New England Coastal Cruise

NEW ENGLAND

23 August – 5 September 2010

We booked the Grand New England cruise on American Cruise Lines American Glory. We flew from DFW to Hartford, CT and rented a car. After spending the night in MA, we headed north toward Portland, ME. Wanting to bypass Boston, we took I-95 north for a while and then meandered our way eastward until we hit US-1. From there we managed to drive farther east and hit US-1A, which is the old highway and closer to the coast. This provided hours of scenic driving. We saw Huntington Beach, crowded with people, and joined a line of cars slowly driving between buildings and the beach. The entire area is one large resort with towns connected by “cottages” along both sides of the highway. Some of these are obviously private homes in the multi-million dollar price range; many look to be a hundred or more years old while others are half that or less. The architecture intrigued us as many of them sat on large lawns with cupolas, widow’s walks, and/or huge windows for views of the sea. In many areas, large rocks replaced sandy beaches. In some areas, the highway took us through towns with tree-shaded streets lined with older homes. Road construction forced us back to US-1 just about the Maine border. We stopped near the Kittery Outlet Center at Robert’s for lunch: clam chowder & lobster roll. Just the sort of food we’ve been craving! From there we were able to find our way back over closer to the coast and enjoyed more of the scenic drive. We really liked the area around York and felt we could stay in that area for several days. In Kennebunk we inched our way along; this is an affluent town with shops lining the street and many people out and about. Many hotels, motels, and bed & breakfasts had “no vacancy” signs. After stopping at a Dairy Queen “blizzards,” we set the GPS with hotel address and were soon back on I-95 and headed for Scarborough.

Portland, ME – After breakfast in the hotel, we checked out, headed for the airport and turned in the rental car. Then we took a taxi to the Portland waterfront where we boarded the American Glory. We rolled our bags through the terminal where there was a cursory security check to determine if our ID matched our cruise ticket. Then we pulled the bags down the pier to the end of the gangway. Ship personnel welcomed us and took our bags to cabin 213. We were pleasantly surprised at the spaciousness of the cabin. After unpacking, we got a drink from the lounge and then sat on our balcony until time for the safety video. We sailed north for Boothby Harbor during lunch. There was a brief orientation meeting at 3:00 after which we went to the top deck. Colorful buoys marking the location of lobster pots dotted the blue water. There several boats. White sails against blue sky and water combined for a very picturesque sailing experience. Several lighthouses added to the scene. As we neared our destination, we began to sail among islands and saw many houses along the shores. Almost at the harbor entrance, one small island contained a single house. 

 

Boothbay Harbor, ME –We boarded a shuttle bus and drove about 20 minutes to reach Central Maine Botanical Gardens. A docent provided a narrated tour for our small group. We learned that the gardens opened in 2007 and were the dream of a group who mortgaged their homes to purchase the land and make that dream a reality. After visiting the “Garden of the Five Senses” designed to appeal to everyone, even those with disabilities, we toured more of the garden. Because the garden is transitioning from summer to fall, many plants were not in full bloom or had not begun to bloom. 

 

They had planters which were constructed of wire baskets and arranged on each side of a rack which held rows of baskets; a water supply went through the center. One side of rack grew plants for shade; the other side for the sun.

 

 Another highlight was the "Children’s Garden” which related various plant installations to children’s books. There are even books available for parents to read to children. This garden is funded by the Alfond family who market “Dexter” shoes; they also endow many facilities at universities as well as giving a five-hundred-dollar-savings-bond to every child born in Maine. Around 11:00, we returned to the bus for the drive back to the ship. We relaxed in the room for a few minutes before lunch in the dining room.

Around 11:00, we returned to the bus for the drive back to the ship.

At 2:00 we boarded another shuttle for the drive to the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. The drive lasted over 30 minutes because of a slowdown entering Wiscasset due to “Red’s,” a stand selling lobster rolls. The museum is not far from the Bath Ship Yards. 

Once at the museum, 

 

we got a volunteer who liked to hear himself talk and was unable to abbreviate his normal spiel. As a result, we only had about 40 minutes to explore. We saw the “pitch oven” where caulking materials were melted to seal cracks. 

 

In the “mill and joiner shop,” 

 

we saw saws, joiners and planers used to construct the wooden ships. On the upper floor a huge band saw held pride of place.

 

 In the “paint and trunnel shop” was a lathe where “tree nails” or trunnels were turned; these are huge wooden nails used to hold the ships together.

The “caulker’s shed” 

 

was between the main museum building and the fishing schooner, “Sherman Zwicker,” which once caught cod on the outer banks. 

 One museum feature was huge frames marking the dimensions of the “Wyoming,” the largest of the wooden cargo ships. 

 

Inside the museum we saw several exhibits 

  

 

including a scale model of the “Wyoming.”

 We left the museum at 4:15 and were back aboard ship before 5:00. 

Bar Harbor, ME – We docked in Bar Harbor, ME around 7:00. 

After breakfast, we gathered our things and met our tour at 8:30. We walked up the gangway and onto the pier before walking across the pier and down a street to another passageway leading to another dock. There we boarded the Lulu, a lobster/tour boat for a tour. John, the captain, narrated the tour and explained the history of the area as well as displaying an intimate knowledge of lobstering. We spent the next couple of hours listening to him. www.lululobsterboat.com  Each lobsterman’s buoy displays distinctive colors and must be on the boat at all times and visible from all sides; most are on the top of the boat.

  

 Lobster buoys may have many traps attached to them and the number of traps depends on the proximity to the shore. Traps are designed with a release in case they become detached from the buoy. Just about the breakwater, Captain John pointed out the summer home of the “Campbell’s Soup” family which they occupy for about two weeks each summer. 

 

We passed through the breakwater composed of huge granite boulders and sailed out into “Frenchman’s Bay;” the mountainous shoreline boasted many huge homes, both old and modern, situated for maximum sea view. We also saw smoke arising from “Jackson Laboratories,” a pioneer in medical research. We sailed farther out to Egg Rock Lighthouse where we saw both harbor seals and gray seals basking on rocks and frolicking in the water; several pups skyhopped us. Gulls also perched and soared.

  

  

 

After making photos of the lighthouse, we sailed to the leeward side of one of the “Porcupine Islands” where Captain John demonstrated hauling in a lobster trap; it contained a sea cucumber and five lobsters

 . 

 

Two of the lobsters were females and “seeders,” meaning they had fertilized eggs attached to the exteriors of their abdomens.

 

After clipping their tails, he quickly threw them back into the ocean. He used one of the males to demonstrate measurement and various anatomy as well as to explain life cycle and molting. 

 

Then he threw all the lobsters back into the sea, rebaited the trap with salted herring, and lowered the trap. We then returned to the dock after a great trip. We walked back to the ship. Around 2:00, we walked into town and wandered the shopping area.

 Castine, ME – We spent the night at anchor in Bar Harbor and sailed after 6:00 a.m. We ran into a small storm causing swells of five to six feet as well as fog. Around 10:00 we sailed out of the storm and the skies began to clear. 

By lunchtime, the weather was nice, and we anchored in Castine, ME around 1:00.

 

 We saw the “Maine Maritime Academy” at harborside with their training ship, the “State of Maine,” docked there.

 

 Once ashore, we also saw their sailboat “Bowdoin” docked there, too. We anchored here and took the launch ashore where we met our guide for the walking tour. Castine is a pretty little town situated on a peninsula formed by the Penobscot River and an inlet; because the old town is situated on a knob connected to the mainland by a narrow neck, locals talk of “on neck” and “off neck.” They also refer to residents who came to Maine as small children as “washed ashore.” All other residents, even those from different towns and villages in Maine, are referred to as “from away.” Native Americans lived here when the French established a settlement in 1613 and the British established “Fort George” in 1779. 

We met our guide and began the uphill walk while she pointed out historic structures. Much of the architecture is “Federal Style” with some Victorian and later additions. 

 

The post office, housed in the original Customs House, dates from 1833 and is the oldest continuously operating post office in the United States.

Castine is also proud to retain many of its elm trees which line streets.

 

 Another highlight was the 1790 “Unitarian Universalist Congregation” Church

 

which was somewhat catty-cornered from “Emerson Hall,” the town hall. 

 

We took the last launch back to the ship. Because everyone was aboard early, we sailed before the scheduled 5:00 p.m. departure. Our next port was Belfast, ME, just a short sail away. We had smooth sailing and blue skies as we sailed toward Belfast. After dinner aboard, we walked into the town where everything except the bars was closed.

Belfast & Camden, ME – A representative from the Belfast Historical Society provided a great tour which followed almost the same route as last night’s stroll. The bright, sunny day was especially cool and we wore jackets. We enjoyed the history of the town and its evolution from lumbering, to shoe making, to poultry, to “hippie haven,” to artist colony.

 She told about significant buildings, including the oldest shoe store in the US, 

and even explained the rationale behind the unique benches scattered along the street. 

We enjoyed her commentary and willingness to answer questions. The church erected in 1818 was one highlight as the steeple houses a Revere bell which shares space with a cellphone tower.

The present day city hall was erected by the Grand Army of the Republic. 

After the tour ended, we strolled back down the hill toward the ship. Many shops weren’t open.

 Shortly after 11:30, we sailed for Camden, ME. 

We arrived in Camden about an hour later and anchored just off a lighthouse. At 2:00 we took the launch into town for our bus tour. We first drove to the top of Mount Battie where we enjoyed the spectacular view of Camden Harbor and Cadillac Mountain. The white sailboats contrasted with deep blue sea and sky. We really thought the view worth the entire tour.

After driving down the mountain, we drove through Camden with the guide pointing out structures as we made our way to Rockport, ME. The towns split in the 1890s in a dispute over a bridge. The Camden residents withstood the taunts of “Camden bums drink too much rum;” but Rockporters seceded on the “Rockport paddy whackers dine on soda crackers.” Rockport made a good living with lime kilns, ice, and shipbuilding until around 1910. We did drive through Rockport to see some Belted Galloway Cattle and the grave of Doctor Spock before stopping at the harbor to see lime kilns and the statue to Andre the Seal.

 Then we returned to Camden. Once the tour was over, we walked through the upscale shopping district before taking the launch back to the ship. 

Rockland, MA – We docked in Rockland early evening and walked into town after dinner. The following day we got ready for the 90 minute narrated bus tour and “Farnsworth Museum” tour. We made a loop through town with the guide pointing out various historic buildings: Main Street dates from the mid-19^th century; homes of various architectural styles line the streets---many of them either converted to apartments or B&B’s---the “Farnsworth Museum;” town hall;  a view of the harbor. Here we saw the long breakwater of granite blocks with a small lighthouse marking its end.

We arrived at the museum at 10:00. In the mid-1940’s, Lucy Farnsworth, an old maid, willed around $1.3 million to the town to create an art museum in her father’s memory; she also left about the same amount to endow her childhood home to be permanently maintained as it was in the 1850s. A docent guided a tour through the museum collection which is focused on the works of Andrew Wyeth. We enjoyed the “Impressionist Summers” exhibition of Frank W. Benson’s paintings more than the others. We skipped out on the tour and walked through the sculpture garden to the converted Methodist church currently displaying works by Andrew Wyeth and Rockwell Kent. The bus left the museum at 11:00 and took us back to the ship. At noon we boarded the bus for the Rockland’s South End where we enjoyed an all-you-can-eat lobster dinner: lobster; mussels; corn on the cob; potato salad; cole slaw; chocolate-raspberry cookies at “Captain Jack’s Lobster Bake.” Number 3 washtubs filled with lobsters; water and seaweed were placed over an open fire until the water boiled and the lobsters cooked. Then the water and seaweed were drained and the lobsters poured onto the ground. We really gorged on lobster, each of us eating an entire lobster as well as an additional tail. After lunch, we took the first bus back and got off in town. We walked both sides of Main Street and stopped at a few stores before walking back to the boat. Although breezy beside the water, the day was sunny and warm.

 

 After lunch, we took the first bus back and got off in town. We walked both sides of Main Street and stopped at a few stores before walking back to the boat. Although breezy beside the water, the day was sunny and warm.

Gloucester, MA –After boarding the schooner “Thomas Lannon,” 

we spent the next two hours sailing Gloucester Harbor 

and even a little area past the breakwater and into the Atlantic.

Boston Skyline

 

 

We enjoyed the relaxing sail which was quite peaceful. While the tour wasn’t narrated, the crew answered questions and we saw a couple of lighthouses 

as well as “Hammond Castle,” the home of John Hays Hammond, Jr., inventor of an early remote control;

 

 the home of his collaborator Eugene Polley sits across the harbor. 

 

The crew also gave information about various structures ashore. 

 

After lunch, we took the shuttle to Rockport, MA, an artist colony. It was a warm and sunny day---perhaps 90 degrees. We enjoyed walking the street and poking into the various shops. At the end of one street, we had a beautiful view of the ocean; in another place, we also saw the “old red fishing shack.” 

Once back aboard, we relaxed before sail away at 5:00. We made photos of the “Bounty” as it motored into the harbor.

Martha’s Vineyard, MA –Imagine our shock at learning we were docked on the island of Martha’s Vineyard instead of anchored in Nantucket. The captain decided the wind too strong for Nantucket and diverted us here. There was some scrambling around, but we left on tour at 9:30. The driver aboard the bus was an excellent tour guide as we made a loop on the island. Real estate prices astound us, especially as many are summer homes. We enjoyed seeing the various sites and hearing the commentary. We spent about an hour in Edgartown just walking the streets and seeing the historic ship’s captain’s homes and looking in shop windows.

. We enjoyed seeing the 18^th century Methodist Meeting House which is sometimes called the Whalers’ Church. 

 

A drive along the beach was another highlight 

 

as was a brief tour of the town of Oak Bluffs with its Methodist Camp Meeting beginnings and gingerbread cottages. 

 

 

 

 

The loop returned us to the ship in Vineyard Haven. The ferry fee for bringing a car to this island is over $150 round trip.  We walked from the ship into town and ate lunch at the “Black Dog Tavern:” lobster rolls & fries. 

 

The “Black Dog” is famous here and is on shirts, and just about everything else. Two schooners, “Shenandoah” and “Alabama” fly that flag and take tourists on 3 hour sails.

 

We learned that we sail at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow for Nantucket and have added Bristol, RI for the next day to compensate for the change in schedule.

Nantucket – We sailed from Martha’s Vineyard around 5:00 and arrived in Nantucket harbor around 8:00. The blue sky was dotted with puffy, white  clouds and the bright sunshine made the water sparkle. 

 

Gray structures and hundreds of white boats provided picture-postcard views. We were not allowed to dock at this island. We left the ship on the first tender at 9:00 and were on the first bus for the tour. We enjoyed the circle tour of which took us through town and out into the less-populated areas. 

 

The driver’s narration provided lots of information as he pointed out various sites along the route. We saw old homes and an old mill. 

 

We also saw golf courses, cranberry bogs and light houses. 

We learned that it costs between $400 and $450 round trip for an automobile to travel between Nantucket and the mainland and requires a reservation made at least two weeks ahead. The tour ended after 10:00 and we rode the bus into town. We then window shopped the area. Crowds were lining up at some restaurants so we decided to eat at “The Tavern” when it opened at 11:00. We sat outside in the gazebo---think porch---and enjoyed quahog clam chowder and fried clams. It was cool and pleasant and we enjoyed the never-ending parade of people walking up Straight Wharf. 

 

After lunch, we went to “Stars Ice Cream” for dessert. Nantucket is very expensive and filled with many people who seem to lead a very upscale life; some of them appear to be “entitled.” We really didn’t like it as much as we did Martha’s Vineyard. As we waited for the next-scheduled launch back to the ship, we were entertained by the various people heading out or returning from a boating trip. There are many expensive boats moored here at the “Town Dock” as well as many dinghies to transfer the owners from shore to boat. Of course, some mega yachts were moored nearby, too.

One major reason for taking the cruise was to visit Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and we accomplished that.

Bristol, RI – We docked in Bristol, RI, a deepwater port on Narragansett Bay, a little after 1:00 a.m. 

 

 

We awoke to fog. ACL made arrangements with the “Herreshoff Museum” to use their dock; it included admission to the museum with its “America’s Cup” gallery. 

 

After breakfast, we walked into town. The fog had burned off and it was a cool and pleasant morning. We walked along Hope St. and enjoyed the shade. Mansions---many of them over 200 years old---lined the street. We made some photos of some we found most interesting. Once we reached a commercial area, we walked down to the pier and sat a while before walking back. A stop at the Visitor’s Center got us a map as well as a chance to see a short video on the history of the town.

 We learned that Bristol claims the oldest continuous 4^th of July Celebration in the US and the parade route is marked with a red, white and blue center stripe on the pavement.

 

 After lunch aboard, we went to “Blythewold,” an early 20^th century house and garden. The last resident, daughter of the builder, left the house, contents and gardens in trust for the public. After seeing the mansion’s interior and wandering the gardens, we returned to the ship. 

 

 

 

We sailed around 5:00 p.m. and headed for Providence, RI.

Providence, RI; Cape Cod, MA; Hartford, CT – It drizzled rain. After breakfast, we waited until around 8:30 to board the shuttle to the airport; the driver dropped us near the rental car terminal where we picked up our Mazda and were on the road by 9:10. We decided to drive to Cape Cod. Traffic on 195 was OK and we were amazed at the wideness of the Fall River, the length of the bridge and the size of the city of Fall River itself. We enjoyed the drive and stopped in Chatham, MA which is on the “elbow” of the cape for lunch at the “Impudent Oyster.” We gorged on lobster rolls and a chocolate brownie. We had crossed the Cape Cod Canal and taken the Mid Cape Connector which is Route 6; the scenery is sand and scrub pine. For our return, we meandered up the coast and took the more scenic Route 6A which took us through lots of towns where we enjoyed seeing the varied architecture of the homes including many which were classic Cape Cod style. Once back across the canal, we took 495 back toward Connecticut. About 7 miles for its junction with I-90, we spent 45 minutes going 5 miles; we never knew the reason for the slowdown. When we made it to Hartford, we missed a turn and ended up with a scenic tour of Asylum Avenue; who knew they had Hartford University, St. Joseph University and Connecticut University all very close together. We finally made the hotel around 6:30 after a very long but satisfying day.

This was a strange trip for us. We got to go every place we wanted to go and to see what we wanted to see. We did not like American Cruise Lines at all. The staff is poorly trained; many were brand new. The food is comparable to a small town café and the portions are skimpy. There is little or no recourse if the food isn’t to your liking. The tour director knew nothing and either wasn’t capable of communicating---or had no desire to communicate---what she did know. The housekeeping manager was belligerent and rude. The hotel director had no organizational skills. It was sort of like cruising under the auspices of “Motel 6.” Fortunately Karen Hammond, the guest lecturer, was personable and willing to share and answer questions. The maids/servers were too new to be of much help but the deckhands, mate and captain were eager to visit and to offer suggestions. We can’t think of a reason to ever take another ACL cruise.