Money Pit

Castine, Maine

The East side of Penobscot Bay is very different from the West side. The towns are few and far between. Those that are found are much smaller and rather remote. Castine is unique in that it has a Merchant Marine college which means there is something keeping it alive and busy year round.

There are interesting little signs everywhere in Castine explaining its long and rich history. It was one of the frist settlements in the new world. For a time French were in control until the Britsh kicked them out. There was also action here in both the Revolutionaty War and War Of 1812.

The town is up on a hill and seems full of large Captain's homes built in the 1800's. We don't have the desire to own an old, 4000 square foot, maintenance intensive money pit.

money pit with a million dollar view

Mary Day

Bucks Harbor, South Brooksvile, Maine

Sitting at home during the winter in front of the fireplace while looking at Maine real estate online, I'm often focused on Brooksville. It has a craggy coast line which translates to lots of waterfront properties. It's a bit remote which translates to lower prices, but best of all, it has very low property taxes.

After sailing along the shore of Brooksvile admiring so many homes with amazing views I arrived in Bucks Harbor. It's about as nice a little harbor as one can find in Maine. It's full of classic old sailing boats and is well sheltered from bad weather.

On my second morning in Bucka Harbor, the large schooner Mary Day sailed in and anchored in the middle of the harbor. This never happens back in my home port of Perth Amboy.

The Mary Day

Homework assignment

Minister's Creek, Pulpit Harbor, North Haven, Maine

Your homework assignment is to find Minister's Creek on a map. Since the name may only be known locally, I'll tell you it's the first branch to the right (off to the Southwest) when entering Pulpit Harbor.

It's a small creek, off a quiet harbor on a mostly empty island in the middle of Penobscot Bay. I'm alone here with one odd exception. There is a shack, anchored out in the middle of the creek. It looks like a shed you might find in someone's backyard except it's floating in the middle of the end of the creek. A few small boats come and go to it at all hours. I have no idea what it's used for. Perhaps I should add figuring it out to the homework assignment.

Mystery Shack

Pinnacle

Camden, Maine

Camden Harbor

In many respects, Camden is the pinnacle of this voyage. Of all the places we've visited by car in mid-coast Maine, Camden seemed like the best fit for us. This is our third visit to the town and it still ranks first on our list.

We spent our first full day here walking through town looking at almost every home that was for sale - a total of about 13 miles in one day. This included visiting Camden's sister town Rockport (not to be confused with Rockland only a few miles further south). We saw many homes we liked, but with one exception, we didn't elect to go inside any of them.

Lobster Pots

Tenants Harbor, St. George, Maine

One thing we see much more of as we make our way East is lobster boats and lobster pots. They seem to be everywhere. Tenants Harbor is first place we've visited where the lobster boats outnumber the pleasure boats.

The number of bouys (each marking one or more lobster traps below) is mind boggling. There doesn't seem to be any restrictions as to where they can be placed. They are in channels, harbors and mooring fields. We had one right under our boat while we were on a paid mooring. It clanked against the hull at times during the night interrupting our sleep.

Poor house

Poorhouse Cove, South Bristol, Maine

It seems the farther East we go, the fewer people, boats and homes we come across. Poorhouse Cove is even quieter than The Basin. We saw our first eagle here. Sad to say, it was trying to steal a fish from an Osprey. Fortunately, the Osprey didn't give up its catch despite the harassment from the larger raptor.

Off the Grid

The Basin, Phippsburg, Maine

The Basin

The Basin is a special place. To get there, you look for a small opening in the rocky, tree covered coast line of Phippsburg that no larger boat could conceivably enter. Yet, enter we did. The shore was only a few feet away as we snaked through the cutout until things opened up. Suddenly one gets the feeling that they are on a lake in the Adirondacks. There is no sign of open water and the shoreline is treed right down to the water through all 360 degrees around. Only a few homes are visible. A small collection of other boats were either anchored or moored.

The next morning we took the dinghy to shore and hiked a trail to the closest road. Our motivation for doing this was to find a 7 acer lot that is for sale. The plot has frontage on The Basin - a sailors dream come true. The catch is that there is no electricity service and it isn't practical to bring it in anytime in the foreseeable future. Are we up to the challenge of living completely off the grid?

Race to Dolphin

Potts Harbor, Harpsell, Maine

Whenever sailboats meet, a race is on

When leaving Portland to the East by boat, the next town is Harpswell. We met our friends on a pair of Tayana 37s at Dolphin Marina for dinner. It was blowing so hard as our reservation time approached it was decided we couldn't take the dinghies to shore and instead call the launch for a ride. It was difficult just getting on the launch. After some of the best seafood I've had so far we were completely amazed to find the wind had died and the harbor was as smooth as glass. From a tempest to an eerie calm and we didn't even have desert.

Muster

Portland, Maine

I stayed near Cow Island to avoid the hustle, bustle and cost of Portland. It was only a few miles away, but it was so much quieter than the busy commercial harbor. The peace of Cow Island also gave me a chance to prepare Tanqueray for the Admiral's inspection.

The Admiral arrived Friday morning and was soon settled in. I'm happy to report I passed muster.

We spent the day walking all over Portland trying to imagine what it might be like to live there. Dinner in the old port was delicious, but even though we shared a bottle of red, it was not easy sleeping in Portland Harbor. There are boats coming and going at all times. They make noise and leave big wakes. We look forward to the quiet Maine we imagine awaits us.