Heading Downeast

We left Belfast as the breeze filled in and raised sail off Turtle Head at the end of Islesboro, beating our way to the Eggemoggin Reach. It was a perfect reach through the Reach, and we managed to avoid the minefield of lobster traps. The scenery was amazing, Windara was fast, and it was one of the best days we’ve had on the water in a long time.

Buckle Harbor was recommended by one of our cruising friends as what he considers to be possibly the most beautiful anchorage he’s found. With an endorsement like that, we couldn’t miss it, and we weren’t steered wrong. We slipped between a few last lobster traps and found a spot far enough from the other cruisers and rocks to have plenty of space.

Chris cooked up the duck with asparagus (the only part of our dinner not from the farmers market), and duck fat fried potatoes. We used the blueberry lavender preserves as a sauce, and it was perfect. (Olde Haven Farm ships anywhere in the US, and so many of their preserves sounded amazing.) I always love making farmers market-focused meals, especially when we get to do it in a beautiful spot.

I made blueberry scones with the wild blueberries for breakfast. The dough was a little wetter than it should have been, but otherwise they came out perfect. After breakfast, we went ashore to hike Buckle Island’s trails. The trails smelled like Christmas trees and were lined with moss-covered trees and deadfall. People have built little fairy houses all over the island, some rather elaborate. Unfortunately the only little winged creatures we encountered were the resident mosquitos, which we started to fear might carry us off. The price we paid in blood was worth the beautiful views. My favorite find was the random door that someone had put up on one of the trails. Before we left, we made sure to sign the guest book (kept in a mailbox near the beach where we’d landed Williwaw) and thanked the owners for sharing their island with us.

There was a volunteer clean-up scheduled for that afternoon, and we would have stayed but our hearts were set on getting to Mount Desert Island. Lots of boats were showing up, so it was the perfect time for us to make our departure. Even though we had light air, we were able to sail almost the entire way. We motored for a bit when the wind died completely just before Bass Harbor Head Light (and the bar that it marks), but the breeze filled back in and we cut the engine once we were through the dredged channel. We ghosted past Great Cranberry Island and up to the mouth of Somes Sound on the last breath of breeze as a fog bank slowly crept its way in from offshore.

We had hoped to anchor in the Valley Cove anchorage, but there’s really only room for one boat, and there was already someone there. Instead we headed to the Mill Dam anchorage just north of Southwest Harbor, where we finally got a chance to meet the crews of Rex and Dawn Treader, fellow Totem Raft Up boats who we’ve shared anchorages with several times but never had a chance to meet in person. The fog made its way inshore throughout the rest of the afternoon/evening, and as the sun began to set, tendrils of fog reached their white fingers along the mountains. I took a million photos, although none do it justice. We spent a couple lovely days anchored here and took some time to visit the quaint little town.

Our next stop was Northeast Harbor. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get one of the floating docks maintained by the Harbormaster which are tucked up closer to the head of the harbor, so we ended up on one of the Clifton Dock moorings which worked just as well (other than the fact that we got tons of wake, as we were at the mouth of the harbor). We had a great view of Bear Island Lighthouse and the morning sunrise, so it was an even trade.

We took the short hike up to Thuya Garden after work– the easy, well maintained trail winds through pine and cedar forest as it gains 200′ of elevation with around 200 granite steps across the Asticou Terraces, with little rustic shelters at some beautiful overlooks. Moss and lichen covers the ground, and wild blueberries grow alongside the trail.

We arrived at the garden late enough in the day that there were only a couple other people there, and it was so incredibly peaceful. Monarchs flitted from flower to flower and hummingbirds and bees buzzed by. We hiked back down as the sun slowly slipped behind the mountains, bathing the trail in a stunning golden light. Later, we made hot chocolate and did some stargazing – the Milky Way was clear overhead while Bear Island Light flashed its warning off our stern and someone lit fireworks from the Cranberry Islands.

Before work this morning, we summited Eliot Mountain. Now that may sound impressive, but really, it was an elevation gain of only 457′, and the trail is pretty easy. Just below the summit, the view opens out over Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and the Cranberry Islands. At the summit, we decided to take the Charles Savage trail back down through dense pine forest with the occasional cedar and granite ridges. Even though the primary species of trees were the same from one side to the other, the forest had a totally different feel. I wish we hadn’t needed to work today because I would have loved to keep hiking.

Moored in Northeast Harbor, I feel the siren song of locales further DownEast, but the maple tree starting to show her fall colors serves as a vibrant reminder that cruising season is growing short. In the meantime, we intend to squeeze out every possible second. We’ll be heading to Bar Harbor this weekend as the wind is supposed to pipe up from the south, and then we’ll turn back.