Lighthouses and Penobscot Bay

With an estimated 5000 miles of coastline, it's no surprise that lighthouses dominate. We saw a few of the great ones, along the way to the west entrance of Penobscot Bay:

Pemaquid Point Light

Whitehead Light
 

We sailed up beautiful Owls Head Bay, and rounded Owls Head Light towards Rockland.

Owls Head Light

Once you round Owls Head, you're at the entrance to the large harbor of Rockland

Rockland Harbor Breakwater Light

 Rockland was a very tourist friendly town, bustling in the summer.  We spent much of the next day walking the shops and visiting the Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center. 

After two easy nights anchored in Rockland Harbor we set out for the upper half of the west bay.  On a whim I wondered aloud to Susan whether our friends and slip-neighbors in Barrington, Tony and Joanna on Starshine, were somewhere nearby, since I remembered they spend a good chunk of their summer in Penobscot Bay.  "Hi Bennett, we're off of Warren Island," Joanna tells me.  OK, where could that be?  "Oh, that's just 2 miles ahead of us.  See you in a few minutes." 



Pratique and Starshine off Warren Island

Next day we said our goodbyes and headed north into the upper bay, then around Turtle Head, the north tip of Islesboro.  On the way down the east side of Penobscot Bay we passed, you guessed it, more lighthouses!

Dice Head Light, Castine

near Eggemoggin Reach

Pumpkin Island Light, near the northwest entrance to Eggemoggin, and opposite Bucks Harbor

Just down from Castine and around Cape Rosier lies the entrance to Eggemoggin Reach, which separates the mainland from Deer Isle.  Even though a suspension bridge with 85' clearance spans the middle of the Reach, we weren't ready yet to head east to leave Penobscot Bay for Mt. Desert.  Instead, we found one of the nicest spots of the week--Bucks Harbor, just before the northwest entrance to Eggemoggin.

 

Bucks Harbor

 We found just enough room to anchor amidst all of the moored boats, on the northeast side, behind Harbor Island.  It's a short walk from the marina to the one small market nearby. 

One more lighthouse, further south the next day, on the way to North Haven and Vinalhaven Island:

Eagle Island Light

Back Up to Maine

June was mostly devoted to working on some maintenance items and summer planning.  On Friday, July 18 after getting some electronics work completed, we started out on the 2014 trip to Maine.  After a night at anchor in Sachuest Harbor we zipped up Buzzards Bay to meet Lee and Cheryl aboard their Outbound 46 sister ship, Hippocampus.  We both went through the CC Canal and motored together across Stellwagen Bank and the Gulf of Maine, en route to Boothbay Harbor. 

List of items that we encountered:  Seals, dolphins, small whales, crossing fishing boats, crossing cruise ships, birds, lobster pots, lobster pots, and lobster pots.

Pratique and Hippocampus let the Maasdam cross our bows.

Seals

Maybe a Minke whale?

The Becky Lynne graciously allows us to pass port-to-port

We arrived at Boothbay Harbor at 0800 the next morning after an uneventful overnight.  Unfortunately there was very little wind so the motors were on the whole way.  Boothbay, however, was just as beautiful as it was last summer:

Morning in Boothbay Harbor

After lobster dinners aboard Hippocampus it was time for an early bedtime, since we didn't get much rest the night before. 

Next morning we said goodbye to Lee and Cheryl who were going to cruise around the Boothbay/Casco Bay area.  Off to our first tour of Penobscot Bay . . .