We had a lovely time sailing away from the fog in Camden towards the island of Vinalhaven, which lies in the middle of the Penobscot Bay.  We were looking forward to going through the  Fox Thoroughfare, which had been recommended by our friends Jason and Erika from Portland.

osprey nest on the Thoroughfare

The Fox Thoroughfare separates Vinalhaven from North Haven, the island just west of it.  The canal is lined with summer cottages, fishing wharves, and a (very) small town.  There were lots of other boats going through this canal of sorts and there was a jolly feeling in the air, like we were all on the same page, just having a grand old day of sailing with nowhere in particular to go.

A catamaran was on our tail for the first half of the trip through.  They move much faster than we do and we were kind of in their way.  The canal finally widened enough for them to pass us safely, but they were so close to us that we had a chance to say hello and talk back and forth for a few minutes.  I was cooling my feet by sitting on the swim platform and letting them trail along in the water behind us.  We noticed that they had two “Bike Fridays”, which are small, folding bikes that everyone seems to love.  We asked their opinion on them and they asked us for some Gray Poupon.  (please don’t make me have to say I’m kidding.)

entering Winter Harbor

The Fox Thoroughfare was over too quickly and suddenly we were making a right hand turn towards Winter Harbor.  The catamaran was just ahead of us and we noticed that they made a left into Seal Harbor, just as we had planned to do.  We anchored in the southwest corner of the harbor, which wound its way around various rocks and islets.  The tall evergreen trees on either side of us rooted into the stark granite rocks of the islands.  The sky above was a brilliant blue, and we were headed further and further away from, well, everything.  But first we had a bit of a navigation test to pass.  The large range of tides in Maine means that what looks like deep water now might end up being an island of rocks in 3 hours.  I read the charts while Chris drove and verified my calls.  It worked out splendidly and we anchored with only a few boats in a little nook behind a tiny island.

Chris and  the kids went paddle boarding and kayaking and got stuck in the mud when they left the dinghy ashore to go exploring.  Lucky for me, I wasn’t there to see their shoes before they rinsed them.  They came back and urged Porter and I to jump in the dinghy to go see all the seals.

seals

Sure enough, there was a rock in the center of the harbor (that wasn’t there when we came in just hours before!) and there were 9 seals sunning themselves on it.  We killed the dinghy engine, but they still heard us coming and slipped into the water.  They were so cute and kept poking their heads out of the water to watch us.  As soon as we had moved far enough away, they all jumped back onto the rock.

We motored over to Viento, the catamaran we had seen on the trip over.  We met Doug and Darlene, who invited us aboard.  They have a beautiful boat, and only the monohuller in me could keep me from drooling over the amount of space they have.  They are from Oregon and told us all about living on their boat and traveling all over.  They had lots of tips for us and we had a great time chatting while the kids enjoyed sitting on the “trampoline” between the hulls.

watching the sunset

We got back the boat and it was already getting late, but we couldn’t resist going swimming during the beautiful sunset.  We had a quick dinner and then enjoyed cake and presents to finish off, what for Chris, was his favorite day of the trip yet.

oh look, I’m swimming again!

The next morning, Doug, from Viento, dinghied over to give us a picture he took of us.  I went swimming again and got the glorious job of scrubbing the mud off of the chain as it came up.  All 150 feet of it.  Yuck!  I started imagining ways to get a wash-down hose up on the bow…

King of the Mountain

Reese sketching the sunset

check out this lighting! There’s 300 more pics where this came from…

dawn. the water is a sheet of glass.

solitude at dawn

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.”

drooling…

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.

one of many lovely meals shared together with the Coleman family

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.

views of Camden through the fog on Mt. Battie

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.

Porter steers us through the fog to town.

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…

all the kids on Mt. Battie

buddies Danny and Reese

Cory and Tamara in front of the tree where they were engaged:)

An artist we ran into on the waterfront, painting the scene behind him. This only took 1 1/2 hours!

Belfast, Maine