A Seal Bay Circle Loop, then to Castine

Monday-Tuesday, 10-11 August, 2015

I love Seal Bay!  We are anchored where we watch the seals on the nearby rocks.  At low tide, none are on the rocks, but, as the tide comes in, the rocks, begin filling up. 

As it keeps coming in, and the land mass disappears, the seals start crowding together.  

Eventually, the rocks disappear, and you just see seals poised above the water!

We left Seal Bay and headed south to Brimstone Island, where there is said to be interesting round black rocks on the beach.  The island is pretty to look at (as they all are in Maine) but, there was enough of an ocean swell wrapping around the island that I was uncomfortable anchoring and going ashore.  The rocks are safe!

There wasn't any wind, so no chop, but, the swells were rolling in from the Atlantic.

We headed to the east, past Saddleback Ledge Light.  

We cruised up the craggy coastline of the western side of Isle Au Haut, but didn't go through the Thorofare as the tide was low, and the current would have been pushing us in.  We went around Kimball Island instead, and looked at the area where the Thorofare came out.

We went around Merchant Island, and booked at the anchorage behind Harbor Island.  Though the weather was forecast to be good, I just had that funny feeling... so we went back to Seal Bay for the night.  Good thing, because it blew during the night for hours, and I was glad to be there.

In the morning, looking at weather forecast to arrive later in the day, we headed for Castine.  Although the anchorage was great for the approaching blow, we were almost out of water.  That, coupled with a friend's mooring in Smith Cove looked like a good thing to do with a rainy, blowing, foggy forecast.

We went up the eastern side of Vinalhaven Island, and North Haven Island.  The "fingers" of islands sticking up to the east were magnificent in the morning sun.

We wandered between the Great Spruce Head Island and the Barred Islands, and peek into an anchorage there.  It looked great for a couple of boats.  We passed to the east of Beach Island, and west of Westerm Island, back towards Castine.

As we were pulling into Castine, a Nordic tug 32 was pulling out.  We waved to the Calypso, and later talked to them on the radio.  They were headed for Seal Bay!

We pulled into the town dock at Castine, to pump out, dispose of trash and take on water.  Ellen and the dogs went ashore for a walk while I was doing the boat stuff.

We eased into Smith Cove as the wind hit.  The cove is protected by the high hills surrounding it, making it almost like a lake!  What a great place to spend a day of inclement weather!

Opechee Island, McGlathery Island, Seal Bay

Saturday and Sunday, 8-9 August, 2015

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.