Early Monday morning, we said goodbye to MDI, cautiously optimistic that in a couple of days, we’d be able to cross off one of our Maine cruising “must dos”. As I took in the parting views, I couldn’t help but notice how perfect of a subject the hazy mountains of Acadia would be for a painting. The sun was at the perfect angle as we passed Bass Harbor Head Light, and for once it wasn’t swarmed with people. As we got closer, I noticed the perfect shadow of a pine tree on the tower, doing its best impression of the Maine state flag.
We tucked into Mackerel Cove on Swans Island as there were supposed to be some stronger southwesterly breezes Monday afternoon and Tuesday. I feel like this anchorage is kind of overlooked, which is fine by me. We took Williwaw out for a row around the cove – it was so peaceful, and with nearly no wind, we could see the bottom at least 10 feet down. The two days we spent here were mostly foggy, but we were lucky enough to have the fog lift and the clouds part just before sunset the second night, and we got a stunning sunset.
Wednesday morning was beautifully sunny as we got under way, but we could still see patches of fog out to sea. I was bummed to have to be on a client call as we passed through the Merchants headed out to Isle au Haut, but I can’t complain too loudly – I was able to work while we were under way. Chris said the passage was beautiful with wisps of fog wrapping around the islands. After my call, I came up just in time to stand pot watch – we hit one that fortunately didn’t wrap on our prop or catch on the rudder (it was submerged just enough not to be visible), which is what prompted a closer watch in the first place – so up to the bow I went to guide us the rest of the way to Isle au Haut. That’s the one frustrating thing sometimes with cruising here – there are so many places I’d love to be taking pictures but instead I’m busy standing pot watch. Small price to pay!
We anchored in a perfectly protected spot in Laundry Cove, and I could tell immediately that I was going to love it here. Isle au Haut has a year-round population of just above 50 people and a summer population of around 250. Located seven miles off the mainland, it’s accessed by a passenger-only ferry from Stonington. There are five miles of paved road and seven miles of rough, unpaved roads, but the island boasts 18 miles of hiking trails. Later in the day, we went ashore to check out town such as it is (basically the general store and post office) and wander over to Isle au Haut/Robinson Point Lighthouse and grabbed a map at the Acadia National Park ranger station (the Park owns 2800 acres, about half of the island) so we could plan our hike for the next day.
Yesterday we took a beautiful hike along the Duck Harbor trail, a 3.8 mile one-way trail crossing through bog, forest and shoreline with several boardwalks over streams and muddy spots. Most of the trail is pretty gradual, but there were a few little scrambles. In places the vegetation is so thick that you can barely see the trail ahead. It had rained that morning, so we got good and wet just from brushing against all the overgrowth (we were slathered in OFF and stopped for frequent tick checks – apparently the ticks are terrible this year). It was a beautiful hike out and back, but we chose to pick up the road for part of the return trip, as it was getting late in the day. I had some nasty blisters by the end, but it was totally worth it.
This morning, we dinghied over to Flake Island. There were so many beautiful wildflowers, and the water was Bahamas clear. We stood and watched tendrils of fog come and go as seagulls landed on the seaweed-covered rocks. It was almost perfect, but I was sad to see how much trash had been left ashore by previous visitors and I wished I’d brought a trash bag so I could pick it up. Once the fog lifts this afternoon, we’ll set sail for Calderwood Island. I wish we could have spent more time here and done more hiking, but I’m so glad we were finally able to visit, and I’m sure we’ll be back.
