Boothbay

We wish we’d had some time to explore Casco Bay – we passed so many pretty little spots – but we’re trying to get up to Belfast to get our estimate done there too, so it was time to move on. We’d heard so much about Boothbay that we had to add it to our list of places to visit. Weather wasn’t supposed to be great, and the morning started out with fog, but it cleared and we had a beautiful afternoon even if we didn’t have enough wind to sail. We saw seals and dolphins, and tons of lighthouses, and got lots of practice dodging lobster traps.

As we picked up our mooring, we heard another boat yell over to us and it turns out our dock neighbors from Portland were the next mooring over. This really is a funny little small world we live in. We headed in to explore town, wandering into a few shops and stopping at the Downeast Ice Cream Factory. Their website says “With over 65 flavors to choose from the only reason you will regret stepping inside is because of the impossible decision you will have to make,” and they weren’t lying. The choice was almost paralyzing, but I decided to go for the blueberry, which was amazing. They reminded me a bit of my favorite ice cream shop on Cape (although I still think Four Seas is better).

We’re suckers for book stores, especially independently owned ones, and Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops was a wonderful find. In addition to a great selection of books, they had gifts, toys, games and office/art supplies. I was finally able to pick up some paint brushes, a good pencil and eraser, and some tracing paper to round out the supplies I picked up in Portsmouth (and I had a nice chat about making art with the woman who was working there).

We also wandered across the Boothbay Foot Bridge, a 1,000 foot pedestrian bridge that connects one side of town to the other. The bridge, originally built in 1901 (and replaced many times since) offers beautiful views out over the harbor, and it was just a neat little piece of local history to find. I would have loved to spend more time and visit Burnt Island and its lighthouse, but we’ll save that for another time.

This morning is gray, and we’re waiting for some thunderstorms to pass before we leave (and hoping we make it to Rockland before more storms that are forecast for later today).