September 1^st - We picked up a mooring ball in Somes Harbor on Mt. Desert Island and caught the shuttle bus to the Laundromat outside of Southwest Harbor.  Rachel and I stayed to finish the laundry while Steve, Daniel and Emily shopped for groceries and caught the next bus back to Someville.  We washed our clothes side by side with Maryann who had cruised with her husband and two children for seven years.  She offered a lift back to the dock and as we chatted about our cruising experiences, she asked if we like lobster.

“Yes,” I answered, “But it’s so expensive in restaurants, we haven’t indulged much.”

She told me her seventeen year old son, Josh, had a lobster boat and might be able to give us a good price and deliver right to our boat.

Upon returning to our boat, we saw Josh and invited him over to place our order.

“How much for five lobsters?” we asked.

“Five dollars a pound, which usually translates to one pound per lobster.” Josh explained.  “I can deliver them to your boat tomorrow at noon.”

“Great!” we exclaimed.

That night after eating a hefty steak dinner on our boat, our new friend Kip, another cruiser we met at the bus stop, invited us over to his boat to meet his three shelties and his cat Rumford.  To our surprise, he was making homemade pizza when we arrived and our earlier steak dinner didn’t discourage us from sampling Kip’s delectable offerings.

The kids enjoyed his pets as we learned of his two-year tour doing the Great Circle Route (from New York up the Hudson, through the Eire Canal [ http://www.eriecanal.org/ ]   to the Great Lakes, then down the Mississippi, through the Tenn-Tom Canal [ http://www.tenntom.org/descript.htm ] to the Mobile River, then through the Intracoastal waterway right past our house in Gulf Shores, crossed Florida through Lake Okeechobee [ http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/sfoo/index.html ], on to the Bahamas and Bermuda before returning to New England where we met him.  Our excitement level rose as we learned more about cruising the Bahamas.

Precisely at noon the next day, Josh, our own personal lobsterman, sidled up to our boat with a bucket full of fresh lobster, still kicking and clawing.  Following his advice, we boiled a pot of seawater, dropped the writhing lobsters head first into the pot and watched them turn scarlet.  After twenty minutes, when the tentacles easily plucked off, we scooped them out and devoured them with garlic butter and gusto.  It doesn’t get much fresher that that!

Sunday, September 3^rd, we made up for our gastronomic over indulgence by walking several miles trying to get to church.   We wanted to return to the First Baptist Church in Bar Harbor, but we had a few hurdles to cross.  After August 31^st, the island bus schedule was reduced and we didn’t have the benefit of an early morning bus to take us to church on time like the previous week.  Because of our location near the mountains we weren’t getting any cell phone coverage, so we couldn’t call anyone at the church to pick us up.

On faith, we set out for our walk along the road, thinking someone (a fellow church attender?) surely would pick us up.  The weather was cool and lovely and I sang songs of praise and worship as we strolled along toward Bar Harbor, with cars rushing past.

We had walked about two miles before a young man and woman stopped to give us a lift.  They were on the island for a weekend retreat and as we got acquainted, they commented about the fact that most people are so caught up in their own lives, they seldom take the time to reach outside themselves to meet others or to help their neighbor.  While they were not on their way to church, the young man noted, “It’s good that you are setting aside some time to be thankful this morning.”

They dropped us off at the front door of the church ten minutes before the service began.  I had prayed that God would provide a way for us to get to church and once again God was faithful.

On Labor Day, September 4^th, a soggy, gray blanket of fog and drizzle settled over the island.  We were reluctantly making plans to leave the island to start our trek south as soon as the weather cleared, when our friend Kip came calling.  We had enjoyed his company previously and happily welcomed him aboard.

As we gathered around the table, we told him of him of our time living in Mexico City and the conversation increasingly turned to the topic of food.  Food talk made us realize we were hungry, so Kip offered to make a batch of dough for homemade tortillas while we prepared the chicken, beans and salsa.  Kip showed the kids how to roll out the balls of dough and cook them on the skillet.  We had a taco feast that rivaled any Mexican restaurant on Mount Desert Island. 

After lunch Kip offered to give us a bread-making lesson and as we talked, kneaded and laughed together, somehow the gray clouds didn’t seem so oppressive and rays of friendship kept us warm.

September 5^th we left Mount Desert Island and after a night anchored in Perry Cove off Vinalhaven Island, we moved on the charming town of Belfast.  We found the convenience of the nearby immaculate Laundromat and brand new library a relief and a hot shower at the town dock refreshing as we explored the waterfront town.

Steve and the kids found a really cool playground with towers and climbing ropes while I found an outrageously expensive organic co-op market where I drooled over the fresh produce but disciplined myself to only a sampling of purple-heart plums.

The kids started a regular schedule of school that week, reluctantly cracking open their books.  I borrowed a sturdy cart from the Harbor Master’s office and walked a mile up hill to the more affordable Hannaford’s grocery store.  I felt like a bag lady balancing my brimming wagon down the hill when a man in a car honked three times and saluted me.  Surprised, I looked up to read his bumper, plastered with “Save the Planet” and “Green Peace” stickers.  I’m guessing I made his day with my mode of transportation.

On Saturday evening, September 9^th, we walked the mile up the road to Dunkin Donuts for a weekend splurge, but were disappointed at the paltry selection of day old pastries.  Resigning ourselves to boxed cookies from the grocery store, we glanced up at the ominous sky in concern, gray clouds and thunder building in the distance.

Running back to the dock, we dodged raindrops only to discover that our dinghy was soundly stuck in the mud at low tide.  We had problems!  There was really nothing else we could do but wait out the storm and changing tides at a nearby restaurant, even though it meant returning to Tantara well after dark. 

We got a bite to eat at a local diner and discussed the fact that the full moon had impacted the tidal range and we were feeling the direct consequences nature’s moodiness. 

Later, the storm cleared, leaving puddles in the street as we boarded our dinghy in the dark, high tide covering the rocks that lurked beneath.  Stars were peeking out from the clearing clouds as we motored back to Tantara.  To our wonder and amazement, the wake around our dinghy glowed with phosphorescence*, illuminating our path. The kids ran their hands through the water, stirring up millions of tiny sparkles that glittered in our wake.

*“the so-called phosphorescence of the sea is due in large part to near-surface bioluminescent phytoplankton called dinoflagellates”

That night, with the full moon spilling its glistening garment on the water, I felt the beauty of God’s creation folding around us like a blanket, knowing His solid arms were protecting us and offering comfort.

Sunday, September 10^th dawned clear and bright, and our hearts soared with the hope of fellowship with believers in the Lord’s house.  We learned of the Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church in Belfast from the harbormaster and it was within walking distance.  It was a tiny, but warm congregation and we stayed after the preaching service for the fellowship meal and more Bible study.  We felt well fed physically as well as spiritually.

Our new friends Dan and Cheri invited us to their home for a game of croquet and some brownies.  How can I describe our friendship with this godly couple?  It was a relationship of instant rapport and like-mindedness on so many levels.  We knew God had brought us together for a purpose and the blessing of it startled us with joy and wonder.

Since Dan has a carpentry business, Steve asked him if he cold make some floorboards for our forward hatch in the starboard bow, opening up our storage and usage options for that space.  All day Monday, Steve and Dan worked on this project while Tantara sat tied up at the Belfast town dock.

After school assignments were completed (and some left midstream), Cheri drove the kids and I to the top of Mount Battie over looking the seaside town of Camden.  It was September 11^th and the flag at the top of the mountain flew at half-mast.  It was a sobering reminder to cherish life and freedom as we gazed at the heart stopping views of the Camden Hills State Park and the Camden Harbor below.  Everything sparkled in the September sunshine as we ate our picnic lunch under the whispering trees.

We invited Dan and Cheri to our boat for dinner in the evening and the bond of Christian love grew in our hearts as we prayed and sang together.

The nights were getting chilly with temperatures dropping into the forties.  Since Daniel is the only one without a bed buddy, we gave him a hot water bottle for warmth.

We left for Rockland the next morning, September 12^th, the wind filling our sails, the sun warming our backs.  We sampled a few of Rockland’s treasures – Planet Toys, a huge interactive toy store with the slogan, “You’re never too old to play”, encouraging dad and mom to dig in; the stately, old city library built in the early 1900s and tastefully restored for modern use; and the Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Art Collection.  Daniel, Emily, Rachel and I spent a fascinating afternoon field trip at the art museums that included the Farnsworth Homestead, an 1840s Victorian home, designed in the Greek Revival architectural style.

The art museums featured famous American artists, most notably the three generations of Wyeths:  Newell Convers Wyeth, famous for his colorful illustrations of classic tales such as Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe, Andrew Wyeth, home schooled and trained by his father and known for his 1948 painting “Christina’s World”, and James Wyeth, also home schooled by his aunt and famous for penetrating portraits such as the one of the late John F. Kennedy.  The Wyeth family spent summers in Maine and this is apparent in the subject matter they chose to paint.  N.C. Wyeth was greatly influenced by an earlier American artist, Winslow Homer, whose paintings also graced the halls of the museum.

We accomplished a few “non-touristy” activities while in Rockland.  Steve had the bright idea to move our electronic piano to the forward hatch now that we have a floor and turn the space into our music conservatory and arts/crafts creativity station for the infinite projects the kids invent.  The kids have had a difficult time keeping up with their piano practice and we hope this solution will make it more convenient.  Steve also installed storage bins for easier access to their supplies.  Now it’s a place to escape, to focus and allow creative juices to stew for a while.

We reunited with our friends Val and Abi whom we had met at church during our first visit to Rockland in August.  We invited them for dinner and enjoyed their company and friendship.  Val gave us a ride from the grocery store to the dinghy dock.  This was truly a blessing, allowing me to do a major re-stock of our ship’s pantry.

September 16^th we said good-bye to our friends and left Rockland Harbor.  We sailed to Monhegan Island, tied up to a mooring ball and ate lunch.  This remote island is ten miles from the mainland and inhospitable for overnight anchoring.  Our Main Coast cruising guide shares a quote from an islander who describes the island this way, “ What makes Monhegan different is that it’s hard to get to and hard to live on, and anything that makes it easier is a step in the wrong direction.”

We sailed on to drop our overnight anchor in more familiar territory, Boothbay Harbor.

As we meet new friends and make an effort to worship with other believers, we make connections that lend richness to our cruising life.