Scenes from Frenchboro, Maine, 2019.

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
These scenes could easily be from any year in this decade. Things don't change much on Maine islands, especially Long Island located about 7 NM off Mt Dessert Island, part of Acadia National Park (back ground in photo below).

The most important info for cruisers is; what is the mooring situation and is the lobster shack open?

There are now several outer harbor moorings available for rent. We've been coming here for so many years we like to stay in the inner harbor. We couldn't find a vacant rental mooring so took an old mooring with no pennant. We were able to get a line on it and with the benign forecast ahead, it was good enough.

At the tide change, Frenchboro inner harbor is chock full, and everybody is swingin'.

Frenchboro harbor tide change.jpg


Lunts Dockside lobster shack was open. We reserved a couple lobsters for dinner and headed off on familiar dusty island roads.

There's always snacks available along the way in Frenchboro. Bright red raspberries, purple blackberries and wild blueberries grow along the road that girdles the long harbor. One or two species are always in season when we visit.

The lush berries grow particularly well amongst the graveyards that dot the landscape around the harbor. There are many more headstones on Frenchboro than year round residents, many more.

Frenchboro gravestone front yard.jpg


No new houses, the ones that have been unfinished for more than a decade are still unfinished.

I notice a dock looks renewed and alongside, a couple docks have fallen into the water since our last visit.

I sort of keep score - people wise - on some of these islands. As to which way Frenchboro is going? I still detect no movement either way in 2 decades.

The natural world looks healthy on the island. These are dry arid islands off the coast. Thistle flourishes naturally without the gardeners that are pulling this same plant out of the ground on mainland, a world away, 7 miles to the North.



Frenchboro thistles and butterflies.jpg


There are miles of public hiking trails on Frenchboro. We take a hike to visit Little Beach. I can't recall meeting anyone on this hike, yet.

Frenchboro Trailmap_.jpg


It's tempting to walk barefoot.

Frenchboro trail_.jpg


Frenchboro's south coast goes toe to toe with the Atlantic. It's the first land to meet this often roaring ocean through here. You hear the ocean pulsing long before you see it, even on calm days. The seas distant rumble greets you from inside the deep woods. Then you see it:

Frenchboro Little Beach_.jpg


I would like to visit Little Beach in a huge storm. But you don't have to be there. Just use your imagination and look at the stones along this dynamic coast.
Frenchboro sea side beach stones_.jpg


Dinner on the docks was great. A new guy was running the shack. I don't expect him to be there next year,...but he might be.

We offered to pay for our mooring without a pendant. They need the money and gladly accepted it. BTW; they forgot our reservation so dinner was later than we expected. No problem, we enjoyed the sunset.

Oh yeah, then they ran out of gas and had to go get another tank. Whatever,...

The next morning a large ferry from Bass Harbor delivered more than 300 people to a lobster fest at the church. This seemed like a good time to leave.

I can't imagine Frenchboro with 300 people on it.

Frenchboro Ferry docking.jpg
 
Oct 1, 2007
1,856
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
Thank you Tom for such great memories for us. In the day we lived in Surry and Frenchboro was one our most cherished stops. So many time we hiked to Little Beach and passed the library or town center on the way? Lunt's was great except back then they closed at 1700 so it was an early dinner or late lunch :). One fond memory was swinging to one of the moorings close to Lunt's and we saw a great horned owl sitting in a tree about 50 ft away checking us out!
Thanks again
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Hi Rick, the library is just around the bend at the head of the harbor where you head off toward Little Beach. No real town center but the school, church and library are all at the head of the harbor that dries out.

You make me realize, the library has grown a little over the last decade or two. It now has a tiny museum of island lore attached. My wife often takes a few books out when we're in Frenchboro, and mails them back when we get home. That's fine by them.

Great experience and memory you had seeing the owl, I'd love to see that.
 

RoyS

.
Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Island living is certainly different. Walk around a Maine island and you may notice an old truck with the hood up in someone's front yard. You assume they went to get a repair part. Come back the following year and the truck is still there and the hood is still up.
 
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Oct 1, 2007
1,856
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
Island living is certainly different. Walk around a Maine island and you may notice an old truck with the hood up in someone's front yard. You assume they went to get a repair part. Come back the following year and the truck is still there and the hood is still up.
That is so funny, and so true. Our favorite place for this was Matinicus Island. I remember a yard with several wrecks in front, and a solitary red plastic gas container with the nozzle screwed in, ready to go. Well, year after year it just sat there and faded more and more as time passed, and never moved an inch. Matinicus was sort of a "wild west" environment. Back in the day there was no police presence and not many inhabitants other than lobster fishermen. At some point they strung chain across the harbor in a narrow spot and attached some guest moorings. We went there many times, last in 2000, and no one ever came to collect a fee :) A fisherman's wife ran a gift shop selling her craft works. I imagine it is different now.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Thank you Tom. Your descriptions and images are so inviting. Maine should invite you to do a Travel to Maine blog.

Makes me want to come and visit like one of the 300. But then I am sure I would not get the chance to meet you.

I still detect no movement either way in 2 decades.
It would appear they have reached a level of Sustainability.
 

PaulK

.
Dec 1, 2009
1,222
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
We put in at Frenchboro when we were up that way too. Not busy. A skiff came by to pick up a donation for the library in return for the night’s mooring.
Eclipse Frenchboro ME.jpg
 
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Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
@TomY and others.
I was having a somewhat stressful pre-holiday day until I read this thread.

All calm and centred again. Thanks!
 
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Apr 8, 2011
768
Hunter 40 Deale, MD
Stopped by Frenchboro for an overnite while crewing on a cruise this past summer from NY to Nova Scotia - what a treat. The lobster at Lunts was the best I had while gunkholing Maine - and I had a lot of lobster. We picked up a long disused mooring, and it was all I could do to get a line to it. The sea growth on it was stupendous. The sunset was incredible, and a tall ship sailed by between Frenchboro and the mainland at dusk. What a neat place.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Stopped by Frenchboro for an overnite while crewing on a cruise this past summer from NY to Nova Scotia - what a treat. The lobster at Lunts was the best I had while gunkholing Maine - and I had a lot of lobster. We picked up a long disused mooring, and it was all I could do to get a line to it. The sea growth on it was stupendous. The sunset was incredible, and a tall ship sailed by between Frenchboro and the mainland at dusk. What a neat place.
I know that mooring! It does take all you can do to get a line through it.

It is the best lobster on the coast. It's not just about the lobster, it's as much about where you enjoy the lobster that makes it special.

The proper way to enjoy a lobster dinner is in Frenchboro.jpg
 
Apr 8, 2011
768
Hunter 40 Deale, MD
I know that mooring! It does take all you can do to get a line through it.

It is the best lobster on the coast. It's not just about the lobster, it's as much about where you enjoy the lobster that makes it special.

[/QUOTE}

You're spot on TomY. A few pics from our trip - its SUCH a picturesque place:
 

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