Camden, Maine

August 1-3, 2012

The title quote is a witty quip about the fog that is infamous on the Maine coast.  A lovelier quote for this area is this excerpt from “Renascence”, a poem by Nobel Prize winning poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay:

“All I could see from where I stood

Was three long mountains and a wood;

I turned and looked another way,

And saw three islands in a bay.

So with my eyes I traced the line

Of the horizon, thin and fine,

Straight around till I was come

Back to where I’d started from;

And all I saw from where I stood

Was three long mountains and a wood.”

This area of Maine is indeed beautiful and picturesque.  We enjoyed the sail over from Pulpit Harbor, taking in the scenery and looking at all the tallships, lighthouses, and islands dotting the horizon.  The presence of the wooden ships, from small dories and Friendship boats to the stately Windjammers, make it feel like we have taken a step back in time.  Sailors fill the harbor on one gorgeous wooden boat after another.  They are coiling lines, flaking mainsails, and looking like a picture out of the 1920’s.

 

We could have stayed locked in history, but we were happy instead to spend a few days with our friends, the Colemans, from Ho-Ho-Kus.  Cory, Tamara, Greg, Lindsay, and Danny were up visiting Tamara’s parents.  They met us for lunch and ended up spending two days with us, showing us their favorite spots in this beautiful area.  I lost count, but I think we also had 65 meals together along the way!  Highlights of the tour include a visit to Battie Mountain for sweeping views of fog and a walking (and eating) tour of Belfast, which was right up my alley (and Tamara’s).  We loved the little shops, the gourmet organic restaurant/produce market, the new age stores, and the hippie vibe of the locals.  This was all mixed in with the traditional Maine industries, like shipbuilders and lobstermen.  I could have spent another day in Belfast, but I will wait for the next time Tammy and I get to meet up in this place that floats both of our boats.

We got our first real taste of Maine fog in Camden.  It rolls in and sits on top of the harbor like a blanket.  It sounds like it would be bad, and it is certainly nerve wracking if you are out there sailing in it, but it was actually very calming and grounding for me.  There is a stillness and a quiet that settles over the world when it is foggy.  It is similar to the cold quiet that fills the air after a nice snowstorm back at home.  I awoke at daybreak one morning and went up on deck to check on things.  I couldn’t see past the boat that was right next to us, and I could barely see that.  The water was flat and still, reflecting the lobster pots.  Every surface was covered in droplets of dew.  It was so beautiful.

The fog hung around for two days, and then we finally took a chance and left the harbor for Vinalhaven.  The sailors on the boats coming in had that “Thank god it’s over” look on their faces and they warned us that it was “really bad out there.”  We figured we would try it and could always come right back if it was terrible.  We were shocked to find clear, sunny weather less than 200 yards out of the harbor!  We looked back on Camden and saw that the fog was just sitting right on top of her, with the famous hills poking their heads out of the top.  We turned happily towards Vinalhaven and what promised to be a fog-free forty-first birthday for Chris…