2006 Maine Coast Vacation

July 16 - 26, 2006

Gracious next-door neighbor Bryan Smedley helped me get Hummer on to the car's roof rack and I left Philly around 11:00 am -- off to Maine. T'was a very, very hot day, but the car's A/C made the trip quite comfortable. Arrived in Kittery around 6:00 pm, stopped for a fast food dinner, got to Nubble Light as the sun began setting and tried to sleep (not too successfully) at a rest stop on the Maine Turnpike.

Resumed the journey at 4:30 am, drank in the sunrise and got to Ellsworth by 6 am. Arrived on Mount Desert Island and got to Southwest Harbor, stopped by the hardware store, then went over to the Manset Dock. Harbormaster Gene Thurston offered me a float mooring and the use of his dinghy ($50 for Hummer's 10-day residency) and helped me get the boat off the car and into the water. From there it was over to the the Bass Harbor Light. Met a dear Texas couple who've been married 51 years. He taught at Columbia University and she was a 1st grade teacher. Got to the Quietside Campground, set up the site and took a nap. The sun beat down on the tent mercilessly and there was no shade and asked Sue about changing my site. Back to the harbor in the evening, numbered the boat and ran the engine.

My one night at that site did not go well. Got really, really sick and was very grateful there were bathroom facilities close by. All night long and on into the morning. Tried drinking Earl Grey tea to stop "earling" but to no avail. Didn't know if it was the food I had the night before, the heat, or some foreign marine material I had ingested (didn't wash my hands after working on the boat). Things started getting better by early afternoon, but again the sun began bearing down vociferously. Migrated my camp over to another site and was grateful for the shade. As I was getting things in order at the new location, the first of two huge thunderstorm were rolling in. Took refuge in the tent as lightning strikes silhouetted the Maine island woods on the tent walls and thunder ricocheted all around. Nice. Not a small amount of rain fell. It was glorious, in spite of some of the inconveniences.

The next morning I feasted on wild Maine blueberries found around the campsite then headed over to Manset to take Hummer out. Bailed out about 2 or 3 inches of water from the previous night's thunderstorms then headed out past Greening Island, past Bear Island and over to Seal Harbor. Explored it a bit. Then it was out to East Bunker Ledge (a bit scary out there with rocks maybe not so far beneath the surface). Traversed the Eastern Way then went past Sutton Island, past Bear and Greening then back to Manset. Watched them put the mega-lobster boat Amy Sui back into the water.

The next day (July 20) I took Hummer out to the southwest side of Great Cranberry Island – enough to see the South Bunker Ledge in the distance, but was prevented from going further by a fog bank. Saw a 30 to 40 foot log drifting ominously in the ocean, possibly loosed by the storms.

Because the next day's weather was so iffy, I spent it traveling up to Trenton then over to Stonington, Deer Isle; Goose Cove Lodge (looking for the Felstead House), and met Ken (who cares for a number of properties on the island. Asked him about boat launches on Deer Isle (they are few and far between) and he suggested a possibility of a place to launch from.

On July 22 I took Hummer up the western side of Somes Sound and down the eastern side. Took the boat ashore in (a nice sandy patch) and took a lot of photos (one of which was eventually posted at CLC Boats website). Delighted to be greeted with a wave from a young brother while photographing Man 'O War Spring. Watched a flotilla of small sailboats sailing near Hall's Quarry and dreamed of doing the same next summer (after I build the sail kit).

The next day I asked Harbormaster Gene Thurston about the safety and feasibility of taking Hummer to Isleford to which and he responded it would be best to go from point to point. Did so, following the coast down to King's Point, then to Great Cranberry Island, then to Isleford. Made it to the harbor but didn't take Hummer all the way in as I was a bit wary of the weather. Went over to Bear Island then back for a tour through Southwest Harbor.

On July 24th, Dad came over to the campsite from where he was staying (The Bass Harbor Inn) and we headed down to Manset. Headed out to Greening Island where the outboard prop hit a lobster buoy rope and sheared the pin. Finally got to deploy the now infamous "Spruce Breeze" technique, plying Somes Sound with the Shaw & Tenney 8 ½ foot oars for some 2 miles or so back to Manset. Landed at The Moorings Restaurant's dock (newly built) and had lunch there. Left Dad there as I rowed back to Hummer's mooring and picked up Dad in the van. Got a compliment on Hummer from a 10-11 year-old who was playing by himself near the dock. "That's a nice boat," said he. Replaced the outboard's sheared pin on the dock (could have done it out in the ocean, had I known) and a newly-minted 5-trap limit lobsterman named Mark graciously helped me car-top Hummer.

On the 25th Dad and I took Hummer over to South Brooksville and Bucks Harbor (actually, we launched from Betsy's Cove after a man walking with a woman and their dog helped me get Hummer to the water). Dad and I went out the harbor into Eggemoggin Reach and we made it all the way out to and around Pumpkin Light. Faced a fairly strong headwind going out and practically flew back to Bucks Harbor and then to Betsy's Cove. Again, two lobstermen graciously helped me car-top Hummer and then Dad and I walked into the gift shop near the top of the hill (next to the church) that was once the country store immortalized in Robert McCloskey's book, "One Morning in Maine." Had dinner in Stonington, ME and caught up with Ken again (Deer Isle resident and properties caretaker) and his son-in-law Mark and then headed back to Quietside Campground on Mount Desert Island.

Left MDI (reluctantly) the next day, but not before getting a haircut in the Island's only barber shop in Bar Harbor.