We made it to Maine!
- True North
- Aug 3
- 2 min read
We had some southern winds after leaving Boston, so we needed to find anchorages that would protect us from the south. We stopped off in Rockport, MA for a few days while the wind blew through. Rockport is a neat little touristy town with a great artist community. We anchored in the middle of the bay with a view of the town and beach - kinda felt like we were on display the whole time...
The town had a convenient dingy dock for us to tie up for the day, lots of shops to explore, and good access to some hiking trails. Bonus was the farmers market in the town square!
Dingy dock access at low tide Local sailboat fleet Hint - rent your kayak at high tide... Motif #1 - iconic Rockport landmark Hiking around the old rock quarries
We skipped New Hampshire and quickly made our way north to Maine from there, with a stop at Cape Neddick. Note to self - check google satellite view before selecting a secluded beach (not secluded at all).
Next stop, Portland. We spend a few days there in a somewhat quiet anchorage. It made for a long dingy ride into town, but we avoided most of the Portland boat traffic. A short day sailing up the coast a bit got us to Freeport for some L.L. Bean shopping. Not many photos of Portland or Freeport, but here's some of the travels in the area.
Clear skies, nice wind, and beautiful sailing Maine lighthouse Calm night in the Portland anchorage Portland brewery Nearby island, home to gulls, cormorants, and seals
Snow Island offered a few days of quiet relaxation after the last few days of city life. We ended up staying 3 nights - lots of time for relaxing and enjoying the bay.
Backyard barbeque
Our forward progress definitely has slowed down, with 2-3 night stops at fun towns and out-of-the way anchorages. We stopped off at MacMahan Island for several days to visit some friends - a fellow Antares Catamaran cruising couple that we've met a few times over the years. Their boat, Sorella, was the first Antares we had seen in person at a boat show a few years ago! The island and surrounding area has a lot to offer for hiking and natural wonders. Nearby Boothbay Harbor is only a few hours away and another of those must-stop places. We are finding a lot of them here!
Typical Maine harbor Lobster - as fresh as it gets Still trying our luck at fishing Lobster traps everywhere Small private island off the Maine coast Hiking on MacMahan Island Hiking in the Maine woods Dingy ride through Boothbay harbor More Maine hiking Boothbay Harbor
Final stop for this leg of the journey is Rockland - just in time for the 79th annual lobster festival. Great day to be in Rockland - sunshine, 70+ degrees, live music, lobsters, and lots of activities and sites to see. Today the rain and wind came back, so we are holed up on the boat catching up on a few things (blog!).
Foggy morning vibes Lobster festival - complete with a contest to see who could run across the floating lobster crates Visitors to Rockland - someone had already pinned Spokane Lobster Fest!
Maine has been an amazing place to explore with the incredible scenery and wildlife. It has its challenges though - every day is maze of lobster buoys to weave through, fog, 10' tides, and rocky shores.
We finally did catch a fish. Not exactly what we had hoped for, but it's a start
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