Anchored off Hells Half Acre in the Merchants, I realized I’ve run out of adjectives for the beauty of this place. Hells Half Acre is a small, granite island with a little forest, wild flowers, wild raspberries and a surprising number of birds. The Maine Island Trail Association maintains three primitive camp sites, and small campfires are allowed below the high water mark.
There were always at least one or two other boats sharing the anchorage with us, but there was plenty of space so it never felt crowded and it was easy to forget you weren’t alone. Despite our constantly-changing company (including a couple of schooners), each time we went ashore, we had the island entirely to ourselves and it was almost like having our own private island. We quickly learned that like most other places in Maine, the mosquitos rule the day, so bug spray is a must. Those aside, we loved taking our morning coffee ashore and watching the lobstermen check their traps, smelling fresh pine mixed with rosa rugosa and seaweed, and listening to the birds. This magical little island is the very definition of tranquility. It’s not for everyone – there’s nothing to do here, but that’s precisely what I love about it.
I love the seaweed all along the Maine coast, and the island is surrounded by several different species. I found myself fascinated watching it sway in the waves, and I realized I truly missed my calling – I really should have gone into one of the natural sciences as I’ve been captivated by Mother Nature since I was young. It’s been amazing to get to spend so much time exploring the natural world this summer, pausing to marvel over a quartz vein in the granite or an unusual plant or an unfamiliar species of bird, and it’s been wonderful to reconnect with our New England roots.
We planned to go to Isle au Haut next, but our watermaker seems to have stopped working, so instead we’ll head for Castine by the end of the weekend. But first, we stopped in Stonington for the afternoon (we anchored between Scott and Green Islands) both to check out town and to pick up some provisions and lobster from the Stonington Lobster Co-Op. We got 5 soft shell lobsters, which we’re finding we like better than the hard shells (and they’re cheaper – $72/ 8lbs of lobster!). They don’t travel well, so you don’t really find them outside of the areas where they’re caught. We found a neat little used book shop (I picked up a copy of The Lobster Chronicles, which was on my reading list anyway) and I got myself some blueberry ice cream (of course) at the Stonington Food and Ice Cream Company.
We absolutely loved our time in the Merchants, and we’re already looking forward to spending more time in this area next season. Hopefully wind, weather, and boat systems will agree and we can visit McGlathery and Isle au Haut on our next trip through. Even though we’re disappointed with the change in plans, we’re excited to have new places to check out next time we visit.
