This morning one of the men from last night – Lukan Post – returned with his 7 year old son Brady and his friend Owen to help us again. We hadn’t swung with the wind overnight and he too assumed that we were attached to a lobster pot. Lukan insisted on getting in to the water to free us and retrieve the pot. It turned out to be one of Owens uncles (recognised from the colour of the buoy). He raised the pot, complete with about 7 lobsters, reattached the buoy and returned it to the sea bed further offshore. Owen also told us that they call them lobster traps here and can have up to 800 which they must check every 3 days and remove the lobster!

The lobster men only lose a few of pots to boats, astounding as these waters have the highest density of traps in the world – to supply 25% of the global market!   Lukan’s family own the south end of Metinic, the first settlers here having arrived on the Mayflower he claimed. The other half is a conservation park owned by the fishing agency and is home to several endangered bird species and a constant supply of students who come to monitor and conserve.

There are 6 houses on the Post family half, but they are only inhabited in the summer now. Lukan said it is too unpleasant in the winter, with 20 foot seas at times. There are sheep though. The flock on the island are considered wild and live here all year although the rams are removed to a smaller island over the winter. Each spring they are all shorn, a new ram or two introduced and some of the lambs taken ‘to market’.

We left about 10.00 and arrived at Monhegan Island about 15.30 having seen another Minke whale on the way. As always with whale sightings, it was a brief affair but this one was close enough to hear it exhale before seeing it.

We picked up a mooring in the cute little harbour and went ashore to investigate. There is a year round community of about 70 here, increasing to 700 in the summer.

Many artists come here, evidenced by signs for art galleries in many of the houses.  We liked the school, the notice board and the Inn where we treated ourselves to a bottle of wine. The Inn didn’t sell wine but they owned the bar down the road so we had to go there to buy it. They then provided the seating, the glasses and a view of the boat!