When last we parted, Patronus was recovering from a long night of waiting out a storm on a tenuous mooring on Seguin Island.  The next morning, I wearily went back to bed while Chris and Bryson sailed under 5-7 foot following seas back to the mainland.  We pulled into Five Islands, Maine at 1020 and took a mooring available from the Five Islands Yacht Club as a courtesy to transient cruisers.  It is rare to come across moorings that are free of charge, so we were grateful to the yacht club.  To confirm the huge swells, we marvelled at this sailboat, which came in behind us.  It appears to go under water at times!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSa1nPq-TpA

caution: swimming hole may appear more romantic and ideal than it was in real life

This harbor was such a refuge compared to being in the out-islands.  Five Islands is a harbor created from, well, five islands.  It is a cute and quintessential fishing town with not much going on.  We walked to the swimming hole mentioned in the guidebook, but it was a very still pond with an orange tint and lots of bugs.  The kids eventually took a shot at jumping in, but we didn’t last long.  It was just as well, because a storm was brewing and we needed to get back to the boat.

On the way, we stopped at a cute little produce market.  Porter and I quickly picked out some peppers, cheese, and other items and ran back.  We grabbed some lunch to go at the dockside seafood shanty and made it back to the boat just in time.  It rained lightly on and off for the rest of the evening.  We dinghied back to the seafood shanty for a lobster dinner in between storm cells.

Between the passing storms and the adorable harbor, we were treated to some beautiful lighting that made me wish I had my SLR with me on the dock.  But I got a few shots that look like paintings to me- they are lighted so beautifully.  We even saw a gorgeous rainbow as we waited for our ice cream!

this might be my favorite picture from the trip so far

In the morning, I swam and Chris paddled.  Then I took a try on the board, paddling over to a Beneteau 46 that had come in the night before.  After a nice chat with the owners and their friends, I decided to paddle around one of the five islands.  It seemed safe to me, but after I got out into the open water of the channel, I realized that going upwind first may have been a better idea.  The island was very rocky and the current wanted to push me onto the shore, so I only paddled on the right side for a while.  Since I had been gone for a long time by this point, Chris came out in the dinghy to find me (He would say he came out to save me, but it wasn’t THAT dire!)  Nevertheless, he stayed with me as I fought the wind and the waves to go upwind back to the boat.

a spectacular sunset of pinks

Between the peaceful solitude, the quiet country roads, the fun little lobster shanty, and the beautiful sunset, it is hard to think about what could have made Five Islands a better experience.  Even the little rain showers were cozy and refreshing.As we continued on in Maine, I have been surprised that most Mainers haven’t heard of Five Islands, but we left it happier to have known it.

Patronus and lots of local lobster boats

one more. i can’t help it.

just a tiny taste of the infamous Maine fog. more to come…