Getting out on the water is a vacation must for me, so I was really looking forward to some sort of boat trip in Acadia. Taking the highly recommended mail boat trip to Isle au Haut wasn't feasible for us due to its distance from where we were staying, so instead we booked a sail with Downeast Sailing Adventures. We got up early on Wednesday morning and ate tomato and cheese sandwiches for breakfast on the deck at the cabin. (And I may have had some Jim Beam-spiked hot chocolate, since we were going sailing after all...and hey, it's vacation!) Then we drove into Southwest Harbor and took some photos of the boats as we waited on the dock for our captain to arrive. So picturesque, so Maine...
Our captain, Andrew Keblinsky, arrived aboard a gorgeous friendship sloop (single-masted sailboat), the 33' Surprise, which was built from Maine oak and cedar, and originally used as a lobster boat. "Oh good, you two look young and fit!", the captain exclaimed after we introduced ourselves. "Rachel, you'll be driving while Larry helps me raise the sails!"
He wasn't kidding. We got out on the water, and after a quick sailing lesson, using terms I'd never heard before and assuring me "you'll know what to do", he left me to steer the boat.
I did so like a true drunken sailor (so glad I had that Jim Beam for breakfast...) and no, I didn't know what to do. But we didn't crash. Or sink. It was fun, but nerve-wracking.
After Larry and the Captain got the sails up, I relinquished my position behind the wheel and we let the wind guide us around the islands off the coast of Mt. Desert Island. It was a perfectly gorgeous day out on the water. We saw lighthouses, and learned about the lobster industry and Maine's rich and famous (we even saw Martha Stewart's boat).
Larry had to sail back:
Anyone else have the theme song from The Voyage of the Mimi stuck in their head? (And how did I just learn that the kid in that show was Ben Affleck? Mind blown!)
After our morning on the water, we returned to the Cranberry Island Dock, and then set off for lunch and some afternoon adventures...
To be continued...
2 comments:
Aw, too bad you couldn't make it to Duck Harbor, but yeah that place is a bit out of the way to say the least.
This looks awesome though! Makes me miss Maine...
We realized that it didn't make sense to take the mailboat trip if we weren't actually staying on Isle au Haut. And since we had booked the cabin for the whole week and didn't have a tent, that sadly wasn't going to happen. But between this sailing trip and hiking at Schoodic Point, I feel like we were at least able to explore some of the areas away from MDI. Luckily, when we were in Acadia just after the tourist season had ended it wasn't crowded at all, but if it was I can see why heading to Duck Harbor would be a welcome respite!
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