The Maine Coast Part IV

There are so many small towns along Maine's coast - all located in regions, which too, have different names. For example, we are now in East Penobscot Bay, which is located in the Penobscot Bay Region in the area known as the Mid-Coast Region of Maine. Whew! Below are some of the highlights of the region:

The WoodenBoat School (WBS) in Brooklin, Maine. Brooklin is located on the Blue Hill Peninsula. See what I mean with the Naming Madness?!?!


While the school was closed for the semester, we were in the right place to reminisce about our kayak building days. Reflecting on the Japanese pull saw, the gallons and gallons of glue we used, and the epoxy filled red cup that melted (and could have caught fire). Ah... great memories!

You can do just about anything at the WBS - from learning how to become a sailor (Seamanship School) to kayaking courses, to boat building and design. It does come with a pretty pricetag, too, but probably well worth the experience. And who could beat the breathtaking views from the Maine coast?


The WBS's Mission Statement - WoodenBoat School was started in 1981 as an extension of WoodenBoat Magazine. Its state purposes are:

• to provide access to experience for WoodenBoat enthusiasts in construction, maintenance, repair, design, seamanship and other related crafts;
• to establish a meeting ground for the finest and most knowledgeable boating professionals to share their skills, techniques, and appreciation of the traditions of craftsmanship in wooden boats;
• to give added dimensions to the editorial content of WoodenBoat Magazine and Professional BoatBuilder.

We were most impressed with the thousands of saw-horses stowed away for the season, not to mention the clamps and feet of boards! To read more about the Wooden Boat School, click here.


For your reading pleasure, here are some statistics on the Penobscot Bay Region:

• Stonington (at the southern most tip of Deer Isle) is Maine's most productive port in terms of value and volume of its annual catch. It is a working waterfront community.
• While herring, softshell clams, scallops, groundfish, crabs, and mussels make significant economic contributions, lobster has long stood as the most valuable commercial species.
• Commercial fishing is a long-standing, traditional livelihood and lifestyle in these coastal communities, and in recent years, aquaculture (or fish farming) has emerged for restocking wild species and food production.
• One business venue that shocked us (but made sense with the environment) was the ice industry, particularly the Maine Lake Ice Company. For 16 years (1900-1916), the Maine Ice Company harvested ice from Walker Pond for distribution year-round, shipped on four and five-masted schooners to markets in Baltimore, Washington D.C., the Caribbean Islands, and even South America. The company's storage facilities on Eggemoggin Reach had a capacity of 120,000 tons of ice. Some historians consider the Maine Lake Ice Company to have been the largest natural ice-producing operation in the world.

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And now for some highlights from the West Penobscot Bay Region!

We started the day by heading south to Northport to the Swans Island Blanket company. They have herds of sheep on Swans Island that they shave each season, spin the fibers into yarn, dye the yarn, and hand weave the blankets. Rumor has it, these are incredibly warm blankets - and we know for a fact, they are EXTREMELY expensive! Unfortunately, the shop and showroom were closed for the season, so our next stop was the Windsor Chair Company.


"Hand crafting furniture, one piece at a time" is their motto. And sure enough, we walked into the woodworking shop to see Jim Brown building a buffet. He's been making furniture since 1987, and his shop walls are lined with order slips and wood patterns unique to Windsor furniture. We then headed into the showroom, which had 14 rooms full of furniture... stools, tables, beds, and of course, chairs. It too, is a very expensive place. One chair, with no bells and whistles or arms, costs $700. Richie is getting the itch to do woodworking again - and I'm glad he has the skills and patience to make furniture.


While Jim may have the largest number of bar clamps (pipe clamps) and hand planes we've ever seen, we guarantee he can't beat Mr. Joe Greenley's (of Redfish Kayak & Canoe) collection of spring clamps! Every man has his obsession. To read more about Windsor Chair Makers, click here.


We had lunch at Cappy's Chowder House where we were entertained by the placemats. Really - they were hysterical - and loaded with nautical cartoon drawings and characters saying things like "How long are we going to be out for?" Captain: "How many times do I have to tell you Charlie, it's a 3-hour tour - a 3-hour tour." There is even a pup seal at the bottom left corner with a dust pan and broom labeled "Good Housekeeping Seal."

Our favorite drawing is of a large family in a huge RV with the classic broken wooden sign that reads "The Bufords." There is an old lobster trap strapped on top of the RV, which the artist labeled "Future coffee table." The driver asks a local "What lake is this?... And how do we get to L.L. Bean?" Daily requests, I'm certain.

The clam chowder was equally clever and good - thick with potatoes and clams. And of course, white, never red. I'm not sure I understand this white versus red battle yet between the chowders. We've never had the red chowder, and fear we may have already been sold on the white.

The good news is that it is not necessary to drive to Maine to taste the "chowda!" Check out their website to order cases (Yes, cases!) of the goodness.


The people of Maine can bake, and just below Cappy's Chowder House is their bakery. It was overflowing with fudge pastries and fall flavored cookies like pumpkin spice and molasses. We got some great deals on muffins because they were "closing for the season" the next day. We chatted it up with the two ladies behind the counter. One, we learned, traveled extensively and spent a few years living aboard in Lake Union, Washington. She grew up in Massachusetts, ashamed to say so, and had always wanted to claim Maine as home. Well, when her then boyfriend kicked her out of the boat, she decided to move to Maine - and there she was at Cappy's Chowder House. She admits, though, that she will never really be a Mainenite (I imagine that's what they are called...). You have to live there for 40+ years to be considered a local... sounds familiar Bainbridge Island?

The other lady, not wanting to be left out in our travel discussion, bashfully said "And I've been to Maine!" She made the comment that she "Sar a boooat in de Hahbah," which translates to "I saw a boat in the harbor." Lovely accent!
Having been in Maine her entire life, she was a prime candidate for "must-see" advice. And she suggested Augusta and the Maine State Museum.


She was right. If you make the trek up to Maine, you CANNOT miss the Maine State Museum. It is not overwhelming like many museums we've been through. There is just enough information to absorb. The coolest part was the working millwater wheel. And not to mention the original flag used by Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Regiment on Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 - and the steps it took in preserving it. (More about Augusta to come, promise!)

By the way, Maine has one area code - 207. And their one and only merge sign is in Augusta.