We departed from our anchorage at Opechee Island, and crossed the Casco Passage, meandering between islands, enjoying the scenery.
We continued down to the SW in the Merchants, dozens of small islands dotted in that area of coastline. The islands are granite, with most covered in spruce. A few of the islands have sections cleared for sheep grazing, but, not many. A few of the islands have homes, but, not many. There are granite boulders scattered everywhere, the evidence of long ago glacial activity.
We anchored in a cove on the north side of McGlathery Island, and launched the small boat. We went ashore with the dogs, and enjoyed the beach at low tide. We walked along a trail in the woods for a bit, and then back along the rocky coast.
Then we circumnavigated many of the islands with the dinghy, soaking in the memories that photographs can't express the beauty of.
At high tide, I took the dogs to the rocks that had been on the edge of the sandy beach at low tide.
During the night, the wind blew out of the NE at about 20kts, and one of the sailboats in the cove drug down within 20 feet of us. I spent from midnight until 0430 sitting up, monitoring the situation, putting a little more chain, even sitting with the engine idling for 30 minutes or so, prepared to move.
I didn't want to pick up my hook, and go re-anchor, because the culprit sailboat flits around on the wind, while all the rest of us were laying more with the current, or certainly not sailing back and forth on our anchors. The lobster pots were so thick to the outside, that re-anchoring in the dark, in the wind, well, I wasn't going to do it unless I needed to. By daylight, the wind had dropped a bunch, and I was tired.
I grabbed a nap until 0600, and when Ellen asked where I wanted to go, I replied, "Seal Bay, because I can anchor there without boats on top of me, and sleep tonight!" We were in Seal Bay
So, off we went in that direction, meandering through more of the Merchants, and exploring to the end of Winter Harbor cove before returning to anchor in Seal Cove. N44 05.360' W068 47,850
I enjoy watching the seals on the rocks!
We went ashore at low tide, and as we walked the beach, discovered many mussels. Ellen pulled off her T shirt from under a sweat shirt, and we loaded it. But wait, another big area.... so I took my t shirt (I had my vest-looking life jacket on, and we got another shirt full to share with some others.
We came back and cleaned the barnacles and snails off the shells, and put them in a bucket off the stern, giving them a chance to flush some of the sand out of their systems. (Not a problem I had with the ones on the rocks, but, these are in a muckier area.)
What a great place. Calm, protected, seals, birds, places to explore! I just have to get some fresh water in a day or two.
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