Northeast Harbor back to Penobscot Bay

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Henri was a big fat zero which was perfectly fine with us. We spent our time hiding out in the beautiful Morgan Bay watching seals and doing boat projects. Once the seas calmed we resumed our plan to go to Mt. Desert Island. We started with Northeast Harbor which was gorgeous. We took a gorgeous hike to the Thuya Gardens, socialized with friends, took a yoga class, and shopped at a farmers market filled with great produce and prepared foods.

The highlight of our stay was hearing a loon one morning. I immediately asked Scott what it was, knowing that I had never heard anything like it. He said it was a Loon and was thrilled to have heard it but was disappointed that we couldn’t see it. That evening we watched a bald eagle catch a fish and take it to the rocks by the water to dine. Several other birds were not happy and were squawking loudly as they angrily circled over him, apparently they were asking him to share. We then heard the call of the Common Loon and, lo and behold, he was in the water between us and the shore. He was a beautiful black and white creature and called several times apparently responding to the other birds circling. The call of the Common Loon is eerie, haunting, and unique: a sound I will not soon forget. But that’s not all, next appears a seal between us and the Loon. So we have the Bald Eagle, the Common Loon and the Seal all in one line of vision. Nature…one of the best parts of boating!

It was time to start heading south so we returned to Penobscot Bay to hit the highly recommended spots that we missed as we went north. We began with Buck Harbor, more specifically Buck’s Restaurant. Buck Harbor and the town of Brooksville offers scenic views but the true draw is the restaurant. We were advised to call the restaurant to make a reservation as soon as we got a mooring ball reserved, and that we did. However, when we got settled on our ball I called the restaurant to see what time they opened and learned that they were in fact, closed. Illness and a covid scare caused the tiny restaurant to close for indoor dining but they still offered carry out. No big deal, we packed a bottle of wine and enjoyed a lovely dinner on their patio. As I was driving up the Bay toward Buck I noticed a tiny boat with an engine and 2 people paddling. Oops, looks like engine trouble. As we gave them a ride to shore they mentioned that they were surprised that their engine even started that morning…not a surprised that it had died!

Castine, one of the oldest towns in Maine, was also suggested by many boaters as being a cute town with a beautiful anchorage and they were right. Although the weather was chilly we enjoyed a stroll through town that took us to the Maine Maritime Academy and the Castine Historical Society Museum. At the Historical Society we learned the history of Castine, how it was settled 7 years prior to Plymouth Colony, and how the town had been ruled by 4 countries: the French, the Dutch, the British and finally the US. We toured the Wilson Museum and capped off the day with the best Sea Bass dinner we’ve ever tasted.

Finally, we got a mooring in the “Jewel of the Maine Coast,” Camden, which is often found on nationwide lists of “Most Charming Beach Towns.” The lavish homes in the affluent town made for a delightful walk as we headed to the edge of town to see the Oreo cows, the Belted Galloways, from Scotland. “Where the mountains meet the seas” is the town motto which is a perfect description of Mt. Battie and the crowded harbor. One of the thorns in our stay in Camden was the swells in our mooring field. We were the last boat in the outer harbor, verging on being in the Penobscot Bay so we felt every swell. It was so strong we deployed 1 of our flopper-stoppers for the first time just as it turned dark. Immediately the swells lessened but were still extremely annoying and loud as lose items on the boat and the flooper-stopper itself clanged.

Our other thorn was the impending arrival of Ida. We had been watching her for several days and determined that it would be miserable to stay in that location. Unfortunately, we had to truncate our Camden visit to head further inland to a marina in Belfast. Not a bad deal since we enjoyed Belfast on our previous visit. So here we sit waiting for the bad weather. Although it is windy we are protected between the shore with high buildings and a super mega-yacht. We haven’t stayed in a marina for a month which means I am doing loads and loads of laundry, baking bread and ordering groceries.

Tomorrow we are Boston bound!