Position           44:07.39N 068:21.81W

Date                Friday 9 August to Wednesday 14 August 2013

Anne and Mike made a dash for it on Friday afternoon and the forecast was spot on, windy rain and fog.  Nevertheless we watched them approaching on AIS and they arrived late afternoon out of the gloom and found a mooring directly behind us.  We had taken the opportunity of departing boats to move a little further into the harbour to get out of the swell that often runs across the harbour entrance.  Drinks on board Caduceus helped the new arrivals to unwind.

There is something special about this place with the mix of a working harbour, a community hanging on where other islands have not and wonderful scenery and trails to walk.  Waking up and seeing a heron patiently waiting for a fishy victim rather sets the scene.

Saturday dawned bright and clear and the excursion ferry from Bar Harbor arriving at 1000, dropped off a large load of people for the Lobster Dinner and very quickly departed for other duties – a real assault landing, unopposed.

The ferry Captain Henry Lee, the island’s lifeline.  Nimue in the foreground

The Annual Lobster Dinner is held in the garden of the church and next to the schoolroom.  It is a major fund raising event for the small island community and provides funds to support various church and school projects.

It is a great setting and they were so very lucky with the weather which was perfect and a complete contrast to the previous day.

Long Island, often just called after the settlement, Frenchboro, has the best trails of all of the smaller islands.  A great deal of the rough woodland is held by the Maine Heritage Conservation Trust which provides public access and trails that are marked, after a fashion, and provide interesting if rough going.  Plan on 1 to 1½ miles in the hour max.

The scenery is stunning and on one of our walks we were rewarded by 15 minutes of watching these otters playing in the water.

One for the arachnaphobes

An favourite institution and popular watering hole in Frenchboro is the “Offshore Store” run by Tammy and her lobsterman husband Jay.  Tammy is a wonderful cook and produces excellent food.  We went for a drink on Saturday evening and ended up joining a local gathering with various families bringing in a pot luck supper and Tammy and Jay producing lobster and clams.  A very special occasion.

Michael, Elizabeth, Tammy, Jay, Anne and Martin at the “Offshore Store”.  You can even dinghy there at high water

Fog came down on Tuesday, off and on. The large dark mass over the harbour entrance being the fog bank.  We were luckier than those a few miles north who were in it all day.

Looking north up the harbour towards the entrance and the fog bank