July 21 and 22 -- Somes Sound

Backed out of the slip easily with no help needed, due to no wind or current and high tide. This was at about 10:30 for the 1.5 hour motor trip out of SW Harbor and north up the length of Somes Sound to Somes Harbor at Somesville, in the Sound’s NW corner -- about six miles. I took the shortcut behind Greening Island. I was not brave enough to take it in 2008. The shallowest was 15 feet at low and it was plenty wide enough. On the way north we fought the ebbing tide but the wind was behind us, though not strongly. Mendy and I set the Genoa for a bit of push.

Once in the harbor, we asked Bill, on “Victory,” a 34 foot Siedelman sloop, about what moorings were vacant so we could take a free one. The cruising guide suggests this practice. There are no rental ones in this harbor and no one to collect the rent  --  and precious little anchoring room. He told us to take the neighboring one which we did -- Lene steering, Mendy grabbing the float with the boat hook and me merely observing. After we were secure and the dink lowered and lunch eaten, Mendy and I prepared to set off by dink and the free shuttle bus for Bar Harbor. I had to pick up my camera battery charger which I had accidentally left there in Saturday’s lunch spot. Bill was in his dink and I asked him where the bus stop was. Bill came over and said: ”Take my car, it is a Chevy Volt electric car.”  How likely would that happen at home. While in town I made some phone calls for Lene because neither AT&T nor Verizon provides service in our boat’s little niche, mailed my postcards, got some drill bits, and some groceries and oh yes, some ice cream, before dropping off Bill’s car, leaving the keys in the car as he had requested.

Later, we dinked back ashore and were met by Barbara for dinner at Red Sky,

a more upscale place in SW Harbor and then saw a delightful performance of “A Couple of Blaguards” by Frank and Malachy McCourt at the Acadia Repertory Theater in Somesville. Their bittersweet reminiscences about growing up poor in Limerick, Ireland and coming to America were brought to life by two talented actors. Alas, only 22 customers in the house.

In the morning, Mendy and I dinked ashore to revisit Bill and drop off a bottle of wine with our boat card attached. The Chevy Volt

is good for 40 miles on a charge and uses virtually no gasoline. You start it by pushing a button while depressing the brake. It is so quiet that I had to test it to determine whether it was really on. Bill was there and we talked for a while, but alas, not long enough for me to be able to tell you how that “good ole boy” ended up in Maine.

Later we retraced our wake two thirds of the way down Somes Sound to Valley Cove, a little nook on its east side, well protected from the expected southerly winds. We anchored in 34 feet of water at high tide with 100 feet of snubbed chain. LENE.

Mendy had the helm most of the way and I taught him how to lower and raise the anchor. After lunch, we dinked to the rocky shore and hiked to the top of Flying Mountain.

This mountain is only 350 feet high, compared to Cadillac, five times as high. But it directly commands The Great Harbor at the south end of the island.


We climbed it and got these shots of: the western peak of Cadillac Mountain (rocky outcrop center),

Great Harbor with NE Harbor.

 

We had done this hike in 2008 and did it again partly to get some exercise and to let Mendy use his muscles. Our other reason for the hike was to make phone calls from the top, having had no cell service in Somesville or Valley Cove.

Half an hour after we returned to the boat and had a late lunch (Mendy’s second lunch) we saw a dink coming toward us to say hello. It was, we learned, Bill and Donna, from “Moonraker”, who had anchored next to us before we took our hike. They are retired IT people from Annapolis who have lived aboard for more than a year. Moonraker is a Bayfield 40, a Gozzard design, 45 feet long with the huge bowsprit, a classic look. We shared some wine (alright, I drank more than half the bottle) and nibbles, toured our boat and then theirs, and talked about places we have both visited, such as the Bahamas and places that are new to us (on the Canadian jaunt) and to them (like certain ports in Casco Bay).  A very pleasant couple of hours and we hope to see them again in Blue Hill in a few days. Tomorrow is predicted as a day to test out our foul weather gear. Yes, into every cruise a little rain must fall.