Heading West again: Pleasant Bay and North East Harbour

Having read that bald eagles frequent Pleasant Bay, which would be a one-day deviation from our planned passage west, and knowing that there is an OCC mooring available in Ports Harbour almost at the head of Pleasant Bay, we made this very pleasant detour to see if we could find both the birds and the mooring. Definitely there would be no eagles further west, and the crew was desirous of having the opportunity to see these magnificent birds if possible.

Four hours after weighing anchor at Mistake Island on 24 August, Follyfin was settled on the ‘John White’ OCC mooring, located all on its own in the perfect little cove that is Ports Harbour. We were told later by the kind owners of the mooring and of John White Island that Follyfin was only the second OCC boat to use the mooring this season, and the first sailing vessel. This was all too apparent from the amount of weed on the buoy’s line and some very strange little creatures living on it. They are reminiscent of stick insects but these are aquatic ones!

After lunch we embarked in the dinghy to explore further into the harbour. As we set off, the aforementioned owners of the mooring appeared on their float and we made ourselves known. Diane and Jack Myles imparted some history of the island and invited us for ‘happy hour’ later at their house on the island. Apparently Ports Harbour was originally more romantically named ‘Poets’ Harbour, after a literary visitor in the late 19th century inscribed some verses on a rock at the head of the harbour. Some time later, when the official chart makers came and asked the local fishermen what this place was called, they misheard the word ‘poets’ and named it ‘ports’ instead. Of course we had to go in search of this rock. A tranquil dinghy ride took us to the head of the harbour, during which several banded kingfishers, a pair of bald eagles and lone sandpipers were spotted. Dinghy was beached and we set off along the overgrown path through the forest in search of the engraved rock.

We had not bargained with the onslaught from vicious mosquitoes lurking in the woods. Clearly they had been starved of human blood for a very long time... We persevered for a while but eventually admitted defeat. Heading back out from the harbour, Follyfin could be seen, serene at the entrance and mosquito-free.

At Diane and Jack’s beautiful house - with a view to die for out over Pleasant Bay - we met their neighbours and enjoyed delicious appetisers and wine. They also had a most interesting framed poster showing all the different types of lobster pot used in Pleasant Bay. The photo below was kindly supplied by Diane a few days later...

Now dear reader, one of the most feared occurrences for a sailing boat is to get a rope accidentally wrapped around its propeller or rudder, let alone a rope that is attached to a lobster pot weighing at least half a hundredweight that is sitting on the sea floor. So one of the main duties of the watch keeper on passage is to ensure that the boat does not run over one of these lobster pots; when there are so many, watch-keeping can be very tiring and a bit of a nightmare.

After our lobster dinner on board (actually can’t complain about the pots which provide such tasty meat from the sea), we retired for a very quiet and peaceful night. The following morning, 25 August, crew feeling refreshed and ready for future lobster pot challenges, the line was slipped from the mooring. Enjoyed five hours sailing downwind with the mainsail and ‘magic zero’ gennaker. What a treat without the engine. Our destination, Mount Desert Island (MDI) can be seen in the distance.

Berthed on a float in North East Harbour on MDI in time for tea and to rendezvous with our friends: Lee and Deborah (North Star V) and Ruth and Herb (The Ancient Mariners). Dinner was had at a nearby restaurant where the scallops were excellent.

Three decades of Man: 6th, 11th and 8th

The weather was changing. It was clear that our time in Maine was perforce coming to an end a day sooner than anticipated as we had another rendezvous to make in Cape Cod with our son Warren and his family who are on holiday there. Sailing south, the preferable wind direction is north, east or west. The wind had been in the north and east for 4 days but now it was forecast to turn south and south west - certainly not ideal for our passage to Cape Cod. Biting the bullet, the next day we began our journey to Cape Cod, first turning west for 50nm to Tenants Harbour for one night and then south early on 27 August towards Cape Cod. Motor-sailing and tacking towards our destination would be unavoidable.

Jonesport, a working harbour and Mistake, an island

Though the sky was overcast and the wind was against us on the short passage to Jonesport, the sun came out in more ways than one upon arrival. Weaving our way in and out of lobster and fishing boats of all shapes and sizes, the Public Landing eventually came into view. Cruising boats are a rarity here (and we had been told to expect a frosty welcome or possibly none at all) but space is made for just one or two on one end of the town float where they can moor up for a maximum of three hours. Luckily there was just enough space for Follyfin to tie up and a kind gentleman from the motor boat already berthed there helped us with our lines. Then he promptly left as his time was up; thus only Follyfin is visible in photo below.

No sooner was Follyfin secure, and crew with shopping bags in hand than another kind gentleman was encountered: none other than Dana DeVos, Commodore of the Port and Starboard Yacht Club, who happened to be standing on the float about to embark for a sail on his own yacht. Upon enquiring for directions to the nearest grocery store, he invited us to use his truck as it was too far to walk: “...go ahead, the keys are in it...” What more generous hospitality than that could a visiting cruiser wish for?

Long story short, the offer of the truck was taken up, provisions were obtained from Mannafords supermarket about 2 miles away, friendly conversations with other locals were had and Follyfin’s lines were slipped just within the 3hr time limit.

On her way again, Follyfin motored 6nm due south through unmarked channels, in and out of little islands, her helmsmen keeping a close eye on the chart as there are many rocky ledges lurking just beneath the surface to catch the unaware, to an anchorage which had been recommended to us, off the NW tip of the unusually named Mistake Island. This small island has a lighthouse on its south end which looks out to the Gulf of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. Yet, the anchorage here is very calm and sheltered. Wonderful!

Mistake Island, looking south

That evening the crew enjoyed another fresh lobster dinner, having been given two splendid specimens by a friendly lobsterman who arrived at our anchorage in Roque Island just as we were leaving earlier the same morning. Another example of the amazing generosity of the people who inhabit this beautiful part of the world.

The night was calm though the wind direction was forecast to change during the night. And being quite a ‘cosy’ anchorage between rocky ledges which are exposed at low water, we kept an anchor alarm on just in case. In addition, another friendly lobsterman had come alongside to warn us of an uncharted ledge close to where our stern would be if/when the wind shifted. Early the following morning, the wind had indeed shifted and another, different lobsterman came to warn us of exactly the same hazard. We thanked him and made hasty preparations to weigh anchor and move out of danger before the tide dropped any lower - but not before purchasing two more lobsters from him for $5 each. Well, one has to take advantage of these things when one can! And this is not the first time we have been thankful for Follyfin’s lifting ‘swing’ keel which allows her to be taken into shallower and more confined anchorages than most other sailing vessels her size.

All this happened within 24 hours: it’s a busy life aboard Follyfin.

Socialising in Acadia

Anchored safely right at the north end of Somes Sound - beautiful Sound it is yes, but not as spectacular as some of the Scottish sea lochs, or indeed the Scandinavian or New Zealand fjords. On the way a beautiful small classic yacht sailed round us, a joy to behold and no doubt to sail in. This is only one of many classic yachts we have seen, some much bigger than this one and with many more sails aloft. Whatever the size, they are all beautiful to look at.

There are a few other boats anchored in here with us, one of which is another Southerly yacht, but a different, slightly older model, owned by a British couple, Simon and Nancy. With so much common ground between us, conversation flowed easily over GnTs at sundown. We have also shared sundowners with a Swedish couple, Magnus and Charlotte, now American citizens, who have their motor launch anchored close to Follyfin. Having been invited over to ‘the dark side’ (as we sailboaters call the motorboaters), we were very favourably impressed by the build and the interior of their 36ft “Swede Dreams”, not to mention the hospitality provided.

Most of Mount Desert (pronounced dezurt as in pudding) Island and a couple of smaller islands nearby, including Isle au Haut (see previous post), comprise Acadia National Park. It covers 45,000 acres and has some of the most spectacular scenery in Maine. Yesterday we decided to see a small part of it, but the high temperature and the experience of our walk to Duck Harbour a few days ago determined our decision to use the free Island Explorer bus service to do so. 

The hub for the free buses, visitor information, shops, restaurants and bars is in Bar Harbour, the ‘capital’ of Mount Desert Island. I have visited here before ... 50 years ago, and my word, how it’s changed! At the end of my first year as a student, I had itchy feet. I had spotted an amazing deal: a Greyhound bus ticket for $99 valid for 99 days. This would allow me to go anywhere in North America, including Canada. My mother, also having an adventurous spirit (and/or wanting to keep an eye on her 19-year-old daughter I suspect) decided she would come along too. Together we would visit some of her old school friends as well as cousins in Vancouver. Our itinerary began in Boston and ended in Vancouver, taking in many places along the way, one of which was Bar Harbour. We stayed at the YWCA, which is still there but everything else looks different.

Whilst waiting to get on the bus, a spider provided an unusual photo opportunity.

Of course there were many others besides us who wanted to use this excellent bus service, which allows people to go all over the Park to hike, bike or just view, like us. It transpires that we have picked the two busiest weeks in the year to visit Acadia National Park. But having seen it for ourselves, it’s no wonder that people want to come here, and it is school holidays. A wonderful place to bring the family. 

We ate our picnic on the shore of Jordan Pond, an inland lake somewhat reminiscent of Buttermere in the Lake District. Like Buttermere, it has a trail around the perimeter, about 6 miles long. We felt that even that was too far for us in the heat, so were content to go a short distance from the crowds - never far away - along the track for our lunch.

Then it was back to Bar Harbour on the bus, standing room only, for a much needed supermarket provisioning run. By the time we had done that, quaffed a couple of craft beers to refresh us, caught another bus back to Somesville, the village nearest to our anchorage, and then trudged back to the dinghy loaded with shopping, we were pretty well bushed...but nothing that a swim and a sundowner with new-found friends couldn’t put right.

Being such a beautiful sheltered anchorage, we decided to spend 3 nights here. On Wednesday we move south again, aiming for Frenchboro, a year-round lobstering village on Long Island, where the lobster is purported to be the sweetest tasting in all of Maine. We will see if we agree!

In search of a view

As forecast, a glassy calm and bright sunshine greeted us as we emerged from below. Just the right conditions to tackle the 0.75nm dinghy trip to ‘town’ and an 8 mile round trip walking along one of the several trails ashore on Isle au Haut. We chose the Duck Harbour trail since it promised ‘great views’ across Penobscot Bay. Armed with ‘deli-style’ sandwiches from the Maine Lobster Lady's van parked strategically just outside the General Store, we set off on the well marked and maintained trail through the pine forest. 

The trail was somewhat uneven, with raised roots and rocks to negotiate but mainly slight inclines and descents, with occasional pine-needle strewn level sections; no problem. But after the first hour or so, we could see mist was rolling in from the coast over the tops of the trees, so the sunshine became patchy. A little further on, the sky became quite overcast and we reached a section of the path running close along the shore. There we met a group of three elderly gentlemen walking in the opposite direction. “How much further is Duck Harbour?” “Oh, about 3 miles” came the reply. This meant we had at least another hour’s walking; not a welcome revelation as we were already flagging a little. Never mind, we thought, we’ll be there about lunch time and we’ll eat our sandwiches, admire the view and hopefully find a friendly car driver from whom to hitch a lift back to town. So on we trudged. The path was nice until it ended and we found ourselves on a gravel track leading right inland to the head of Duck Harbour and back down the other side, so another 30 minutes walking for us. The sandwiches were really ‘deli’ (in every sense) and most welcome after two and three quarter hours fastish walk. Wild raspberries and blueberries served as dessert. Lovely.

Now, that view: where was it? The trail map showed that another short walk to the point was required. Just as we were about to embark on this final leg of the hike, a friendly face appeared on the path. It was Homer, closely followed by Dee (fellow mariners) who had sailed their boat Cinderella from Laundry Cove anchorage (see previous post - Lobsters and Ospreys) this morning down to Duck Harbour for a hike up Duck Harbour Mountain. A quick comparison of experience revealed that all of us were tired and we were not relishing the 3 hour walk back to our dinghy tied at the town dock. Also it quickly became clear that there were no cars in the vicinity from whom to catch a lift and the only other hope of a ‘lift’ was from the Mail Boat which calls into Duck Harbour twice a day - but it would be travelling in the opposite direction for our purpose. Cinderella to the rescue! Homer and Dee would be sailing back up the passage, to ‘town’, and kindly offered a lift on board, which we gladly accepted. As Cinderella emerged from Duck Harbour, the ‘view’ should have appeared, but...

only grey fog occupied the area where pine-clad islands and blue water should have been. As Cinderella left the shore behind, the fog became thicker; the lighthouse was only just visible.

About half an hour later, we stepped ashore at the Town landing where we had left our dinghy 4 hours earlier. Walking back would have been so much more unpleasant and we wouldn’t have had the good company. Thanks to Homer and Dee and their trusty sailing vessel Cinderella for rescuing us!

Now in Southwest Harbour to reprovision etc. Moving up into Somes Sound -  technically the only fjord on the eastern Atlantic seaboard - this afternoon (Sunday) to Somes Harbour at the head. From there we will be well placed to explore and enjoy the Acadia National Park.