for raspberries on the many bushes there though they had clearly been picked over.  We know this to be true because there was a guest book in a plastic box and previous visitors had noted the healthy berry crop this year, 

The lighthouse itself is abandoned though the fog horn is operated by solar power. The lighthouse was sold to a Connecticut couple who apparently have plans to restore it.

We had a call earlier in the day from MTOA friends Dan and Cathy Pearce who are port captains in Camden. Dan has been very helpful in giving us advice about cruising the Maine coast because he and Cathy know these waters so well. They just happened to anchor nearby and invited us over for drinks at 5.  We had a nice visit with them before heading back to Zendo for dinner. 

Jonny made lamb chops on the grill which we had with green beans and a tomato salad. That evening we talked to Andy by phone (which we do almost every night) and later we talked to our friend Michael Goldfield who confirmed that he and Melina would be around when we get to Northeast Harbor on the weekend.

Welshpool and St. Andrews, NB

We left Lubec at 7:45 on Wednesday, August 14 in order to arrive at Campobello Island in New Brunswick early. By the way we are back in the Bay of Fundy. The last time we were here was on our first six month cruise when we did the Down East Loop. But because we never made it to Campobello that time, I wanted to be sure to make it this time. Our plan was to first go there to see the Roosevelt Summer Home and then go on to St. Andrews and stay overnight there before starting our return trip south. There is a one hour time difference between Lubec and Canada here so leaving at 7:45 was really 8:45.  

We needed to go through customs in Welshpool on Campobello Island and we arrived there in a quick 30 minutes. We were greeted by the friendly wharfinger (see below for the definition).  He was very helpful and let us tie up at the dock for the day, which turned out to be just a couple of hours.  Jonny checked in with Customs and then the wharfinger kindly offered to give us a ride to the Roosevelt Summer Home. 

While we waited for him to pick us up we strolled through the tiny hamlet of Welshpool.  Campobello has a few other little hamlets but the total population of the island is only 950. There is one school on the island that covers kindergarten through 12th grade!







Interestingly, the Roosevelt Campobello International Park is the only park that is jointly owned and run by both countries. Upon our arrival we watched a movie telling the history of the park and the Roosevelt home and we went through the little museum with lots of information about the Roosevelts and also about the unique and friendly relationship between the U.S. and Canada.

We spent the next couple of hours touring the 1897 ”cottage” originally purchased by FDR’s mother for $5000!  It consists of 34 rooms, 18 of which are bedrooms (many surprisingly small) and 6 bathrooms.  It was a real family home where FDR spent most of his childhood summers. He and Eleanor used it as a summer home for their growing family as well.   The house, though quite large, was modestly decorated and much of the original furniture was still there.  It was here that FDR was stricken with polio when he was only 39 years old.

We also toured the Hubbard House on the grounds of the park. I was struck by the beautiful picture window in the living room.  It was such an unusual shape for a window and the view of the water makes it look like a painting. I’m surprised we don’t see more windows shaped like this one.

After our tour, the wharfinger’s wife gave us a ride back to Zendo where Archie was eagerly awaiting our return.

We then took off for St. Andrews, just a 2 hour cruise away.  Entering the harbor, we saw the sailboat fleet that the Cruising Club of America was sponsoring this month. We actually used their itinerary to help plan our own cruise. 

This is truly the land of extremely high tides as was evident looking at the water marks of the docks as we entered the harbor.

The ladder to climb up to the docks is extraordinary as is shoreline that is exposed at low tide.

St. Andrews is a lovely historic resort town.  It was settled by British loyalists who left Castine, Maine and moved their houses there by barge. Much of the original architecture is still in place and the town has wide streets, handsome houses and a lot of churches. Because it is a resort area, it also has many restaurants and pubs.

We walked about a mile up through the center of town to beautiful Kingsbrae Garden and strolled through it for quite a while. It is definitely the loveliest garden we’ve seen on this trip with a large number of special plots devoted to  hydrangeas, azaleas, vegetables, scented plants, herbs, wooded areas, sculpture gardens and more. It was very well done.

By the time we walked back to town it was time to stop at a pub for a beer and decide where we wanted to eat. We chose this waterfront pub for a drink.

Afterwards, we went to a casual place that had been recommended called Char and Chowder.  It was a good place to take Archie because it was all outdoor seating but unfortunately they they had run out of chowder! So instead we had their ribs and pizza, both of which hit the spot!

This turned out to be our one and only night in Canada but we were pleased that we met our travel goals for the year - the mutual one of cruising Maine for  the month of August, my goal to go to Campobello and Jonny’s desire to get as far as Saint Andrew’s.  Back on Zendo, we spent the evening planning our return trip which starts the next day. We can’t linger in Canada as we need to be in Portland by the end of the month because our friend Cathy is coming to visit us there.