September 3rd, 2019
TOWNSEND GUT
Thanks to the introduction by a jaunty and welcoming OCC burgee we met Lars and Susanne on SEA WIND and they said we must go through the Townsend Gut. In his 1858 book A SUMMER CRUISE IN THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND Robert Carter described Townsend Gut as follows;
We ...... had a delightful sail through a most singular strait, narrow like a river of moderate size, and bordered on both sides by meadows green to the waters edge, with occasional groves ringing the banks. We should have had no suspicion that this was a not a river had it not been for seaweed growing on its rocky shores.
Couldn't have put it better myself and as you can see from this drone shot it was stunning.
September 3rd, 2019
LOBSTER
All good things must come to an end and so we have decided its time to start mooching back southward. After the most amazing month cruising these parts its time to move on. NE Maine has gifted us stunning anchorages, lots of nice people and an abundance of nature. Not least some very tasty lobster.
We could probably stretch it out another ten days but these broad-brush decisions are intuitive as much as anything. We will look back at this as a pivotal moment for we are turning back. This is the point that we have listened to the seasons and chosen to start our winter migration south.
Sunrise and sunset are drawing closer together, leaves are starting to turn and thermals have been shaken out. It just feels right and its early enough that we can take our time as we explore the bits of Maine that we leapfrogged during our push up here.
In preparation for this next chapter we anchored in Rockland as its big enough to be a logistical hub. A big food shop was ticked off, laundry thrown in the machine and post cards were written.
As with everywhere we have been in Maine lobster has been prevalent in windows, on caps, flags and even in this carpark. We were particularly taken with his grin.
August 30th, 2019
BALD EAGLE
I have seen so much wildlife on my paddle board that I see it as a big part of my boarding experience. There have been many thrills from Manta Ray to sharks but I had the privilege of adding a Bald Eagle this morning. I actually got very close to it as I rounded a rock to find it tearing the head of a fish. Staying still I drifted past as it stood up and tracked me with a haughty flint in its eye. It must have been nigh on three feet high and was so thrilling to see. I got a picture of it later in the day when I took Tracey back where we found it in a tree.
August 30th, 2019
MAC TRUCK
Sorry, just had to put this up. I love the Trucks in America for they are like Tonka Toys and they sound fabulous as they roar away. Look at that grill, an insects worst nightmare.
August 30th, 2019
PIZZA
We have been lucky enough to enjoy pizza all over the world and I can tell you that the best pizza we have had is in North Haven. They are so good that we returned for some more which is saying something given that we are keen to always set the anchor in new ground.
August 30th, 2019
SEAL BAY
Seal Bay proved to be a lovely anchorage unsurprisingly full of .......... seals. We love them, particularly when they pop up for a look with their huge eye's. Their feeding is entertaining as they come up from below the huge shoals of fish that are in such abundance here. The result is anything from a ten to twenty foot mound of thrashing fish lifting out of the water like a huge bubble. Its really quite noisy as they thrash away and it goes on all about the boat. Cormorant have the same effect with the added entertainment of watching them trying to wriggle a big fish down a small throat.
We had a wander in the hope of finding seals sunning themselves ashore but they were out feeding. This picture captures the shore though.
August 30th, 2019
CHART
As you can see, despite crisscrossing this cruising paradise for a month we have only managed to scratch the surface. We have always wanted to come here and it has exceeded our expectations to the point that we would be happy to return. As an aside you can see the dive south in search of Whales.
August 30th, 2019
Whales
One thing we haven't seen, apart from a distant fluke and spout, is Right Whales which are at the top of Traceys list. Rather than being passive we decided to do something about it and sailed south beyond the Matinicus Islands where they say it's the best place to see them. Sadly our Whale foray didn't pay off but we did have a lovely day at sea which made up for it. We would have liked to anchor in Matinicus but there was a massive swell running which makes it dangerous so we opted for Seal Bay, Vinalhaven Island.
