| Today, a quiet morning with gentle rain falling, anchored in a snug harbor, is as beautiful in its way as the days of sun and sparkling blue water. It is a necessary counterpoint to more active days and naturally relaxing. Its reward is time to catch up on writing, or to curl up on a settee with a cup of hot tea and a good book. |
| Since the last of these notes two weeks ago, we have cruised from Yarmouth, ME and Casco Bay to Pulpit Harbor in North Haven Island, Penobscot Bay. Only about 50 miles "as the crow flies" (roughly the distance from Galveston to Freeport for the TX sailors). We have anchored or moored in a number of beautiful harbors: Quahog Bay, Cundy's Harbor, "The Basin" New Meadows River, Boothbay Harbor, Tenants Harbor, Rockland, and now Pulpit Harbor. The surprise is how many equally inviting places we have passed by - making a promise to visit another time. |
| The coast is naturally rugged with rocky shores, numberless islands, rock ledges awash, and deep tidal rivers extending far inland. All is well charted and with an excellent cruising guidebook. This topography provides an abundance of good harbors and anchorages which are varied in character. Some are surrounded by forests, others are dominated by towns. |
| The Basin on the New Meadows River, was probably the closest to wilderness. It is a completely enclosed saltwater "lake" accessible through a narrow passage. Even there an old farmhouse with a hayfield extending to the shore and a few camps set well back in the trees could be seen. Rockland is at the opposite end of the spectrum, a relatively large town with some industry along the waterfront and a touristic potential which is not yet dominant. The plus side is that it has good convenient stores for boat supplies, groceries, etc and good yacht services. |
| Boothbay Harbor, is the quintessential Maine tourist destination with "T" shirt shops. boutiques, galleries, inns and quaint B&B's. Yet it still has a lot of charm for the cruiser. A free "trolley" bus makes getting around town easy. |
| The smaller places like Cundys and Tenants Harbor have limited tourist and "summer" business, and still depend on a very active fishing industry. All of these places have a real history, unlike the sprawling suburbs most of us come from. |
| Damariscove Island (near Boothbay) was a thriving fishing community in the late 1500's long before Jamestown and Plymouth. Until the last year-round resident left in 1935 it was the oldest continuously occupied European community in the US. The fishermen at Damariscove provided essential supplies without which the Pilgrims at Plymouth probably would not have survived the first winter. However, being successful commercial fishermen they did not advertise their activities and invite competition, so the history books have largely missed them. |
| Touring Maine by car was a wonderful experience, but cruising these historic waterways and island outposts under sail is infinitely more interesting. |
| - Jay Stormer 07/08/2007 |
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