LOCATIONS: Blue Hill, Center Harbor, Deer Island, Buck’s Harbor, Seal Harbor, Belfast, and Stonington

VESSEL: The Ellis 36 “Liberty”

NARRATIVE: As Dr. Seuss said, “Oh, the place you will go.” How true it has been on our third year chartering with Ellis. This year was just as unique as the first year. We started in a bit of fog on Sunday to Blue Hill. What a treat Blue Hill is. Blue Hill was so lovely. We spent two nights, then went off to Eggemoggin Reach to Buck’s Harbor. On our way, we stopped at Center Harbor, home to Brooklin Boat Yard and Wooden Boat. I was pleasantly surprised by this stop and secretly wished we didn’t have plans for Bucks Harbor as we had been to Bucks before—one night in Bucks Harbor on a mooring. Then, we were off to Belfast via the long way around Isleboro and spent the afternoon in Seal Harbor, another spot to go to next year. Once in Belfast, we were happy to tie up for a few nights as we were due for some lumpy seas and rain. Then, off to Stonington, which is always our favorite. We tied up at Billings Marine for the night. We kept company with two lobster boats that were entering the lobster boat races. Billings is first come, first serve for tie-up and moorings. Alas, all good things eventually end, as it did for this year’s charter. We returned to Southwest Harbor by picking our way through the fog and the shoals. Garmin plotter and cross-checking with a paper chart were a must! We were pretty happy to see the Cranberry Islands and a bit of a sunset. Below are a few pictures of our 2024 Ellis Charter adventure; enjoy!

INSIGHTS: In Blue Hill, you can pick up a mooring from the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club ($55 per night, including launch service). The entrance to Blue Hill harbor is tricky—DO NOT ignore the navigation marks.