Monday morning, an ominous start... it's been raining all night. A soft drizzly rain. I stayed at a motel in Lincolnville, our launch point. Jack, Susan, and their friend Roy have yet to find me.
Did i say it had been raining?
Jack, Susan and Roy find me right at the dot of 9:30 am, as they said they would. We are launching now, around 10:30, from the Linconville Beach town harbour. We will have a light crossing today, 3 or so miles over to Warren Island State Park.
Roy gets his gear together.
Warren island State Park. The warden's name is Sonshine, she spends 6 months of every year here, and she says she loves her job.
Our picnic table came complete with a nice little Zen sculpture.
Across the reach, on Isleborough. Is this one of Bush's "Haves" or "Have Mores"? This little summer cottage came complete with it's own 3 hole golf course.
Cormorants having a huddle....
The second morning of our trip, launching from Warren Island, on our way to Butter Island. We still think fog is a nice way to keep winds down and limit sun exposure. What little we knew.
The fog lifts as we get more than 2/3 the way to Butter Island, an island on the Maine Island Trail. Jack and Susan Pines travelled out here with their Feathercraft K2.
Roy, approaching Bear Island.
Bear Island up ahead. This turns out to be a rare clear day we get to paddle in.
Sailboat off the north side of Barred Island.
We land on a steep beach on Butter Island. Tides here average about 8 feet. That's Roy showing off his "spiderman" wetsuit butt.
We climb to the top of Butter Island, where there is a monument to the Cabot family, to whom this island belongs. Their decendents have been kind enough to open a portion of the island up to MITA members. Behind us is the lighthouse on Eagle Island.
Nubble Island, which is connected to Butter at low tide. The Eagle Island lighthouse is beyond. Note the little bit of fog coming in....
Eagle Island Lighthouse.
In the afternoon, the fog forms in a very well defined stream right up East Penobscot Bay.
Laminar fog
Dinner
I had a duff day, while Susan, Jack and Roy went exploring Bradbury and Pickering Islands, near Deer Isle. Roy and Jack went for one additional spin around Butter Island.
Roy gets downright dainty.
Cabbage head.
Bye, Bye Butter Island. This is the MITA signage at our campsite.
This sailboat spent the night on the next beach. They were still asleep when we launched for our destination of Hen Island, on the east side of Vinalhaven. On this day, our navigation was entirely GPS, fog so thick that at times our visibility was down to 2/10 of a mile. We relied heavily on Jack's GPS, as mine succumbed to moisture (fog!).
This is one of the more clear moments.
Closing in on CalderwoodIsland.
And, just as we get through the foggiest of crossings, the fog begins to lift. "POOF"
Around Hen Island.
Around Hen Island. We would have seen much more of this glaciated granite if not for fog.
Our little cove on Little Hen Island. Fog lifted just in time for sunset. Nice little island, if not for meat-eating mosquitos!
Our camp.
