For almost thirty years we’ve been cruising up the coast to NORTHEAST Harbor. Sometimes we detour up Somes Sound (again, on this trip). On other occasions (like wanting to see fireworks on Christopher’s 4th of July birthday) we’ve picked up a mooring or pier space in Bar Harbor. In a big storm, in a smaller boat, we’ve taken shelter further north. But, we’ve never ventured into Southwest Harbor. Right at the entrance to Somes Sound, on the way to Northeast, we pass by it all the time. Another example of too soon old/ too late smart. But now we have an updated waterway guidebook that points us in the right direction. We call Hinckley’s for a mooring and head on in.
We set our record for the most moorings picked up in one day. (Almost for a season.) Picked up and tied onto four different moorings in various parts of the harbor before settling on #3 (4th one to be picked up). We were rocking and rolling so much on the first three, that leaving Taylor, pitching about on his own on one of those, as we went ashore for our own selfish pleasures, just wasn’t an option. (For his fans, he’s going to have an entire blog entry on his bravery and seaworthiness, coming soon…)
We love Southwest Harbor. It has something for everyone. For mariners, there’s both a West Marine AND a Hamilton Marine. Does that boater smorgasbord exist anywhere else along the seacoast in Maine?! And, they have unbelievably scenic locations. (I’m picturing our marine store in Madison, WI, in a strip mall.)
We have lunch at “The Quiet Side Cafe” on Maine Street – and the food is so delicious, and it is such a memorable, small, family-run place, that we go back three days in a row. (If you go there, don’t miss the fish chowder – it has so much fish in it, you’ll be looking for the potatoes. And the crab rolls…maybe best ever.) And once you’re there, you know why it’s a place you want to patronize, over and over again. Even if you have to wait a bit…
We take the LL Bean free bus for an hour ride, out to Bass Harbor and beyond, we walk the town and a little bit beyond, and on our last night there, we dingy in for a cabaret dinner show at the upper deck restaurant at the head of the harbor. (In all honesty, I should say that the food was sub-par, but the youthful enthusiasm and talent of the performing staff made it more than worthwhile.)
And the nights were beautiful!
It would sound wonderful if I didn’t dislike wave motion even more than Taylor does. I’m glad you guys are having a good time, though.
Linda, You would have been much happier on the 4th mooring then – we wound up having about as much motion there as there is in the Navion when Dick crawls down the ladder from the upper bunk in the middle of the night…