Camp Ellis house decor

The first few hours leaving Portland made for a great sail. Unfortunately the wind turned southwest mid-morning, we were still battling some residual swell from the hurricane, so we knew we weren’t going to get very far that day.

Luckily Kate from s/v Timothy Lee had told me about free town moorings at the entrance to the harbor in Saco. We had never considered Saco in the past because we normally do longer off shore runs up and down the coast or opt to stop in Isle of Shoals. But we knew high winds were coming in Sunday from the southwest and we needed a place to hang out until we could comfortably move south again. Saco fit the bill.

The entrance wasn’t as bad as it looked, and the mooring was a comfortable giant rubber ball (crucial for when the current runs opposite to the wind and you find yourself hitting the ball repeatedly – not fun at 3 AM with a plastic ball). We went ashore to explore Camp Ellis, the eastern most point of Saco. It’s a fun little collection of summer cottages, but the evidence of coastal erosion (sand still in the streets courtesy of the most recent storm swells I imagine) makes it a losing investment. We stopped at the most popular (and only) restaurant in the village, Huets, for an afternoon cocktail, and then it was back to the boat. A wonderful, albeit short, stay.