Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): July 2013

July 31 - Camden, ME

Camden Yacht Club Mooring

This was the type of cruising day we'd like to have every day...blue skies, great temperature, light winds and most of all very laid back. We were only traveling 16 miles today so we enjoyed a beautiful morning in the harbor of Belfast. We watched a few boats leave and a seal looking for his breakfast, as we enjoyed ours on the flybridge.

Our destination today was Camden, a picturesque town in the center of Maine's mid-coast region, nestled at the foot of Camden Hills on Penobscot Bay. Its slogan is “Where the Mountains Meet the Sea” and is considered by many visitors (us included) to be one of the most beautiful places in New England. Coming into the inner harbor was enchanting...boats of all kinds and sizes, old buildings, action going on everywhere and the beautiful mountains as a backdrop to it all. To maximize space in the inner harbor, mooring is done on small floating piers, like the one we used on Mount Desert. We were lucky enough to be able to tie up to the pier furthest into the harbor. Giving us an unobstructed view of the Windjammers docked here. Camden has a large fleet of these tall-masted schooners. A Windjammer is a type of merchant sailing ship used in the 19th to 20th century, there are ten docked in the harbor during the summer months. Some are used for short day cruises and others can be booked for overnight cruises. The day cruises came in and out of the harbor all day, filled with passengers wanting to experience the same sights we'd seen on our way into Camden. What a wonderful day to be on the water.

We went ashore for lunch and then wandered around this quaint little town. We found out there's a river that runs through (and under some of the buildings) town that drops into a waterfall at the head of the harbor. We sat on the balcony of one shop enjoying a free cup of coffee and the view of the harbor and falls. Everything about this town is beautiful. We'd love to stay longer, but they have a regatta here this weekend and all the inner harbor moorings are reserved, so we will move on in the morning.

Coming into Camden Harbor

Four of the Windjammers that are docked in Camden. They are L-R Grace Bailey (1882), Mary Day (1962), Lewis R. French (1871) and Angelique (1981).

The Appledore is a day cruiser that was built in 1978.

A view of the harbor from a little shop on Main Street. Can you spot The Pearl?

Another view of the harbor from Harbor Park

The falls

Our view off the bow

A video of the action in Camden Harbor

July 30 - Belfast, ME

Belfast City Landing Mooring

When I woke up this morning and looked outside I could see the fog literally rolling across our anchorage. It was very interesting. In a matter of a few moments we were engulfed in a blanket of white, but as quickly as it came in, it began to disappear. It wasn't long before we were left with a beautiful day.

Our main business today was taking care of necessities. Our first stop was at the city dock in Castine for water and a pump out. The city offers this as a free service to boaters. Our plan was to spend a few days exploring Camden, but there is a regatta there this weekend, so we could only get a mooring for one night and that isn't until Wednesday. So we decided to go into Belfast for the day...what a nice little town. Everything a boater would need, the only issue here, like everywhere else in Maine...everything is UP hill. Way uphill. Going up these hills on a bike is very hard, but so much fun coming down!

Our other big necessity we took care of today was buying groceries. We were completely out of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. This was the first large grocery store we've seen since we were in Warwick over a month ago. The little things we take for granted when we live on land become luxuries when you live on a boat.

Belfast is a hidden gem, not as touristy as other towns in the area. The downtown area is made up of Victorian Gothic and Greek Revival buildings built in the 1870s, which are now full of shops, galleries and restaurants. We saw artists in several places painting different scenes of the town. It was a beautiful day for strolling along the streets and sitting in the waterfront park visiting with other people.

Here comes the fog

Looking down Main Street in Belfast to the dock

Part of Main Street in Belfast

Some towns decorate bears, pigs, shrimp or elephants...Belfast has funking seating everywhere. Here are just a few examples of what we saw.

Views from our little spot in the park

Can you spot The Pearl?

The end of the day was just as fantastic as the beginning

July 29 - Castine, ME

Smith Cove - Anchorage

Castine, Maine is one of the oldest communities in North America. It has been occupied continuously since the early 1600s as the site of numerous trading posts, forts, missions, and permanent settlements of France, Holland, England, and colonial America. The earliest permanent settlement began in the 1760s and Castine has existed as a town since 1796. We walked down Perkins Street on our way to the Dyce Head Lighthouse, it runs along the bluff above the water and is full of historic 18th and 19th century Georgian and Federal houses. One of the homes we saw belonged to John Perkins, one of the earliest settlers in Castine. It was built in 1763. On our way back from the lighthouse we went through Fort Madison State Park and made our way down to the water. The tide was still out and we found quite a few nice pieces of sea glass.

We're in need of a grocery store. Finding a real grocery store has proven difficult around here. Most of the towns we've visited say they have a "market"...it's just a quaint word for convenient store and very small convenient stores at that. Most don't carry fresh fruit, vegetables or meat...all the things we are in need of.

John Perkins home in Castine

Dyce Head Lighthouse

Just a few of the nice pieces of sea glass we have found

July 28 - Castine, ME

Smith Cove - Anchorage

Today was the first day we were delayed by fog...not too bad considering Maine's reputation for fog. We weren't going far so we waited until mid morning to leave, unfortunately the fog turned into a cloudy misty day. Making it a little hard to enjoy the true beauty of the shoreline. Our plan is to spend the next few days exploring Penobscot Bay. Our first stop was Castine, a beautiful town that sits on a hill overlooking the Bagaduce River on the northeast side of the bay. It's the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine related industries.

Because of the weather we didn't have a chance to explore this little town today...hopefully we'll get a chance tomorrow. We did take the dinghy into town to have dinner at the Dennett's Wharf Restaurant...a nice break in our day.

Pumpkin Island Lighthouse

Castine waterfront

July 27 - Buckle Island, ME

Buckle Harbor - Anchorage

Mount Desert will be our furthest point north and east this year. We will slowly move south from here visiting little interesting places we missed on the way up. We moved about 15 miles today to Buckle Island. There are literally hundreds of islands here to visit...choosing where to go can be very difficult. Buckle Island was a great choice...it had a wonderful view of the mountains on Mount Desert and we could watch the boats moving through the Deer Island Thorofare that runs between Penobscot Bay and Mount Desert. It was a beautiful Saturday so there were a lot of boats out today.

Once we were anchored and had an early lunch we took the dinghy down to do a little exploring. We rode through the little islands and then landed on Buckle Island to do a little hiking and beach combing. I found another lobster float...in fact I found five, but only one was worth keeping. Not that I'm sure about what I'll do with them when I get home, but they’re fun to find. We also took the dingy out to a lobster boat and bought a couple of lobsters for dinner...you can't get fresher than that! We really need to find a grocery store, lobsters are about the only fresh thing we have at the moment. We had to have canned vegetables with dinner...we don't do that very often. We're also about out of butter; we can't eat lobster without butter!

One last look at Northeast Harbor as we left Mount Desert this morning

Bear Island Lighthouse - Mount Desert

Our view of Mount Desert from our anchorage

Exploring in Buckle Harbor

This is going to the fish (lobster) market in Maine...he had just gotten our lobsters out of the trap. So cool!

A little video of what we saw on our dinghy ride today.

July 26 - Northeast Harbor, ME

Mount Desert Island

Northeast Harbor Mooring

Today's weather called for rain all day and the forecast was correct. We woke to rain this morning and watched it rain all day. We decided to move to a mooring in the harbor rather than pay for the expensive slip at the marina...this harbor is very protected and there is little problem with wakes. Besides the traditional mooring balls the marina has short independent floating docks, which two boats can attach to. This was our first time to use this type of mooring. It would be a fun way to moor with a buddy boat, because it provides a small private dock.

We spent the day relaxing, reading, napping and watching movies. Having a day of rain now and then really isn't too bad...it gives us a chance to catch up on a few things and after two days of hiking it was nice to just put our feet up.

A view of our small floating dock

Looking towards the end of Northeast Harbor

July 25 - Northeast Harbor, ME

Mount Desert Island

Northeast Harbor Marina

Today we decided to hike a real trail. The carriage roads are great, definitely easy and the views are nice, but the wonderful views come from smaller trails that wind you up the side of the mountains. We chose to hike the Acadia Mountain trail since it would give us views of Somes Sound from the top. Somes Sound is a body of water running deep into Mount Desert Island. The sound almost splits the island in two. While often described as the "only fjord on the East Coast", it lacks the extreme vertical relief and anoxic sediments associated with Norwegian fjords, and is now called a fjard by officials, a smaller drowned glacial embayment. By either name it's a spectacular place and it was a clear beautiful day to enjoy the views.

We took the bus from our marina in Northeast Harbor to the west side of the island. We actually had to take one bus and connect with another to get there. While we waited for the second bus we picked blueberries on the side of the road...so many berries. This time we put them in a container to take home for breakfast. What a treat.

There are over 125 miles of designated trails in Acadia National Park, with skill levels from a very easy walk to strenuous. Acadia Mountain Trail is listed as a strenuous trail because of its steep descents on the back of the trail. It was a little more work, but well worth the effort for the incredible views. We ate our lunch near the top, sitting on a ledge overlooking Somes Sound and Long Lake. No restaurant in the world could have been as nice as this place today. We chose a great place to explore on a great day...we couldn't have asked for a better experience.

After the hike we caught the bus into Southwest Harbor and spent a little time wandering around. This side of the island is definitely less touristy and more relaxed. We decided we'd take the bus back to Bar Harbor for dinner before we returned to the boat. We've had a great time on Mount Desert and could find things to keep us busy for much longer, but there are other great places to explore...so we need to move on.

A park at the end of Somes Sound. To the right is the mountain we hiked.