Our stop at Camden gives us
our first taste of civilization in Maine. Camden
is a favorite destination with its scenic harbor surrounded by the high Camden
Hills, visible from miles away.
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| Charming Camden Harbor |
Upon
arrival I head in to do laundry while Burt takes a hike up Mount Battie
where he is rewarded with a stupendous view over Camden and surrounding waters.
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| The view of Camden Harbor from Mt. Battie |
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| And treasurers found on the way up |
That evening
we are joined by Polly and Denny Davis, friends from Mansfield who have a
summer cottage nearby. We have promised
them a dinghy tour of the harbor to witness the arrival of the boats
participating in the feeder race for the Eggemoggin Reach Race. We time our visit to Camden each year for this event as it brings
in a wonderful collection of wooden boats, each more beautiful than the
next. The problem is, there isn’t much
wind, so when our guests arrive there are only a few boats that have made it to
the finish. But in addition to the racing sailboats, there are a number of
larger traditional yachts accompanying the racers and providing more luxurious
accommodations.
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| Cangardia and Whitehawk at anchor in Camden. Both of these beautiful boats are completed projects of the International School of Yacht Restoration in Newport. |
The fog thickens as the afternoon wears on, and it is well past
sunset when the last racers arrive. The next morning dawns sunny, and we enjoy
a breakfast at a local deli that sits atop a mill stream and waterfalls
emptying into the harbor. The harbor is
gleaming with varnished wood as we stroll along the docks admiring this amazing
gathering of boats.
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| Three beauties along the docks - Juno belongs to George Soros. |
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| More eye candy. |
It is a quick trip across Penobscot
Bay to Isleboro
Island and protected Gilkey Harbor.
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| We are greeted by a fleet of Dark Harbor 20's having a race in the harbor. These boats were designed specifically for the yacht club here in Gilkey Harbor. |
We are attending the SSCA Downeast Gam held for the past twenty-five years at
the home of Dick and Kathy deGrasse.
This will be their last year to host the Gam as they are passing the
mantle on to other volunteers. Come
evening, the festivities begin with a dinghy raft up/happy hour in the middle
of the harbor. The next day we all congregate at the deGrasse’s for a potluck
lunch, sea shanties by a musician from Mystic Seaport, and a talk from the
skipper and admiral of Angel Louise who just returned to the States after a
four year circumnavigation of Europe. How did
they circumnavigate Europe? They started in London, traveled canals and rivers from the Netherlands to the Black Sea, and returned to London via the Mediterranean and Atlantic
Ocean. They very well may be the first cruising boat to complete
such a passage.
We return to our boat for what should be a peaceful night,
but the weather gods think otherwise.
Suddenly, very dark clouds descend upon us, passing right overhead.
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| Storm clouds advance |
The
boat swings violently, and looking up we see three nascent waterspouts.
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| Water spout forming right in front of our boat |
With over sixty boats anchored in the harbor,
this is not a good thing. But, the
clouds pass over us, rapidly heading northeast, and we see only a short shower
and winds around 30 knots.
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| Sunset after the storm |
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| The Blue Moon rises over one of the mansions at Gilkey Harbor |
The next day
we hear about the carnage to our north.
About five miles further up island, trees have been uprooted and
electricity is out. The winds were
clocked at over 60 knots. And another five miles further, in the town of Castine on the mainland,
straight line winds reached hurricane strength and streets are impassable due
to fallen trees. The next day we take a bus trip through Isleboro, witnessing
the storm damage, and seeing the many mansions that dot the shoreline. Kristie
Alley and John Travolta are two of the “rich and famous” who have summer homes
here.
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| View from the lighthouse on Isleboro looking towards the Camden Hills |
We depart the next morning for a spirited sail around Isleboro Island and on to Castine. Burt and I
just finished the book The Fort by Bernard Cornwell which chronicles the
Penobscot Expedition, the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War and one
of the United States’
worst naval disasters, compliments, in good part, to Paul Revere who was court
marshaled afterwards. It all took place
at Castine and in surrounding waters. We hike from the British held fort along
the ridge where the land battles occurred, and glanced over the waters where
eighteenth century naval ships stood their ground.
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| Hiking along the ridge where the land battle occurred |
The hike concludes at Dice
Head Light where American troops ascended the steep cliffs to encounter the
British.
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| The lighthouse at Dice Head |
Besides an interesting walk through history, we are treated to
beautiful vistas over the Bay and nearby coves.
Late afternoon, another fog bank rolls into our serene anchorage in Smith Bay,
just across the river from Castine proper.
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| Fog rolls in at our anchorage in Castine |
In the morning we still have spotty fog, but we head out
into Penobscot Bay anyway – our skills at navigating in
fog have definitely been sharpened by these experiences. Along the coast we encounter one of the
Camden Schooners underway. It is a thrilling sight to see these boats, some
over 100 years old, under sail.
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| One of the schooners based in Camden |
Many
sport more modern accommodations below decks and take guest on week long
adventures in these waters. We depart Penobscot
Bay eastward and head into the scenic
Eggemoggin Reach which separates Deer
Island from the mainland.
We intend to stop at Centre Harbor to explore the Brooklin Boatyard, builders of
many of the Spirit of Tradition wooden boats we see in New
England, but the harbor is packed tight with moorings, all of
which are occupied due to the unsettled weather we have been experiencing. Instead, we go about five miles further to
Swan’s Island and Mackerel Cove. Although
packed with lobster pots, there are few boats competing for anchoring room, and
we have a spectacular view of the mountains of Acadia
in the distance.
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| A small schooner anchored near us |
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| The fog begins to roll in at Mackerel Cove |
The fog rolls in at
nightfall, but we have a comfortable evening listening to the gulls, osprey,
and loons. In the morning we pick our way through the pots and head north to
our favorite destination of the summer season, Acadia National Park.
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| Fisherman at work as we leave Mackerel Cove |
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| Our nemesis as we head to Arcadia |
