Sunday, August 19 – Friday, August 24, 2018
Our Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast warned us that facilities for cruisers, such as water, fuel, and provisions, were few and far between, with pumpouts non-existent, so we prepared accordingly. We got off to an early start, with clearing skies and calm seas as we headed beyond the Eastern Way into, for us, uncharted waters.
At 7:30 we started the Splendide washer for the first time. We originally purchased the washer/dryer when we had thoughts of cruising down the ICW and hopping over to the Bahamas, where we’d read laundry services are difficult to come by, though so is water, without a watermaker . . . . The reality of this machine is it takes so much power we can only run it while we are under way, and it takes so much time to actually wash, then dry, that it’s really only useful on long passages of say 5+ hours, as we need time to recharge the batteries before we settle in for the night!
We headed around the eastern side of Mt. Desert Island in Frenchmans Bay, leaving Egg Rock to starboard and Cadillac Mountain (and my favorite hike, the Precipice Trail) to port. Bar Harbor was humming, with whale watch boats, fishing boats, and the cruise ship VEENDAM in port, so we opted not to make our way through the very busy anchorage.
We left Long Porcupine Island to starboard, went around “The Hop” towards Halibut Hole, between Jordan and Ironbound Islands. A pod of several porpoises got the seagulls all excited. We cruised around Grindstone Neck and by 10:20 we picked up a Winter Harbor Yacht Club transient mooring ($45). Pool, Showers, restaurant and launch service were all open to us. We shut down the Splendide, and the steam from the unfinished dry cycle set off the fire alarm. Learning. Always learning. Hung up the slightly damp things to finish drying on lines in the pilot house.
The lovely old clubhouse was built in 1890, and it is simply stunning, tucked away on the side of the hill as it is. We walked into town for some fruit at the IGA, then stopped at the local fishermans co-op for steamers, then got some ice cream at a little shop across the way. Sweet little town.
Hugh switched out the 45 lb. bronze plow anchor (patterned after a CQR by the Port Townsend Foundry) with the heftier 60 lb. Ultra stainless, as we expected to be anchoring out as we head further DownEast. Another first!
At 9:00 the next morning, after walking Annie and taking on water at the WHYC dock, we set off under blue skies and temps in the mid-60’s. As we left Winter Harbor, we could see Cadillac Mountain across Frenchman’s Bay. The wind and tide made for glassy seas, with a gentle Atlantic swell.
It can often be a treacherous passage around Schoodic Point and across the Petit Manan Bar, especially given that July and August average 250 hours/month of fog, so we considered ourselves fortunate. We also had four bars for Verizon cell service. Best reception in many weeks. Go figure.
At one point, while I was opening and closing the sliding door to take pictures of the 123 ft. foghorn on Petit Manan, the door fell off its track! Luckily I was able to hold onto it so nothing broke or fell overboard. We headed around Trafton Island into Narragaugus Bay between Pond Cup Island and Jordan’s Delight where Hugh was easily able to fix the door in calm waters. Shortly after noon, we found ourselves in Pleasant Bay’s Eastern Harbor, off South Addison.
We found a quiet spot in the inner harbor, set our anchor (first time “on the hook”), and got a thumbs up from a passing lobsterman. These early arrivals mean we can take a leisurely nap after lunch and then go exploring. While there were no amenities listed for transient cruisers, the weather and ambiance more than made up for that.
The next morning, while I rowed ashore with Annie, Hugh removed and stowed the snubber that we had purchased at one of the many boat shows we’d attended the past few years. It worked nicely! We weighed anchor at 10 and once again enjoyed a perfectly clear day with calm seas. How lucky were we?
As we entered Moosabec Reach, there were lobster buoys EVERYWHERE. We stopped at the Jonesport town wharf and walked “up the road a bit” to the True Value Hardware which doubles as Hamilton Marine. A Grunden’s T-shirt for Hugh, a 7/16 shackle for the anchor, and a new ship’s log for me. We were told if we needed to get to the IGA, it was perfectly safe to hitchhike — everyone is happy to pick up cruisers, even with a dog in tow. A little more walking brought us to the Moosabec Mussel Company for 3 lbs of steamers ($10). People could not be more welcoming and friendly here!
Just after noon we left Jonesport and headed to the east end of the Reach. Within the hour we arrived at the Roque Island Archipelago, the centerpiece of which is Great Beach, a mile of white sand that stretches in a gentle curve. (photo) The island is privately owned and farmed. Visitors are asked not to explore inland and to stay at the eastern stretch of the beach. It took us about 40 minutes to anchor as the rode counter wasn’t working properly. Tides run around 11.5 feet here. We needed to be sure we had enough scope out, 7:1 with all 300 ft. out, given the next day’s forecast of 18 mph winds.
Don’t ever think we eat dehydrated camping food when we are on the hook. After Chef salad made with romaine stored in the cool bilge locker and bell pepper “poppers” with guacamole and bacon on the aft deck, we put the motor on the dinghy, SAMARIA, and headed to the beach for a loooong walk.
The water was so warm and clear that Annie and I both enjoyed a swim, too. Later we took SAMARIA for a “toot” through the Thorofare into Chandler Bay. There were only 3 other boats anchored here, two sailboats, and one Grand Banks cruiser. A hot shower followed by steamers on the aft deck was perfection.
Annie finally found her best use for the astro-turf mat, so we are resigned to twice-daily trips ashore. No problem, as we can use the exercise, too.
We enjoyed a rainy lay day, thick o’ fog. Hugh walked Annie ashore and I cleaned KATIE MACK from stem to stern, “toothbrush clean”. The barometer was a 29.4, the lowest we’d seen since leaving Onset on June 14th.
The next day dawned bright and clear so we weighed anchor and headed west through the Thorofare to Moosabec Reach. While passing under the bridge that connects Beal Island to Jonesport, we saw several skiffs loaded to the gunnels (gunwales) — was it mussels bound for Moosabec Mussel Co.? Or piles of rockweed to be used for something else?
As we passed Eastern Harbor on our way to Petit Manan Bar, we realized that the wind and tide were making a choppy sea that would be uncomfortable for crossing the bar. We circled around Shipstern and Flint Islands back to anchor in Eastern Harbor for lunch and a short nap. We headed back out at about 2:00 so we could cross the bar at slack tide for a much gentler crossing. Once across we decided we didn’t need to tuck into Prospect Harbor, but continued around Schoodic Head, “surfed the swell” into Winter Harbor, and picked up the same WHYC mooring. We made a note that next time we pass this way, we’ll want to pick up a Schoodic Marine Center mooring and take the Island Explorer to see Acadia/Schoodic and the marine center.
The last day of this cruise took us home by way of Sorrento. Our friends Tom and Jen met us at the wharf and took us back to their place for coffee and blueberry muffins. Afterwards, we took them out for a tour of upper Frenchman’s Bay by Hancock Point. Sorrento is a lovely little harbor with no amenities for transients, so it stays “off the radar” of most cruisers heading down east, which is fine by the people who live and summer here!
While we considered a quick stop in Bar Harbor to re-provision at Hannafords, we didn’t feel like dealing with the crowds brought in by the two cruise ships anchored in the harbor, so we headed home. According to NOAA satellites, the high haze is smoke from the western fires. California is on fire!