I left in the Emilie Belle on Saturday afternoon and ended up in Stonington, mostly by coincidence. It makes sense because that is technically where Steinbeck started, and the bulk of what he describes in Deer Isle. But the real reason I went was I had been at Tinderhearth in Brooksville celebrating my Aunt Cindy’s birthday with pizza, salad and homemade chipwiches. After dinner, Tim, who both makes the pizzas and plays guitar for the family band, mentioned a party on Deer Isle when I asked him when the band was playing next. “Totally crashable,“ he said, and I took it to heart.
Stonington is an amazing town. I have been there many times, but still don’t have a good feel for the place. Steinbeck starts in Deer Isle, Maine because his “long-time friend and associate, Elizabeth Otis, has been going to Deer Isle every year. When she speaks of it, she gets an other-worldly look in her eyes and gets completely inarticulate.” Something that makes a New York literary agent inarticulate must be special. Steinbeck continued, “All I knew about Deer Isle was that there was nothing you could say about it, but if I didn’t go I was crazy.”
Steinbeck says it, “does not look like an American town at all, in place or in architecture. Its houses are layered down to the calm waters of the bay. This town closely resembles Lyme Regis on the coast of Dorset… and Maine speech is very much like that is West Country England. And the coastal people below the Bristol Channel are secret people, and perhaps magic people. There’s aught behind their eyes, hidden away so deep that perhaps even they do not know they have it. And the same thing is so in Deer Islers.” It is as unique as Steinbeck describes, and must be visited. There are several restaurants and cafes, including Aragosta and 44 North, which will impress even the most discerning Whole Foods customers. But it is the mix of fishing locals and summer ‘artists’ that give this place its charm, like so much of the Maine coast.
Stonington is a great destination for cruising, although moorings and dock space for pleasure vessels is severely limited. There is a Town Landing, but dock space is limited to 2 hours, and that rule is strictly enforced. It is perfect for a quick lunch stop in town, but if you are spending more time, you’ll need to find another alternative. Billings Marine has moorings, but they are outside the harbor and a mile walk (or long dinghy) ride to town. Otherwise there is good anchorage outside the harbor, but be careful and consult the Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast since Stonington is an unforgiving working harbor.
Once in town, Stonington has a lot to offer. Provisions are available at the Stonecutters Market, which also includes a restaurant and bar. The restaurant is pretty good, with simple food and an order at the counter self-service environment. It’s no Fisherman’s Friend, but a good place to get lunch and a drink. For breakfast, the best place is the Harbor Café. Great full breakfasts, and fairly cheap. If you prefer a nice coffee and baked goods, 44 North is your best bet. 44 North is some of the best coffee in Maine, and it is locally roasted right in Deer Isle. For an upscale meal, Aragosta can’t be beat. The menu is changed weekly based on produce available, and the restaurant gets its meat and produce from the best local farms, including 4 Season Farm in Brooksville. My favorite time to go is lunch and drinks outside on the deck overlooking the harbor. Hard to beat the drinks, food and scenery.
I found the Soulbenders party, which turned out to be Bruce’s birthday party, with the help of Chris and Jenny, who moved to Deer Isle from Miami two years ago. I knew Chris years ago from visits to New York City, where he shared an apartment with my college roommate who he had gone to boarding school with. He and Jenny are now on Deer Isle fulltime, a nice small world story.
We went, and it was great. The Soulbenders are always great. I met so many interesting people: Dennis from the Deer Isle Hostel, a vision and concept he had envisioned 10 years ago and had been building with his wife ever since. Nat from Penobscot Bay Press who came to Deer Isle 30 years ago to run Island Advantages and now runs the three regional papers in the area. There are lots of cool people up here doing cool things. You just need to find them.
