Stonington was a nice stop and had we had more time, we might have lingered a bit to explore the area. But when a clear morning dawned, we headed out onto East Penobscot Bay and the north end of Vinalhaven, one of the most southerly islands that, like Isle au Haut, fronts on the Atlantic Ocean.
We had studied the cruising guide and found that the major harbor on the island's south, while intersting, offered less than ideal anchoring or moorings. In this our first extended cruise in Maine, we chose to aim for the north side of the island and two anchorages that appeared to be closer to ideal. But we still hadn't selected in which of these we would drop anchor.
We were following a couple of sailboats when we left Stonington and headed west. The path to Seal Bay and Winter Harbor, the two destinations we'd chosen, is the same route from Stonington as the passage to Fox Islands Thoroughfare, a fairway between Vinalhaven and its neighbor to the north -- North Haven. The thoroughfare is the quick way to get from Stonington to Rockland.
So these boats ahead of us might have been going to Rockland. We didn't know. But iwth their white sails raised, they made a pretty man-made detail on the dark evergreen forests of the rocky islands ahead and on either side.
Once we passed the lighthouse at Mark Island a mile or two west of Stongington, the wind came up for our sailing comanions and us. We were able to beat into this southwesterly breeze and, as it built, turn off the engine.
Before long, the wind direction had turned more to the south, and we were flying. Robin was knocking over the growing waves at seven knots and well before noon, we were close to the shore of Vinalhaven. At this rate, our sailing would be over for the day, so we came about and sailed back, toward Isle au Haut. Half way there, we doused the genoa. The wind was now really piping! Then we came about and shot across East Penobscot Bay.
By now, mulling our options -- Seal Bay and Winter Harbor -- we had come to a conclusion.
To enter either harbor, we would first sail into a cut along Vinalhaven's edge. Winter Harbor would be straight ahead, a long, thin piece of water that went from the northeast to the southwest. The forecast was for stronger southwesterly winds, and the cruising guide said in that situation, you could be in for a rough night anchored in Winter Harbor.
Getting to Seal Bay involved sailing into the same notch in the edge of Vinalhaven but then making an immediate left, avoiding the rocks to starboard while dealing at times with a cross current. That seemed dodgey.
But Seal Bay promised a more tranquil night once we'd made it past the entrance, and we had the chartplotter to guide us, so we went for it.
By now, the puffy white clouds of morning had joined hands overhead and the sky had become overcast with gray. We motored in to a place where we could anchor in about 15 feet of water at mid tide. There were a half dozen boats there before us, but when the hook was down, the nearest boat was 200 feet away or more.
This would have been an ideal place to go ashore and explore. There were no homes along the rocky banks, and there was an unhinabited island to the east, where some boaters with their dogs were playing.
Instead, Monica read a book and I fished and read and we both ate more than we should have.
Undisturbed, we watched the clouds lower on our anchorage, felt Robin swing on her anchor in the wind and settled in for a good night's sleep with no worries at all.