July 22, 2013 - It was a cloudy & blustery day we woke up to but it was time to say goodbye to Jewell Island & visit two islands today so onward we went.
Goodbye Jewell Island! Next stop Seguin!
Unfortunately the wind again in our faces prevented us from sailing so motoring it was. Dan taught me all about reading charts (non-electronically) & figuring out how to determine your course via compass rose & good ol' arithmetic but I won't bore you with that. Just know, that if you want to ensure a safe route free of run-ins with rock ledges or land, it's a crucial thing to know how to do, especially since you never know when you may get stuck in a cloud of thick fog.
15 nautical miles were ahead of us & rolling seas. We tuned into channel 16 on the radio (for all those un-informed out there, that is THE coastguard channel for emergencies & alerts so it's best to always keep it on for safety precautions) & for the most part it's quiet besides a call in from the sailing vessel, Sabbatical. They reported an abandoned skiff on Fuller's Rock but couldn't come up with much useful information when asked by the coastguard. The next thing we hear is a deep booming yet friendly mans voice... "this is sailing vessel September Song. Skiff seems to be anchored at Fuller's Rock & it looks like there are two men surfing out there," a he said chuckling. The coastguard responded asking a few more questions & September Song replied with news stating that there seemed to be no apparent danger. Not exactly "sit on the edge of your seat" stuff but entertaining none-the-less.
Fuller's Rock
About an hour later Fuller's Rock was in sight. A pile of rocks protruding from the water; it holds a fixed light & skeleton tower to ward off approaching vessels. From what I could see with binoculars, it was also serving as a sunbathing spot for over a dozen harbor seals.
At this time the sun began to break up the clouds & Seguin Island came into clearer focus.
Seguin Island, Maine
It was a majestic island standing strong in the sea, with little tree cover & mostly rock ledge along the perimeter.
We rode along the inside of the island & took up a mooring on the NW side in a protected little cove. Here we saw a lot of ledge with trees that seemed to be growing right out of the rocks.
We took the Peapod to a tiny beach where a tram track & building had been constructed many years ago to carry supplies & goods up to the lighthouse grounds.
From here we made our way over to the side of the building which brought us to a foot path leading up to the lighthouse. The ascent had a bit of an incline but nothing too strenuous. A few minutes we were above tree level & found ourselves on the lighthouse grounds where we met the keeper & his sweet dog Mitch. They gave us a tour of the property which had been kept in pristine condition. It was so beautiful... A large green lawn surrounded the buildings & we could see ocean everywhere we turned.
Once in the lighthouse, a gorgeous iron staircase lead us up to the magnificent & rare first order Fresnel lens. The light shines 186 feet above the water, making it the highest focal plane in Maine. Most of the height due to the island's 150 foot elevation above the sea.
We were able to get out onto the lighthouse catwalk & the view was just stunning. And you can see in the first picture below that the mainland isn't too far away.
I was so in my grove here. The keeper explained that the island rents out rooms in the house during the summer & that there's a ferry that can bring visitors to the island on daytrips & such. I looked into this recently & it's fairly inexpensive! ($30 per person) Here's the link so you can check out the details... http://www.fishntripsmaine.com/seguinislandferry.html.
I could definitely see staying here for a nice little (or long) stay. Unfortunately though, the wind still not cooperating with us, we were a bit behind schedule & had to depart.
Headed back down to our boat & onto our next adventure. (Tram building & track to our right. Seguin Island, Maine.)
Next up, Damariscove Island!