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Coastal Maine Botanical Garden’s Mooring

“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can’t.” —Christopher Paolini

Owl’s Head Lighthouse at the western tip of Penobscot Bay

Weather dominates your life when you’re a cruiser and we have been very lucky this summer, we’ve had beautiful weather almost every day since leaving the Chesapeake in July. We’re still watching the storm Hermine…it can’t seem to make up it’s mind if it’s a tropical storm, a hurricane or just a disturbance. At the moment it is only causing us high seas here in Maine.
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Warren Island – Anchorage

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” —Mark Twain

We spent one last morning enjoying our view of Camden…we will truly miss waking up to this amazing little town. This morning we watched Grace Bailey and Mercantile return to the harbor and we enjoyed the RC sailboat races, which was a part of the festival activities. I guess the rest of the Windjammer Festival will have to conclude with out us.
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Lyman Morse Marine Mooring

“Happiness is part of who we are. Joy is the feeling.” ―Tony DeLiso

The way we started each of our mornings this week

We enjoyed our last day in Camden taking in the activities of the Windjammer Festival. Many of the larger schooners left this morning…they were in the middle of cruises and had new places to explore with their passengers. It was just as much fun watching these wonderful boats leave, as it was to see them arrive.

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Lyman Morse Mooring

We’ve had a beautiful week in Camden and we’ve enjoyed starting our morning sitting in the flybridge watching the harbor come alive. What an amazing view and today was the best day of all. We had a front row seat, as the harbor got ready to receive some of the most magnificent ships in the area. Camden Harbor is home to ten windjammers…you can take a two-hour cruise or sail out of the harbor for a week. The day cruises came and went all day, but the bigger schooners began filling the harbor round noon. Many of the older ships have no engines and they were maneuver into place by small push boats and dinghies. It’s the largest gathering of schooners in North America.

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Lyman Morse Marine Mooring

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” —Les Brown

Camden has been called the windjammer capital of the world and every Labor Day weekend, they hosts the Windjammer Festival to celebrate its maritime heritage. From the great age of sail when coasting schooners were launched in the harbor, through the birth of the windjammer business in the 1930s, to today’s windjammer fleet and elegant yachts, sailing ships have always defined the vibrant community of Camden. Throughout the day on Friday, Schooners from around Maine will sail in and dock in the harbor. According to the festival website 25 boats are scheduled to arrive…it should be a spectacular site.
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Lyman Morse Marine Mooring

Risk more than others think is safe.

Care more that other think is wise.

Dream more than others this is practical.

Expect more that others think is possible. – Claude T. Bissel

Camden without doubt is one of the most scenic harbors in Maine where the mountains come right down to the ocean. Mount Battie forms the backdrop for this stunning harbor and three of Camden’s largest windjammers dock at the head of the harbor putting the crowning touch on creating a postcard perfect sight.

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Lyman Morse Marine Mooring

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” –Author Unknown

We’re going to be in Camden all week, but today we decided to ride our bikes over to Rockport. It was only a two-mile ride, but it seemed much longer. The hills around here are a killer. I thinking hiking last week in Acadia was much easier.

Rockport is a small harbor village that was first settled in 1769. Originally, Rockport was a part of Camden, known as Goose River but the towns officially separated in 1891.During the 19th century, the primary industries were shipbuilding, lime production, and ice exportation. Today, Rockport is known for being a cultural and artistic town with a large community of local artists.
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Lyman Morse Marine Mooring

“Mind on a permanent vacation, the ocean is my only medication. This Champagne shore washing over me, it’s a sweet, sweet life living by the salty sea.”—Zac Brown Band

Our destination today was Camden, just across Penobscot Bay from Pulpit Harbor. Camden is a picturesque town in the center of Maine’s mid-coast region, nestled at the foot of Camden Hills on Penobscot Bay. Its slogan is “Where the Mountains Meet the Sea” and is considered by many visitors (us included) to be one of the most beautiful places in New England. Coming into the inner harbor is enchanting…boats of all kinds and sizes, old buildings, action going on everywhere and the beautiful mountains as a backdrop to it all.
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Pulpit Harbor – Anchorage

“Changing your perspective changes your experience.” –Author Unknown

We spent extra time this morning enjoying our breakfast on the flybridge. What an amazing way to start the day…the sky was clear, the temperature a little crisp, but not too chilly, the view out standing and the water looked like glass. We love these beautiful slow mornings watching the world come alive.

Like all good things the perfect morning couldn’t last all day and it was time to move on. The weather predictions were for a strong south wind to come in during the night and we wanted an anchorage that offered better protection. So by late morning it was time to move west to a new spot. Our travel day was short, we only moved about 20 miles…we love these short day. There are so many places to explore along the Maine coast.

Our morning

We’re in Pulpit Harbor with a great view of Pulpit Rock at the entrance to the harbor and the Camden hills across Penobscot Bay. After getting settled we went ashore to find a little general store for a few essentials. The store was less than a mile away, but the walk took us awhile. Along the way we found apples, raspberries and blackberries…we ate as many as we could. What a treat. On the way back we picked a pint of blackberries to take back to the boat. They’re the sweetest blackberries I’ve ever eaten. We spent the evening like we started the day…on the flybridge enjoy our meal with a view. It was interesting watching the fog developing over the Camden Hills.

Pulpit Rock

The back of Pulpit Harbor

Some of our finds

Our evening view

Dinner…coconut curry lobster

Devils Half Acre – Anchorage

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

Today our anchorage was in an archipelago of islands called Merchant’s Row. These 30-40 islands that lay between Deer Isla and Isla of Haut are unsurpassed for beauty anywhere in Maine. The islands are wooded and fringed in pink and white granite. The islands are close together and are a wonderful place to explore on a dinghy or kayak. At low tide there were sand beaches on all the islands surrounding our anchorage…a great place to enjoy a warm late August day.
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