Belfast, Castine and Hurricane Ernesto.

We are anchored in a protected bay next to Castine, ME waiting out Hurricane Ernesto.  It is passing well off the Maine coast, but is creating large swells which are hitting the coast here at 7-10'.  We are at the upper end of Penobscot Bay, in a beautiful cove and are completely out of the swell working its way into the bay.  It is eerie as the wind is calm, but the seas are up. We were completely fogbound yesterday, and it only lifted a few hours today.  Tomorrow a cold front moves in clearing out the fog, and the seas are supposed to calm, so we will make our way to Southwest Harbor where we have marina reservations.  Southwest Harbor is on Mount Dessert Island and in the Acadia National Park.  That will probably be the farthest north we go, before we start the trek back to Florida.  There is a mass migration of boating snowbirds that head south in the fall, but most insurance policies don't let them move past Norfolk before the end of hurricane season, so we are trying to get a little ahead of the heard.  In the meantime, we have continued eating our way through the Maine coast.  Here are some pics:

Sunset at the Belfast Marina.  

Belfast is yet another charming town on Maine's coast.  We happened to arrive for its annual Harbor Fest event. 

The marina is well into Penobscot Bay on the Passagassawakeag River (you try to pronounce it), but it still got some of the swell, and the dock we were on became uncomfortable, so we left to anchor in our cove. 

Belfast diner. 

Interesting shop in Belfast. 

Us on the dock before the waves kicked up.  Swell from the south would hit the outgoing tide from the river, which pitched us around on the dock, making it a bit uncomfortable. 

We had one of our best meals (and blueberry lemonade) from this food truck.

Live music was played at this park each day for Harbor Fest.  

Loons everywhere, even on the boat.....

Yes, the American Eagle again.  Can't seem to shake it.  

My cousin, Joel, visited us in Belfast, and we had a great time catching up.  She moved from Maui to Maine a few years back.  

Have no idea what this display represents!

Ernesto slipping up the east coast. We are the boat symbol. 

The cove off Castine.  It is bucolic.  Maybe in the top five anchorage of all times!   Seals, osprey and eagles everywhere.  We spent yesterday afternoon just watching them feed.  

We took the dinghy into Castine. 

Castine's waterfront. 

The cove. 

Curtis the seal.  Cameron named her first seal sighted, and the name stuck.  We are always amazed to see them.  We are like the people who visit home and freak out over seeing an alligator.  

This charter sail boat came into the cove yesterday, to get out of the swell.  

Fog in the cove.  Can you see the sail boat anchored about 100 yards away?  

We took a golf cart historical tour of Castine.  Our driver and guide was a retired radiologist from New Hampshire.  The town has become a retirement destination, and the retirees volunteer for all types of civic causes in town.  It has a winter population of about 800 plus a thousand cadets at the Maine Maritime Academy located here.  The retired doctor bought a home here and stays through the winter, and he told us that the winters are becoming warmer and they have much less snow each year.  

Maine Maritime Academy. Graduates come out as seaman, and can go into the Merchant Marines or the Navy. 

Cadets being drilled (beyond the hill, which is part of an old fort). 

A restored Inn. 

Some houses in Castine.