Port Clyde Revisited!

Thursday (8/19) – Port Clyde, Maine

We were in no hurry to leave this morning as our trip to Port Clyde was only 20 miles and it was mostly open water where we could cruise at 20 knots.  Denise went for a quick walk around downtown to take a few last minute pictures, and then after breakfast settled down into work for a few hours.  We were quite happy to wake up to a dry main salon with no leaking windows, despite the rain from last night.

Finally, at 11:15 we left Rockland under cloudy and overcast skies, with minimal wind. There was a little fog hanging around the cliffs at Owl’s Head as we rounded the point and took the channel through Owl’s Head Bay, but visibility was good and we didn’t need radar at all.

We cruised along passing lobster pots and the islands along Muscle Ridge Channel and Whitehead Light as we had now done 2 other times on this adventure.  Finally coming up to Mosquito Island and entering the channel to Port Clyde with the Marshall Point Lighthouse marking its entrance.

We arrived at the mooring ball just off Larry & Diane’s dock, hooked up without issue, and Larry was on the porch with a hello wave.  We settled in for a quick lunch, then deployed our dinghy over to their floating dock and tied up.  We spent a few minutes of meeting with them, and then we went off for a walk into town to do some exploring. Along the way we passed a nice park (Annie Jones Collins Memorial Park), the Post Office, the Ocean House Inn, a few churches, and finally the General Store. Here we purchased some milk and then headed back to the dinghy, then back to the boat to get ready for our meet-up with our Port Clyde friends.

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During our afternoon the fog came in pretty thick, and rain had been threatening.  We managed to make it from the boat back to Larry and Diane’s for drinks, and Dolly & Mack joined us.  Here we got to see Larry’s car, a “Minor 1000”, made by Minor Motors in the UK which he has fully restored. You can read about these cute cars here.   Mark even got to ride in it as we all headed out to “The Barn”. 

And that is when it began to sprinkle.  By the time we arrived at The Barn, it was pouring raining, which probably kept the crowds to a minimum. But shortly after we arrived, the place started to fill in with the locals.  Of course our hosts know everyone and we met some of their friends. 

The Barn is owned by Linda Bean (of LL Bean) who also owns rental property and has the Andrew Wyeth gallery in town.  It is definitely a locals spot and is located across from the General Store. It is eclectically decorated (to say the least), and the focal point is the u-shaped bar that takes up over half the room.  The rest is filled with overstuffed chairs, couches and benches for socializing.

After a few rounds of drinks and socializing, and when the rains seemed to subside, we drove to the Black Harpoon for a second visit and had another wonderful meal.

Finally, the rain subsided and we said good-bye to Mack and Dolly before heading back to Larry & Diane’s.  Although they welcomed us to stay awhile and visit, even spend the night, we knew we needed to get back to the boat and prepare for tomorrow.  We thanked our hosts for another wonderful visit and promised to come visit again.

We took the dinghy back to the boat, hoisted it back on Island Office and settled in for the night.  All night long it rained and our boat was cozy and dry on the inside.  We were so happy to have the new windows and this issue now behind us.

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