Where Mountains Meet the Sea

We left Isle au Haut for Blue Hill, back on the mainland to the Northeast. This is a quaint protected natural harbor, where we were frequently visited by curious seals amongst a constant spectacle of jumping alewives. We had hoped to climb the eponymous hill, but the only nearby dinghy dock dries out at low tide, which was at awkward times of day. So, we’ll be back.

From there we moved on to Mount Desert Island. This island was named Isles des Monts Déserts  by French explorer, Samuel de Champlain. It is best known for Acadia National Park, which combines mountains, forests, meadows and ponds with rugged seacoast. One can see Mount Cadillac, the tallest peak in Acadia and on the Eastern Seaboard, from miles away.

Mount Desert Island is nearly split in two by Somes Sound, a fjord-like inlet running north to south. We anchored at the head of the sound in Somesville, the first settlement on the Island. There’s not much to see other than a foot bridge inspired by Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France.

The next morning, we headed back south through thick fog for a short passage to Southwest Harbor, one of three port towns on Mount Desert Island along with Northeast Harbor and Bar Harbor.

Southwest Harbor is a great town, mixing tourism with hardworking lobstering and boat building. It’s home to Hinckley Yachts.

It is also the location of a regional US Coast Guard base. According to a sign on the base, on an average day, the USCG:

1. Concducts 180 search & rescue missions
2. Saves 12 lives
3. Stops 14 illegal immigrants
4. Siezes $7M of illegal narcotics
5. Responds to 38 hazardous spills

From here, we took our first Acadia hike of the year on Flying Mountain with breathtaking views of Somes Sound. The day was capped with a proper Maine lobster dinner at Beal’s Lobster Pound, which has been a mainstay in the lobster industry for 93 years.