Andrews Island

Andrews Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine N 44 80.796 W 68 42.114

Friday, August 11 2006

Tonight we anchored near an upopulated island, went ashore, hiked around the perimeter, then cooked supper over an open flame. Years ago that was our favorite activity when sailing on Lake Champlain or in the Stockholm Archipelago in Sweden. Curiously, this is the first time we did it on tarwathie. The key is population density and geography. One needs unpopulated islands, with shores steep enough to anchor in close, and firm enough that one can walk on the shore. Ideally they should have rock beaches. Some of the Maine islands, like this one, fit the bill. It was a great pleasure. The hot dogs that we roasted over the fire are the best tasting hot dogs anywhere.

It also reminds me of the fun I had sailing with my friends in Finland. To them the sausages they cook on the open fire on the islands are the food of the gods. I can't disagree.

The sky was particularly beautiful today. There were widely scattered cumulus clouds. A few of those clouds had rain skurs below them. We could see the rain from 50 miles away. As we came toward sunset we could see three or four of those distant rain clouds backlit by the setting sun. At midday, I was sitting on the deck sewing the jib when it rained on us. The rain only lasted for 10 minutes, but the whole 10 minutes we also sat in brilliant sunshine. It was a unique setting.