Day Two : Into Penobscot Bay

Off in the north, Stonington sparkled like a brightly painted city of the sea. Jennifer and I were easily able to stow our sleeping bags and tent into the front hold of the Wayfarer. The only other item is one emergency gallon of water that stays forward and out of the way. To launch Juliet, we simply rig the sails and rudder, and lightly step aboard, shoving off at the last second. Immediately, the wind takes over from momentum. We had a straight shot northwest to the Deer Isle Thoroughfare from Rock Island. There was one minor shoal along the route, which I could see beneath the waves, but it was no threat. We shared the coffee left in Thermos as we enjoyed the view. Nothing beats mornings in the boat. In the channel is an island with a house designed to look like a lighthouse. It is connected by a bar to Crotch, making the south passage unnavigable. However, it made a nice shortcut due to the north wind. Jennifer was at the ready for the centerboard and we slid over the bar with no draft to spare. Juliet (the Wayfarer) is good about finding her way through a tight squeeze. Jennifer looked around at all the industrial boats and equipment related to the Crotch Island Mine, which is still in operation. Billings Marine makes a handy stop for sailors and other boaters as one heads from Stonington toward Penobscot Bay. Shortly we left the protected Thoroughfare and headed into Penobscot Bay, intending to work our way up the west side of Deer Isle toward home waters.

Morning In Stonington Harbor

In the morning the boat was just fine, resting high on the sandy beach at the end of her anchor line.
Lucas' wife, Peg said that Lucas had to arise in the middle of the night to reset the tents and saw that my boat appeared to be riding her anchor just fine. He also reported being surprised that was the case because of the high winds and waves. Maybe he thought I was a landlubber, but I can set an anchor if need be. It was a beautiful morning and Jennifer slept in while I messed with the boat cleaning her out and schlepping gear around. Juliet had a few gallons of water in her; I don't know why. Breakfast was the coffee from the convenience store, yogurt and bananas. Lucas really slept in, because by the time we were ready to leave the beach, he was nowhere to be seen.

Rock Island and Rest for the Weary

Before Departing Deer Isle and Fisherman's Friend, I walked to the Harbor Mart for a few things. Top of the list: a Thermos of hot coffee; next, yogurt and bananas, plus a bag of pretzels and my all-time favorite convenience store purchase: Munchos. The late afternoon in Stonington left us with a few choices from the MITA book. Rock Island seemed the most obvious. I felt no rush, but a view of the harbor proves the sun was dropping fast.



To the east of Crotch Island lay little Rock Island. I'm pretty sure the name is a common island name in Maine, like Sheep, Long, Mark, and Harbor Islands. But it was there for us with a broad, sandy beach on her north side. The sun got away so fast that we were a bit disappointed to see numerous tents on the grassy shoreline, but nevermind. We had brought along a tent and sleeping bags and were not plannng on sleeping in the boat, as we has in trips to Castine, Vinalhaven and Bass Harbor. Lucas, a local lobsterman, greeted us as we hit the beach and asked if we needed help, but the beach was sandy and wide and we easily disembarked with our gear, glad to have decided on a final stop. I had really thought we were on a daysail, so I had made a silly error of not bringing Juliet's big Danforth, I only had the tiny lunch grappling hook. After the boat was cleaned ourt and we had all the gear, I looked at the beach and guessed it was wide enough for Juliet to anchor there for high tide (around 12:30 AM) and be afloat overnight. The grappling hook was buried in a hole in the middle of the beach and covered with an extra eight inches of sand above the natural grade. I washed off my hands and pretty well hoped for the best overnight. The lights of Stonington sparkled in the water.