North Haven

Talaria on a mooring in the Fox Thoroughfare

On the days that I am not working and the weather is cooperative we sail to some nearby islands.  North Haven and Vinalhaven together make up the Fox Islands.  The islands are narrowly separated by a body of water called the Fox Thoroughfare. 

Notice how this structure is up on rock pilings!

 The Fox Islands are only 12 miles from Rockland.  So we sailed over there and grabbed a mooring ball in the Fox Thoroughfare.  

North Haven

 We took the dinghy and visited North Haven.  There are families there that have been on 
the island for generations.  North Haven has both year round residents and summer only residents.  Summer residents are mostly the Boston elite. 

And those Boston elite send their children out to learn to sail on their small Optimus sailboats.  This day they were sailing a little regatta.

In contrast to the small sailboats are the large Windjammers that sail thru the thoroughfare.  The windjammers are iconic Maine.  They were once used as merchant ships and fishing vessels.  Now they carry tourists but they are still a sight to behold!

Notice again how the buildings are resting on rock pilings!

 

North Haven

 Vinalhaven - the other Fox Island is a working man's island.  The island is home to primarily lobstermen who hold the fishing rights to most of Penboscot Bay.  Vinalhaven is larger and more populous.

There is apparently no shortage of lobster here - as evidenced by the vast number of lobster traps everywhere.  There is barely enough room for a boat on the water with all the lobster traps.  It is a constant battle to bob and weave through the traps without wrapping the lines around your propeller.  I have heard that the reason for the great number of lobsters is due to the extreme over fishing for other species.  Lobsters were left with no predators as the other fish populations are now gone.  Not sure if that is true but what is true is that lobsters are big, big business here.