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| Windhorse at Sebasco Harbor in the mist |
Maine: August 11-17, 2011 On Board the Windhorse
August 11, 2011
Thursday, Jack and I left Arizona where it was well over 100 degrees and headed for Maine to meet Skip and Linda on their boat. While we had known we would meet them some time in August, somewhere in Maine, the particulars were not clear beyond that: they are cruising.
It turned out they were in Camden, Maine, home of our friend’s daughter and former home of our friend Susie Lavenson. SO they were a great source of information on the logistics of where to hook up with Skip and Linda and the challenges we were likely to have in parking during Camden’s busy season. They put us in touch with their good friends, Carole and Woody who own a wonderful shop called the Admiral’s Buttons. They offered to let us park our car at their home. So, we were equipped with help as we headed for Maine.
We flew into New Hampshire, picked up the rental and spent the night near the airport. The next morning my brother called and asked if we could ditch the car so that we wouldn’t have to come back to Camden after cruising. So we explored our options and ended up finding a place about 30 minutes from Camden where we could return the rental. Friday was spent driving up and down the coast of Maine in service of the rental car! Friday was spent fighting with the traffic of New England weekenders heading for the seacoast long weekends. And we had a deadline: Skip and Linda had the boat at the dock till 12ish then had to anchor in the harbor. They called as we were stuck in traffic and said it was extended to 1:00PM
There was one little town after another as we passed Bath and Brunswick and other small towns, with many fruit stands selling wild blueberries and fresh corn. There was a logjam for miles where we went maybe 5 miles an hour and finally came to a bridge where there was a small “fast food” stand with probably 50 people in line during the morning waiting for some specialty that we could not discern….since they were selling lobster across the street we wondered if they had great lobster rolls or pancakes or something! The speed picked up to 20-30 mph once we past that location.
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| Camden Harbor from Windhorse |
Camden is a cute town with charming shops and lovely little park all surrounding the harbor. The harbor master’s shack is in a little parking lot connected to a dock not far from the chic clothing and decorator shops in town. The town is bustling this time of year, but is deserted during the winter. We found our way to the harbor master and then saw Windhorse! Right at 1:00 PM!!
Linda and I took off to drive back to Rockland to drop off the car and then came back and walked around town, met Carole and Woody and then called for Skip to pick us up in the dinghy and bring us out to the boat.
We enjoyed a quiet evening with a full moon and a lovely dinner on board Windhorse and caught up on each others’ lives. It was worth the travel hassles to make it!
August 12
I woke up and we were already en route to Castine, a town of about 1300 residents on a peninsula at the head of Penobscot bay, where the Bagaduce River comes in. Skip and Linda had heard that this was an interesting historic town. It has been under the flags of 4 countries: French, English, Dutch and American Flags. There is the Maine Maritime Academy, a bell made by (Paul) Revere and documented history dating back to the late 16th century.
We anchored, had breakfast and by 11am we took the dinghy ashore. It was a sunny glorious day (as had been the prior day) and everyone was happy as it had been raining before we arrived. We dropped off a bag of garbage and paid the harbor master $1.50 for the privilege. We headed to an art gallery, found the local map and headed for the old “commons.”
We anchored, had breakfast and by 11am we took the dinghy ashore. It was a sunny glorious day (as had been the prior day) and everyone was happy as it had been raining before we arrived. We dropped off a bag of garbage and paid the harbor master $1.50 for the privilege. We headed to an art gallery, found the local map and headed for the old “commons.”
As the attendant in the museum on the commons explained, there were many loyalists to England here in Castine and there were many residual signs: what would have traditionally been referred to as the town “square” in revolutionary colonies was here referred to as the “commons.”
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| Castine Historical Society |
One of the historic points of interest we read about before arriving was the presence of one of Paul Revere’s bells in town at the Unitarian Church which was built in 1790. The steeple was designed by Charles Bulfinch who designed the US Capital. (it was there from 1802-32). Paul Revere’s bell was in the steeple from 1802 to 1832 and was replaced by a larger one created by his son, Joseph Warren Revere.
We also learned a lot about Paul Revere that we had never known. He was a scoundrel! The museum had a temporary exhibit on the Penobscot Expedition of 1779. The exhibit had a piece on Revere’s refusal to follow orders during the attack by the Americans on British fortifications in this area. He took a boat with his possessions and moved away from the action and refused to return. He was court marshaled and later was censured by a board of inquiry. As we learned about this, we also were told that he only road part of the ride for which he gained fame: he paid others to do this. We wondered how he kept his reputation so positive, since he apparently was more self-serving than history led on. I jokingly said “He had a good PR firm!” Then we were later reminded of Longworth’s poem written 40 years later “The Midnight Ride.” There was his good press! I did a bit of research to try to find out the “rest of the story” and here is what I found:
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| Unitarian Church |
In June 1779, while most of the Revolutionary War was focused in the southern United States, a small British fleet landed two regiments of 700 soldiers on the Castine Peninsula, in the upper reaches of Penobscot Bay, Maine. Intent on establishing a base from which they could operate more effectively against American privateers, ensure the extraction of valuable naval stores, and develop a refuge for displaced Loyalists, the British enlisted local support and began the construction of Fort George…..Artillery Train Commander Paul Revere also suffered a blow to his reputation. His perceived arrogance during the campaign led to the collective scorn of his fellow officers and was the subject of lengthy depositions, but resulted in no official reprimand. Interestingly, after his character had been sufficiently impugned by those with whom he served, Revere requested his own court-martial in an attempt to clear his name. His request was not granted.
However…I found a report on his court martial!
The charges brought against Paul Revere were a consequence of the confusing events that ended this ignominious expedition. The major blame for the disaster lay clearly with Commodore Saltonstall, and he was court-martialled and dismissed from the service.
Other factors at work, however, resulted in the charges against Revere. There was bad feeling and rivalry between the different branches of the military forces—friction and argument between the naval command and the artillery and marines. In his diary Revere commented on the undisciplined nature of his forces—raw recruits, old men and boys, undisciplined and difficult to work with. There was also personal animosity between Revere and certain other officers with whom he had clashed while commanding the garrison at Castle Island….
As soon as he returned overland to Boston, Revere attempted to resume command of his garrison, but was asked to resign and await the results of an inquiry into the Penobscot expedition to be conducted by a committee of the Massachusetts General Court. Captain Thomas Jenners Carnes, who had commanded the marines on board the General Putnam, charged Revere with disobedience, unsoldierlike behavior, and cowardice. Revere was also criticized by General Peleg Wadsworth, particularly in regard to his refusal to give up a boat that he was using during the flight.
Revere conducted his own defense before the inquiry very vigorously, depicting the charges as motivated only by a desire for personal revenge, and bringing several officers to testify that he was a diligent officer. In support of this he introduced as part of his deposition sections of the diary he had kept throughout the operation. However, he had a relatively weak defense against the specific charges of insubordination.
The report of the inquiry came out on October 7. It found that the principal reason for the disaster was "the want of proper spirit and energy on the part of the Commodore;" the inquiry recommended a court-martial, and it was quickly done, resulting in his dismissal from the service on October 25. Revere, however, was extremely distressed to find that the report made no mention whatever of his activities or the charges made against him. Anxious to vindicate himself and insisting that it was unsatisfactory to be neither condemned nor acquitted, he asked for a court-martial under the direction of an artillery officer. He was to file six such petitions before getting his wish. In response to his petition, a second committee of inquiry met in November 1779, but Revere was even more dissatisfied with its report. The committee criticized his conduct, though in rather ambiguous terms, declaring him to have been blameworthy for "disputing the orders of Brigadier-General Wadsworth" and holding that his leaving the Penobscot River with his men without specific orders to do so was "not wholly justifiable."
So there are mixed reports about whether he was censured or not.
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| Bicentennial Quilt |
The Museum had a wonderful quilt that was created by a group of ladies in town for the Bicentennial in 1996. It is made up of 7 large squares that tell the history of the town of Castine. They are separated by 8 panels representing the native flora and fauna of the Maine coast. The children of Castine embroidered panels above and below the squares to represent universe. Over 100 people contributed to the creation of the quilt in some way. This seems to capture the spirit of this little town-where people participate in its community life. The woman who gave us information at the museum lives here ½ the year and in her home near Chicago the other half. She is a retired physician. She also explained that homes (like the one below) started with a main house and a well away from the house. Ultimately, a cover is built between the house and the well. That is called a "hypen."
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| Hyphenated House |
We walked through town, stopping at a wonderful little upstairs restaurant for lunch on their patio. From there, the boys returned to the boat and Linda and I wondered to through town, past many signs indicating the history, homes dating back hundreds of years and a little lemonaid stand run by two young ladies who were visiting the grandparents for the summer (staying at “grandma’s camp”).
One of the signs marked the spot where Fort Pentagoet had been which was reputed to be the first permanent settlement in New England. It was a trading post established in 1613, by the French and later captured by the British, then transferred to Plymouth Colony, then the Dutch, Arcadia and province of New Hollandia, back and forth among all of these and at one time plundered by the Mohawk Indians.
We spent the next hour in the Wilson Museum. The museum was created by John Howard Wilson (1871-1936) who grew up in Philadelphia and New York. His family’s wealth (from sugar machinery and refinement in Cuba) precluded the necessity that he be gainfully employed. Instead he studied geology and collected artifacts from his travels around the world. I found the items about this area of particular interest although they had ancient artifacts from most corners of the world. They even had several Maria Martinez pots from San Ildefonso in New Mexico that I know to be quite valuable.
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| Pogie Pot |
One of the items was a “Pogie Pot.” This was used to render oil from fish known as pogies (menhaden is the real name of the fish) and was a technique supposedly taught to settlers here by local Indians. The fish were used to fertilize crops. This was perhaps the oldest business in the country as later the fish products were sold as fertilizing, lamp oil and animal feed. Another item was a bottle off of a revolutionary era ship and an old organ from a home in the area.
A final find in the museum: a little booklet about the “Little Drummer Boy of Castine.” We had heard a tidbit about a British boy of about 14 who was said to have been left behind in the dungeon of Fort George when the British left Castine during the Revolutionary War or the war of 1812. This booklet recorded many of the stories and the evidence that this actually may have happened. If the data are accurate, James Cardiff served in the 74th Light Infantry Regiment from Scotland as a drummer boy. He wrote his widowed mother a series of letters and sent them home with his regiment commander in 1779 when he was shipping home, ill. However, the commander died en route and his possessions were put in a box which was discovered only in the past few years… including the drummer boys’ letters.
The story goes that the drummer boy enjoyed the adventure of traveling with soldiers and the opportunities to meet boys his own age in Castine. The soldier in charge of him would lock him up in the Fort’s Dungeons to keep him out of mischief.
When the British troops departed, they supposedly forgot him there and while he drummed to get attention, he was never found. His skeleton slumped over a drum was supposedly found. One story holds that he wrote his history on the face of the drum that was found only recently. The data from that story corresponds with the data in the letters. The towns people of Castine from time to time hear drumming that comes from the remains of that dungeon on the mound above Castine.
Linda and I stopped at the local lobster spot and picked up some lobster to bring home for dinner: our only requirement for this trip! They were delicious!!
We brought them on board as Skip and Linda sensed that the weather was changing and they wanted to go to a more protected spot. We took the boat across the bay behind Nautilus Island (where many wealthy New Englanders, including the Wilsons had summer homes and found a peaceful anchorage. Where we are situated, we are surrounded by little islands. It was a great place for a quiet evening and a pleasant Sunday of reading, writing and taking pictures. We saw a magnificent sunset!
We brought them on board as Skip and Linda sensed that the weather was changing and they wanted to go to a more protected spot. We took the boat across the bay behind Nautilus Island (where many wealthy New Englanders, including the Wilsons had summer homes and found a peaceful anchorage. Where we are situated, we are surrounded by little islands. It was a great place for a quiet evening and a pleasant Sunday of reading, writing and taking pictures. We saw a magnificent sunset!
Sunday, August 14
It’s 2PM and we haven’t budged from our spot in this cove. It’s cloudy and the wind is coming up and we are just hanging out, reading, researching, writing and taking a few photos. Linda went for a row in the dinghy before it got windy. Skip went out to “catch” a few birds.
If it doesn’t get nasty, I may go for a ride and explore some of the islands. A nice quiet day on which to do a travelog!
Before our guests from a neighboring yacht arrived for cocktail hour, Skip and I went out to explore the cove with our cameras. We did have some great luck with the seals we found! There were dozens of them on this rock, many of whom slithered into the water as we approached and just peered at us from the water to see where we were headed.
Several of the older seals hung out, less concerned about us.
At 6:00, a cruising couple came over and shared stories about cruising the world. Jack and I were particularly interested in their time in Turkey, where they cruised for several years. The couple had retired and cruised all over the world. They were now getting a home-on-land (in Florida) for the first time in perhaps 20 years. Interesting life! After they left, we had our homemade chicken soup, listened to music and danced the night away J.
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| Seals with Windhorse in the background |
At 6:00, a cruising couple came over and shared stories about cruising the world. Jack and I were particularly interested in their time in Turkey, where they cruised for several years. The couple had retired and cruised all over the world. They were now getting a home-on-land (in Florida) for the first time in perhaps 20 years. Interesting life! After they left, we had our homemade chicken soup, listened to music and danced the night away J.
August 15, 2011 at sea
We are cruising from Penobscot bay toward Portland Maine where we will disembark on Wednesday morning. We have been followed by dreary skies and periodic raindrops as we dodge lobster traps in the seaway. We have followed the coast of Maine and woven our way through a range of islands.
A few dolphins, a number of seabirds and the occasion lobsterman break up the quiet day. We will stop at a cove that has a resort for the evening and Linda and I will go in for a spa treatment in the morning.
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| Little "Camp" on the shore |
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| Lighthouse with solar panels along the way (Can't imagine there is enough sun here to help!) |
A few dolphins, a number of seabirds and the occasion lobsterman break up the quiet day. We will stop at a cove that has a resort for the evening and Linda and I will go in for a spa treatment in the morning.
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| Sebasco Harbor Resort |
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| Our neighbors aft of the boat |
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| Leslie, Jack and Linda after dinner at Sebasco Harbor |
Portland, Maine August 16/17, 2011
It rained and rained and rained and despite that, Linda and I enjoyed our spa treatments in Sebasco...not a good day for outdoor activities. Then we took off for Portland and the rain wasn't quite as hard. We kept watch for lobster traps and after a couple of hours we came to the lighthouses indicating we were about to enter Portland Harbor.
After getting settled, I headed out to get our rental car which was supposedly 4 miles away..and took 50 minutes to get to~ Portland seems like a much larger city than 64,000. In fact, as I just checked, it's metro population is more like 230,000. Which explains the massive traffic jam we hit!
Dear old friends of Skip and Linda from New Zealand, Jim and Cheryl, were coming to visit. By the time I got back from the Hertz office, they were sitting up top having wine and hors d'oeurves and enjoying the emerging sunny skies~ Yes the weather was changing. We headed out by 8pm for dinner at a local Indian restaurant and returned to the boat for our slumber party (for the over 60 crowd).
This morning I awoke to a glorious sunny day-just in time for our return home. I watched a guy taking his pooch for a ride to shore for his "walk." Saw ducks preening in the sun. Dinghies drying out after the wet race last night. And we celebrated Jack's upcoming birthday with chocolate cake for breakfast.
It rained and rained and rained and despite that, Linda and I enjoyed our spa treatments in Sebasco...not a good day for outdoor activities. Then we took off for Portland and the rain wasn't quite as hard. We kept watch for lobster traps and after a couple of hours we came to the lighthouses indicating we were about to enter Portland Harbor.
Then we saw signs of a very large city! Large ships, large warehouses, tall offices, hotels, etc.
Then we found the area where our dock would be and prepared to dock behind the large white sailboat.
After getting settled, I headed out to get our rental car which was supposedly 4 miles away..and took 50 minutes to get to~ Portland seems like a much larger city than 64,000. In fact, as I just checked, it's metro population is more like 230,000. Which explains the massive traffic jam we hit!
Dear old friends of Skip and Linda from New Zealand, Jim and Cheryl, were coming to visit. By the time I got back from the Hertz office, they were sitting up top having wine and hors d'oeurves and enjoying the emerging sunny skies~ Yes the weather was changing. We headed out by 8pm for dinner at a local Indian restaurant and returned to the boat for our slumber party (for the over 60 crowd).
This morning I awoke to a glorious sunny day-just in time for our return home. I watched a guy taking his pooch for a ride to shore for his "walk." Saw ducks preening in the sun. Dinghies drying out after the wet race last night. And we celebrated Jack's upcoming birthday with chocolate cake for breakfast.
So, we are sitting at the Manchester, New Hampshire airport waiting for our delayed flight to take us home. It was a lovely relaxing visit, cruising the Atlantic, seeing a bit of Maine and enjoying the company of my much older brother and his lovely wife.
See you soon, we hope!
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