September sailing in Penobscot Bay

We left for this mini-cruise with a new (oft-requested) feature on Brio: an outboard lift! AKA: Boat jewelry 🙂

It’s funny how a week of sailing can hold so many memories, and so much more living than a week of working!

We’d never been to Linekin Bay before, so that was our first stop…

Which led to a shore-side adventure over to Boothbay…

Including a quick swing on the tree swing, obviously…

And a couple of lobstahs to bring back and cook for dinner!

Day two brought the only shall-we-say mediocre weather…

Rain. LOTS of rain…

After the heavy rain comes the “where can we possibly hang these wet clothes to dry?” game…

But Long Cove (beside Tenants Harbor) gave us a chance to stretch our legs and explore a new anchorage…

And one foggy, rainy day is the perfect excuse for homemade pizza and Newport Dickinson coziness 🙂

Then the blue skies returned! We’d never been through Fox Island Thoroughfare before, and Inner-Inner-Seal Cove on Vinalhaven did not disappoint!

These funny “beaches” were actually shoals made entirely of mussel shells. Weird, right??

Wheat Island, off Isle au Haut, is still my absolute favorite spot in all of Penobscot Bay…

Although my self-timer selfie game is still weak! 😛

A stop at Brimstone Island had been on our list for the last few years, so it was an early AM departure…

But our early start paid off. This open roadstead anchorage is not for the faint of heart, but DEFINITELY for the rock collecting crowd! Brimstone has a STEEP beach made up entirely of smooth, polished brimstones….

Brimstone Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine - Dinghy Landing

Our pockets were full 🙂 (who says rocks aren’t good boat collectibles??)

Brimstone Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine

The scramble to the top of Brimstone rewarded us with an amazing view of the bay…

Brimstone Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine

Next time we may try venturing into the Southern anchorage (below), as it looked quite nice from above!

Brimstone Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine

Brimstone Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine - Anchored

Brimstone Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine

A long day later, we picked up one of the (free!) moorings at Five Islands Yacht Club.

And then before we knew it, our mini summer cruise was over, and we were back in Portland.

Time for shoulder-season-sailing preparations and a new crowd of winter neighbors!

– LMK


Comments

September sailing in Penobscot Bay — 2 Comments

  1. How do you find free moorings? We typically sleep aboard on lakes in Maine so as to not have to deal with the tides, and unpredictable winds of the ocean. We have gotten good at 2 anchors off the bow and a stern line tied to shore but we would sleep easier on the ocean on a mooring!

    • We’ve had good luck just asking friends / in FB groups (“Maine Sailing and Cruising” is a good one). But we also tend to trust our anchor more than a mooring, so we don’t hesitate to drop the hook! Active Captain is a good source of user-generated info on anchorages, holding, shore amenities, hazards, etc. Would be fun to meet up afloat!!

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