Island Hopping

This morning we tore out of Banks Cove energized by the sun, the wind, and the current!  Then, after Michael poled out the jib with gusto, the wind petered out.  The doldrums got me to thinking, “I should write a blog post.”  But before I could type one word we had nineteen knots on the beam and we were winning the race against no one.  What’s even better is that the internet in Castine is as fast as the sail was to get here. 

We’ve been island hopping!  It’s a tough contest this week, but I think Holbrook Harbor wins for most beautiful and our baby porcupine sighting there was just too cute for words.

Look who we found in Belfast! 

We were thrilled that John and Elaine made it to Maine in spite of COVID obstacles.  Shopping (with masks on) in the quiet town was a luxury we missed so much these past few months and there was plenty to gawk at in the harbor, including the largest travel lift on the east coast. The short-lived drama of the day, an inoperable Prius key, was remedied when Michael used his charm to get the hardware store owner to re-open her store after 5 pm and sell him a new battery.  We got to celebrate their visit, new shoes, and the fully functioning car key with amazing take-out lobster rolls from Young’s Lobster Pound.

Next, it was time for us to sail Eggemoggin Reach, renowned for its abundance of wooden boats.

At the Northwest end of the reach, Buck’s Harbor, yes thee Buck’s Harbor that is written into Robert McCloskey’s books, Blueberries for Sal and One Morning in Maine lives up to its storied fame.  

To see the boats In Center Harbor crafted by Brooklin Boat Yard, I recommend paddleboarding because it is the only way to move slow enough to take in every detail, including the carbon fiber, wood veneer coated steering wheels (rumored to cost 17K).  To be clear, this is art.  

An upwind sail, unintentionally against the current made for a frustrating trip to Buckle Island.  It must’ve been that unexpected green door we walked through that changed things for the better because Buckle was just plain fun!

When the sun came up at Isle au Haute’s Birch Point anchorage, the state of Maine had me at “hello.”  Nothing could make the day less perfect than it already was.

Except for a mouse!  In the cockpit!  Touching MY LEG!!!  True, the captain of the boat anchored three hundred feet to our south, shouted with concern, “Is everything okay?” but that doesn’t mean I overreacted.  The water is sixty-two degrees and it’s a boat. There’s nowhere to run!  That’s not the most horrific part of this story.  Michael heroically caught the mouse in our fishing net (which has never been used to catch a fish) and threw him into the ocean.  To our great surprise, mice can swim!  And swim he did!  Right back to our boat!  Sadly, the mouse, whom we were now emotionally attached too, but still did not want to take on as a full-time guest, likely met his demise with a paddle wack.

After a twelve-hour discussion, Michael convinced me that our furry friend, Francois, had likely hitched a ride in the dinghy when we beached it on Buckle.  He was a fat, fluffy, brown, field mouse, not a grey, rat-like, college laundry room mouse.  He was alone and he likely (but not definitively) drowned.

Isle au Haut is a magical place complete with enchanting beaches, cliff hikes, and old fashioned cars.  Some of the drivers are older as well!

For those of you still wondering how this works, some things are simpler than they seem.

Cookie Maker

Cookie Monster

Last remarks:

• A shout out to the lovely Barbara Cooperidge, who kindly introduced us to Castine 
• Congratulations to Josh on SV Sunset Spy and his bride to be 
• Hooray for this week’s boat projects, the most notable one being cockpit mounted ipad station with marine grade USB charging port.  It’s snazzy because sailing in the rain with ski goggles on is only slightly less fun than being warm and dry under the dodger.
• Black Lives Matter here, there, and everywhere