Our summer in Maine has been delightful! We love visiting the small towns and secluded islands. There are always trails to explore, and rocks to climb. We thoroughly enjoy sharing some of these experiences with family and friends!
Our niece and nephew, Allison and John, joined us for a 10 day tour…from Portland to Bucksport and back!
Twenty more lobsters acquired.
Rainy days were still fun.
They were able to unwind before the start of the college school year.
The view was pretty spectacular!
But…
Forts are super cool…just like Aunt Debbie🤣 (I’m pretty sure that is what Allison was thinking)
While anchored in Boothbay Harbor Keith noticed trouble when children in small boats were struggling. The winds were way to high for students, ages 8 - 11, in their second day of sailing school😳. The situation quickly turned dangerous when one boat capsized, and the teenage instructor (watching over 4 boats) was overwhelmed with calls for help.
Luckily Alma Joy was in the water, and Keith quickly jumped in to assist. He started with the boat closest to the rocks.
By the time everyone was safe, he had five children aboard, and was towing two boats.
Boothbay Harbor is a popular place for lobster boats to catch their bait. It’s an interesting process to watch. This boat was pulled right through the mooring field, as they retrieved the net.
Love this Boothbay Lighthouse.
A quick trip back to Portland, to exchange passengers, and once again we are underway. Dave and Patricia were only with us for four days, but we were determined to show them something new. Conditions weren’t great, but I set my sights on one of my all time favorite places in Maine, Seguin Island.
Seguin Island is about 2 miles off the coast, and only accessible by private boat. There are a total of 5 mooring balls, but only 3 of those are appropriate for our 50 ft. boat.
When we are tied to a mooring…this is our spectacular view!
Conditions were rough, but we made it to Seguin…at least for a brief expedition! Keith remained on the boat to watch for changing conditions as the tide rose and our protection from a rocky outcrop disappeared.
The only lighthouse in Maine housing a first order Fresnel lens, which is capable of magnifying a light source by 500 times! In order to protect the lenses, during shipping from France in the 1850s, the lenses were packed in molasses.
After our climb to the top of the lighthouse we were contemplating which trail to hike when Keith called to say we should return to the boat, as conditions were deteriorating.
We had ourselves, and our toys onboard, and were dropping the lines from the mooring within a few minutes, but before we rounded to point, on our way out of the harbor a huge billowing cloud of black smoke rose over the island.
What a heart stopping sight! Thankfully, a lobster boat had already pulled the two men from the water.
The radio call started as a call for a tow service, as the engine had failed. A few minutes later, the man announced that he saw a small amount of smoke. Within 5 minutes, he returned to the radio to say that he attempted to look in the engine compartment and a lot of smoke came out. Luckily, Keith heard all of these radio transmissions, and realized how close we were when the man relayed his coordinates to the Coast Guard.
We were ready for a quiet anchorage and a strong drink, after that day! Between the rough sea conditions, and the emergency situation…Dave and Patricia rose to the occasion and easily earned their ‘hearty crew’ ratings!
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for Patricia and Dave, we happened upon tug boat races while returning to Portland.
We hope all is well in your world!
That ‘s enough excitement for a few days.
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