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 […]
Our first day in Bar Harbor was foggy and chilly, and we spent a lot of time relaxing in the cockpit, watching the fog come and go. One of our goals this season is to break out all the stuff we’ve been lugging around and decide whether or not it’s worth keeping, so we finally […]
Saturday’s forecast was miserable and we were getting low on provisions, so we took advantage of the Island Explorer bus system to go grocery shopping in Bar Harbor. It would have been a relatively quick trip, but we misread the schedule and ended up waiting on the side of the road for an hour, then […]
With provisions secured, we had a wonderful sail through the Deer Isle thorofare, past the lighthouse on Mark Island and over to Calderwood Island. We anchored between Calderwood and Burnt Islands just in time for golden hour. There were more boats there than we were expecting, but we found a great spot to drop the […]
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 […]
Tuesday morning, we were up early to make the hop down to Little Cranberry Island. Windara felt super sluggish, and we were down about a knot from where our boat speed should be as we motored in the morning calm. We were worried that it might be an engine issue (we’re just past the 4,000 […]
After work, we hauled anchor and raised the sails, bound for the anchorage behind Bar Island. The wind went light, and we eventually had to turn on the engine in order to make it before dark. Normally night sailing isn’t an issue for us, but with the carpet of lobster buoys all along the Maine […]
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 […]
On a foggy Sunday morning, we slipped the lines at Warren Island and headed off for a slow, peaceful sail to Belfast. The wind was light but we were able to sail most of the way regardless, and the fog was high enough off the water that visibility wasn’t an issue. At least, not until […]
Just off the coast of Islesboro lies Warren Island State Park, which can only be accessed via private boat. The park maintains nine moorings between Warren Island and Spruce Island, available on a first-come-first-served basis for $20/night, and the mooring field is well protected from most wind directions. We fell in love with this beautiful, […]