Voyage 2013-2014: Chapter 3

12 Jul 2014, Arriving at Mount Desert Island (Maine), 44 16.236 N/ 068 18.372 W

We started seeing lobster pot floats at 400 ft depth and still 5 hours out from Southwest Harbor. As we approached Little Cranberry Island, the floats covered the water. We didn't think it could get worse but it did as we passed North of Sutton Island. Best speed we could maintain was less than three kts. It didn't get better until we entered the mooring fields of Southwest Harbor. Not the best welcome to Maine.

We stayed at the Hinckley Company mooring field for several days

Not fancy but friendly and clean. It took us a while to figure out the bus system and its schedule. We walked to town the first day and Ann was not happy. Southwest Harbor is relatively small and expensive to provision. Our spirits improved when we did understand the free bus system. We could travel almost anywhere by bus. Not bad.

Fog will be a problem here shortly. We can see it come and go from a distance. Sometimes it makes it to the harbor and sometimes it doesn't. Fog and lobster floats do not sound like a very good combination. But so far we have been lucky. We went to Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and Somesville via the bus system. Somesville has a special appeal to us so we will soon set sail for the small harbor at the head of Somes sound.

17 Jul 2014, Ten Days in Somesville, 44 21.624 N/ 068 19.632 W

We left for Somesville after 5 days in Southwest Harbor. The trip was a pleasant motorsail with the only moderate floats. They say that Somes Sound is actually a fjord, the only one in the Eastern USA. Somesville is located in the NW corner of the sound. There are lots of mooring balls but still plenty of room for anchoring. It has been designated a hurricane hole by the local harbormasters.

There is a fine dinghy dock which is a five minute walk to the bus stop. The panoramas from land are nearly as striking as those from the harbor. There is a little library, a museum, and many friendly folks in the small community. We met Bill and Trudy of the MDI House who offered us hospitality and lobsters in exchange for some advise on cruising to the Southeast. The library is small but busy when it is open two to three times a week.

There is this bridge that is near the former location of Somesville mill. which is over a hundred years old. It is quite an attraction especially with Ms. Ann on the bridge. The bridge is part of the museum and the accompanying gardens. The villagers also maintain flower planters on the roadside. Such a nice place to stay for a while. To make things even better, Jim and Karen on Wanderer II will be arriving in the harbor soon. It will be good to see them again.