On Saturday morning we went on a whale watch. The watch lasted 4 hours which included a boat ride to and from one of the whales known feeding grounds. We saw over 10 whales in total, including Minke, Fin and Humpback whales.

On the way back to Boothbay we sailed by Pumpkin Island to see some sunbathing seals!

As we arrived back in the Harbor there were plenty of opportunties for picturesque photos.

On Sunday we took a day trip to Monhegan Island. We departed at 11am for the small rocky island ten miles outside of Boothbay Harbor.

The island is home to no more than 75 residents who enjoys its quiet and relaxed atmosphere. It is also very popular with artists, many of whom own galleries there. There are no real paved roads on the island, only dirt tracks which add to its nostalgic appeal.

Our return boat back to Boothbay was at 2pm (the last boat back to the mainland till Thursday!) so we spent a couple of hours on one of Monhegans trails to Lobster Cove before allowing plenty of time to get back to the dock. Lobster Cove was very pretty and is the site of the D.T. Sheridan, a shipwreck which has rested in the cove for decades.

Monhegan Island is definately on our list to return to one day. We would like to spend a few days there so we can cover more ground and spend plenty of time admiring its beauty.

On Sunday afternoon we returned home to Dover, NH. We will be back in Boothbay next month with my parents and can’t wait!

Here is a short video from our weekend in Boothbay Harbor.

This shot is of the beautiful Maine House at the Dockside Guest Quarters in York Harbor, Maine. We got married here at the end of the month and could not have hoped for a more more beautiful setting. The flag post is straight but my stitching gave it an unfortunate slanted look!

This image is a combination of two photos taken using ISO200, f/8, 1/125th sec at 17mm. More photos of the Dockside can be found on my flickr stream.

I took this picture in the golden hour before sunset at Boothbay Harbor in Maine. It was pretty difficult to take a bad photo in Boothbay. We had a wonderful weekend away to celebrate my arrival in the US!

Taken at ISO100, f/7.1, 1/80th sec at 47mm.

We started the trip with a little walk around town. Boothbay has a lovely selection of shops, restaurants and beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. At midday we managed to get tickets to Cabbage Island for a clam bake! We had tried for tickets earlier in the day but they were fully booked. Luckily they had a cancellation and we were able to get tickets about half an hour before the boat was due to leave. The boat ride out to Cabbage Island took around 20-30 minutes and provided lovely views back towards Boothbay as we left the harbor.

Upon arrival to the island we were greeted by the Moore family (the hosts) and took a seat at one of the many picnic benches around the beautiful 5 1/2 acre island.

The lobsters and clams were steamed on seaweed a short walk from our table and a bell was rung when the food was ready. Upon hearing the bell everyone queues up for the food and returns to their tables to eat.

The bake started with a cup of clam chowder which is a traditional New England soup, followed by the main course comprised of two bright red lobsters, tender white steamed clams, corn on the cob, an onion, a jacket potato, a hard boiled egg and drawn butter for dipping the lobster meat. There was certainly enough to eat! I had not cracked lobster before but picked it up pretty quick.

The lobster was delicious, in fact we ate mostly seafood whilst in Boothbay and it was all exceptional. After we were done eating, we spent a bit of time exploring the island before boarding the boat back to Boothbay.

As we were leaving the island we looked back and saw an Osprey and its nest. A welcome end to a wonderful trip.

On Sunday we went puffin watching! Another boat ride takes you out to Egg Rock, an island with a colony of 110 puffins which were re-established on the island by the Audubon Society (similar to the RSPB in England). The weather was foggy on the way out but cleared shortly after arriving at the island. We circled the island looking for puffins and almost straight away saw 4 of them sitting in the ocean (baby puffins take to the water for 5 years before returning to land to breed). We saw a further 4 puffins before heading back to the mainland.

The B&B we stayed in whilst at Boothbay was the Atlantic Ark Inn. It had 6 bedrooms and was run by a very friendly and welcoming lady named Donna. An ample breakfast was served each morning with tea and coffee all day long. We stayed in two rooms named ‘Lightness’ and ‘The Cottage’ and both were very comfortable.