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.

Warren Island, ME

On Friday, August 5 Jonny got up early and walked with Joe and Archie through the town of Rockland. They then headed over to Hamilton Chandlery where he found a new life ring for Zendo.  Afterwards they had a proper Maine breakfast of  eggs, toast and haddock cakes at a local restaurant.  Jonny returned to Zendo quite satiated!

Later that morning the two of us walked by the lobster festival through an array of pens with farm animals including miniature horses, goats, rabbits and pigs. Very cute! 

We headed for the wonderful Farnsworth Museum which is spread out over several blocks in downtown Rockland. It is filled with the works of Maine artists and some others. Their particular focus is on NC, Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth. It was a very good museum and well worth a visit.

The grounds of the museum had a number of very interesting sculptures as well.

On the walk back to Zendo we ran into these jaunty pirates who were volunteering on a pirate ship that was at the festival.

We had decided that we didn’t want to stay in Rockland another night and we preferred to head out to a nearby anchorage since we hadn’t spent any time anchoring in quite a while.  We discussed meeting up with our travel companions in either Camden or Belfast the next day based on the availability of moorings. So around 1:30 we headed out stopping at the fuel dock for fuel, water, and a pump out. 

We arrived at a beautiful anchorage after a little over two hours of cruising. The anchorage was in Warren Island State Park and it was just beautiful!  It was a very large anchorage with a few mooring balls that cost only $20 on the honor system. We opted to drop a hook not far from a dinghy dock that led to the island and park. There were just a few other boats in the anchorage. This was just what we were looking for!

We took Archie into the park and walked one of the trails around half the island. It was well maintained with several campsites.  Only a couple of them were being used. The only way to get there is by boat!

That evening we had dinner sitting on the aft deck loving the quiet and serenity of our surroundings.

Rockland, ME

It was a little foggy on Thursday, August 4 but we only had to wait a half hour beyond our 7 a.m. start time to take off from Boothbay Harbor bound for Rockland.

We proceeded ENE along the Maine coast passing some lighthouses illuminating the craggy shoreline.

Rounding the headland towards Little Egg Island we saw sunfish, seals and dolphins.  Roy had us circle Little Egg Island because it is a puffin sanctuary and the southernmost point to which puffins migrate each year. We were lucky enough to see scores of the little black birds with white chests and bright red beaks.  I wish I had a telephoto lens camera to be able to get a good shot of them!

We proceeded to thread through the islands of Penobscot Bay past Port Clyde, home to the Wyeth family and on to Rockland.

We arrived in Rockland about 12:45 but had a hell of a time finding our mooring. The mooring field is huge and the harbor master (or his staff) gave really poor directions.  Glory Days and we must have wandered the mooring field for 30 minutes before finding our mooring ball.  It was at the far end of the field. Jonny was so annoyed he was ready to cancel and just anchor out there but in the end decided not to. There was really no advantage to us mooring over anchoring since there were no services such as a launch, etc.

After he cooled off a bit we dinghied into town where a big Lobster Fest was in full force. We walked through through it and then out of it into the town of Rockland. It was a genuine, non-touristy town (except for the lobster fest) but nothing was open.

We tried to find a local brew pub or tavern but they were all closed except for one close to the harbor. It was an old time bar that used to cater to fishermen and “women of the night” but it was bought by new owners and now it’s just a local, very basic watering hole. So we enjoyed some nice cold beers and sat outside talking to a small group at the next table. We were somewhat surprised to find out that they consisted of a lawyer, a professor and a teacher all of whom lived in Cambridge - not the crowd we expected. Walking back to our dinghy, we saw that we were in good company!

That evening we had dinner onboard and decided to visit Rockland’s Farnsworth Gallery the next morning since the museum is supposed to be excellent and we had walked through its interesting grounds earlier in the day.

Boothbay Harbor, ME

We awoke to a very foggy morning on Tuesday, August 2. Jonny walked Archie very early because we planned to leave for Boothbay Harbor first thing, but we held off a bit because of the fog. By 7:45 it seemed to start clearing up so Glory Days and we headed out.  But as we left the harbor the fog became heavier and we turned back to our mooring to wait awhile.

By 10:30 it was lifting and we all took off for the four hour trip to Boothbay Harbor. By the time we were halfway there, the fog had completely lifted and the day improved considerably. Fortunately we didn’t encounter a lot of lobster pots during the foggy time. The coast line is beautiful here and we saw loads of boats.

By 2:20 we tied up to a mooring in Boothbay Harbor, a very pretty and more touristy town.  I needed to mail some birthday gifts so we headed into shore and to the post office to get that done first thing. We walked around town a bit but had to head back to Zendo because we were hosting cocktails on board that afternoon.  Afterwards Jonny made us a spinach omelet for dinner.

The next day Joe came on board to help Jonny diagnose the problem behind our water and holding tank gauges that aren’t working. In the meantime, Pat and I got a ride in to do some retail therapy.  We both ended up buying a pair of the same sandals that were on sale!

After lunch we all took the local trolley to do some grocery shopping.  The trolley driver gave us an unexpected and extended tour of the town which was both fun and informative. As we rode and walked through Boothbay Harbor we saw a number of quirky sights as well as many beautiful vistas.  We got our grocery shopping done and headed back to Zendo.  After unpacking our groceries we headed out again to give Archie a walk and stopped by a great second hand book store where of course we bought a couple of books. Jonny and I had wanted to visit the botanical gardens on the outskirts of town but we didn’t have time during this stay - maybe next time.

It was Roy and Marie’s turn to host cocktails so we all gathered there for drinks before going back into town for our first lobster dinner of the trip. We ate at Kaler’s Restaurant, a casual and delicious dinner of steamers, lobster, corn on the cob and blueberry pie all for a very acceptable price!

That evening I went down the rabbit hole researching wedding dresses for Stephanie.  I’m sure there will be many, many hours of mindless and sometimes productive efforts to plan for Stephanie’s wedding next year!  The plan for tomorrow’s cruise is to head for Rockland, Maine.