With our parents gone, we had a decision to make. It was Saturday, August 16, and we woke up on a mooring ball in Bar Harbor, Maine. As we left later in season for our summer cruise, we had been on a regimented schedule to make it up to Maine and see our parents. In the first month of cruising, we covered just shy of 900 nautical miles, which equates to just under 30 nautical miles per day. Everyday up to this point, we had woken up and planned our day’s route based on making it to Bar Harbor with our parents. Now, with nowhere to be and no more planned visitors, it was up to us where we wanted to go next. We had two options – head Downeast into the unknown or head back southwest to explore the islands we had missed in our rush to get to Bar Harbor. Downeast is described by many as a primitive world where cruising yachts are rare and facilities for yachts are non-existent, so you must be prepared to depend on only your own resources. Back to the southwest were the granite shored islands of the Merchants Row archipelago and the larger islands of the Penobscot Bay. While cruising Downeast was a definite goal of our summer cruise, it was intimidating to head into the unknown. We had read horror stories of people being socked in by fog and unable to escape from Downeast for weeks on end. The huge tides Downeast move enormous volumes of cold water inshore, and the temperature difference between the ocean and the air can build thick, never-ending fog banks. Fog was one of the things that scared us the most, as we don’t have radar on Salty Foxx and we rely on the sun for electrical power and do not have a backup generator. Normally we can use our inboard diesel’s alternator to charge our house batteries in a pinch, but recently it had been acting up and has only been working intermittently. As much as we wanted to go explore Downeast immediately, there was a possibility to wait for our friends Jamie and Tyler on SV Sasa and head Downeast together in a few weeks. With the decision to head back southwest made, we cast off our mooring ball and headed out of Bar Harbor.

The wind that morning was directly out of the south which meant we had to tack our way out of Bar Harbor. Even with the tide in our favor, it was slow going that morning and it took us 2 hours just to make it out of the bay. As we exited the bay, we were able to turn down and sail on a beam reach passed the Cranberry Islands to the Bass Harbor Bar. Even though the wind was light, the sailing was very enjoyable, and we were moving along at 5 knots. As soon as I started to relax and started appreciating what a beautiful day it was sailing through the plethora of Maine islands, the wind speed dropped to zero. We sat there with the sails flapping for almost 10 minutes before we solemnly made the decision to furl the sails and turn on the engine. Two hours of motoring later, we pulled into Buckle Harbor between Buckle Island and Swan’s Island. As it was a Saturday evening, the harbor already had several boats anchored and we found a small sliver of space on the west side of the harbor. After we dropped the anchor, we felt a little bit too close to one of the previously anchored boats and decided to try again. We pulled up the anchor and set it again, this time even closer to shore. Once the anchor had set, we checked our bearings and were happy with our distance from the other boats and the shoreline. As soon as we started to put Salty Foxx away for the evening, the boat we felt to close to earlier picked up their anchor and sailed off into the sunset. It was good that we had moved, as this boat used all the room available trying to free their anchor and it would have been tough for them if we had stayed where we initially were.

Now that we were settled, we lowered Saltine into the water and headed to shore. After pulling Saltine up onto the beach, we walked up to the trail unaware of the magic that lies just beyond the shoreline. Each side of the trail was covered in hand-built miniature “fairy houses” built by visitors to this uninhabited island. Each fairy house was built utilizing items found on the island such as driftwood, fallen branches, shells, etc. What was so magical about these creations was how unique each one was – some were built on mushrooms growing on trees, some were built against old stumps, some were standalone creations. We got lost in the beauty of these fairy homes and before we knew it, the sun was going down and it was time to head back and make some dinner. As we sat there eating dinner, we made plans for constructing our own fairy home the next morning. Eager for morning to come, we went to bed right after dinner and slept soundly through the night.

After a quick breakfast, we headed back to the island to scout out potential locations where we could add our fairy home to the trail. With an old stump selected as the building site, we went about gathering construction materials. After gathering fallen branches, moss, shells, and pinecones, we built a single-story home with a rooftop patio. Proud of our creation, we continued exploring the parts of the island we had missed the night before. To me, this was the most beautiful place we had visited thus far. On top of the fairy homes, the island itself was stunning with the tidal flats covered in huge pieces of granite. I felt like I could have spent weeks here but unfortunately the weather was forecasted to turn sour and Buckle Harbor offered little to no protection from the north. As a sailboat cruiser, our decisions are often ruled by the weather, and with heavy northerly breezes forecasted for the next 48 hours we were forced to move on. With our sights set on Pickering Cove on Deer Isle, we lifted the anchor and headed off.

As we were right on the front edge of the storm, we had a good wind that propelled us almost from the moment we lifted anchor to moment we dropped anchor. As we were furling sails and getting ready to drop anchor in Pickering Cove, a bald eagle flew right overhead and landed on the shoreline. What an awesome way to be greeted into a new anchorage! As no one else was in Pickering cove, we were able to anchor right in the center of the cove. Happy with our spot and feeling well protected for the upcoming storm, we headed to shore to stretch our legs. Pickering Cove is right on the edge of the Edgar M. Tennis Preserve which we were excited to explore. Home to the remains of the Pickering Farm, the Davis Farm, and the Toothaker Family Cemetery, there was lots to see. As we planned to be here for multiple days, we decided to go check out the cemetery first. We learned that the Toothaker Family settled this land in the 1790’s and was full of sea going captains. They lived here through the early 1900’s when they sold the parcel to the Tennis family. Captain William S. Toothacher is known as one of the last union soldiers to die in the civil war when he perished to swamp fever in 1865. Happy to know a little bit more about the land we were walking on, we headed back to Salty Foxx for a quiet evening. After a few sporting games of cribbage, we went to bed to the sound of raindrops.

Sunset at our anchorage in Pickering Cove

We woke up the following morning to a strong wind ripping through the anchorage. Even though there was more than 20 knots of wind, our anchor was holding us well and we felt very secure. Around midday, the wind let up and we took Saltine back to shore to continue exploring the Edgar M. Tennis Preserve. First up was the Davis Farm which was farmed from 1849 to the 1920s. The only remnants of the farm left are the granite lined cellar, a few apple trees, and the stone pier. This 21-acre farm is now covered in raspberry bushes that we gleefully ate as we walked around. Pickering Farm was the final stop and was the least impressive. The small granite lined cellar was visible but filled with rusty remnants from the old home. Having explored the entirety of the preserve, we headed back to Salty Foxx to plan out where to head the next day.

We decided to go to McGlathery Island in the Merchants Row archipelago, as we had heard incredible things and had almost stopped when my parents were on board. Excited to explore the Merchants Row archipelago, we woke up early the next morning eager to set off. It was a short 5 nautical mile sail through Merchants Row archipelago, and it was instantly clear why so many people declared this island chain to be the most beautiful in Maine. The island’s shorelines were covered in pink granite with dense forests coming right up to the shore. We were surrounded by wildlife including harbor seals, porpoises, and the occasional bald eagle. As we sailed up to McGlathery Island we felt like we were in paradise. Excited to see what McGlathery Island had to offer, we dropped the anchor and almost immediately headed to shore. We easily found the trail that our guidebook mentioned and decided to hike over the island to the cove on the far side. The natural beauty of McGlathery Island was immediately visible – the forest floor was covered with vibrant green moss, and the air was filled with the scent of the pines. As we emerged from the trees, we were greeted by a nice cove where several boats were anchored. It was low tide, so we walked down the tidal flats to do some shell hunting. After a few hours, our pockets were full, and we decided to head back through the forest to Salty Foxx. So far McGlathery Island’s beauty was just as advertised.

After darkness fell, Abby and I enjoyed a post dinner cocktail while each grinning from ear to ear. The last few days had felt slower than the previous month and we were finding our cruising rhythm. Moonrise wasn’t for another few hours, so the stars and the Milky Way were almost unbelievable bright. After one more cocktail while enjoying the stars, we went below to get some sleep. The next morning, we awoke to a grey and misty day. We used the gloomy day to slow down and relax. We spent most of the day reading or watching Netflix down below and before we knew it the day was over. This was the first day on our whole summer cruise where I can say we were actually lazy. It was nice to fully decompress and the next morning we both awoke feeling refreshed and ready for the upcoming passage. The grey of the previous day had passed, and we lifted anchor early to make the trek across Isle Au Haut Bay and into Penobscot Bay. We were heading for Calderwood Island where we planned to meet up with Jamie and Tyler on SV Sasa. It was another excellent day sailing and before we knew it, we were anchored right off Calderwood Island. As Jamie and Tyler weren’t expected to make it to Calderwood Island until later in the afternoon, I jumped on the paddleboard to explore the shoreline. The shoreline here was covered in shrubs and didn’t have the dense forests we had seen on the previous few islands. The water was glassy, so I paddled over to an older wooden schooner that was also at anchor. After doing a few circles to appreciate the craftsmanship on this old boat I headed back to Salty Foxx.

After eating some lunch, Abby and I headed to shore to explore the Calderwood Island trails. Calderwood Island is a skinny uninhabited island a little over a mile long and a quarter mile across that is managed by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Calderwood Island is covered by rolling meadows and provides an excellent view of the Penobscot Bay. As we were enjoying the view, we saw SV Sasa enter the harbor, so we rushed down to Saltine to go greet them. It was good to be reunited with Tyler, Jamie, and Baby Jamie, as we hadn’t seen them since Monhegan Island almost two weeks prior. We regaled each other with what our recent adventures had entailed. They had spent the previous two weeks cruising through Maine’s Midcoast and the Penobscot Bay, which were both places Abby and I had almost skipped entirely so we were excited to learn of the must stop places for our end of summer journey home. Over a few bottles of wine, we made plan to go Downeast together around Labor Day weekend. With our hearts and bellies full, we made the late-night dinghy ride back to Salty Foxx. The next morning, I awoke at sunrise to wave goodbye to our friends who had to get an early start on their passage because of the tides. Abby and I were alone again and decided to head into the Fox Thorofare to explore the island of North Haven.

It had been an incredible week of cruising around Maine. The slower pace of not having to be anywhere on any particular day was so refreshing, and we were making sure to enjoy every second. It was now Friday, August 22nd and we had another week before we planned to go Downeast with Jamie and Tyler. Lucky for us, it was another week of no plans, so we intended to play each day by ear and let the wind dictate our path back east.

Where to go next?

Discovering the Finer Details of Mount Desert Island & Greater Cranberry Island