more Maine and back to Rockland

This covers the last of our cruising Maine adventures, taking us back to Rockland to pick up daughter Heather for her visit to Maine.  She will take our car back home for us and we’ll embark on the 3 week or so trip in Latitudes back to the Chesapeake.  We will be seeing friends along the way and doing some sightseeing, but this is sort of our goodbye to Maine cruising.

We sailed back to Rockland from Buckle to pick up the replacement propeller for our dinghy’s outboard motor.  Luke got the job done flawlessly!  We did take the opportunity while being in Rockland to pick up the car and do laundry, get groceries, do some sightseeing by land, etc, etc. 

Sailing into Rockland, we passed her beautiful lighthouse, sitting at the end of the jetty a mile out into the bay.

While there, we just skirted an awful storm.  Camden, just 12 miles north, got heavy rain, hail, and wind – as you can imagine from this picture!

While we had the car, we drove to BoothBay Harbor.  The harbor -

Last year we drove along the shore of Ocean Point with Barb and Jim and it was beautiful.  We decided to do it again and visit some of the same spots.  

One nice spot is this lovely stone church.

Even the inside of the small church is stone and wood.

Luke got to spend one special day at Searsport, home of the Bluejacket Ship Crafters, a model ship store and the Penobscot Maine Museum.  The Bluejacket is full of beautifully built model ships.

The kits range from several hundred to over a thousand dollars. They estimate that for a model builder of moderate experience,  to build the more complex models would take 500 to 700 hours, and the kit may not include everything you'd need -- paint, etc.  If they build the kit for you, it can cost  five or six thousand into the 10 thousand plus..  The ships and their detail are amazing.

The Penobscot Maine Museum is actually a city block of historic buildings. More model ships and paintings of ships.

The ship captains living here had a pretty good life.

This barn has a variety of old boats, one of which belonged to E.B. White, arthor of Charlotte's Webb and other children's books.

We decided to sail only in the Penobscot Bay area, as we had only a few days and needed to be sure we’d be back in time to pick up Heather.  The persistent fog had us a bit skittish.  First, Belfast for pizza and a walk around town.  No pictures.  Next, back to Castine, home of the Maine Maritime Academy.  Her training ship, The State of Maine, has been out of town for a while, being recommissioned.  She was back!

While we waited out rain and fog in Holbrook Harbor at Castine, I decided to take a nap in the cockpit.  Little Smoke decided to do the same, as I found after Luke took this picture.

Luke wanted to go back to a beautiful island that we have explored only once before, McGlathery.  Now, there is a reason we’ve been there only once.  We got VERY lost on the island when we were there.  It was getting to be dusk, thick, dark pine woods, no Latitudes in sight, and I was MOST unhappy.  Fortunately, Luke located a sailboat in the harbor, called to her on the radio, and got our location.  I swore I’d never go back, but I did. I think it took 9 years.

We passed the prerequisite lighthouses along the way.

And here is McGlathery.

We must have been two of many that have gotten turned around on the island because the trail across the island is now well marked, boater style.  Bits of rope mark some of the trail.

Lobster buoys that have broken free and floated ashore are also used to mark parts of the trail.

Yes, it’s the middle of August and cold enough for jeans and fleece.

We successful made it to the other side of the island

and found a newly washed up float to add to the trail markers.

Back across McGlathery and we found fog.

We spent 3 full days at McGlathery, waiting for the fog to lift so we could continue.  Finally, the fog was light enough that we were comfortable making the trip to North Haven for the first half mile, and then it was as thick as anything we've ever been in. Boats we saw on RADAR became visible at less than 0.2 nm -- that's pretty close! The next day, we continued on to the island cluster of Dix and High, only 8 miles from Rockland (my comfort level of being back to pick up Heather).  By the time we got to Dix and High ---SUN!

A big granite quarry used to be worked on the island of High.  We have heard that over 2000 men worked on the small island.  Old blocks of granite line the shore, creating a wharf for the boats to pick up the granite.

The old quarry is no longer in use.

For well over the last 10 years that we have been coming to Maine, the island was managed by a conservation group, allowing visitors to the island.  Unfortunately, the island was recently put on the market and ultimately sold to a business that wants to again mine granite.  So far, they have just destroyed parts of the beautiful island, cutting and burning trees.  A “no trespassing” sign sits at the entrance to the island, but when no workers are there, the visitors continue to come while they can.

One last sunset for our 2018 – and last – Maine cruise.

Back to Rockland,  we picked up the car for the final time, provisioned everything possible that is non-perishable for the entire trip back, did laundry, picked up prescriptions, and are now sitting out a windy, rainy day.  Smokey is making the best of it…..with the August temperatures being in the upper 60’s at night, we’ve taken the “down alternative” comforter off of the bed and wrapped it in towels and put it on the shelf on Luke’s side of the bed.  Smokey has found it…..,

Tomorrow and the next few days are promised to be sunny and cool during Heather’s visit.  We’ll be sightseeing before she leaves.  Then to visit friends in Maine as we start south, and then the dedicated cruise south, with some visits with friends and sightseeing along the way. I will post as I can