Galley Cove, ME

We were trying to decide whether to move from our mooring in Northeast Harbor or stay because it was very foggy on the morning of Monday, August 19.

Jonny had been talking to our friend Dan who was in a Galley Cove anchorage by Bartlett Island with no fog so we decided to take a chance and join them there.  But first we had to fill our water tanks and get a pump-out. The NE Harbor dock master had told us they could accommodate us but when we called they said another boat would be blocking access to the dock all day.  They recommended Clifton Dock, another place in the harbor that was on our way out, so we stopped there.  While Jonny was filling (and emptying) tanks I took Archie for a walk.

By 11 we headed out for the two and a half hour cruise to Galley Cove.  It was very foggy and Jonny had to be hyper-alert using our radar to be sure we didn’t run into any boats.

As we rounded Bartlett Narrows and entered little Galley Cove, the fog lifted considerably.  Dan had told us there were two free moorings there. They were on one and the other one just became available! Perfect timing for us!

We arrived and tied up by 1:30 and found ourselves in yet another stunning anchorage. 

We ate lunch and right afterwards we met Dan and Cathy and headed in to shore in our dinghies. 

Dan and Cathy had walked this island before and knew the trails.  The island had been purchased by Peggy Rockefeller who was comfortable with boaters being there. We walked for four miles through beautiful woods and fields. Of course Archie’s explorations must have covered twice that distance!

Upon returning to Zendo we caught up on phone calls, had leftovers for dinner, and watched the first night of the Democratic Convention.  We stayed up late to watch Joe Biden’s speech that didn’t end until 12:30. It was an exhilarating start to this year’s convention which could have been much different had Biden not decided to step out of the race. 

Northeast Harbor, ME

We awoke on Sunday, August 18 to another foggy morning in Maine and this time it was misty as well. We weren’t sure if Michael would be up to taking his Boston Whaler out to Cranberry Island as planned but we are all hardy souls so the plan was still on.  Michael and Melina took the launch from the Seal Harbor Yacht Club to pick us up. 

Then we all took the launch out to their Boston Whaler so we could pick up Steve and Cindy on their boat.

 Archie just loves traveling on launches!

From there we headed out to Little Cranberry Island in the fog and mist. Melina had made brunch reservations for the six of us at 10:30 and we thought that we might be the only ones there due to the weather. But that was not at all the case. We arrived at The Islesford Dock, Islesford being the name of the town on Little Cranberry.  We had been here once before and really liked it. The restaurant is filled with artwork from local artists.  Brunch was also very good - I was particularly happy with my duck hash. 

Afterwards we hung out on the adjacent dock and walked through the pottery shop next door and this time I was able to resist buying anything.  Last time we were here I bought stocking stuffers for Stephanie and my nieces for Christmas.

After returning to Zendo, we decided to move to a Northeast Harbor anchorage where it would be less rolly than Seal Harbor which is not quite as protected. We also needed to get a pump-out and fill our water tanks which we weren’t able to do at Seal Harbor.  This time we were able to secure the mooring and we made the quick 40 minute trip in the early afternoon. 

We took the launch to pay for our mooring and take Archie for a walk.   While Jonny was paying, Archie met a fellow doodle in the nearby park and started doing zoomies through the park. It’s so much fun to watch him run like that.

Northeast Harbor is a really cute little town and we walked up the Main Street where we saw an old-fashioned market.  Ducking in, we bought a few items just because we could!

We were invited to join Michael, Melina, Steve and Cindy for dinner at the Nor’easter but we needed to catch up on a few things on Zendo. We planned to leave early the next morning. So we hunkered down for the evening among the lobster boats moored nearby and planned our next few days.  Hurricane Ernesto was on its way out in the Atlantic but is causing some ocean swells that we would like to avoid. So we’ll be cruising among protected islands to a calm anchorage.

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.