2022: Maine Part II - Rockland Lobster Festival

 4 August 2022
Depart: Boothbay Mooring 1:10
Arrive: Rockland anchorage 7:00
Distance: 45 nm

Last night watching the local Maine news, Jeff and Clark heard that Rockland was holding its annual Lobster Festival starting on Friday. The decision was made to go check it out. 

Before leaving Boothbay, we took care of a few chores. I did some laundry. Then Clark and Devon rode our bicycles to the grocery store to pick up a few items. Bread and milk always seemed to be on the list! We left for Rockland after lunch.

With the trip to Rockland taking a few hours, I had time to work with the two older girls to do some sewing crafts. I brought plastic canvas, yarn, and darning needles on the trip for just this purpose. When the girls were on their most recent hike, I cut out squares of the plastic to form a cube. While we traveled today, the girls kept busy sewing designs on each side of their respective cubes and then sewing the squares together to make their cube-shaped boxes with lids. It kept them entertained and busy for the entire trip.

We did have a brief interruption in our sewing session. On the way to Rockland, Captain Clark took the boat past the island known as Eastern Egg Rock. Every passenger on board studied the island well as we were told that we might see puffins on the island. According to the guide book, Puffins lived here in abundance in the 1800s. By 1900 both the plentiful puffins and the numerous terns that lived here had been wiped out. Starting in 1970 and ornithologist and the National Audubon Society reestablished the puffin colony here and terns retuned in abundance as well. We saw no puffins - only gulls as we circumnavigated the island. The guide book says that they are visible on the island in June and July. 

Eastern Egg Rock -- looks pretty desolate -- seven acres of boulders and grass.

By the time we reached Rockland each girl could show off her sewing expertise.

Sierra and Violet with their hand-sewn cubes.
(The arm belongs to Zoe.)

No sewing for Zoe yet but
she wanted to be in the picture.

Sunset at Rockland, ME anchorage

5 August 2022 - Rockland, Maine Lobster Festival

Because we anchored out and had 7 people on board, it took two trips each way to go into towns to see the sights. Clark took Sierra, Jeff, Devon, and Zoe on the first trip today and then came back for Violet and me. When we arrived, Clark received a text from Jeff that they were in the "Children's Tent". We soon realized that unlike the Seafood Festivals we see in Florida, this lobster festival was designed with children in mind.

Clark, Ev, Violet, Zoe, and Sierra

In the picture above, Sierra and Violet are holding their treasure maps. If they found each clue and punched a hole in their "map" at each spot along the way, they would receive a treasure at the information booth. How exciting to draw them into the activities right away!

The Treasure Map!

To get to the Children's Tent, we walked through the "Lane's Barnyard Friends" tent. It was smelly but had cute animals.

Nigerian Dwarf Goats
"Regina" and "Reggie"

Miniature Horses

Zoe's favorite spot had toys to play with

Sierra made completing the treasure hunt a true quest - no time for games!

Jeff and Sierra ---
Rushing to the bouncy houses to search for
clue number 5!

Later, Sierra found a clue in the lobster trap near a statue!

Probably the favorite for the girls, given how much time they spent there, the marine tent offered a hands-on opportunity where they could pick up, touch, or look at lobsters, starfish, and other marine life. 

Touching lobsters must have made us think of food because our next stop was the food tent. Violet saw a booth with Domino's Pizza and that's what she wanted! The adults decided to partake of the various lobster options. Very tasty but more than a bit messy to eat a whole lobster with a plastic fork!

After that we walked around to where we heard some good Irish-sounding music and listened to the "Pirates of the Dark Rose" live -- real toe-tapping stuff. 

We were tempted to "Sell at least one of our children" 
here given a melt down at the food tent. 
Fortunately for the child in question, we decided to pass.

Lucky Violet!?
This was the first time ever this woman made an object from a balloon!
Thankfully, it did look like a pirate's sword when she was done!

From this area we heard a man advertising that the firing of the cannon would be held at 1:00. Since we were right there with balloons and good music, we hung around for the big event. Little did we know that several of team Woodworth would end up as crew firing the cannon.

Devon was drafted first.
Lieutenant Devon read the orders to the 
crew for the procedures to fire the cannon!
Written in old English - it was harder than one might think!

Sierra and Violet were recruited as crew also.

Sierra got the dubious honor of being the powder monkey! She was warned that she could "Blow her head off" if not careful. Violet, at least, had a less dangerous task to perform. She just had to help
position / aim the cannon for firing. One girl who was Shanghaied to become a crew member  ran off during the show. Fortunately, the young man in the gray t-shirt happily stepped in to take her place.

The two crew members with the most work to do were the older ones at the front of the cannon. They sounded like they were from a Scandinavian country. The older girl could speak English, but her younger brother could not. She translated the complex, cannon preparation instructions for him. Ironically, he had the most work of all.

While we watched the proceedings, we stood in the blistering heat. The man in charge was rather long-winded and dramatic. The show started at 1:00 as promised. At 1:30 he was still going and warning multiple times that heads could be blown off. In the end it was all rather anti-climactic as the cannon was not fired. The audience was asked to yell "Bang" when all was said and done. The least they could have done was pop one of the many balloons that were in the area to make a bang of some sort. 

Oh well - time for some goofiness and ice cream!

Sierra and Violet

Zoe and Violet

Lobster Zoe and Fisherman Jeff

Sitting on an anchor while eating ice cream.

Sierra - looking through the eye of the anchor

After the fun at the Lobster Festival, we returned to the boat (again in shifts). Someone got the crazy idea to jump in the water for a swim. Jeff? Sierra? Violet and I shook our heads and sat down to play games together. I had several games on board that turned out to be very popular including "Cribbage" "Othello", "Skipbo", and "500 Rummy". 

Zoe watching as Sierra takes the plunge

Devon and Zoe watching and deciding

Devon's in and the race is on!

Sierra excitedly came running into the salon to tell Violet and me that "Mom and Dad had a race, and Mom won!"

Bunny ears? No - more like moose ears!

Snack time for Zoe after the big race was over.

Sunset at Rockland, Maine.

2022: Maine Part I - Eagle Island and Boothbay Harbor

 We spent a little less than 3 weeks exploring Maine. The first portion of the trip included our son Jeff, his wife Devon, and our 3 Idaho-based grandchildren - Sierra (8), Violet (5), and Zoe (2.5). When they departed, our second son, Chris, came to visit with his wife, Heather, and our Connecticut-based grandchildren - Lillian (6) and Jack (4). 

31 July 2022

Depart: Simonton Cove anchorage 11:26

Arrive: South Port Marine, Portland, ME dock 11:55

We picked up the Idaho contingent in Portland, Maine. We had stayed at Simonton Cove on anchor near Portland the night before and came into South Port Marine early that day to provision the boat in preparation for guests. Fortunately I found a lovely Hannaford grocery store would be a relatively short walk down the main street of South Port. 

To be prepared to carry 7 people on board (ourselves included in that count), we needed an empty waste holding tank and a full water tank. The sofa beds in the pilot house and the guest stateroom had to be reconfigured as beds, and of course, I had to run the vacuum, etc. to make sure we were ready.

Coming into Portland, we saw a number of kites being flown from a beach in the area.

Having flown into Boston airport from Iceland following a vacation trip there, Jeff and family had a long drive to Portland from Boston. We had not seen this portion of our family in person in a number of months and were overjoyed to have them come stay on the boat with us to cruise.

Of course their flight from Iceland was delayed. Once they arrived in the States, they needed to collect luggage, go through customs, pick up a rental car, and make the long drive to Maine. They arrived at the marina at 4:30! 

After they had a chance to say hello, Clark handed Jeff a huge book - "A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast" and asked him where he wanted to go. Our travel plans were in Jeff's hands from that point until they departed.

1 August 2022

Depart: South Port Marine 11:00

Arrive: Cocktail Cove anchorage 3:10

The Idaho folks enjoy hiking and exploring trails. Thus, our first destination turned out to be Eagle Island to see the property Robert Peary bought in 1880 for $500. He built a house there for summertime use with his family. It is now a state park with great views of Casco Bay (as the book says) in every direction. 

Unfortunately, after a video telling us about the exotic things we would see in the house, we discovered that the house is closed to visitors at this time. They said we could peer in the windows!

Only accessible by boat ...

The trail started out looking like a walk through the woods ...

but then, at the end of the trail, ...

Devon and Sierra

Devon, Zoe, Violet, Jeff, and
Sierra in front

After visiting Eagle Island, we continued on our way to Cocktail Cove to stay for the night. Cocktail Cove, near the abandoned Fort McKinley, is located at the northeast end of Great Diamond Island.

Pictures taken at Cocktail Cove ...

Rocky coastline

2 August 2022

Depart: Cocktail Cove 9:00

Arrive: Boothbay Brown's Wharf Mooring 1:45

Distance: 31 nm

Boothbay Harbor was selected as our next stop. Once on shore, we found lots of interesting sights to entertain us. They even had a walking tour of the historic town.

Padlocks on footpath fencing

Downtown

On the footbridge -
a little to right-into-the-sun
for Violet

Peek-a-boo Zoe

When we returned to the boat, Clark decided that Sierra and Violet needed lessons on tying lines to cleats.

Clark, Sierra, and Violet

Violet's turn

with Jeff as audience

Sunset at Boothbay Harbor

We stayed two nights at Boothbay Harbor. Besides enjoying the town, both Devon and I got to do some laundry! Only a boater, who anchors out a lot, can understand how exciting it is to find a washing machine and dryer!

In the morning Devon decided to use the kayak to get some exercise. 

While she did that, Sierra, Violet and I pulled out my Jenome sewing machine, and the girls had some hands-on experience sewing things for their American Girl dolls. Sierra made a velvet cape and Violet made a blanket and pillow.

The hardest part was getting the 
needle threaded!

As one girl took her turns\ at the sewing machine, the other took a kayak ride.

Sierra in Kayak

Violet's turn to sew

Violet in Kayak - with Devon on the other end of
that 15' line so she wouldn't have to go for a swim 
if Violet drifted too far away from the boat.

Sierra at the machine
One of the dolls is already sleeping
with Violet's finished pillow and blanket.
The other doll is wearing the apron we made earlier.

After lunch, Devon, Jeff, Sierra and Violet left and went to see the Boothbay Botanical Gardens. It seemed like a great adventure for the older girls but probably less appealing to Zoe. She remained on the boat with Clark and me. When she woke from her nap to find only me available and no mommy or daddy to be seen, she let me know her immediate displeasure in full volume. Unlike last year where she sulked for hours awaiting their return, she quickly resigned herself to dealing with Clark and me and got busy playing.

Stickers

Selecting beads to make a bracelet

I gather the trip to the Botanical Gardens was a great success as both parents and kids had a good time.

Boothbay Harbor in the evening

Sunset Boothbay Harbor