We’ve been pushing hard to get back to Maryland by the end of September. From d”Escousse we motored 30 hours overnight to Mahone Bay and then moved on over to Lunenberg the next day. In Lunenberg, we were treated to a Wednesday Race Night of traditional sailboats. Our front row seats in the anchorage gave us excellent views of these beautiful vessels bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.
Next morning it was off on a 14 hour daysail to Shelburne. After waiting a couple of days for the right weather window, we decided to cross over to Bar Harbor, ME. It was a very good decision as we had some great sailing in moderate winds with flat seas. It was the opposite of our crossing from Gloucester back in June. In addition, the moon was full and there was no commercial shipping traffic of any consequence.
Bar Harbor was hopping with September tourists, including many folks from a Celebrity cruise ship. Fortunately for us, they were not headed to Acadia National Park as were we. We hopped on the LL Bean bus and headed for the Park. As is our tradition now, we make sure to select a trail that ends at the Jordon Pond House where we partake of post hike pop-overs for which the JPH is famous.
Our next stop was Seal Cove in Vinalhaven and then on to Boothbay where we met up with friends, Corning, Tita and Gene for a night on the town. Continuing our quickened pace, we left the next morning for Casco Bay where we found a huge mooring available south of Great Chebeague Island. We asked a local lobsterman about it’s availability as it looked unused. He said it belonged to the Chebeague Transportation Company and was used only during winter. This ball was so large it must have been for ferry boats. It bumped us a few times during the night as mooring balls like to do and you could feel the whole boat vibrate.
We left quickly the next morning and arrived in Portsmouth, NH, at dinner time. We anchored off of Fort McClary in Kittery Point, ME on the other side of the Piscataqua River. TripAdvisor informed us that there was a restaurant on the water not far from us so, we hoped in the dinghy for a much needed walk along with dinner. The restaurant mentioned in TripAdvisor was called “Captain and Patty’s” a name which had us wondering if the “Captain & Tennille” and “Tuck & Patty” had all split up and reconfigured.
Turns out the place was under new ownership and now called “The Cajun Lobster.” We joined a small, jolly group at the dock bar for a beer before going in for dinner. Soon after sitting down, a couple pulled up in a 1920s era Model T. Owners, Scott and Katherine, joined the group and when they found out we were live-aboard cruisers, peppered us with questions about our lifestyle. They aspire to do the same in the coming years but were a little hesitant. After our dinner, we headed back to our dinghy and saw Scott tinkering with one of his car’s headlights trying to make it work. Simultaneously, Andre, chef and owner of “The Cajun Lobster” invited us all back in for a few wines on the house. Andre and wife, Kelly, owners of the two week old eatery, are Louisiana transplants hoping to promote Cajun cuisine to southern Maine. We hope they succeed in a big way.
From Portsmouth it was a motor sail to Gloucester on Monday where we met up with Amy’s sister, Molly, and brother-in-law, Tim. On Tuesday, we dined with Raffi and Lisa, aboard the good ship, Windfall. Windfall will again be available for chartering in the Bahamas this winter. So, if you or anyone you know might be interested, contact Raffi (defiancesailcharters.com)
We pushed on all the way to Onset the following day and then to Mackerel Cove, near Jamestown across from Newport, RI. We celebrated the confluence of “Talk like a Pirate Day,” “Pirate Friday,” and our 4th wedding anniversary by going out to the “Dog Watch Cafe” in Stonington, CT. We had a memorable guilt-free meal of lobster bisque, lobster ravioli, bacon wrapped scallops, followed by apple crisp a’ la mode. Don’t tell our doctors.
Next stop was the Thimble Islands off of Stoney Creek, CT. This is a very pretty spot if the weather is settled. We had to wait out a day of potential thunderstorms that was followed by a very blustery day of westerly winds. This forced us to bash into 15-20 knots on our nose as the anchorage became too uncomfortable to linger in. We ended up across the sound in Port Jefferson where conditions were much more reasonable.
From Port Jefferson, we had a delightful, soothing sail over to Northport Habor near Huntington, Long Island. Then it was on to City Island to wait for good weather and favorable tides.