When you’re in bustling Bar Harbor, you wouldn’t think you’re on the edge of civilization, but if you push further down east toward the New Brunswick, Canada border, you won’t see many other towns, just rugged,
rocky coast and islands.
We briefly passed by this part of the coast in 2023 when we crossed the Bay of Fundy form Nova Scotia, but didn’t linger to explore. So, this year, we pushed beyond Bar Harbor until 30 miles from the
Canadian Boarder, and it was well worth it.
Cruising guides are intimidating, referring to fog, large tidal ranges, strong currents, and lack of assistance should something go wrong. In reality, it’s just as plea
sant as other parts of the coast, although these factors do need to be taken into consideration.
We anchored the first night behind Mistake Island. Besides its uninviting name, this island is known as the “fog capital of the Atlantic Coast” with persistent fog banks rolling through. The name does not refer to the foolishness of sailors who venture into this area. It’s believed to be a corruption of “Moosabec”, an indigenous Aenbaki word possibly meaning moose head. We dropped anchor in a quaint, protected spot surrounded by granite cliffs. When double checking alternate charts, we realized we were in a restricted anchoring area due to underground cables. Having pulled up our share of cables in prior years, we decided to move. We found an unrestricted area further out. It was still protected from the open ocean by a series of small islands… that is at low tide. The tidal range in this area is up to 15 feet. By the time the tide came in, the islands disappeared, giving way to open Atlantic water, not usually an ideal anchoring situation! We nonetheless spent a pleasant afternoon exploring the rock formations by dinghy, and the night was uneventful.
The next day, we moved on to Roque Island, one of our new favorite anchorages. This island features a large cove with good holding and surrounding protection. And, surprisingly for Maine, a beautiful, fine-sand beach with clear turquoise water. Who needs the Bahamas? The island is private, but the owners welcome boaters to vsit the beach, as long as they don’t venture past the high tide mark. We enjoyed doing our morning workouts on the sand, and taking long walks.
We were joined by Frank and Liz, the Californian couple we’d met in Rhode Island, and Luka, a sweet Jack Russell terrior. We had dinner aboard Nautical Bliss, their luxurious catamaran, and took a long walk together on the beach then next day. This morning, they left to cross the Bay of Fundy to Nova Scotia. Shortly after that, and another early morning dolphin visit, we left too to head back to Mount Desert Island. After fueling up, doing some laundry and errands, we was topped off by a lobster dinner at Beal’s in Southwest Harbor.
Beal’s is an institution, since 1932, it’s been a working lobster pier, fuel dock and restaurant. You start by picking your “bug” (lobster) from a tank, and ordering sides, typically corn bread, cole slaw and corn on the cob. After paying, you’re assigned a picnic table so they know where to bring your meal. The staff is friendly, the atmosphere is good, and the food is delicious. It happens to be a favorite of Martha Stewart who knows a thing or two about good cuisine!
