Camden to Acadia National Park - July 22-31

Camden was gearing up for the big Camden Classic Cup sailboat race and this harbor was about to get crazy busy so we’re out of here! Over the past couple weeks, we have been having a bit of trouble with a hydraulic hose on our dinghy lift. Captain Fix-it went in the 55 degree water a few times to tighten the hose. However while in Camden it was obvious that it was getting worse and it was time to stop using it. Steve made phone calls to several local ports to find a location that could haul Island Bound out of the water in order to access the lift to assess the problems. Journeys End Marina in Rockland was able to schedule us for Monday morning. 

We now had 4 days to kill before our haul out on Monday. We took advantage of this time to explore several islands in southern Penobscot Bay. We enjoyed anchoring off Seven Hundred Acre Island, North Haven, and Vinalhaven Island. What an amazing area with rugged shorelines, endless coves and tons of seals to keep us entertained. In fact, we were often reminded of the old kids game “Whac-a-Mole”, except we called it Whac-a-Seal as we would be floating in the dinghy and the seals would constantly pop up their heads all around us, look around & then quietly slide back under the surface, like “Seal Team Six”, fun!

We could have spent more time in these beautiful islands but on Sunday we moved to Rockland in preparation to be hauled out Monday morning. The haul out went smoothly and Steve was able to replace all the hydraulic hoses on the lift in a couple hours. Success! It’s so great to have the dinghy back on the functioning lift after 4 days of towing it behind and tying it along side over night. 

Tuesday, we traveled 27 miles where we anchored out between more gorgeous rock lined islands near Stonington. 

On Wednesday we cruised 22 miles in the dense Maine fog we had been warned about but had not yet experienced. Love that radar!  We took a slip for 3 nights at Dysarts Great Harbor Marina at Southwest Harbor. Southwest Harbor is located on what the locals call the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island.  Mount Desert Island which the 6th largest island on the contagious United States is home to Acadia National Park.  LL Bean provides an extensive and free bus service throughout the island which was super handy for us floating nomads. On Sunday, we took the half hour bus ride to Bar Harbor to explore the city’s many shops and restaurants. On Monday, we again boarded the bus to Bar Harbor where we rented fat tire e-bikes to explore the 45 miles of carriage roads created by John D Rockefeller Jr between 1913 and 1940. 

We had so much fun riding on the broken stone roads through the native Maine pines and past the inland fresh water lakes. 

We have decided that this will be our turnaround point for the trip. Everyday has brought new sights and experiences. What a blast so far.

More adventures to come as we work our way south. 

Towing the dinghy -argh!

First mate bringing dinghy into anchorage 

Fuel dock 

 North Haven-Typical waterfront town

Local fishermen working in our anchorage - competing with the seals for fish

If I don’t get picked up in 6 hours.. the tide will have the waters 6 feet over my head

Beauty!

Seal watch!

Lazy afternoon 

Seal team six!

What a night!

View from back of boat at anchor 

Another great dinghy stop

Bar Harbor Wharf 

Acadia National Park

 

Portsmouth, NH to Camden, ME - July 14-21

Maine = lobster,  Lobster = fishermen, Fishermen = Lobster traps -everywhere!  Yup, the captain must be on full alert watching for the floats tied to the sunken lobster traps as we don’t want the line in our props. We installed line cutters ahead of the props this spring before launching the boat. In the event we do catch a line it should cut the line so it will not get tangled in our propellers. 

On Tuesday, July 14 we entered the waters off Maine. We traveled 68 miles along the coast of Maine, entering in Casco Bay up to South Freeport. That evening we anchored just outside the harbor where we watched a group of young kids sailing in a regatta. What a fun summer activity for the kids. The next morning we moved  a 1/4 mile to Brewer’s South Freeport Marina. (whew!) The harbor master volunteered to bring us to nearby Freeport where the LL Bean Flagship store and a large outlet mall are located. The first mate had a grand day of shopping! 

The next morning we continued north to Quahog Bay, located in the Orrs Island area. We stayed the night at Safe Harbor Great Island. The marina is nestled in a rocky, tree lined cove. Very beautiful! Once again the captain gave the boat a good washing while the first mate took advantage of the marina’s free laundry.  We are in a totally remote area so enjoyed grilling at the marina’s dock. 

Boothbay Harbor is a popular summer resort town located in a scenic bay. We read they were having their America 250th celebration over the weekend so it was a must go for us. On July 17 we took a mooring ball in the outer harbor.  A short ride on the dinghy took us to the town where did some exploring. That evening the town hosted an amazing drone show over the harbor. We were in a perfect spot to catch the show. Wow!  

Originally we had planned to spend 2 nights in Boothbay Harbor but the winds were scheduled to pick up from the south which meant the bay was going to whip up and get rough. The captain said “we are going to get beat up, let’s get out of here” - so we high tailed it out of there before the winds arrived. We traveled  43 miles to Rockland which is located in a protected harbor for the upcoming winds. We tied to a mooring ball for 2 nights. The weather was cool, rainy and windy but we were able to enjoy the cute town of Rockland and Steve’s 1st lobster of the trip. 

We have to take a moment to appreciate how good of weather we have had. In reading reviews on the harbor, we read that a boat came to Rockland in July 2024 after spending 3 weeks in rain and fog! We have read a lot about the thick fog in Maine, but have been blessed so far that we haven’t experienced it first hand… yet….

Next up was Camden. Camden Harbor is located at the foot of Mount Battie and is one of Maine’s busiest harbors. It’s a narrow harbor full of boats including the largest coastal schooner fleet in the country. Our home for 2 nights was Lyman-Morse Marina located in the heart of the action. It was entertaining to watch the busy harbor from our slip. What a fun town…lots of shops, restaurants and activity. We used the marina courtesy car to drive to the top of Mount Battie which offers spectacular views of the harbor and outlying islands. Definitely one of our favorite stops. 

LL Bean Flagship store - Happy first mate 

Great Island marina

Boothbay Harbor drone show 

Impressive!

225 footer following us

Rockland dinghy dock - so typical here

Rockland loves lobsters

Happy Captain

Typical mooring line - yuck!

Entering busy Camden Harbor 

Schooner tour passing by

Evening view from our slip 

Camden Harbor down below

Hanging on Mount Battie

View from Mount Battie - arrow shows Island Bound

Nice view!

 

Sandwich, MA to Portsmouth, NH - July 8-13

Wednesday, July 8 was a windy morning but finally the sun is shining again!  We pulled out of Sandwich, MA and entered Cap Cod Bay. We traveled 23 miles to Plymouth, MA. Our ride was lumpy but Island Bound handled the swells like a champ. Our slip for the night was at Safe Harbor Plymouth which had a clear view of the Mayflower replica docked nearby. We spent the afternoon scoping out the town shops and sights, including the Plymouth Rock. (boy was that a disappointment - much smaller that we imagined it would be)  That evening, from the back of our boat we enjoyed a concert in the local park next door. 

Thursday morning we woke up only to realize the Mayflower was gone!  Upon investigating we found out it was being towed to Boston for their America’s 250th tall ship celebration.  Before we left, the captain did oil changes on the boat as he was able to dispose of the old oil at this marina.  Shortly after leaving Plymouth Harbor we spotted our 1st whales! So fun! We thought our destination was going to be Gloucester, MA however we ended up swinging into the outer harbor of Boston for the night in order to watch the tall ships arrive. It took awhile for us to find a settled spot, but we finally dropped the anchor in a good location. We watched the Mayflower as well as a few tall ships arrive that afternoon and many more the next morning. Then on to Gloucester. 

Gloucester is known as America’s oldest fishing port dating back to 1642. It is home to the bronze monument named “The Fishermen’s Memorial”  which honors the more than 10,000 Gloucester fisherman who have lost their lives at sea. We anchored out for 2 nights in the inner harbor where we had front row seats to the comings and goings of lobster and fishing boats. A short dinghy ride gave us access to the legendary town. 

On Saturday afternoon we were off for a grand dinghy adventure thru the Blynman Canal. This is a 4 mile canal which leads from the Gloucester outer harbor thru to Ipswich Bay. Upon entering the harbor, one must pass thru a narrow bridge where the currents run strong. Boats line up single file to take their turn gunning it thru the wild tidal currents. It was a wild ride but our dinghy handled it.  We had an interesting ride passing many boats stranded/parked on shore due to the low tide. We had a super afternoon scouting the local low tide beaches where boaters and beach goers spent a hot summer afternoon.

Gloucester has an annual festival where contestants try to conquer “The Greasy Pole”. This is a 45 foot horizontal telephone pole covered with grease, fish guts and lard suspended over the bay where competitors attempt to walk to the end of the pole to grab a flag before falling into the ocean.  We weren’t in town for the festival but we did check out the pole. No thanks! 

On Sunday we cruised 43 miles north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire where we took a slip at Safe Harbor Wentworth by the Sea for 2 nights. This marina is nestled in a pristine setting next to the Wentworth by the Sea Resort. We took advantage of the marina’s courtesy car to load up with provisions and spent the afternoon shopping in downtown Portsmouth. Very neat area. 

This will be our only stop in New Hampshire as they only have 18 miles of coastline and Portsmouth is located on an inlet that borders Maine.  Maine…here we come!

Plymouth gets our “seal” of approval

The Mayflower in Plymouth 

Busy mooring field between us and the Mayflower 

Beauty passing by us

View of Boston from anchorage

No sails up, but still impressive 

Another beauty 

Rocky shoreline 

View of Gloucester from our anchorage

Gloucester harbor

The Fisherman’s Memorial

Haddock Tacos

Staying home till the tide comes up

Relax, it will be floating soon

The famous Greasy Pole. Wanna try it?

Grilling on the dock at Wentworth by the Sea

 

Port Jefferson, NY to Sandwich, MA - June 29-July 7

Monday, June 29 we left Port Jefferson to cross Long Island Sound to Connecticut. Finally out of New York. We’ve been in NY for 14 days. Seventeen miles later we pulled into Safe Harbor Stratford. What a pretty area and nice marina. We spent 2 days here enjoying the area by foot and dinghy. 

On July 1, we moved on to New Haven, CT where we anchored out in a bay near Long Island Sound. The gorgeous day called for a dinghy ride out on the sound to get a look at the local homes and beaches. The shoreline is beginning to get more rocky the further north we go. 

 The heat wave across the country hit the east coast. We booked a marina in Branford,CT for 2 nights so to help us ward off the heat wave with power on the boat so we could have air conditioning. The feel like temps got to 109. That’s warm! On our way to Branford we took a slight detour out to the Thimble Islands. The Thimble Islands are made up of a few hundred granite rock islands varying in size from the size of a car to large enough to be occupied by up to a dozen beautiful homes. We anchored off nearby and explored the islands by dinghy. Knowing how hot the inland temps were we were happy to take a swim before heading in to the marina. It was time to load up on groceries so we took Uber into town to stock up.Also, while there,  Steve stayed cool washing the boat, Sheli got some wash done in the marina laundry. Both evenings we enjoyed a dinghy ride up the river to dinner. 

Happy 250th birthday USA! On July 4 we traveled 47 miles and anchored out off of Fishers Island. The grill came out for some yummy steaks to celebrate our country’s big day. Being off shore by 3 miles we had a grand seat to watch fireworks in a dozen different coastal communities. God had his own fireworks show (lightning) that night so the combination was amazing. The storms brought in the winds which made it a rocky night. The captain stayed on the helm all night to keep an eye on things but probably more importantly, it was much quieter up on the helm than in the stateroom with the slap, slap of the wind driven waves on the bow.

The next morning the sun came back out, but the storm front brought in cooler temperatures. It was a super day to travel 60 miles to Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts. Cuttyhunk Island lies between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. This is the western most island of a chain of islands owned by the Forbes family.

We anchored out on the outside harbor next to a 102 ft yacht. We looked pretty small! Our dinghy exploration that afternoon lead to a few new to us moments. As we neared the fuel dock to get gas in the dinghy we noticed the entire dock was lined up with locals - mostly teenagers. As the 4pm ferry went by, they all waved and jumped into the harbor! No gas for us today, but what a hoot to watch this craziness. As we neared the neighboring island of Nashawena we noticed cows enjoying an afternoon on the beach. This island’s only inhabitants are the free roaming Scottish cows and their caretakers. While watching the cows a few curious seals came along to check us out. Back on the boat we enjoyed a lovely evening taking in the views.

The rains came in that evening and continued thru the next 2 days. That morning (Monday) we left in the rain and crossed Buzzards Bay to New Bedford where we stayed on a mooring ball.  Upon entering the bay, we had to pass through a Hurricane Gate which can be closed during storms to keep the ocean surges out of the harbor. Once tied to the mooring ball and settled in we radioed the local launch boat to pick us up and bring us to town. A walk through the town and a yummy Mexican dinner were worth enduring the rain. 

The rain continued on Tuesday but we moved on. We were once again thankful for our enclosed helm and windshield wipers!

We traveled up thru Buzzards Bay to the Cape Cod Canal. This 17 mile canal cuts across the of the neck of Cape Cod from Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay, saving boats from the 135 mile trip thru Nantucket Shoals and around Cape Cod.

We pulled into the Sandwich Marina located 1/4 mile before the end of the canal. The rains were not going to let up, so once again we gathered our raincoats and umbrellas and walked into town. We were really growing weary of the wet weather by this time. But….sunshine was predicted for the next day!

Exploring Thimble Islands on dinghy

Thimble Islands home

Don’t have to mow your lawn here!

Fishers Island - all dressed up for the 4th!

Happy 250th America 

4th of July storm moving in

Jump! Island entertainment

Free roaming Scottish cows on Nashawena Island

Curious seal

Guest for dinner 

Hurricane gate into New Bedford Harbor

Sandwich Marina, Connecticut