A representative photo of the delightful town of Boothbay Harbor.
Yesterday was spent in one of the most successful of the Maine Coastal Towns, that of Boothbay Harbor. Boothbay is maybe what you’d call a big Little Town and its location in the Mid-Coastal Region of Maine make it both very accessible and popular.
Its harbor is a good one, fairly sheltered behind some well-placed Islands and it is one of these islands that was our primary “destination” for the day. Still here with Paula’s son Brian and his wife April, we made our way down to the Coast, about an hour away from the home base in Readfield. Brian found a Harbor Cruise that was actually the ferry and “mail boat” for one of those islands.
The Novelty, our transportation for the day.
Squirrel Island is a summer community and has been since 1871 when their Association was founded. Don’t bring your car because you can’t get it there and these are no motor vehicles allowed anyway! Everything is ferried over by the Novelty, which is the boat that we were the passengers on. We watched a fair number of residents/visitors embark and disembark along with their supplies for their stay. And I guess someone’s fridge fritzified as a new one was on the next voyage after ours. The homes are quite nice and definitely not all of them could be categorized as small cottages. Electric power and water are supplied by the mainland, but all of the plumbing is above ground and must be drained for the winter, hence a “Summer Only” community.
Before embarking on our “mail run” we had lunch in a great little waterfront spot overlooking the harbor, and our future transportation. It was obviously quite convenient and practically guaranteed that we wouldn’t “miss the boat”!
April, Paula, and Brian awaiting our Pre-Boarding Three-Hour Tour Last Meal. But Gilligan failed to show up, so the trip only lasted an hour. Mr. and Mrs. Howell have a residence on the Island.
The joint on the right was our lunch spot. As you can see there is no shortage of “Waterfront Dining”!
There is also no shortage of photographic opportunities that highlight this great little harbor.
It’s not all touristy stuff going on either. Those hard-working blokes in the lobster industry are constantly checking their traps in the hopes of finding you next lunch or dinner inside.
Now for your Nautical Lessons! This is a Friendship Sloop. This one and her many relatives were born just up the Coast in Frienship, Maine. Designed as a workboat, most were built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. As your now educated eyes can plainly see, a prettier boat is not to be!
Sorry! I can’t stop myself! Here is another Friendship Sloop, the Bay Lady, taking some extremely lucky folks out for a cruise in the Harbor.
Oops! Sorry again! I don’t know how this one got in here, but this is another photo of the Bay Lady on a reach. That is Burnt Island Lighthouse in the distance. More on that coming up!
Here you are! Burnt Island Light. It was constructed in 1821 and is the second oldest Lighthouse in Maine (after Portland Head Light) The island got its name from the fact that in the olden days the shepherds would burn off the heavy vegetation, making room for grasses for sheep grazing.
We finally came to the mid-point of the cruise, Squirrel Island and its “Port”, seen here. There were a few industrious lads and lasses with carts that would take your belongings and transport them to your final destination.
I told you they were not tiny bungalows!
Ditto!
This was our route. Yellow line outward, with that mark indicating the Burnt Island Lighthouse, and the red line going back into Boothbay Harbor seen at the top right of the photo.
I’m really at a loss here explaining how these photos worm their way into this post. Someone should really do something about this! This is the schooner Eastwind. She is one of the many “Windjammers” that ply the waters of coastal Maine. You can book voyages from hours to days in length.
Now you’re in for a rare treat! This is the Wishing Star, a 1965 84′ Trumpy. Trumpys were the gold standard of motor yachts from the ’40’s through the 70’s. The Presidential Yacht, the USS Sequoia, was a Trumpy-built boat.
And just when you thought that your voyage of Maritime Vessel History was ending, what pops into view but a venerable old NEW JERSEY(!) oyster schooner! (The white one on the right) Built in 1886 in Mauricetown down in Cumberland County, she is the oldest schooner on the planet left of a vast fleet of oyster boats that supplied that industry with its catch. She has since been converted to a windjammer with staterooms that will accommodate about 20 passengers.
And, once again, the Freaky Forecasters from the Doom and Gloom School of Meteorology, who maintained that it was to be cloudy all day long forgot to just look out their windows. More and more we realize that unless it is an Event of Sizeable Proportions, to actually go about our plans and have a nice day out anyway!
This is us and the Lighthouse in the background, and clear blue skies overhead!
5 replies on “Delivering the Mail”
Had an incredibly wonderful day!!
Us too, Brian!
Thanks for everything!
Greetings to both of you! Thank you for all the information and photos. Barbara and l have been to Maine before on a Princess New England cruise; however, we didn’t see any of what you have posted. Time for us to look into going to Maine for a week, just to discover. Blessings 🙌 !
Hi A.J. !!!
You’ll love it!
Hope you guys are well,
say Hi to David please!
5 replies on “Delivering the Mail”
Had an incredibly wonderful day!!
Us too, Brian!
Thanks for everything!
Greetings to both of you! Thank you for all the information and photos. Barbara and l have been to Maine before on a Princess New England cruise; however, we didn’t see any of what you have posted. Time for us to look into going to Maine for a week, just to discover. Blessings 🙌 !
Hi A.J. !!!
You’ll love it!
Hope you guys are well,
say Hi to David please!
What a gorgeous place. Thank you for the tour.